Review: Mancour takes tried and true and makes it his own.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 6, 2011
Anyone who's read or seen Lord of the Rings, not to mention countless other fantasy novels, movies, or games, is familiar with the issue of the invading goblin horde.  Numerous, green, nasty... and somewhat of a fantasy stereotype.  Mancour's greatest achievement in "Spellmonger" is taking this stereotype and really making it feel unique.  The characters are great, starting off in recognizable archetypes (the tired Warmage Minalan, the wise lord, etc), but transforming, growing and changing as the novel progresses and the strain of the siege is felt.  The dialogue is solid, the writing style otherwise pleasant, being neither too brief with descriptions, nor too long.  There's sufficiently pulse-raising combat scenes, and a suitably high goblin body count too.  The plot, though not particularly original, is well executed and entertaining.  There are a couple awkward areas towards the end, when Minalan is arguing about his future role, but they don't detract too much from the novel.  Overall, I'd say this is an excellent execution of a fantasy staple, and is well worth reading for both new and old fans of fantasy.