Category Archives: Fantasy

Fantasy, Historical, Reviews, TRENDS DIE OUT; LEGENDS LIVE ON

Ghost King by David Gemmell

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TRENDS DIE OUT/LEGENDS LIVE ON:

GHOST KING by David Gemmell

A review by INFAMOUS🦀

 

David Gemmell might not be one of the most popular sword and sorcery writers perhaps, but his work truly has been a gift to those of us who admire captivating characters, well thought-out plot lines, and the ‘magic’ of fairy stories of old,  combining  history and fantasy uniquely.

Ghost King in many aspects could be loosely compared to the legend of King Arthur, but only on the surface. Once we take a deep dive into the core of it we realize that this is an original and exquisite tale that should be shared and praised throughout the ages.

PLOT:

The kingdom of the Romano-Britons finds itself without a king when Brigante King Eldared murders King Aurelius in a hunting ambush. However, Prince Thuro, son of Aurelius, manages to escape and with the aid of very powerful and unexpected allies regroups to regain his father’s kingdom and take back the throne.

As you can see, the general plot line is pretty straightforward but where Gemmell excels is in making this story unique by presenting characters that are not flat or one-dimensional and sub-plots that we might not expect, yet  ‘make sense’.

 

TEEN CHARACTERS: 

Prince Thuro and Laitha are first introduced as teenagers. Commonly teen characters, as written in modern times, come off as insufferable due to either being portrayed as exceedingly talented and self-confident for their age or as nitwits with low self-esteem. Not here!

For example, when Thuro is asked who he really is, his answer is:

 

“I am a young man, barely of age, who needs wise counsel from trusted friends”

 

How could we not get to side with a character like Thuro? He is ignorant/innocent, inexperienced, and he knows it. While he does not quit on his task to regain the throne from the usurper he realizes he can’t do it alone and he is conscious of his age and limitations.

 

SECONDARY CHARACTERS: 

Other characters that we will find intriguing and well defined throughout the story are:

  • The three retainers Victorious, Gwalchmai, and Caradoc, who manage to survive the ambush on their king and ride back to their homeland to regroup and raise an army.
  • The Enchanter Maedhlyn, who allegedly inspired the building of Troy and took Alexander “to the brink of domination”. A ‘Merlin’ character who seems to have had influence over several historical figures according to the lore of Ghost King:
  • Demigod Culain, who turns out to be Thuro’s grandfather and makes the critical decision to give up his immortality out of sheer love
  • King Eldared who engages the Soul Stealers, terrible wraiths of doom with invincibility and great speed to usurp the throne
  • Prasamaccus the crippled brigante who saves Victorinus from the threat of the Atrols (giant creatures sent by Eldared)
  • Goroien the Witch, who constantly requires the sacrifice of pregnant women in order to maintain her eternal youth

 

And of course we gotta have a legendary sword… The Sword of Cunobelin, lost when the king was murdered. Thuro must rescue it in order to reclaim the throne.

PROSE:

Gemmell is very clear with the prosaic style he decided to adopt in the foreword:

 

“The language used is relatively modern, and undoubtedly there will be some students who find it jarring to read of arrows being ‘fired’, when of course the expression evolved only after the introduction of matchlock muskets.”

 

This is the best move any author can make when choosing a style of language for a similar epic fantasy tale. When unsure, write in the most neutral style you can manage. Don’t try to be Shakespeare and don’t try to use modern XXI slang either. When you use a neutral language you let the reader’s imagination take the driver’s seat, and that’s a good thing.

 

CONCLUSIONS:

If you don’t know David Gemmell, grab a copy of Ghost King and be delighted with high quality epic fantasy that is compelling, imaginative, but also well thought-out and professionally presented. The blend of history with fantasy is exactly what I personally appreciate more than anything, and that’s why we will cover book 2 soon:

The Last Sword of Power

Don’t miss it!

🦀

Fantasy, Reviews

Contracts & Chaos by Joseph L. Wiess

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Contracts & Chaos – Tales from Crann Na Beatha by Joseph L. Wiess

Reviewed by

Contracts & Chaos is probably one of the most bizarre indie sword and sorcery(?) novels I’ve read as of late. This is labeled as Volume 2 of the Tales from Crann Na Beatha but as per the author it represents a totally independent narrative from Volume 1 and can be read on its own.

Why, you then may ask, do I feel like this story contains some bizarre elements? 

Well, the word ‘chaos’ in the title fits well in this instance! First and foremost, women in this world are generally portrayed with a weird touch of harem/Gorean submission narrative. Whether that was intentional of the author or not, we will discuss it in this review and in the comments that you will hopefully drop us.

PLOT:

The story kicks off with a damsel in distress-Heather-literally dropping at the feet of a man she doesn’t even know, begging him to make her his woman (or bond, as per this lore). The man in question is Balgair, a knight-turned-mercenary. Balgair already has two women/bonds waiting for him back at home but he decides that three is better than two so he accepts Heather’s offer. From that point on, Heather’s behavior is about constantly obsessing with pleasing Balgair. And if you think this is an isolated feature of Heather, let me introduce you to Lucy, another girl who is infatuated with Brandyn, the tavern owner, and her obsession with wanting to please this man is no less disturbing than Heather’s!

After rescuing Heather from the evil mage Brigid, the pace seems to slow down a big deal, with Balgair taking Heather to a shop to buy her new clothes and Heather being attacked by the store clerk. 

Aside from the slow pace, dialogue is very wooden and sometimes things just don’t add up. For example, when Heather gets verbally and physically attacked by Katrine the clerk, we read:

 

“The clerk drew her hand back again and sent Heather to the floor with a well-placed slap to the other cheek.”

 

But when Balgair hears the commotion and walks into the shop to rescue Heather, her reply is:

 

“I was looking for a new dress and had found one when I was hit from behind, and that woman was screaming at me.”

 

So was Heather attacked from behind or slapped on the face??

 

Before leaving the store, the goddess Ananke appears to Heather and reveals that she has great potential to become the perfect boireannach, which means a perfect submissive (I kid you not!).

CHARACTERS:

Other secondary (and totally forgettable) characters are Farank and his bond Arien the sorcerer. What’s interesting is that the entire time these two are trying to rescue Balgair and Heather, all Arien seems to do is drool over Balgair:

 

“If you are as strong as your Aura suggests, it’s no wonder your bond fell for you. The voice teased. I’m already bonded, yet I am straining not to run from my master to you. You must be quite a man.”

 

Again, dialogue to me seems quite odd and out of place.

 

Some of the punchlines also completely miss the mark, like when Balgair faces the powerful warrior Yarsmith, and Yarsmith introduces himself:

 

“I suppose I should introduce myself. I am Indigo Yarsmith, and you killed my father.” When Balgair raised his left brow in confusion, Yarsmith laughed. “No, not really, but it sounded good.”

 

But the odd moments don’t end there. While Heather is held captive by evil mage Brigid, she seems frightened, fearing for her life, and doubting that Balgair will make it on time to rescue her. However when he does finally rescue her, all she can say is:

 

“It’s about time you got here. I was so bored”

 

Again, inconsistencies and oddities are aplenty throughout this novel.

 

SEXUALLY EXPLICIT:

Another aspect that I totally did not appreciate is the sexually explicit scene with Balgair and Heather. This is basically X rated, smutty writing at this point and I’m surprised the author didn’t even bother adding a disclaimer or warning sign on Amazon so that those of us who don’t want to read such filth can avoid buying this trash altogether.

 

OTHER ODDITIES:

Another weird and quite annoying technique the author utilizes is showcasing the thoughts in the characters’ minds by separating the text using italic. This is something that could work when it’s isolated to one specific character, but in this book EVERYBODY has their thoughts on display. It could be a minor character who only has a brief appearance in the story and they will have their thoughts on display in italic text. So all of a sudden you have all these sentences in italic from pretty much almost every single character and it  just gets too chaotic.

 

The author also often forgets to open/close quotes which is also another painful feature of this book and suggesting poor editing work as well.

 

CONCLUSIONS: 

I found no redeemable qualities in this novel and the real question is:

Who was this novel written for? I cannot possibly imagine any normal reader feeling excited to read this type of content.

Contracts & Chaos is probably one of the most painful novels I’ve read as of late: poor editing/proof-reading, weak prose, wooden dialogue, and why is it that ALL characters sound like absolute nincompoops? Particularly the exchanges between Balgair and Heather sound like two 12-year-old children speaking. 

The only thing Contracts & Chaos achieved was making me feel slightly dumber by the time I reached the last page!

🦀

Fantasy, Reviews

Tears of an Indifferent God by Isom Ashe

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Agoric Myths Book One by Isom Ashe

Reviewed by

Welcome to Tears of an Indifferent God, a not-so-Greek mythological world where heroes are not what they seem and where pretty much every man and woman is bisexual! This book is comparable to a visit to the dentist: it hurts, it sucks, and we can’t wait to be done and over with!

But let’s take it all one breath at a time…

It’s not clear why the author decided to take all the most popular elements of Greek mythology and simply give them all different names. I understand taking inspiration from ancient mythology but to simply take well defined legends and just assign them new names seems lazy at best. So instead of Mount Olympus we now have Mount Arimus; instead of Aphrodite Goddess of Love we have Terha Goddess of Ecstasy, Zeus is now replaced by Gracix…You get the idea.

Hindsight, I speculate to believe that these lazy alterations were made intentionally by the author as to get away with the horrendous liberties he decided to take in order to ‘modernize’ some of the most ancient and most beloved legends.

 

CREATIVE LIBERTIES?

Despite the fact that we’re supposed to witness a mythological civilization, with fantastic characters and ethereal gods, it all feels very XXI century. The dialogue, the thinking process of the characters, even that weird Disney/MCU superhero vibe, at times!

You have Gordon, the legendary hero and the people’s champ, who is part of the Helios League of Heroes. You have Solacles, our MC, who keeps blaming Gordon for the death of his parents when he was still a child. You have Agda, Sola’s girlfriend (or not, since she sleeps with everything with a pulse?) who just wants to party and have fun, since the prospect of marriage is viewed as a daunting burden. You have capricious gods with hearing impairments like Terha, who can’t hear what a mortal is saying if other mortals are talking over him (not kidding!) and who feels the urge to expose herself whenever she witnesses mortals engage in debauchery!

 

PLOT: 

The plot stems from a series of the most illogical decisions made by these characters. It seems as if anything goes as long as it helps move the plot a certain direction. Nothing feels organic: Sola, our MC, gets promoted to commander in chief for simply stabbing a minotaur in the back and with zero military experience. Gordon, the greatest warrior of all times, who has a resume of slaying giants and demigods, ends up falling to a few stab wounds inflicted  by bird men wearing feather suits! All these weird decisions just so that the plot can move where the author wants it to move, no matter how nonsensical it all feels.

NO REDEEMING QUALITIES: 

What all these characters share is that none seems to possess any redeeming qualities. As we read about their ‘adventures’ it’s hard to feel emotionally invested in any of them. Sola, the MC, is described as someone who, when feeling down, ”often hid himself in the arms of a man or woman and drank away his sorrows”. 

Agda, Sola’s female supporting character, will sleep with anybody and everybody without a blink of an eye, yet she stands by Sola’s side ‘faithfully’…

Gordon, the warrior/hero is the typical dumb jock who can only think with his muscles and lives to slay monsters and bed women (and men).

 

CONCLUSION: 

To me this book felt as though the author was indulging himself in creating a fictional world that represents perhaps his ideal utopia. Homosexuality, heavy drinking, gods who act more like children than even human adults. A world where friendship without sex does not exist, where monogamy is scoffed at, where family is whatever we want it to be…or nothing at all.

This is exactly what is wrong with modern fantasy literature in our times. These authors not only fail to catch the nature of mythology but their use of these legendary icons comes across as shallow and  superficial, with the only purpose to twist them in ways as to confirm and reinforce their modern progressive perceptions.

🦀

Fantasy, Reviews, TRENDS DIE OUT; LEGENDS LIVE ON

The King of Elfland’s Daughter – a Review

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TRENDS DIE OUT/LEGENDS LIVE ON:

The King of Elfland’s Daughter by Lord Dunsany

Reviewed by

Where most modern sword and sorcery tales come to a conclusion, 1925’s The King of Elfland’s Daughter is just rounding up its prologue. Let me explain…

In most traditional stories that find a knight in pursuit of a fair princess in a distant and dangerous magic land, things usually wrap up after the knight goes through a series of trials and tribulations (like breathtaking sword fights with terrible creatures)  rescues  the princess, and manages to escape so that they will get married and go on to live happily thereafter. But in KOED--written by legendary author Lord Dunsany–that constitutes just the initial set up for the main plot of the story!

 

PLOT:

When the parliament of the Kingdom of Erl decides that it’s time for the kingdom to add magic to the land in order to gain more power and respect among the other nations, Prince Alveric is assigned to the task of infiltrating Elfland, kidnapping Princess Lirazel, bringing her back to Erl, and starting a new magic-powered dynasty.

With the aid of witch Ziroonderel, who forges a magic sword for Alveric, mission is accomplished: the princess is brought back to the world of mortals and a new royal dynasty thus begins.

The love of Alveric and Lirazel will bring to life a son, Orion. 

THE FIELDS WE KNOW/ELFLAND:

The author defines a clear-cut divide between the world of mortal men (aka the fields we know) and the world of the elves (Elfland). The atmosphere is different, the flow of time is different, even the objects of worship differ between the two realms.

Soon Princess Lirazel grows weary and heavy-hearted in the world of mortals despite her love for Alveric and son Orion. She feels overwhelmed by this mortal realm and by the concept of Time itself even. Alveric even realizes that:

 

“And the days that remained to her now seemed scarce more to him, dwelling beyond the fret and ruin of Time, than to us might seem a briar rose’s hours when plucked and foolishly hawked in the streets of a city. He knew that there hung over her now the doom of all mortal things.”

 

 Lirazel panics and flees back to Elfland, and by the power of her father the King of Elfland, the entire elvish kingdom disappears from sight, becoming inaccessible to both human or beast from the fields we know.

Alveric in a hopeless quest will spend long years on the road searching for Elfland and his wife, but to no avail. 

All the while son Orion grows into a healthy boy who loves hunting with his pack of well-trained hounds, though no signs of magic are apparent within him, to the disappointment of the citizens of Erl… Until he makes contact with troll Lurulu, who roams on the edge of the two kingdoms and is spotted first by Orion’s hounds. This sends a clear message to the people of Erl that perhaps they do have a magic-imbued heir at court.

NEXT LEVEL FANTASY:

To be quite honest, many are the fantasy titles available today but few are those rich in the main ingredient: FANTASY! 

What I mean is that most contemporary fantasy novels utterly fail in portraying places and characters that truly feel foreign to our world. What Lord Dunsany accomplished in KOED is bringing about something that feels more like an ancient legend or myth not written by mortal hand. 

This is truly ‘next level’ fantasy. Whereas it is Lirazel not understanding the way of humans or Lurulu the troll trying to grasp the meaning of ‘tomorrow’ or the act of ‘sleeping’ (coming from a land where time has no meaning and sleep is a foreign concept), Lord Dunsany uses a compelling prosaic style that will make you wonder in awe again and again: it’s beautiful but foreign; inviting yet mysterious.

 

CONCLUSIONS:

We hear the term ESCAPISM a lot these days in the fantasy genre, but truly we won’t know its full meaning until we read The King of Elfland’s Daughter! To read this is to ‘leave’ Earth and to visit lands that exist between reality and dream. 

Keep in mind that Lord Dunsany published this before Tolkien even wrote Lord of the Rings, and in some aspects I believe he laid the foundation for the fantastic and the ethereal literature of the future. Whereas this is accomplished through the introduction of the elves, the trolls, the unicorns that roam Elfland, the magic sword yielded by Alveric…

LEGENDS start right here! And they start with The King of Elfland’s Daughter!

🦀

Fantasy, Historical, Interview

Interview with the Brothers Krynn

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Interviewed by

🦀: Both of you gentlemen are like writing machines, with a very extensive body of work. So why did you choose Crown of Blood as your first published title?

 

Joseph & Daniel: It seemed a short project and one we both liked, so we just did it. 

🦀: The book revolves around the bloody history of the crown of Caledonia (now Scotland). Why did you decide to focus on that particular region to develop your story on?

 

Joseph: Because we’re part Scottish and since I first began studying Scottish Medieval history & folklore I developed a strong sense of kinship with the Scots, and could not resist developing something of a mythology for them. 

🦀: Even though Crown of Blood is structured into short stories, they’re all part of a larger tale. Did you feel like this wouldn’t have worked as well if it were to be presented as just one long story divided into chapters instead?

 

Joseph & Daniel: No, it would not have worked half as well, due to us having to stick to one overall narrative/set of characters rather than dancing between all the characters that we follow the perspective of in the story. That, and it would have been even more confusing in our view. 

🦀: As a reader progresses into the book, more characters and more names are being introduced, and sometimes many characters have the same names as their predecessors. Did you not consider that at some point things could get a little confusing for readers in general?

 

Joseph: Yeah, and it’s why for the sequel and next edition we’re planning to add a family tree and a map. 

🦀: I was particularly fascinated by the ‘three crones’ that keep appearing here and there throughout the book. Who are they really and what are their origins?

 

Daniel: The three crones are from Shakespeare, they are the three hags that corrupt Macbeth in the play, except we’ve set them up in our world. As to their origin, not sure we’ve fully developed all the ideas for their backstory, but we’re currently working on it. 

 

🦀: Today there seems to be confusion about what the image of the classic knight should look like. If you had to condense the elements that cannot be altered from the model of the classic knight, how would you do that?

 

Joseph: Honourable, intelligent and bold, and utterly devout. I’d say Aragorn, Roland and also the likes of Conan the Cimmerian are all good examples of classic knights. 

🦀: With modern feminism, we have seen a rise in both literature and entertainment to create female heroines, soldiers, and knights. These women are basically doing what men do in every aspect. Do you think that is how we ought to portray ‘strong women’?

 

Joseph: Nope. We ought to portray women as feminine. We can portray women as fierce warriors but must never forget to write flawed and human women, who struggle just as men do but who have a certain femininity about them. Honestly feminism has ruined female heroes. 

🦀: Speaking of strong women, it is no secret that my all time favorite strong woman is Joan of Arc. But she never even killed one man in battle (though got wounded herself on the battlefield twice) and she is not known for her skills in combat or sword fighting. Yet her strength humbles me and inspires me daily. Why is someone like Joan not praised today (not even by women!) despite the fact that our society is constantly looking for superheroines for inspiration?

 

 

Joseph: Because for one thing Jehanne was a pious woman who looked to God, and society has lost touch with God. What is more is that Jehanne was a gentle woman who loved her nation, and to love one’s nation is also out of style in our modern times. Jehanne thus represents everything that is antithetical to modernity and liberalism; a pious, kindly, feminine and nationalistic woman who sacrificed for others. 

🦀:  When can we expect your next official publication to come out and what is it going to be about?

 

Daniel & Joseph: Not sure…Joe’s hoping to have Darkspire Conspiracy published some time next year. And we’re thinking around January or February to have Crown of Blood Part 2 finished and hopefully published. After that? We’re also hoping to publish around December the first book of Olympnomachi, a massive Silmarillion epic Joe’s been working on for years. 

 

🦀: Thank you Joseph and Daniel, I’m very proud of you and what you are doing is perhaps even more noble than you can see right now. Your writing tells me that NEW LEGENDS are being made!

🦀

Fantasy, Historical, Reviews

Crown of Blood by D.L. & J.C. Chaput

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CROWN OF BLOOD by by Daniel Leo Chaput & Joseph Claude Chaput

Reviewed by

Crown of Blood was the result of the combined minds of brothers Daniel and Joseph Chaput, also known as the Brothers Krynn on Substack. Bros Krynn are perhaps the most prolific and inspiring authors on Substack, just now passing the 1000-sub mark, and deservingly so! Their body of work is as extended as it is inspiring. From their essays to their short stories to their news articles, these two are constantly researching and writing!

Their first published book is a collection of short stories which are all linked by a common thread: the bloody and violent history of the crown of Caledonia (now Scotland). Each short story is written by either Daniel, or Joseph, or both, in a relentless chronological fashion, and each story is accompanied by short poems, also written by the authors.

 

CONTENTS:

 

    • In the Valley of the Dark River: where we learn of the fall of king of the Caleds, Mael-Martin after an impetuous and disastrous military strategic decision.
    • The Final Supper: King Domnall, frustrated at ruling a kingdom in dissent, shows weakness that his family sought to take advantage of, and ultimately ends up being assassinated.
    • The Man who thought himself King: Ringear, brother of the late King Domnall, now High King and monarch of the Eastern region, deals with the phantoms of his deceased relatives, including his own son.
    • Brother against Brother: King Achaius kidnaps Princess Isla, not knowing that a Northman temporarily serving as head of his guards will get in the way.
    • In the Shadow of the Longwoods: Duibh, son of Ringear, now king, has a strange meeting with the three mysterious crones who prophesy his fate.
    • Death in Hallowed Halls: Newly appointed King Domnall son of Ringean is counseled into gaining the support of the clergy to keep in power.
    • The Fall of the Two Kings: Padraig, with the aid of Mormaer Adaidh, infiltrates King Ketill disguised as a monk in order to claim revenge on his brothers.
    • The Blackcrow-Fields: Achaius III son of Ketill-with the aid of Uncle Siomon-orchestrates an attack on newly established high king Padraig, to avenge his father.
    • To Defy a Dragon: Achaius III is set upon attacking Razenth in the North despite the counseling of Cinaed to abstain from taking the offensive.
    • The Black Mormaer: newly appointed high king Baltair, brother of foolish Achaius III, decides to heavily tax his kingdom in order to raise an army, only to be taken prisoner and ultimately die in captivity.
    • A Dagger in the Night: prince and soon to be king Amlaib falls in love with bard Jehanne despite court gossip surrounding the event.
    • The Mid-Autumn Hunt: Amlaib II succeeds his murdered father to the dismay of Cinaid II who was sure he’d be the one to gain the crown.
    • The Triumph of the Thistle: Siomon MacCausantĂ­n returns to claim the crown from murderer-turned-king Cinaed II.

 

BACK TO TRUE MYTHOS:

What sets this book apart from most of what I’ve read lately is its unique blend of the historical with the mythological. And so as we read all about the fascinating history of Medieval Scotland, we will witness the introduction of mythological characters such as the dark elves, the dwarves, and even dragons. But this is done in a way that has not been done before. Today we see an oversaturated market for the  fantasy fiction genre, but very few classic ‘fairy stories’. By fairy stories I’m referring to stories more resembling those of Roland The Knight, King Arthur, or Sigurd, to name a few. 

PLOT:

The stories you will read all revolve around a seemingly cursed crown of Caledonia. You will read of the three mysterious crones (witches?) who prophesied the death in blood for each subsequent monarch to hold the crown and how the curse will affect not only the high king but those around him, in some very unpredictable ways, and from one generation to the next.

 

HOW IT ALL CAME ABOUT:

Initially these stories were supposed to be part of the appendix of a novel Joseph Chaput was working on when his brother Dan became so fascinated with the characters that it transformed into its own project (similar to what has been done with some of Tolkien’s material).

A WORD OF CAUTION:

I must point out that due to the very nature of the work in dealing with genealogy and each story presenting descendants after descendants, readers must be cautious not to get thrown off by all the names and locations they will encounter. Particularly when many of the characters are named after their predecessors, it can be hard to keep track of who is who, jumping from one story to the next. I found myself having to go back and forth to make sure I could identify each next character accurately. Those of you who are into history and the study of genealogies should be fine or even appreciate it.

 

LEGENDS IN THE MAKING:

On a personal note, I must say that the Bros. Krynn and I truly speak the same language (not French, even though that’s their first language!). I mean the language of TRUE LEGENDS! 

We live in a world where progressive modernism is trying to grab those legends, myths, and fairy tales of old, and twist them to suit their deranged fancies. Bros. Krynn are a bastion of truth, honor and respect for what came before us, and they are able to capture the essence of myth and legend within an accurate, undefiled, historical setting.

BUY THIS/SPREAD THE WORD:

This book is not getting the attention it truly deserves on the market right now and I encourage you to pick up a copy and leave a review. At the time I picked up mine there was only ONE review on Amazon! Help us change that!

There is NO OTHER author/s out there who is doing what the Bros. Krynn are doing, in terms of writing true mythos in its purest form. 

Though Crown is their first official publication, Bros Krynn plan on releasing part two early next year and a full-length novel called Brotherhood of the Gemstone, a “Scottish Lord of the Rings of sorts” (Joseph Chaput).

New LEGENDS are in fact being made!

🦀

Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Reviews, Sci-Fi

Velin: The Rifle’s Song by Black Knight

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Velin – The Lothorian: The Rifle’s Song by Black Knight

Reviewed by

When I first picked up and started reading The Rifle’s Song, which consists of Book 1 of Velin The Lothorian, I couldn’t help but get Star Wars vibes with a ‘Conan the Barbarian” type of main character. This is probably due to the blend of sci-fi and classic fantasy/action that we get to read starting on page 1 and all throughout this book. The author  unsurprisingly credits R. E. Howard’s Conan The Barbarian for his inspiration of this character.

But the comparison to Howard’s classic hero ends right there at the surface.

 

CONAN/VELIN:

The son of farmers in a distant world, Velin grew up learning hard work and how to farm land from his father. After his mother’s death due to illness, at the age of 8 a gang of slavers attacks his village, killing his father in the process and taking young Velin as a slave for hard labor.

And just like Conan, the following years of hard labor and harsh conditions will forge him and prepare him to become the unique warrior he’s destined to become.

After years of captivity Velin earns his freedom by sheer will, acute killer instincts, and physical prowess. When he is taken up by a group of Terran samurais called the ‘Terr’aan Knightly Order’- dedicating their lives to fighting slavery and injustices across the universe-Velin masters the fine arts of combat, thus becoming the perfect killing machine to fight evil and protect the weak.

 

NOBLE INTENTIONS/WEAK EXECUTION: 

Let me emphasize the indisputable fact that the author known as Black Knight is truly an outstanding human being with a noble heart. He understands the concepts of good and evil, of chivalry, of the pure and selfless hero. However where I feel he falls short is in putting it all together, for different reason:

  1. Character Development: all the characters we encounter in this story feel like they need more fleshing out. We know the basic facts about them but they are all very one-dimensional and they function only on one gear.

For example:

“He sought to draw strength not from his bleeding, scorched body, but the hallowed Terr’aan railgun instead.”

I thought it was awkward to have the main character draw strength not from his mother or father, or even his mentors, but from an object, his railgun (??)

2. Prose: I know English is the author’s third language but when we decide to put our book on the market for a price, we should ensure that the editing/proof reading is up to standards. The writer has this tendency to always put the subject last in a sentence which creates awkward structure overall.

          Example:

“Gargling, the dying, terrified beyond measure road bandit, raised his hand.”

 Also there are some word choices that the author overuses like olden instead of ancient, or nigh instead of near, or ‘twas instead of was. 

I understand that indie authors for the most part work a day job and professional editing costs money, but if we feel readers should PAY to read our books, competent editing and presentation are essential.

CONCLUSIONS: 

This is a book very well suited for younger readers who enjoy comic books and are perhaps only now finding out about the beauty of long-format fiction. Children of 10 years and older would absolutely love it. This would make a great gift to those youngsters that we want to introduce to classic pulp. 

I know Black Knight has a big following online who seem to genuinely love his work, so don’t let this review dissuade you from at least sampling his pulp novel.

🦀

Editor’s note: Make sure to stop by the Based Book Sale and find yourself some great reads!

Fantasy, Marketing, Sci-Fi, Speculative

Based Books Be Best! Buy Boatloads, Brah!

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I know, I know: “are the best.” Don’t undervalue my alliterative Ebonics, ese.

The Based Book Sale is back–this time in conjunction with Based Con. I’ve never been to Based Con. I can only guess that it’s like Comicon or Dragon Con (never been to those, either) only without the woketards.

Anyway, the Based Book Sale is where you can find hundreds of books by dozens of non-woke authors, discounted to 99 cents…or FREE. One of those free books will be American Stasi–you should definitely grab your own copy.

This might be the last time I include all my full-length novels in the sale, so get ’em for cheap while you can.

Those full-length novels include Paradox Book Six: Confronting Fate, which caps off my coming of age time travel conspiracy thriller wrapped around football and high adventure. The BBS will have an Amazon link, but it’s also available at the other online book stores, too.

Almost all the paperbacks in the series are published, too. I’m planning an E-Book boxed set, and possibly a hardback edition.

Action, Fantasy, Reviews

The Thief of Eyes by Robert Victor Mills

3 Comments

Part 6 of a 6-Part Review Series by

“Rhoye grabbed the hideous thing by the scalp, pressing it to the tabletop, whereupon Astropho, grimacing as he did so, dug his fingertips into its eyesocket to pry out its eyeball.”

 

This installment marks the last tale in The Girl with the Fire in Her Hair by Robert Mills. It’s been a great ride and once again Mills, if anything, delighted us with a blend of exquisite prose and classic adventures all throughout the book.

 

PLOT: 

Rhoye and Astropho take it upon themselves to go visit the small town of Augwick, where most of the men have gone missing under strange circumstances. We will learn of how Haralfe, former apprentice of the Loyal Guild of Merchant Magi at the city of Galdurburgh, has become a powerful golenmaster with a corrupt soul and how our heroes, with the help of the local townsfolk, will have to defeat him in order to bring back normalcy to Augwick.

This story will not only exalt the courage and prowess of Rhoye and best friend, but also that of the local residents, ordinary folks placed in extraordinary circumstances.

 

PLAYING IT TOO SAFE?

This is a very fun and entertaining story, BUT I felt that coming from Mr. Mills, it played out too much on the safe side, feeling a bit too ‘formulaic’ at times in its plot development. I know what the author is capable of writing, so perhaps I’m holding him up to higher standards than the average fantasy writer, but this was a point that must be mentioned.

The most positive comment I can give is in regards to how we see all throughout the story an active involvement of ordinary people in extinguishing the evil of the land. Usually in these tropes the hero does all the work, in fact he often warns ordinary folk to get out of the way and stay home. But here there would be no good ending if it wasn’t for a joint effort from all parties involved. Even the small deeds performed by ordinary men and women CAN make a difference!

 

CONCLUSION:

As we wrap up this 6-part series the question instinctively rises: is The Girl with the Fire in Her Hair a better overall collection than Man of Swords?

My answer is NO. And this is not a knock on this latest collection or the author at all. But if we want to be objective, Man of Swords set the bar very high and by comparison, The Girl feels more average, and though remaining a fun read on its own, it is not the best we’ve seen.

The stories unfold within a safer ‘formulaic’ fantasy format more commonly seen in current fiction writing. What distinguishes it is certainly the exquisite prose, and the fact that Mills knows how to put together good action scenes.

Having said all that, I still must recommend this collection to all of you who still care about compelling characters and fantasy realms where it is still possible to escape for a few hours!

🦀

Fantasy, Historical, Reviews

Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman

8 Comments

A review by 

I was at first on the fence about whether to upload this review or not. But hindsight I felt like this could serve as a lesson on:

  1. What to do
  2. What not to do 

…as a fiction writer. 

 

Let me first go on record stating that Christopher Buehlman is an objectively GOOD writer. He knows how to build a world with interesting characters and plot lines, at least judging by Between Two Fires, the only book of his I’ve ever read so far.

The issues I found in this book, however, are significant and my suspicion is that these are more a result of the worldview lens Buehlman applies to see the world through, and Christianity in particular.

 

PLOT:

The story catapults us into XIV plague-ridden France where the lives of three seemingly different characters converge under some very special circumstances:

  • Thomas: a former knight with a grudge
  • Delphine: a young orphan girl with strange supernatural gifts
  • Matthieu: a priest with personal secrets

When Thomas saves Delphine’s life, he doesn’t realize that he has also committed his sword to not only protect the young girl but to also aid her in a mysterious mission allegedly imparted by the angels of Heaven themselves. In their journey, Pierre Matthieu, a priest addicted to wine and with same-sex attraction tags along, having nothing else left in his hometown now devastated by the plague.

Their journey will create a strong bond. Working together just out of mere survival, these three main characters start to care for one another genuinely.

HISTORICAL TIME AND PLACE:

What I really appreciated about BTF is how the description of medieval France is well executed.  The towns, rivers, bridges, houses, palaces, all feel accurate. This comes to no surprise since the author majored in History with a minor in French, and it shows. For a guy from Florida, US, to write about period France in such an accurate manner, I couldn’t ask for more verisimilitude, honestly. Well done.

This is an excerpt from an Amazon review of this book.

NEGATIVE REMARKS:

  1. The author delights in the use of profanity, coarse language, crude jokes, and seems to have some weird obsession with anything related to feces and genitalia.

I understand that some of the characters might not be ‘saints’ (pun intended) but there are ways to communicate certain data to the readers without being so graphic to the point that it seems as though the author actually revels in this excessive graphic language. Reality is that it is NOT essential for plot or character building at all, and it just becomes annoying and ‘cheapens’ the overall quality of the book.

This is an excerpt from an Amazon review of this book.

2. The author, throughout the story, seems to be taking jabs, albeit subtle, at the Christian faith. Whether this is intentional or the result of general biblical ignorance on behalf of Buehlman, that’s debatable. But he manages to reduce the Christian faith to nothing more than a pagan set of beliefs adept for backward people without a thinking brain.

For example, when Delphine tries to get Thomas to swear less:

 

Delphine “Maybe God would be more generous if you swore less.” 

Thomas “God starves babies sometimes, and they don’t swear at all.”

 

Of course the author can say that this is simply part of the character, but similar examples are found over and over throughout the book. Maybe the author thinks those are clever arguments that would make readers realize how silly Christianity is? Only the author really knows.

But as a reviewer I can tell you that those continuous remarks and innuendos are not helping the book overall, especially when these jabs are always one sided (there are no similar examples aimed at-say- atheists or other religious groups in this story.)

This is an excerpt from an Amazon review of this book.

CONCLUSION:

Between Two Fires is an excellent story with rich characters and compelling plot lines. The accuracy of depiction of medieval France being devastated by the plague is superb. The prose flaws nicely and it is all very professionally put together.

Unfortunately within it there is too much of that Game of Thrones depraved, nihilistic vibe that taints an otherwise 5-star quality read. Bloated with profanity and unnecessary coarse language, constantly taking jabs at Christianity, singling out the Christian faith as another form of paganism for dimwitted country folk, this book is an amalgamation of peaks and valleys, going back and forth from excellent to cringeworthy. And that’s a shame.

🦀