Hyrum

by L.S. Lynn

Deep beneath the city of Hyrum dwells an ancient artifact just waiting for someone to come and get their hands on it. Ponc, a smart-mouthed gnome assassin, Avven, a lady-loving, smooth-talking elven thief, Capax, a half-ogre destined to be forever alone, Dracor, a low-grade alcoholic human knight with questionable morals, and Shadow, a reclusive necromancer with no love for the outside world, are brought together and contracted to retrieve the artifact. Things progress well at first, as you would expect in the beginning of any quest; a side-mission here or there, a goat, a cross-dressing royal advisor--you know, the usual. Once they think they're about to complete their mission and return home with heavy pockets, everything goes wrong. Someone's dead, the bad guys are winning, and the gods are feeling spiteful about it all. Now our heroes are presented with a they can either save the city that tried to kill them, or they can burn it. Which would you choose?

450 pages, Paperback

First published January 22, 2014

Reviews

[Sara Lunardi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hyrum is the capital of the Empire, but the city is also a real character in the story. All around Hyrum, the authors manage to create a new world, perfectly depicted in every single detail. This world is very huge and complex, but the reader can easily visualize it.
I've been spellbound during the flow of all the story, feeling as I was actually living in this world. I read tons of classical fantasy novels, and in my opinion this is one of the most successful settings.

Moreover, Hyrum acts as the glue that holds all the protagonists together: the dwarf Ponc, the elf Avven, the half-ogre Capax, the brave knight Dracor and the wizard Shadow. But the originality of the book is that the heroes are at the same time the villains - murderers, thieves, alcoholics. But things are not always as they seem in Hyrum!
The protagonists are brought together to recover an ancient artifact, but they don't know the mission has in store terrible surprises. They are forced to face adventure, secrets, violence and choose the right thing to do all the time.

Another strength of the book is the first person narrator. 'Dear reader' starts the epic tale, and the reader is immediately involved. The narrator acts as a fellow traveler; his language is smart and witty.

[Kristin Scearce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received an e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

A rag-tag group of miscreants is brought together for the purpose of joining their talents to obtain a rare and mysterious book that could change the world as they know it. However, there's far more to the story than they realize, and they're soon dragged into an exciting web of adventure, intrigue, betrayal, and magic.

I'll start by saying this story is a long one, but it's SOOOOOOOO worth it! I never felt dragged down or bored at any point, and there were many times where I couldn't bear to put it down even when I had to. The characters are fantastic, and they each have their own personality which sparks the others. They're all great as individuals, but when they come together as a whole, the dialogue really soars! I'm definitely looking forward to more in this series, and more from this author period.

5 stars

[Sophia Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an amusing novel which somewhat made me think of The Lies of Locke Lamora, by Scott Lynch. The writing is solid in terms of grammar and style. The narrator has a humorous tone, mostly enjoyable though sometimes it was a bit much for me. Being addressed directly by a narrator can jar me out of a story. I wouldn't say it's the best novel I ever read, nor is it the most original, but it was fun and I think most fans of traditional fantasy will enjoy it.