Review: "Witch Hunt"... a terrific short fantasy adventure.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 10, 2012
"Witch Hunt (The Gryphonpike Chronicles)" is a fantasy adventure by author Annie Bellet. This Kindle e-book was a 134 Kb download and was free at the time of writing this review.<spoilers>A beautiful elven princess has grossly misused her powers and has been banished to the human world. As punishment, she's not permitted to communicate in any meaningful way with others plus she must do a thousand good deeds to atone for her previous abuses of her previledged position. She eventually joins up with a rag-tag group of assorted do-gooder adventurers.<end spoilers>Some thoughts on "Witch Hunt"...The Pros:1.) a well written and easy read.2.) an intriguing story with an interesting mix of adventurers; Killer, our banished elf; Azyrin a half-orc shaman and his warrior human wife Makha; Drake, a human rogue; and finally Rahiel, a miniature pixie-goblin mage and her mini-unicorn mount, Bill.And as silly as some of the character descriptions and their names are, this group of mixed fantasy races works well together to give the reader an great adventure.3.) the author has the ability to create a foreboding and spooky atmosphere in the gloomy and misty swamp. Great writing!4.) <spoilers> worthy opponents in the form of two witches who give our diverse group of heroes all they can handle.5.) cover art... attractively appealing in its simplicity.The Cons:1.) no map... would have been appreciated for this tale as it would have added a sense of direction and distance.2.) my only quibble with the story would be why Makla, the female warrior, would go traipsing around a dank swamp (composed of treacherous bogs, mud, and sink holes) in heavy, full plate armor. Strange indeed, if not downright dangerous!Conclusion:I really liked this short story.Annie Bellet has been gifted with a clean and entertaining writing style.I found this book held my interest to the end and I'm looking forward to reading more of Killer's adventures with the 'Gryphonpike Companions'.As it is... 4 1/2 StarsRay Nicholsonraynicholsonsreviews@hotmail.comP.S.Many thanks to amazon friend, Media Man, for bringing this book and author to my attention.