Review: A fast-paced and highly engaging fantasy tale
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 31, 2012
"The Ant-Man of Malfen" is the first book/novella in Derek Prior's "Chronicles of the Nameless Dwarf" series.  Ant-Man's story revolves around an amnesic, manic-depressive dwarven warrior aptly named "Nameless" with an extremely troubled past.  He's in search of his dwarven ancestors who've fled from his prior atrocities.  Nameless pursues his brethren in attempts to make amends and save his race from eventual destruction.  Here are my thoughts on The Ant-Man of Malfen;Pros+ Extremely well written.+ Unique and interesting characters.  You'll find none of your do-gooder heroes here.  Everyone seems to have some sort of dark or questionable past.+ Engaging storyline.+ Extensive glossary detailing all people, places and things in the story.+ Had a world map.+ Perfect amount of clever humour.+ Detailed history makes you want to read all other stories taking place in the land of Malkuth.Cons <Contains SPOILERS>- A few minor issues with Nils' character.  I felt he could have used a bit more fleshing out in the beginning.  I never really got a clear picture of him in my head as I was reading.  Also, his lack of street smarts coming from the city was somewhat puzzling, even if he was young and sheltered.  Plus he's a roguish-type.  I would think some of those skills usually come with the territory regardless of your upbringing.  Especially being the son of a crime lord.- Hand drawn map was a bit shoddy but I know it gets professional treatment in the next installment of the story.- Real world references and names sometimes drew me out of the fantasy setting of the story.  Unfortunately, this happens to me with nearly every cross-over style fantasy tale.- Nameless flashed a few too many "toothy grins."  Enough where I noticed the repetition.- Glossary's detail can be a bit overwhelming and reveals spoilers about other stories in the world.- Too short!The Ant-Man of Malfen's story drew me in quickly, captivated me with its characters and kept me reading feverishly until the very end.  Although sometimes a little overwhelming, Prior's unique world building and history were exemplary.  Each character was exceptionally unique and I could literally feel these characters being born from Prior's youthful Dungeons & Dragons sessions.  Even though The Ant-Man of Malfen is relatively short, you can tell there's an enormous amount of story yet to be told.  After reading this book I can definitely say that I'll be adding my name to the list of those eagerly awaiting future installments.  Well done.