Review: Well-written and fast-paced story
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 28, 2011
The Blue Island Clan trains its best warriors to be part of the clan leader's elite forces, called the Kifzo.  These elite warriors are trained from a young age, and when the time is right, the best of them compete to find out who will be warleader.  This short story focuses on that competition, as well as the more profound competition between the clan leader's sons, Kaz and Tobin, as they struggle to determine who will lead the army - the power-hungry and corrupt Kaz, or Tobin, whose sole interest is in the betterment of his Clan?The story is well written; the characters are defined quickly and surely, providing a uniqueness to each one without causing a hitch in the plot.  The plot moves smoothly and efficiently to the conclusion, providing a few answers, but more questions.  Personally I did not care for the story - I didn't like the culture being described, the ruthlessness, the viciousness and dishonorable intentions of the majority of the Kifzo, their power-hungry and crude - dare I say cruel? - behavior quite sickened me.  This should not count against your decision to pick up this story if you enjoy military fantasy stories, as I am quite sure this is just being realistic.  I don't care to read such things, as it just increases my belief in the general disgustingness of humanity, but those who aren't as misanthropic as I am will probably be entertained by the action and fast-paced plot.The first full-length novel in this series - which is "Rise and Fall: Book One in the Blood and Tears Trilogy" - will be available 12/1/11 in e-book and in paperback soon thereafter.  "Warleader" is a short story basically providing an introduction to the world and characters.