Review: Proof that modern Fantasy doesn't need to be GRR(i)M
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 9, 2014
M. Edward McNally's debut is an intriguing work of Epic Fantasy in a time when the trend of the genre is towards the dark and grittily historical. The prose style is warm with a humour and wit that carries the reader along through a world where the familiar and the strange rub shoulders, as one might expect, but in surprisingly original combinations. There are goblins, great mountains, scheming dragons and even a dungeon-crawl by an intrepid band of adventurers to be found. But there is also the rich detail of a world that is not restricted to the quasi-medieval setting we have become used to, with hints of a Far Western realm of antiquarian Shoguns and Samurai that I hope will be returned to in later volumes. Magic, sorcerers and supernatural creatures are not kept in the background here for fear of alienating 'serious' readers. This is to be applauded as it further demonstrates how much the author genuinely loves the genre he is writing in and is not going to shy away from aspects of it that have been deemed 'silly' or 'childish' in recent years. But don't be disarmed by the author's seeming playfulness or use of more traditional trappings as there are some darker turns and fates waiting herein - though these serve not merely to shock but to further engross the reader as we realise this thoroughly original tale is only going to keep getting better and better as we learn more of Noroth, Miilark and the places that lie beyond.