It is almost a cliche at this point, but I was one of the legion of boys and girls who were captivated by J.R.R. Tolkien and his Lord of the Rings Trilogy. I loved the adventure and the magic of exploring another world. I soon jumped from Tolkien to writers like C.S. Lewis, Piers Anthony, Isaac Asimov, Anne McCaffrey, Roger Zelazny & Robert Sheckly, etc. I am not an avid reader of fantasy novels these days but I do dip into the genre now and again; particularly children's or young adult (see here and here).
Recently I was intrigued by the upcoming release of a new fantasy trilogy. What first drew my eye to The Crimson Sword by Eldon Thompson was the fact that the author was a college football player before turning to writing. For some reason college quarterback turned fantasy novelist seemed worth exploring. So I dug in and committed myself to reading this over 500 page work. The result was mixed. The larger story arc is interesting and imaginative and the characters are well drawn for the most part. But the prose was a bit heavy at times and the story gets off to a slow start. It is not surprising that a first time author would struggle with some of the finer points, but Thompson certainly shows promise. I am sure fantasy readers will enjoy having a work like this to dive into and further volumes to look forward to. (This is volume one of a planned trilogy.)
**Minor spoilers ahead**
The central character of The Crimson Sword is Jarom, Guardian of Diln. Jarom is a mild mannered young man living in a rural, almost idyllic, part of the kingdom of Alson. Jarom, along with his friend and expert archer Allion, is responsible for keeping the village safe. Given its size and agricultural nature, this isn't a particularly dangerous job.
The village's peaceful isolation, however, is destroyed when the King of Alson is assassinated. A mysterious wizard appears to lay siege to the capital city. Unable to overcome the wizard's magic, the city is soon laid to waste throwing the kingdom into chaos. The Queen flees the city pursued by soldiers of the invading army.
Jarom and Allion save the Queen from her pursuers only to have her arrival change their lives forever. It turns out the Jarom is in fact Torin, second child of the slain King Sorl. The Queen soon relates how she despaired for the kingdom after her first born son, corrupted by his hedonistic father, was banished for attempting to poison the king. She faked her second son's death and had him placed with her youthful love in Diln to be raised up in a virtuous and responsible way; and thus able to rule the kingdom when the time came.
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1 - Pat Cummings
This book review (edited to reduce spoilers) has been selected for Advance.net. You’ll be able to find this and other Blog Critics reviews at such places as Cleveland.com’s Book Reviews column.