The Last Tragedy

Delvonian Tales #1

by Herb Mallette

When two of the world's greatest adventurers disappear, it falls to their heirs - Jake Warbler and the half-sprite Noxie - to retrace their steps and confront whatever evil took them. The only clues point to a literary enigma from the depths of the Last Tragedy of Coeldoetta of Jueln. Missing and unread since the fall of long-ago empires, the Tragedy has doomed a thousand previous seekers. Can Jake and Noxie unearth this legendary play after so many others have failed? Or will they fall victim along the way to the same bloody-minded cult that vanquished their missing elders? The Last Tragedy begins Herb Mallette's Delvonian Tales series, a quartet of sweeping, adventurous fantasies set in a world of skyships and floating continents, brimming with magic, full of peril, and peopled with heroes of wit and skill whose villainous enemies know no boundaries of hate.

Genres: Fantasy

500 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 3, 2011

Reviews

[Herb Mallette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have an obvious bias, but this book still surprises me every time I read it. It starts off as a fun fantasy romp and ends up really saying something, and the characters, both good guys and bad, are all delightfully clever.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantasy fiction generally relies heavily on the work that came before, making relatively minor changes to the fantasy universe as suits the author. Herb Mallette has created a whole new fantasy world and he's done it exceedingly well. I can feel the depth of his knowledge about this world although much of it is only touched on in the book. There is clearly a wealth of world development that has gone on behind the scenes and I appreciate that. The story itself is original and well done, with characters that grow and that you can grow to love. Even the villain is the hero of her own story. Most books that are "first in a series" rely on loose ends to entice you to continue to the next book. This book doesn't do that; it completely stands on its own and wraps up every loose end neatly. One could easily walk away satisfied. It says more than anything I've written to this point that I am proceeding to the next book immediately.

[Rick Wilmeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascistic Tale of Adventure

If you enjoy fantasy and adventure, stop right now and read this book. When I first read this story, it was the cause of a few nights of little sleep as I willingly forfeited rest to squeeze in time to spend with these wonderful characters and follow them along on their journey. It's a fantastic story of friendship, strife, and achievement. When you are done, you may find yourself wishing the story could continue. The good news is, it does!

[Teresa Rockwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing read!!!

I purchased this book because I know the author - but never in my wildest imagination did I expect the level of thrill and intensity elicited by the story! An exceptional adventure with fantasy interwoven into amazing characters - I sooo look forward to reading the next book in the series!! Written by a brilliant mind with a surprisingly vast imagination!

[Ashley Ferguson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally posted at The A P Book Club

Since I got this as a free Kindle book, I really wasn't expecting much of anything. Just a mediocre fantasy book that would help me pass the time whenever I didn't have a physical book handy.

I was definitely surprised by how much I enjoyed this novel though. I found myself choosing to read this one over a physical book, which is not something I normally do. The plot was interesting, the villain was absolutely terrifying, and the hero/heroine were very likable and relateable. Mallette did an excellent job of painting his fantasy world so that the reader was transported to it, and did so in a way that wasn't too Lord of the Rings (e.g. endless pages describing how flat and boring the terrain is, with a couple of trees and mountains thrown in for good measure).

When Jake and Noxie finally find the "Last Tragedy" of Coeldoetta, what it asks them to do is pretty predictable, but heartbreaking nonetheless. Until [the one guy whose name I cannot remember for the life of me, even though he's a pretty important character] realizes he can save the day, preventing Jake and Noxie from losing the thing they love most. Hooray!

The way Mallette introduces the differing plot lines and then weaves them together is genius - at first, it seems like there are 4 different things going on. And then, all of a sudden, everybody meets and their separate quests become one. I mean, I know other authors have done that too, and probably done it better, but the way Mallette did it just stood out for me. Especially for this being his first published novel.

While not on the scale of other more popular high fantasty novels, I think The Last Tragedy and its sequels/companion novels have a shot at becoming very popular, and Mallette has a pretty good chance at becoming very successful. After he gets them on Kindle, I think hard copies would make his books take off. I would give this book a surprising 4/5, and would definitely recommend it to readers of high fantasy. Or even to people who are interested in fantasy but not necessarily in books like the Song of Fire and Ice series or Lord of the Rings. Go read it! It's only $0.99 on Amazon. It's worth it, I promise.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, I enjoyed reading the novel. The story was intricate and interesting, the characters were well-rounded and even complex (heroes and villains). The world building was fascinating. I liked how much action was packed in. I particularly liked the relationship developed between the three travelers, Noxie, Jake and Weston, the three of them interacting and working together were some of my favorite parts of the story.

My one and only complaint would be length, I do feel it could have been edited down. But really, an enjoyable novel that I do not regret acquiring.

[J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story, deep characters, imaginative worldbuilding, professional production, and a good, clear writing style make this full-length fantasy novel a very satisfying read. I enjoyed it tremendously. Five full stars and an author worth watching.

Please note that I picked this novel up as a freebie from Amazon. The price of the book has no bearing upon the review received, and in this case, I got much, much more than I paid for. Thanks for the read, Mr. Mallette.

[Lessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the story, the imaginative world the author took us through, but most of all, I enjoyed the characters, particularly the trio of adventurers and how they evolved through the course of the story. The attention to details was impressive throughout the story, and it was all tied up with a satisfying conclusion in the end. Fun stuff :-)

[Amy Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could not stop reading this book. I absolutely love it! I'd continue with the review, but I need to catch up with Avelia in The Sharp Edge Of Memory now.