The Bookwyrm's Review of Ravine of Blood and Shadow by D.P. Prior

Author: D.P. Prior

Length: 238 Pages/ 8 Hours, 25 Minutes (Audio)

Publisher: Homunculus

Release Date: March 6, 2016/October 22, 2019 (Audio)

Narrator: Mike Carnes

Series: Annals of the Nameless Dwarf, Book 1

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

I've been having a really good run of books lately. Ravine of Blood and Shadow is just the latest of exceptional fantasy books I've read lately. Starting off in a fairly traditional fantasy manner, the book starts to take some twists and turns until it just goes down some really crazy paths to reach its unique conclusion.

PLOT SUMMARY  

Arx Gravis is the hidden ravine city of the dwarves, their last refuge with the fall of the great dwarven kings and their great city. The city is now run by a council who has one main rule, strictly enforced: No contact with the outside world. Anyone breaking this rule is subject to death. The ravine guards protect the ravine from outside treats, and ensure no one leaves, as well as enforces the laws in the city. Carnac Thayn, called Carn, is an officer in the guard, and comes across a murder in the scriptorium, the first in as long as Carn, 160 years old, can remember. He ends up chasing the murderer, a Fein, which is another subterranean race not seen in years, until it escapes into the lake at the base of the ravine. 

This creates a lot of tensions, since the ruling council doesn't want to believe the dwarves are at risk. They are already massively isolationist. The threat of outsiders is just too much to bear. Carn's mentor, the leader of the Ravine Guard, Thumil, sets more guards to watch for a repeat. Meanwhile, Carn's brother, a scholar, is convinced through his studies that the lost axe of the dwarven kings is what is needed to protect Arx Gravis. The only problem is that if it exists at all, it was lost outside the dwarven realm on an exploring mission, and it's death to even go looking for it. As tensions within the city rise between various factions, Carn has made enemies with elements within the Black Cloaks, the ruling council guard force. 

After one of the Black Cloaks attempts to murder Carn, and gets killed instead, Carn goes on the run, discovering his brother has left the city to find the lost axe, which determines where Carn goes. Leaving through the hidden exit at the bottom of the ravine lake, Carn is one step ahead of the Black Cloaks, travelling through the strange underworld following the trail he hopes will lead to his brother. Fighting Black Cloaks and escaping again, Carn arrives at the lowest level and finds his brother. He also discovers the lost axe of the dwarven kings there as well, guarded by stone golems.

Things don't go how Carn hopes, though, as the Black Cloaks attack when they arrive, and Carn's brother pays the price. The guards have their own surprise though, when the golems attack them and they find out what being on the wrong end of stone giants is like. Carn manages to get the axe and escape. Returning to Arx Gravis, Carn sees the city has been overrun with demons, and he goes into a berserk rage determined to destroy them all. Everything isn't what it seems, though, and Carn may pay the ultimate price for this discovery.

CHARACTERS AND WORLD BUILDING

I was amazed at how much character building was built into this story. The family ties, how they interact is all worked into the story in intricate ways. Carn is obviously given the most attention, and you really get a peak in his head and into his motivations, as well as seeing how he reacts to triumphs and failure. The secondary characters are given some attention as well, rounding them out as much as possible. The more villainous characters are given realistic motivations, whether they be jealousy, greed or just a sense of xenophobia according to their natures. 

The world building is excellent. The hidden city of Arx Gravis is fully realized, with excellent descriptions of the nature and shape of the city. You get a real feeling of being in the city carved out of the ravine, hidden from the rest of the world. Its easy to see how the city can remain hidden based on the descriptions, being a xenophobes dream.

NARRATION

I wasn't real familiar with Mike Carnes before I listened to this, but I have to say, I was very impressed. He does such a great job of bringing the characters to life, infusing them with their own voices and personality through use of different tones and registers, really differentiating them. His narrative pacing was outstanding, moving the story along and sinking into a monotone. I will definitely be giving his other work a look.

FINAL THOUGHTS

You would think every kind of story about that old fantasy standout, the dwarves, had already been told. Books like this prove that's not the case. Characters like Carn and Thumil just aren't Gimli knockoffs. They, and the others, have their own distinct society and personalities, and you really get into the storytelling aspects of the story. The loose ends were tied up, but there is definitely more story to tell down the road, which I will definitely be reading and reviewing.

The Bookwyrm's Review of Blackest Spells, Edited by C.T. Phipps

Author: Various Authors, Edited by C.T. Phipps

Length: 298 Pages

Publisher: Crossroad Press

Release Date: December 12, 2019

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

For the longest time, I was a huge fan of a variety of fantasy and sci fi anthologies, such as Robert Asprin and Lynn Abbey's Thieve's World and David Drake's The Fleet. I still love those series, but hadn't read an Anthology in years until I read Blackest Knight's, the first anthology edited by C.T. Phipps. I really enjoyed the various stories in that one, and was excited to get a chance to review Blackest Spells. 

This is a rarity in my experience, since there are no duds in this collections of stories. I enjoyed every story, which ranged from dark tales of necromancy and witchcraft, to urban fantasy and Twilight Zoneesque creepyness. While all the stories are good, there were some standouts.

 CH Baum's story about an ambitious mage apprentice really sets the tone for the collection as the first story. Matthew Gilbert's story about a man hunting a serial killer mage is outstanding, as is the very trippy CT Phipps story about a man trapped in his own worst nightmare by a mysterious gentleman. The rest of the stories stand up well on their own, creating an anthology that literally has something for everyone who enjoys fantasy. I can't recommend this book highly enough.

The Bookwyrm's Review of Predestiny by C.T. Phipps and Frank Martin

Authors: C.T. Phipps and Frank Martin

Length: 198 Pages

Publisher: Crossroad Press

Release Date: September 14, 2018

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

As a fan of both C.T. Phipps and Frank Martin, I was more than happy to give Predestiny a read and review. It definitely pushed some interesting buttons, having a sci-fi and older YA feel, with a touch of dystopia creeping about.

PLOT SUMMARY

In a near future, in which corporations have gained so much power they control government policy, the Monarch Corporation is the biggest of the ten megacorporations that run things. They have lobbied for special powers to do what was necessary to get through the Great Recession. Now, they are untouchable by the law, and abuse their privileges. This is where H.O.P. E. (Heroes for Occupying the Public Economy) comes in, peacefully protesting the corporations abuses, especially Monarch. 

Robbie is a member of H.O.P.E, a lot of the reason being his girlfriend, who is a big supporter of the peaceful protest movement. The story starts with Robbie and Anna on their way to a protest in New Detroit at the Monarch headquarters. While at the protest, they witness the protest get out of control as someone tries to shoot Robbie, causing the Monarch guards to start to brutally break up the protest. While running from the protest, someone tries to kill Robbie again as he helps Christine, the movements leader, to try and get away. He is saved by a mysterious woman, who gets him away from the people who are trying to kill him.

The woman, named Jane, protects Robbie from some guards trying to kill them, and then hides them as her associates show up, since Robbie is on their hit list. Throwing them off the trail, Jane gets them to safety and enters Robbie's life as his "cousin", explaining she is from a future time when what he will become will decide the fate of the world, and that elements of that time will do anything to see him dead. What follows is a high stakes game of cat and mouse, and Jane has to protect Robbie from people just as good as she is, to ensure Robbie can fulfill his future role. The question is, is that role something Robbie wants to be part of, because things start unrolling before Robbie that seem to point to a darker future than he could have imagined!

CHARACTERS AND WORLDBUILDING

Like anything written by C.T. Phipps, character development is a hugely important element to the story. Robbie really blossoms as the story develops, showing a lot of different facets to his personality. He is forced way out of his comfort zone, and he really grows with having to respond to the various crises. Jane is also given a lot of attention, and her mysterious past/future is revealed, and explains why she is the hardened warrior she is. The secondary characters are not spectacularly fleshed out, but are given enough attention to let them fulfill their roles. The villain in the present is a bit of a stereotype, being the underhanded corporate robber baron, but in a dystopian megacorp future, its kind of expected. Theres more to the characters, but it would spoile the story arc to reveal too much.

The worldbuilding is definitely solid, as I've come to expect from both authors. Its very much the dystopian corporate future so many expect. A police state with curtailed civil rights and corporate overlords who don't have to fear the government, instead controlling what it does. While not particularly new, its still well done with little creative touches of their own,

FINAL THOUGHTS

This book could have easily gone wrong. It could have gone the over the top YA route of Hunger Games, or gone the other way and gone bleak adult Blade Runner. Instead, what we get is a nuanced story that straddles the genre line, taking elements from several to create an engaging story for teens and adults that will leave both satisfied and wanting more from these characters and the universe they're in.

The Bookwyrm's Review of Armadron by Corey Tate

Author: Corey Tate

Length: 268 Pages

Publisher: Illumify Media Global

Release Date: May 6, 2019

Series: The Otherworld Series: Book 1

Rating: 4/5 Stars

This review came about when I got a request from a fairly big name in the fantasy community asking me to check out this book by a writer he thought had some talent. With a recommendation like that, I couldn't say no. It turned out to be the right decision, since it turned out to be a creative mashup of genres that held a compelling narrative.

PLOT SUMMARY    

For weeks, Scott Farranger, a typical 15 year old kid, has been having weird seizures, which causes him to lock up and feel like he's being torn apart. At the same time, weird things are happening around him, like the earth moving to stop a player scoring during high school soccer tryouts, or water crashing into a bully as he was harassing Scott. Hiding the seizures from his mother and brother, it all comes to a head when his family and his best friend's family go on a cruise. 

When people with guns attack the cruise ship, Scott's friend Charlie tells him that he isn't who he thinks he is, and they have to escape. Going to the side of the ship, Scott sees a portal off the side of the ship and is pushed into it, just as the gunmen are about to kill him. What Scott discovers on the other side of the portal is nothing he could imagine. 

He awakens to find himself in in a cage, told he will be fighting to the death in gladiator fights for the enjoyment of Terminus, the evil ruler of the world he finds himself in. He meets a girl named Sam in another cage, and she tells him to be ready, and she'll help him. After a fight where everyone, including Scott, who it turns out has a variety of powers, uses their powers to try and kill each other, Scott and Sam are rescued by Artam, a leader of the resistance movement. 

Going to the resistance main camp, Scott learns that he is a Mediator, meaning he has powers on both Earth and Armadron. He's shown around, and learns just how dire the situation if for the Armadronians. Their food situation alone is horrific. It turns out that there is a portal that will soon being opening to Earth, and that Terminus is planning on invading with his specially powered troops to conquer it. Scott is set up to take a trial that will help him fulfill his power potential. Through a series of events, the group with Scott ends up split up while Scott goes on his trial. What the trial reveals to Scott enables him to face his biggest challenge on Armadron, facing off against Terminus and learning that there is an even bigger threat behind Terminus than could have been suspected. Scott and his friend's actions will have huge repercussions across multiple worlds, with failure meaning tyranny and destruction on par with what happened to Armadron, with Scott and company at the center of the firestorm.

CHARACTERS AND WORLD BUILDING 

Characters and worldbuilding are treated as equally important in Armadron. The various characters get more character building than you'd expect in a book that skirts being YA. Scott especially gets attention. He goes through the heroes journey type story, with some twists in it. He has failures. Several, in fact, for all the success he has. He needs the help of his companions, without whom he wouldn't succeed. He can be impulsive and impatient. He's 15, and is written very much so. The secondary characters get attention too, giving them actual personalities, strengths and weaknesses. The villain's are a bit of the Evil Emperor type, not seeming to have deluded moral superiority, being more of the "Mwahahaha, I will conquer all" type, but there is a bit behind the scenes that puts it into context. 

Worldbuilding was obviously important to the author. Armadron is described in such detail, from the weather, terrain and history, that you get the feeling your right there in the scene. The fact that mental and physical abilities work on Armadron creates an interesting life for the characters. Terminus has basically wrecked the planet, giving it a very dystopian feel. Food is scarce, and this leads to some hard decisions the characters have to make to avoid starving.  The sun is hidden by hideous clouds, and the planet has forced some different physical evolutionary changes on the inhabitants. Very interesting choices that add to the alien feel of the world.

FINAL THOUGHTS  

I have to say that while the story may appear to be a YA novel, and does skirt that in ways, I would still consider this an adult fantasy/sci-fi novel,  one that takes an interesting approach with its young protagonists. These are young people that live in a harsh reality and have to make harsh, life or death decisions daily. They face death from an all powerful tyrant, and they still try and do the right things. The story is one that sucks you in and doesn't let you go until the end. 

The Bookwyrm's Review of Death's Mantle by Harmon Cooper

Author: Harmon Cooper

Length: 541 Pages/10 Hours, 25 Minutes

Publisher: Boycott Books/ Podium Publishing (Audio)

Release Date: September 25, 2019/ December 17, 2019

Narrator: Andrea Parsneau

Rating: 4 1/2 out of 5 Stars


When I read the premise for Deaths Mantle, I just knew I had to get a copy and review it at some point. When I saw Andrea Parsneau was narrating, I was definitely in need of a review copy. The author and Podium Publishing graciously provided me a review copy, and I have to say, I was blown away by the effort that went into the production. This combination of author and narrator works on so many levels, and creates a fantastic finished work.

PLOT SUMMARY  

Lucian North is a man waiting to die. Dying from heart condition that was supposed to kill him within a year, Lucian has beaten the odds for 2 1/2 years. Unfortunately, the condition makes him too weak to work, so Lucian spends his time hanging out in his small apartment in a sketchy area of Salem, Massachusetts, waiting for his inevitable death.  Sitting in his apartment one day playing a video game, a man in a black cloak comes into his apartment. Grabbing his gun, Lucian is about to shoot the man when something weird happens. A black mist pours into the apartment, and monstrous figures appear and try and attack the man. Lucian shoots them instead, and the man in the robes introduces himself. He's Death, or rather, a Death, as there are more than one, and their job is to kill parasites that feed on peoples life force, keeping them alive past their scheduled death. Seeing that Lucian is a fighter, and looking to lay down his mantle, Old Death, as Lucian calls him, offers Lucian the job as his replacement. Lucian accepts, and leaves his body behind, his soul taking on the mantle of death.

Going to Old Death's hidden home, Lucian gets the rundown on their duties as death. He comes up with some new ways to keep track of his powers, as killing parasites gives power that Deaths can use to create better weapons. He also learns that if he's captured by the parasites, they'll feed on him until he's so weak that he will be killed when Death's other enemies comes after sensing them. Upgrading his weapons and finding better ways to find parasites by using video game like displays he's familiar with, Lucian starts, for lack of a better word, leveling up. He also discovers his brother has become addicted to opioids, and he has a new kind of parasite that Lucian can't effect, since he's not powerful enough. He also sees his brothers death date is upcoming, and he will do anything to help his brother. 

While this is going on, Lucian discovers another powerful Death on a trip to Europe, who explains to him that there are various types of parasites, and that other types, like mental health parasites, create more power on their destruction. Realizing this is what he needs to get powerful enough to save his brother, its more leveling up. He also is confronted by angels, the enemies of death, since they are the forces of Life. When Old Death is captured by angels, Lucian hatches a plan to rescue him, even though this may mean storming the gates of heaven. He also discovers there are other forces at play that will have an effect on any plans he executes. The story rushes at full speed as Lucian faces off against an enemy he has no business facing off against, let alone succeeding against, ending in a spectacularly well thought out finish, tying off the story, but leaving plenty of story for future books.

CHARACTERS AND WORLD BUILDING

Characters are a particular strength of this story. Lucian especially stands out, as he starts the story as a weak man on the brink of death, but really takes off as he takes on the mantle of Death. He really innovates the office, and you can see his growth through both successes and failures, of which there are several. You get the feeling there is even more to Lucian that we are just discovering. The secondary characters are solid, especially Old Death and Denira, an angel who is slowly making a sort of truce with Lucian. They get their own personalities, and get quite a bit of attention. The villain isn't in the book long, but he does get to show off his power, if not much of his motivations.

World building is also strong and creative. The Death's cant affect the world around them, but the parasites and other supernaturals are on the same plane of existence as they are, so they can affect each other. The various locations are creative, as is the way the powers used by the various entities. Its almost like a Green Lantern's power, limited only by a person's imagination. It does leave a lot of potential for future story elements.

NARRATION

The narration is very ably handled by Andrea Parsneau in what I consider the best work of her career. She has to handle accents as diverse as Boston and Japanese, which are nothing alike, as well as handling a wide variety of men's and women's voices, and she does a fantastic job of differentiating the various characters, bringing them all to a life of their own. Her narrative pacing is spot on, really moving the story along, never falling into a monotone. I can't wait to hear what she does with the next book in the series.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The meshing of what amounts to an unusual urban fantasy with GameLit mechanics was an intriguing idea. It does make sense in the context of the story, and leaves lots of potential story options. I can see fans of GameLit and Urban Fantasy really enjoying this story. I know I give it my whole hearted recommendation,

The Bookwyrm's Review of The Blighted City by Scott Kaelen

Author: Scott Kaelen

Length: 392 Pages/19 Hours, 29 Minutes (audio)

Publisher: Scott Kaelen

Release Date: January 15, 2018/August 23, 2019 (audio)

Narrator: Todd Menesses

Genre: Epic Fantasy

Rating: 4/5

This is one of those books I had recommended to me by friends, and had in my To Be Read pile for a while. It just got lost in the shuffle of a lot of books hitting me at the same time for review. When the audiobook came out, I was offered a copy to review and decided now was a good time to see if the recommends panned out. I'm happy to say they were. In a crowded marketplace of fetch quests and chosen one narratives, this one takes some of those tropes and turns them right on their head, leading to an exciting romp through to true danger.

PLOT SUMMARY  

Four hundred years ago, Mallak Ammenfar brought a curse down upon the city of Lachyla. The city was blighted, and the city gates closed as the population died off. To this day, the city and the area around it are considered cursed, and people don't go anywhere near the city, since people who go in don't come back out. Since the fall of Lachyla, all the kings of the land of Himaera have fallen, and it now has no ruler, just a bunch of independent towns and hamlets, with free blades the closest thing to the law, and they are just hired to clean out bandits and monsters, not to enforce law. 

The best of these free blade teams is led by blade master Jalis, along with journeyman blades Dagra and Orik. Bounties have been slow of late, but when a juicy contract to collect a family heirloom comes up, with a years pay for completion, the team has to seriously consider it, even though it leads to, you guessed it, the blighted city. Dagra, being superstitious,  doesn't want to go, but allows himself to be talked into it. 

Leaving on the journey, they make good progress intitially. They start encountering challenges as they get further into uninhabited land, having several run ins with monsters. Getting past these, they make their way to the city, climbing over the wall and going to the family crypt where the gem they came for is stored. While  walking through the tunnels of the crypt, they notice weird fungus and spider webs all over the place. Dagra accidentally breaks one of the fungus and gets it on his face, but nothing happens, so they move on. Finding the stone, but being freaked out by the creepyness of the tomb, they make their way to the surface, where they get a rather unpleasant surprise. It seems that even though the blight killed the citizens of the city, that hasn't stopped them from walking around. What follows is a pitched battle, as the three sell swords have to fight against overwhelming odds to try and escape the city with their prize.

Effecting their escape, the group heads back to collect the bounty. However, they are slowed a bit as Dagra was somewhat injured in their escape and they need to attend to him. Dagra seems lethargic, but they put that to his injury. Waking up the next morning, they discover Dagra is gone. They also discover a strange girl watching their camp. Capturing her, they discover Dagra has returned to the city with the stone. They also discover there is a village of the cities descendants that escaped before the blight struck the city down, who will do anything to hide the fact of their existence. Following him back to the city, Jalis and Orik sneak back into the city, and meet an inhabitant who is not feral. It turns out there are two types of inhabitants, and those closer to the city are still thinking. 

This is where the story takes some major twists and turns, as we learn the true history f the blight and the city. We learn what really happened to the inhabitatnts, and that the story that got out isn't necessarily the whole truth. The city was hit by the blight, but the effects weren't quite as permanent as advertised. What this means for the city if this gets out is unknown, since there are larger forces at play elsewhere, and if anyone found out about the city being inhabited, it could lead to a rush to conquer. This is the issue the adventurers face, as well as keeping themselves from getting killed by xenophobic villagers trying to hide there existence. Will the free blades be able to deal with this while being able to complete their bounty? You'll have to read to see what happens.

WORLDBUILDING AND CHARACTERS  

A lot of indie and small press books you read now days have worldbuilding as deep as a kiddie pool. The backstory might be mentioned, but a lot of time it's forgotten by the next page. Not so with Blighted City, since the backstory is front and center in the narrative. Its well thought out and introduced very organically. You really get the feel you are right there in the story, running for your life with the blighted right on your heels. 

The characters are so well written. The three main characters, Jalis, Dagra and Orik get so much attention. Their lives are slowly spun out before us, and you really get a feel for their strengths and weaknesses, which they all have. Their relationships, asperations and motivations play out right on the page, giving them the feel of real people. The secondary characters are a mixed bag, but in a good way, having a lot of variety in there various personalities. The book has unconventional antagonists, but I cant go into more detail without spoiling things. They get a lot of attention too as well, so they have as realistic motivations as the protagonists. 

Narration  

The narration is excellently handled by Todd Menesses. He has an excellent narrative voice with outstanding pacing, so you never feel he falls into a monotonous rut. He does an excellent job bringing the various characters to their own unique life, using a variety of tones and accents to differentiate them. His voice just draws you right into the story, and he is one of my favorite narrators working today,

FINAL THOUGHTS   

I do go through a lot of books, and am always on the look for new series. This is definitely a good way to keep my attention for future installments. Is it perfect? No, because while it does have a good premise and good execution, it does have some scenes and plot lines that could use some pairing down, in my opinin. While not a deal breaker by any stretch, the hidden village plot line seemed a bit more than the story needed. That being said, it shouldn't scare anyone away from trying this book out, and who knows, you might think that's a strength. I definitely recommend this book to fantasy fans looking for an engaging mix of strong worldbuilding, excellent characters and solid plotting. I am looking forward to see where the story goes from here.

The Bookwyrm's Review of Way of the Immortals: Path of the Divine by Harmon Cooper

Author: Harmon Cooper

Length: 563 Pages/ 9 Hours 11 Minutes (audio)

Release Date: August 20, 2019/ September 26, 2019

Publisher: Boycott Books, LLC

Narrator: Neil Hellegers

Genre: Portal Fantasy/Wuxia Cultivation

Rating: 4.5/5

I have quite a few of Harmon Cooper's books I've collected over the years, so I had an idea what to expect going into this one. I wasn't disappointed, either, even though this one is a bit of a change from his usual more light hearted fare. It is a well constructed story that really draws the reader in.

PLOT SUMMARY

Nick Barnette, an average guy in his mid-twenties, has gotten together with some his fiends to throw a friend his bachelor party. All good to go, until a purple portal opens up, and purple tendrils drag them all into the portal. Nick ends up landing on a breakwater with a couple of the others, while one of the friends is dropped out in the water. This wouldn't be a problem except for the sea dragon that surfaces. While one friend dove in to help their friend, Nick and another friend proceed down the beach looking for help. What they find are armored soldiers who try and arrest them. Nick manages to escape into the woods, and proceeds to get away. 

Meeting a group on the road in distress, Nick discovers they have a daughter possessed by a spirit. Nick somehow dispels the spirit, and the family rewards him in a most unusual way. Unfortunately for Nick, the result of that reward ends up with his enslaved by the group, and sold off to the local ruler, Madame Mabel. He is tested for abilities, and has the ability to slow time, but can't control it, and is defeated in the testing, meaning he will be a field hand, not a guard slave. 

Weeks later, as Nick is attempting his escape, the plantation is attacked by rebels, and Nick manages to escape. He ends up at a monastery, where the head monk, the Enlightened One, agrees to help Nick develop his abilities through Karma cultivation. The method of teaching is not what Nick expects, and he starts to lose it. Three weeks in, one of the monks comes to him telling him the monastery was attacked by treasure hunters looking for magical relics, and killed all the monks and the Enlightened One. 

Deciding to help the monk, who's name is Alton, they decide its imperative to track down the treasure hunters and keep them from getting the relic they were really seeking, a magical flaming sword. This is where the story really takes off, as Nick and Alton track them down, leading to a series of events which will see Nick have tremendous successes and failures, as he and Alton retrieve the relic sword, and start carving a path through history. Along the way, they meet new enemies, as well as stop an evil world changing plan cooked up by one of the people brought through the portal, using Earth history for inspiration to effect the plan. Nick will discover he has a destiny to fulfill, if only he will seize it and develop all his abilities to their fullest. The fact that there are forces arrayed against him doing this won't stop Nick, who may be on the path of the divine, from trying to reach that potential.

WORLD BUILDING AND CHARACTERS  

There is a definite sense of what the author was trying to create with the world. It definitely has a wuxia world feel to it, with all the over the top martial arts action and magic that entails. The cultivation elements are smartly plotted, with consistent elements and skills increasing. There are various paths of magic and skills, with very definite rules and limits. It is definitely a world readers won't be completely unfamiliar with.

Characters are definitely given attention in development. Nick is an especially interesting character. While he starts off as the usual fish out of water in a new world, he has a really creative power increase path, with his instincts from our world conflicting with the path that destiny has for him. The secondary characters are definitely a strength, being given well rounded personalities, and act in some surprising ways. The villains are more than just mustache twirling stereotypes, with various motivations guiding their actions, and some surprising twists with them make for great characters. All in all, definitely a strength in this book.

NARRATION  

The narration is handled by one of my favorite narrators, Neil Hellegers. He has such an awesome voice, really keeping the narrative flowing, while creating a host of voices to really differentiate the various characters, bringing them to vivid life.  He uses various tones and accents to give each character their own distinct personality in the narration, really setting them apart. Another ace performance on his part.

FINAL THOUGHTS  

If you go into this thinking this is your average, harem infused light hearted romp, prepare to have your expectations subverted. This is definitely a change of pace for Harmon, and not in a bad way. Focusing more one Nick's relationship with the world, as opposed to his relationships with various characters, gives this story a focus and drive I was quite happy to lose myself in, and can't wait to see where the story goes in the next book. This book is very much recommended.

The Bookwyrm's Review of The Barrow King by C.M. Carney

Author: C.M. Carney

Length: 533 Pages/ 13 hours, 30 minutes (Audio)

Release Date: February 28, 2018/ August 15, 2018

Publisher: Book Room Press

Narrator: Armen Taylor

Genre: LitRPG/Portal Fantasy

Series: The Realms (Book 1)

Rating: 4.75/5

As a lifelong reader and gamer, who has read some of the formative books in the genre that eventually became LitRPG and GameLit, I will be honest that I find the genre really hit or miss. I'd seen Barrow King for a while but hadn't gotten around to reading it. I was offered the chance to review it, so decided to give it a go. Great decision on my part. This was definitely on the hit side of the equation.

PLOT SUMMARY

Finn Caldwell is in hiding from a past that has lethal consequences if he's found. When his sister, an executive at the worlds biggest game company, sends him a clandestine message that her life is in danger, and instructions how to save her by going full immersion into the video game her company has developed, Finn decides to go through with it, both to save his sister and get further off the grid.

Entering the game, he discovers the conspiracy his sister warned him of is very real, when his sister's boss, now playing as the head god in the game that may just be real in more ways than could be imagined, tries to kill him. Finn, taking on the name Gryff, escapes through a portal, but is separated from his AI companion, which has all the details needed to play through the game and uncover the conspiracy. Gryff finds himself in a barrow dungeon, which is filled  monsters and enemies Gryff is only partially equipped to deal with. The main threat to Gryff in the barrow is the Barrow King himself, an ancient necromancer turned Lich, who gains power sucking the life energy out of beings in the barrow. 

As he proceeds through the dungeon, Gryff discovers he has attributes of a game character, such as being able to improve his abilities through stat building. He also slots a godhead stone into his attributes, which allows for phenomenal power if he can figure out how to build on it. Progressing though the barrow, Gryff meets others along the way, such as a pair of gnome adventurers trapped when their party was wiped out exploring the barrow, as well as a warrior monk, who helps Gryff proceed in a way that will maximize his growth potential. Fighting through hordes of monsters and even the Barrow King himself possessing bodies along the way, Gryff has to confront the Barrow King in person, as well dealing with the even greater threat the gods play in his life. 

WORLD BUILDING AND CHARACTERS

The world building in the Barrow King is not the typical LitRPG game world seen in so many books and games. You are immersed in it, feeling as though you are right there moving through the corridors, discovering various locations that feel more real than they should for just a simulations. You get the idea that things are not what they seem at surface level, and that reality may be closer to the surface than you'd think. 

The characters are rock solid, with Finn/Gryff and his nemesis, the Barrow King, really standing out. They each get such attention regarding their back stories and motivations, and they are realistic and flawed, acting in ways a real person could see themselves doing. The secondary characters, from the gnomes to the various monsters throughout the Barrow are also given attention, raising them up above the level of the usual cardboard cutout NPCs. Gryff's mission is front and center, but the other characters motivations are also laid out, and the character's progress toward accomplishing their own goals along with Gryff's, making for a much more well rounded story. If there's any weakness to the book, its that the second story plotline involving Gryff's AI isn't really explored a lot yet, and it just felt like a loose end I'm sure will be rectified in book two. 

NARRATION

Narration is handled by the talented Armen Taylor. He was an excellent choice to record this book. He has a really pleasing narrative voice, and has outstanding pacing when he narrates. His use of tone and inflections, as well as accents, really helps individualize the various characters, and he has a real knack for finding just the right voice for each character. I can't wait to hear him narrate further books in the series.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I have to be honest, this is definitely in my top ten, maybe even top five, LitRPG books of all time. I don't want to compare it to other books in the genre, but I do think fans of the genre should find something to enjoy in this book, and have a positive reaction to it. I enthusiastically recommend this book to LitRPG and epic fantasy fans alike. 

The Bookwyrm's Review of Salvation's Dawn by Joe Jackson

Author: Joe Jackson

Length: 422 Pages

Publisher: Aethon Press

Release Date: TBD

Genre: Epic Fantasy

Rating: 4.5/5

I decided to try this one out on a recommendation from a friend, who told me it was like nothing else out there. Figuring that was just hyperbole, since it seems like there's only variations on certain themes lately, I was pleasantly surprised to discover he was correct, since this story definitely has its own unique plot and themes.

PLOT SUMMARY

Karian Vanador, Shield of the Heavens, by the Grace of Zalkar, has just finished fighting with the forces of light against the Devil Queen Seril's demon forces in the Apocalypse. Being a demon hunter for the God of Justice Zalkar, she was eminently suited for fighting them. Being resurrected after being dead 200 years to fight in the Apocalypse still weighs heavily on her. As she prepares for a life outside the military, she feels a summoning from Zalkar's priest's that tell her life isn't getting any simpler.

Traveling to a nearby city, she meets with the local clergy, who tell her she has a new mission as a demon hunter. She is to meet up with the Silver Blades, a group of half-demon's who fought for their turncoat Demon Lord father for the side of Light, and evaluate their leader, while they go on a mission to investigate a warlord looking to start a race war.  Kari is not looking forward to the mission, but she is loyal to her god, and unknown to her, the mission will change her life in ways she'd never have been able to foresee.  

Meeting up with the Blades, she discovers they are a group of five brothers and one sister, who have a diverse skill set, and were responsible for taking down a Demon Lord during the Apocalypse. Traveling with the group is Erys, a half demon assassin/spy in a relationship with one of the brothers, Alegios. Led by Erik, who is a demon hunter in the service of  Zalkar, they proceed by ship to the island where the potential war is brewing. On the long trip, Kari gets to know the Blades, determining they are serious fighters with a range of useful combat and magical skills.  She also starts a relationship with Grakin, the group's healer, who realizes she is the famed demon hunter of legend resurrected, and not an imposter using the name. 

During the Journey, they make port in Kari's home city, which she had hoped to avoid due to childhood trauma that is just resurfacing in her jumbled memories. When Grakin is supportive and understanding of her reaction to the trauma resurfacing, she realizes they are truly mates for one another. As they continue the voyage, they stop at an isolated island, dropping supplies off to refugees from an attempted genocide. They also pick up a pair of human twin orphans, who need to leave the island if they are ever to find life mates. Both of them want to become paladins, so the Blades start to give them instruction in both combat skills and religious magic. 

Reaching another port on the Isle of Tsalburn, where the potential war may start, the group splits up after gathering intelligence about the political and war situation. Erik and Kari split off from the rest of the group, chasing a rumor of a demon that may be behind starting the war. The rest of the group proceed with Alegios as leader to gather the rest of the Island's cities together to set armies out to confront the invasion force. Both groups have various successes and meet up a city much closer to the enemy, and combine together to confront the enemies leaders in a sneak attack from the inside of their own castle, while the islanders face the army on the outside. They discover that there is a much bigger conspiracy going on than they thought, and it could have world wide consequences if not stopped. Kari also has something happen that will change her life forever as well.

WORLD BUILDING AND CHARACTERS

When I mentioned that this was a unique story, I wasn't just being hyperbolic. The world building is such that this really stands apart. One way it stands apart is the fact that while there are humans, they are a small part of the population. This is not a world populated with just elves and dwarves either. There are huge amounts of what amounts to animalistic humanoids, as well as part-demons. Kari is a perfect example of this, being Dracon-rir, which means she has a draconic type face, even though she is a mammal, wings which allow her to glide, and being stronger than a human of her size. The Silver Blade siblings are similar in not being human and having wings, all being humanoid. There are also lizard like humanoids, as well as the varieties of unique monsters. The world building is also unusual in that the author takes into account actual physics when he writes out the fight scenes. That means a 5 foot 3, 110 lb woman will not be slinging a 6 foot 3, 230 pound man around like she's Hulk Hogan. Speed,  agility and training become key components in fights, as they would in real life. The fight and battle scenes thus have an added element of realism just not seen much recently in fantasy. 

The characters are written as realistically as possible, especially considering they aren't human for the most part. The main group, especially Kari, are fully developed, with strengths, flaws and even horrific trauma they have to deal with. They build some real comradery throughout, and the peeks into their pasts really expand on their characters. Even the villains and secondary characters get attention paid to them, really fleshing them out. The only thing I was a little disappointed in was the appearance of some of the characters, such as the Silver Blades, since their descriptions are a bit vague. This is a small complaint, though, and didn't really dampen my enjoyment of the story.

FINAL THOUGHTS

As I mentioned before, this story is a unique take on the epic fantasy journey. It doesn't use the usual chosen one tropes, but takes a fresh look at how to make a successful narrative. It creates rounded characters you can get invested in, and you find yourself unable to put the book down. I really can't recommend it enough, and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

 

The Bookwyrms Review of Brightblade by Michael Suttkus and C.T. Phipps

Author: Michael Suttkus & C.T. Phipps

Length: TBA

Release Date: TBA

Publisher: Crossroad Press

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Series: The Morgan Detective Agency, Book 1

Rating:4.5/5

I have been a huge fan of the various books C.T. Phipps and Michael Suttkus have co-written. When I heard that Michael would be taking lead on a new series set in the United States of Monsters universe, I was ecstatic, and happily took an offered review copy. I can happily say that not only does it fit into the universe, but charts in own course, adding new layers to what they have been creating in other books in the universe.

PLOT SUMMARY

Ashley Morgan is a bounty hunter working with her partners at a bail bonds in New Detroit, which is where the vampires made their base of power after they came out into the open when they bailed out the government in the economic crash of 2008. With the vampires and other supernaturals gaining legal status, the Red Room, who policed the hidden supernatural world, find themselves out of a job. This leaves people like Morgan's family suddenly without support and at loose ends. In Morgan's case, she took her status as a Bright, which means she has mental abilities, and tried to become a costumed superhero. Having telekinesis and being an empath apparently weren't enough to get the job done, so she quit that.

Morgan's firm specializes by bailing out supernaturals. Unfortunately, when they skip bail, it means vanilla humans cant go get them. Its up to Morgan and her team to bring them back and collect. After the capture of a bail jumper goes sideways, the vampire sheriff shows up to take him into custody, in exchange for information about where Ashley's missing brother is. Planning on following up, Ashley has to take an artifact they were paid for a job to the supernatural's bank for deposit. Unfortunately, that's the exact moment three supernatural's decide to rob the bank for another artifact. This leads to a battle between Ashley and the three robbers, who manage to get away, with Ashley being injured.

Ashley wakes up in a strange room, feeling unusual. It turns out that she's at her brother's apartment over the club he owns. She also discovers that she almost died, and had to be saved with vampire blood from her brother, who is now a vampire, thus making her a dhampir. This is awful news to Ashley, who was raised to hate vampires. Ashley finds out the reason for the bank robbery, which was to get an artifact that can raise a dead vampire lord, who can use the wand to turn vampires human again, something the vampires will do anything to avoid. This leads Ashley and her brothers group into conflict with a powerful vampire family bent of gaining power, who will stop at nothing to gain it. It doesn't help that one of the main conspirators is one of Ashley's ex's, who apparently was even worse than she seemed.  Ashley and crew must stop them before they bring about the end of the vampire nation, all while keeping Ashley from turning full vamp herself. Ashley needs all her abilities, both old and new, to survive until the end, with a lot of twists and turns along the way.

CHARACTERS AND WORLD BUILDING

Like anything having to do with Michael Suttkus and C.T. Phipps, characters are what drive the story. Ashley is such a well written character, strong, determined and vulnerable by turns. She has deep prejudices ingrained in her by growing up in the Red Room environment, but struggles to be honest and fair. Her hatred of vampires is so at odds with what her brother has become, and it's that conflict that helps driver her actions. Her bonding a mystical weapon also creates some funny moments, as she now has a rather loud "conscience" pushing her to do the right things.  The other characters are also so much fun. From Arthur, Ashley's vampire brother, to Alex, her wizard ex, the secondary characters get so much care and development. they get fully fleshed out. The villain of the story actually has very little face time in the book, so doesn't get as much first hand attention, but is discussed at length throughout the book. 

The world building is definitely sold. It expands upon the world created in Straight Outta Fangton, Esoterrorism and I Was a Teenage Weredeer. The fall of the Red Room is explained more in this one than the others, with some more of the ancillary work done there explained. New Detroit is expanded on past where its been shown before, really giving a look into the various territories the city is split into. It is definitely an expanded world ripe for future stories.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Any time you spin off a series with new characters, it has a chance of failing. Luckily, they took what worked with the other books in this universe, namely excellent characters, snappy dialogue and a fast paced plot and created a great addition to the universe.  If you like any other books by these authors, you'll like this one. I think it has a lot of appeal for any fans of urban fantasy, and has lots of potential places to go.

The Bookwyrm's Review of Zombie Lake by Javan Bonds

Author: Javan Bonds

Length: 392 Pages/ 6 hours, 56 minutes

Publisher: If Only I Had A Monkey Publishing

Release Date: December 27, 2016/ May 18, 2018 (audio)

Narrator: S.W. Salzman

Series: Still Alive, Book 1

Rating: 4.5/5

While I have read a bit of zombie fiction over the years, mostly stuff like Peter Clines Ex-Heroes series, I have gained more of an appetite for the genre lately. Zombie Lake, book one of the Still Alive series,  is the latest in the genre I've listened to. It is a bit more comedic than a lot of the more serious series, but it does have its own fairly unique take on the genre.

PLOT SUMMARY

Mo Collins, twenty-something guy from southern Alabama, is working as a crew member of the Viva Ancora, A working replica of an old caravel sailing ship. While anchored in Mo's hometown, a plague that turns people into naked, blue skinned, nocturnal PV's (short for plague victims, and not zombies, thank you very much) who run around biting and infecting people with 100% turn rate overruns the state. While almost all the crew went into town when the Cora docked, Mo and the ship's cook Crow stayed behind. Now, days later, they still haven't left the boat, living off the ships stores and fish they catch. Realizing they will need some supplies, Mo goes into town to try and find some essentials like medicine. Not surprisingly, the Walgreens has been looted thoroughly. Its while he's in town that Mo meets Smokes, who it turns out knows everything about zombie lore, and immediately he falls in with Mo. 

While they try and get some weapons at the local pawn shop, they discover their next survivor, Petunia Sledge, nicknamed Hammer, an army vet that owned the shop. On the way back to the boat, they discover Gene, comic shop owner and geek of the year, as he kills a PV with his prop Wolverine claws. The last survivor they discover is Bradley, a schoolmate of Mo's and a football star who is now a paraplegic in a wheelchair who has a service monkey as his companion.

Returning to the boat, they start making larger plans to raid things like the local Wal-Mart for more supplies. Shockingly, they meet up with more people they know there, including a girl Mo was good friends with. This leads up to Mo connecting with his family again, who have survived and gathered survivors in the rural area they live. It seems as though everything is set up for the long haul until a "military" unit shows up, demanding people turn their guns in and work for them. Shockingly, this isn't welcomed by the locals, and bad things start to happen. When Mo's family's place is burned out, they decide to take the problem head on, and a confrontation takes place with the military unit, with some unexpected results and consequences, leaving the future of the town in doubt.

CHARACTERS AND WORLD BUILDING

It's not often you can say a book about the zombie apocalypse is character driven, but with this cast of characters, it couldn't be anything but. The characters are so well created, they could be people you know in real life, with strengths and flaws and crazy personalities. Mo is a great character, but Smokes is the comedy glue that really elevates the story, being the seer in the story. his personality and encyclopedic knowledge of pop culture and zombie lore means he can read where the story is going as if it was a story. Its a very meta kind of characterization, one I'd never seen before, and really makes the story stand out. 

The world building is solid as well. You get a real feel for how small town rural Alabama works, and how this zombie outbreak overruns the area. There is surprisingly little zombie confrontations, since the PV's are mostly nocturnal. The PV's are surprisingly different than your run of the mill Walking Dead shambler, in funny and surprising ways.  It's all these little touches that make this book stand out.

NARRATION

I had heard S.W. Salzman narrating on other books, so I had an idea what to expect. I have to admit to surprise on just how good he was on this! I knew he was talented, but his voice work on these very different characters is just outstanding. Male, female, urban, rural, redneck, foreign, it didn't matter, he nailed the voices and brought all the characters to life. His narrative pacing was so spot on that I didn't want to stop listening, it just drew me in. I have to rate this as one of the top five narrations of the last year for me. 

FINAL THOUGHTS

While zombie fiction is a relatively new genre for me, Zombie Lake gives me hope that it will become a regular part of my reading rotation. I'm happy to recommend this series, and not just to horror fans. I think it can appeal to fans of multiple genres, including urban fantasy, mysteries, and action thrillers. I don't think you'll be disappointed if you check it out.