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Dale Ziemianski (Drachar’s Demons)

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  Book of the month         Gold Award

Legacy of the Eldric is the first volume in the Prophecy of the Kings trilogy, written and published by David Burrows. The version being reviewed here is the Omnibus volume which contains all 3 novels in the series.

In the distant past an all but forgotten race called the Eldric fought against the demon hordes in the legendary Krell Wars. In a close fought battle the Eldric became victorious and banished the soul of the Demon Horde's leader, a sorcerer of immense power known as Drachar. After the battle the Eldric disappeared from the land, taking with them the knowledge of sorcery lest another rise up and miss-use the power and they, along with the war and knowledge of demons faded into myth and legend.

Recent times have given rise to a prophecy that says the shade of Drachar will rise again and with him the demon hordes.

Kaplyn is a prince of the realm who is desperate to escape the stifling confines of the Royal Court and sneaks away for an adventure. Kaplyn manages to find trouble soon enough in the form of bandits who have captured a stranger to the land. After rescuing this stranger, who goes by the name of Lars and has been shipwrecked on this land after a storm, they soon encounter Vastra, a sorcerer who enlists their help to find a relic of the long dead Eldric. All three soon become embroiled in a quest to discover just what happened to the Legendary Eldric and if possible, bring them back.

Legacy of the Eldric is a classic high fantasy novel, inspired by JRR Tolkien’s work (as many authors are) the novel manages to pay homage to the Lord of the Rings without any attempts at plagiarism. The central protagonists are rich in character and well fleshed out, Kaplyn the young prince desperate to have some adventure and avoid the drudgery of his high born life, while Lars is the tough but dependable fighter while the sorcerer Vastra is the unknown quantity, somewhat dark and troubled and really only seeming to aid when there is something in it for himself. Vastra shows the weaker elements of the human psyche, greed, selfishness, anger and sometimes even malice but occasionally tempered by more positive character traits.

The plot is quite fast paced with the minimum amount of world building needed to give background to the story while the 3rd person narrative is both clear and easy to read. Although the novel does contain the standard fantasy fair of Dwarves, Elves (at least their equivalent) and evil creatures, we are only really introduced to these as the story requires and nothing feels forced.

Legacy of the Eldric is pure escapism, a high fantasy novel that manages to entertain from beginning to end with an easy to read narrative, interesting characters and intelligent world building, I highly recommend this novel to any fan of fantasy fiction.

Dragon Rider is the second novel is the Prophecy of the Kings series, written by David Burrows.

After the climatic cliff hanger at the end of Legacy of the Eldric, we find our intrepid adventurers return to a world that has changed without them. War now threatens the land and Nations who once had strong alliances are now deadly rivals while drought and famine spread throughout the land.

Kaplyn, Lars and Lomar escape the cave that has been their home for longer than they could possibly realise and head to the capital of what was once Allund's ally, Thrace. Upon arrival though they are all arrested and accused of being spy's for the Army of Allund which are descending on the city. To make matters worse there is also another army on their way, this one composed of Krell, Grakyn and humans from Trosgarth but are they allied with the Allund?.

Dragon Rider introduces a darker mood to the series and a stronger sense of individual style, a slight departure from the tolkienesque feel with a distinct flavour all it's own (although I am sometimes reminded of Robin Hobbs Farseer series). The land and the people are in serious trouble while the evil Krell and Grakyn become bolder and more aggressive. There is some very strong character development, with all the principal protagonists reacting and changing to their own adversity while some of the new characters are instantly likable (like the young powerful mage Astalus). At the same time the group's friendship continues to grow while the new party member Tumarl is an strong character with a dark, tortured soul and the passion of a berserker.

The plot itself moves forward quickly and keeps the pages turning, one of the real strengths of this series is the emphasis on plot and character development with less time spent on the long background, world building that can sometimes stall the flow of the narrative. There are enough twists and turns to keep the interest and as with Legacy of the Eldric, the novel is very well written with a flowing script that is both refreshing and easy to read.

Dragon Rider manages to achieve the difficult task of improving on it's predecessor (no mean task) with a sweeping tale of high fantasy that will keep you hooked until the very last page.

Shadow of the Demon is the third and final novel in the Prophecy of the Kings trilogy by David Burrows.

Kaplyn, Lars, Lomar and the brave defenders of Thrace have earned a respite from the horrors of the war they find thrust upon them. The Siege was only the start though and they must now find out just what lies in store for the kingdom, and if the evil sorcerer Drachar has indeed returned. It isn't long before news arrives of an army massing at Trosgarth, which means the enemy must be readying themselves for the return of their dread leader and the legions of Demon spawn that will follow in his wake.

Kaplyn and his trusted friends must travel deep into the enemies territory in order to rescue the seed from the tree of life and prevent a permanent Demon gate from being created.

Throughout the prophecy of the Kings series I have been impressed by the high quality of the prose, the excellent character building and the easy but gripping style of the narrative. Shadow of the Demon is no exception, there is a real sense of the dramatic in this concluding volume and the unique individual style becomes even more pronounced. The pace is spot on and the plot full of twists and turns that keep you on your toes and makes the pages flow through your hands as you hasten to seek the conclusion to the story.

The characters and their development remain the core focus of the novel, largely the protagonist Kaplyn and his continued magical anomalies. The ending of the story is quite exceptional, poignant and more than a little bittersweet.

Shadow of the Demon is triumph of high fantasy, a rich, rewarding end to a phenomenal series and should not be missed.