Review: No detail is left to the imagination - Excellent imagery
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 7, 2014
I have to warn you from the start that this book is long...I consider myself a relatively quick reader and it still took me almost 3 days to get through the whole thing.  And while I do love books that get right to the heart of the matter, this wasn't one of those books.  Well, it does get right into what brings all our major players together right from the beginning... but the real story is fleshed out over the entire book.  But I was intrigued from the first page and the book's grasp over me never let up.  I can't bring myself to give this book anything but 5 stars.... 5 little bookie worms on fire!There is a lot of background given in this book; perhaps in the subsequent books there won't be the need for all the background because we've gotten it all here.  Normally I would yawn and skip over the details...but in this case the details are important.  We are introduced to a lot of major players.  So you have to pay attention to keep them all straight.  It's almost like this first book is a "family tree" of sorts for the battle that is sure to play out later in the series.  There is a prequel, Drasmyr, that I haven't had the chance to read yet; and I'm sure that introduces us to the vampire who wreaks so much havoc in this book.The wizards guild calls in a bounty hunter to figure out the mysterious disappearance of one of their apprentices.  It was thought she had fled during the epic battle to contain and ultimately destroy the vampire.  What the bounty hunter uncovers is a network of lies and deceit by one of the guild's very own.Matthew really does a great job of creating this fantasy world where magic prevails.  No detail is left to the imagination.  I love the imagery he creates.  Being a huge fan of Dungeons and Dragons (and yes, I was one of those nerds that played the tabletop game) I felt at home in this world.  Ogres, goblins, mages, rogues, and bounty hunters...Oh my!If you love the fantasy genre (even though we do have a vampire that plays a vital role in this story, it most certainly shouldn't be pawned off as "just another vampire book"), then you will definitely LOVE this book!  I haven't seen a release date for book two yet, but the tentative title is The Sceptre of Morgulan and I can't wait to get my hands on it!