Books of the Shaper - Book I
John R Fultz
Orbit (Little, Brown)
5 January 2012 / ISBN: 9780356500812
Fantasy
AMAZON US
- UK
Reviewed
by Rachel A Hyde
The day begins
like any other for young Prince D'zan, only by the time it has ended
a wizard has slaughtered his family and entire court, and he is
on the run. Meanwhile, King Vod of Udurum in the north has been
seized by a desire to redress an old wrong and has departed for
the undersea realm of Indreyah, leaving his wife in charge. But
his eldest son and heir has a secret and is perhaps rather more
(or less) than he appears. Seven princes are about to discover that
a new age is beginning, and their fate is bound together
This exciting and delightful book harks back to the sword and sorcery
age of fantasy, and could indeed have been written at any time during
the past twenty or so years. But if, like this reviewer, you fancy
a break from paranormal romance and dark fantasy then this will
more than provide that, as well as being thoroughly entertaining.
Mr Fultz might be one of the newest fantasists on the block but
he could teach many writers a thing or two about world building,
pacing a story (this is not a doorstop), creating characters you
want to read more about and generally being highly readable. Original
this is not, but then this is not (in my opinion) necessarily the
most important thing about good fantasy. Pace, plot and world building
are three vital elements as is the sheer joy of opening a new book
and being instantly immersed in an invented but very well-rounded
new world. If this is retro then bring it on; I for one can't wait
for the next installment and anybody else reading this who likes
this type of thing will probably agree with me.
Other
Titles in this Series
Seven
Princes #1 [BOOK]
[AUDIO]
Seven Kings, #2 [BOOK]
|