Review: "The Corpse King"... a great debut short work  4 1/2 Stars
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 21, 2012
"The Corpse King (Tales of Eisengoth)" is a short fantasy/horror story by author Christopher Kellen. This Kindle e-book was a 128 Kb download (approx 37 printed pages) and was free at the time of writing this review.General theme <spoilers> no specific details revealed.Master Havox Khaine and his young apprentice D'Arden Tal have been on a journey of many months. They now enter the Aztenda mountain range in the far southwestern area of the realm. It has been reported (in several hamlets along the way) that an evil demon has taken over an isolated castle and corrupted its king. Their job is to investigate and root out the evil... if it exists.  What they find is much worse than they could ever imagine.end <spoilers>Some thoughts on "The Corpse King"...The Pros:1.) an intriguing, truly interesting and perfectly paced story2.) the author does a great job creating a spooky and foreboding atmosphere both out in the wilds and within the village/castle.3,) well written, using easy to read prose.4.) the ratio of action vs drama was spot on... perfectly balanced.The Cons: two minor complaints1.) <spoiler> the final battle was rather short and surprisingly easy.2.) cover art... rather cartoonish. My first glance impression was a flashback to 'Dirk' of "Dragon's Lair".Conclusion:A short fantasy/horror story that excels in creating a dark and eerie atmosphere. Very easy to read and very hard to put down.This author is a name to watch for in this genre.As it is... 4 1/2 Stars (1/2 Star off for the soft ending)Ray NicholsonP.S.Many thanks to amazon friend Media Man for bringing this work and author to my attention.