Review: Blends characterisation, location and the bigger, broader questions of life
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 10 10, 2013
A key element of any good fantasy novel is the ability to make the characters truly believable, even if they are outside of the normal human experience. Elves, dwarves and dragons seem commonplace inside the world of the story and the reader doesn't question them. Martyn has created a great set of characters and personalities that are wholly true to themselves and the story.This is a typical fantasy novel; bunch of local tough guys are given a task to fulfill by a ruler and go off to rid the land of an enemy (in this case a dragon). As such you sort of know what to expect and when; this could detract from the story, but it doesn't. Martyn blends characterisation with location and the bigger, broader questions of life in a blend that keeps the reader interested from the beginning. He also delivers some wonderfully unexpected `punches' at just the right intervals to make them read to the end.