Review: Excellent Fantasy
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 29, 2012
I received a review copy of REAPER OF SORROWS and am pleased (and relieved) to report that the book is excellent all the way around. It is the opening volume of what looks to be a great adventure involving a tough, heroic soldier-turned-outcast named Rathe, aka The Scorpion. Truthfully, I am already looking forward to the second volume.The writing was excellent; West's vocabulary is sophisticated yet eloquent and rings true to the genre. And the book was clean and professional.Readers should note that this story is sort of "hard fantasy" (akin to "hard science fiction") in that it is very real. West does not write about fire-breathing dragons or elves or dwarves, etc., but there is magic in this story, as well as some monstrous creatures you wouldn't want to meet while camping in the mountains. Truly, some of the scenes made me cringe; a delightful reaction. I often found myself re-reading sentences and paragraphs, to re-savor the story, and to make sure I was reading it correctly.The story itself is also well drawn and very compelling. I agreed to provide a review for the book but the most wonderful of things happened: I became a fan.While reading, I kept thinking, 'Man, when is poor Rathe EVER going to catch a break?!' West is adept at chasing his main character up the proverbial tree, throwing rocks at him, setting the tree on fire, blowing it up with dynamite, and then chasing after him with a pack of wild dogs. The action in the story was virtually relentless. West has succeeded in the difficult and rather amorphous task of creating a character who is naturally heroic and deserves to win; we cheer him on at every step, while being forced to watch him endure hardship after hardship. Fortunately, Rathe can take it.I look forward to the second volume of the Song of the Scorpion series, and recommend it.