Review: A rousing French-influenced fantasy adventure
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 6, 2013
"Leathern Men (Kozef & Ceinan)" is a medieval fantasy adventure written by R.J. Creaney.  The story takes places in the town of Thieudan, where our weary heroes Kozef (a burly warhammer wielding warrior) and Ceinan (an agile and diminutive rogue) have stopped at the local inn named the "Grotto Grouse" with hopes of a meal and lodging.  As the duo is attempting to unwind from their travels, they can't help but be bothered by a group of rowdy locals who are quickly chasing the inn's clients away.  Our adventurers are monetarily short at the moment so they decide to offer their "cleaning" services to deal with the rabble in exchange for a hearty meal and a comfortable bed.  They of course get more than they bargained for.  Here are my thoughts on Leathern Men (Kozef & Ceinan);Pros+ Well written.+ Good amount of action.+ Quick and entertaining read.+ People, places and things are nicely detailed and described.+ Mortal heroes who can take a beating but are not invincible.Cons <Contains SPOILERS>- Use of French and Old English terminology may hinder some readers.  Have a dictionary handy.- No map of the land.  Plenty of places are mentioned but there's not much frame of reference without a map.- Kozef & Ceinan are capable of some questionable feats soon after being brutalized and tortured, almost as if the acts didn't faze them.- Goullier's wicked and villainous ways were underutilized."Leathern Men (Kozef & Ceinan)" was an engaging and highly enjoyable medieval fantasy read.  To be honest, I wasn't really sure what to expect and when I first started the story I thought to myself, "How dangerous and threatening could the local Tanner's guild be?"  Let me just say, oh how wrong I was.  The author possesses the uncanny ability to turn the mundane, magical.  The detailed descriptions of the tannery and what our heroes encounter there was entertaining to read about, however I'm quite sure Kozef and Ceinan would not agree with that assessment.  "Leathern Men (Kozef & Ceinan)" really hooked me and I would definitely love to read more stories with these two characters or even a full length novel.  Well done.