The Four Kingdoms are in peril. A demon Lord thought forever imprisoned in limbo has escaped and begins to summon his Horde once again to take his revenge. In his twisted black iron tower he summons a massive wall of darkness that brings the winter storms in the fullest. Now the Four Kingdoms are each proud and full of themselves. All the races of the realms must come together and fight the demon lord once again. Magic has been outlawed, and it is up to the reawakened Grand Mage, an eccentric old man, and what is left of the Mage Knights, as well as a budding Guardian to try to keep the peace. Can the Grand Mage and his friends get the other kingdoms to move in time to stop the Demon Lord? Does the Demon Lord have more than one objective now that he is free? Only time will tell.
A Review of the novel Winter Night Falling by Bryan R. South
Greetings to you all my lovely citizens of the literary community, I welcome you to my review of the Book Winter Night Falling. I will tell you now that I was given a copy of this book by the author in agreement that I would give it an honest review. That said, allow me to tell you, that I write this to you now after having finished said book less than a half hour before.
To be fair, I will be highlighting both pros and cons of the novel; as with all good literature there are some things that don’t jive but other parts that are absolutely brilliant. Let me start by saying this book is the first in a series, a series which I promise you I will be picking up as each book is released. I will be honest, unlike some series where each book is a small story within a story, this is one where it is one full story spread into parts, so be prepared for cliffhangers. That particular aspect is under my con list; in all honesty it is the biggest one I have with Winter Night Falling. However, I can promise you that the story itself is so involved and brilliant that I am anxious to get the next book in the series in order to see what happens next with our stalwart band of adventurers.
As explained in the Author’s introduction, this book was released in kind of a rush under the first publisher, with that comes some of the common problems you see in a first novel that was rushed by the company the author worked for. There are minor grammatical issues and small blurbs in the text, but they are relatively minor cons when set aside by the premise of the story, so allow me to expand on the pros of this novel now.
Bryan South attacks this story with the enthusiasm one would imagine if true role playing campaigns were real. As an author he offers a brilliant mixture of description in dealing with fantasy, magic, and mysticism with a Tolkien-esque influence with a fast paced and rapidly developing storyline. As a reader you are presented with a wealth of character, both main and supporting that gives you a clear depiction of life in the world of Ti-ara and its Four Kingdoms. Admittedly there are some things that you will have questions about, but from a reader’s standpoint I saw many things answered at a later point in the book that gave me a far better understanding of the importance of events as they happened. Mr. South shows the reader an absolute brilliance in his presentation of differing races of the fantasy genre that include elves, half elves, humans, dwarves, and demons.
Another thing to take note of is a unique twist on the way magic and those who practice it are presented to the reader. In Winter Night Falling the author gives a rather new and unique form of perception as to how such castes would be classified and handled which allow for a fresh perspective and new approach to be given when reading the novel. Of all these things, the characters themselves are given unique characteristics and personality quirks that make the conversations of the novel far more enjoyable. Mr., South shows a genuine brilliance in presenting characters that the reader can get invested in and attach themselves to for the duration of the story. There is a wealth of brevity, sarcasm, tenderness, and jovial nature that are presented in the conversations and offer a realistic perspective of how people thrust into extraordinary situations of conflict cope by finding small measures of enjoyment and humor while facing insurmountable odds.
I found the novel to be refreshing and despite minor hiccups, completely enjoyable and ensnaring with its concept. There was a lively cast of characters and a true immersion into a new format and kind of world with elements we all imagine presented in a new way. As such, I give this novel 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it to anyone wanting to experience something new in the fantasy/adventure genre. Despite the minor imperfections, the story and its characters are all too worth the read and will leave you on the edge of your seat to read the next book in the series.
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The story itself is a unique one. Bryan has taken epic fantasy and breathed new life in it. The story put me in mind of The Legend of Drizzt, with a patchwork quilt of characters all working together to rid their land of evil. The characters of all different and some are a bit funny. I found Orindyll to be quite eccentric. I liked the whole outlaw of magic thing which makes things a lot harder for the heroes since most of them use magic, and magic is needed to defeat the enemy. The book ends on a slight cliffhanger making the reader eager to Spring Dawn Rising which is the conclusion to this part of the series. The story has tons of action and the reader will continue to read well past the time they should have gone to sleep. Hopefully the author corrects the small not really important errors I spotted before the release. Then the book will really be perfect. I give this book 5 of 5 paws
Demon Lords, Magic, Heroes - A Great Beginning for a New Series
This book has some great positives, including a good story, good pacing, and interesting characters in a classic battle to save the world in fantasy setting. It has one glaring fault; it seems that the editor dropped the ball, to the point that it is often distracting. I do hope the author and/or publisher is willing to invest in getting this book re-edited because it would make all of the difference.
Even with the distracting editing issues and other books I was reading at the time, I kept coming back to this one because the story is compelling. In a land where the old ways and arts be banned, so much has been lost that the keys keeping the Demon Lord locked up and away from all of the peoples in the world. Now we have to hope that the heroes of this story will be able to re-discover what is lost while new talents find a purpose they never expected to have.
This is the first book in the series and I do hope this series continues as I will be looking to purchase the next book in the series.
I am having such a hard time writing this review, I cannot for the life of me understand why. I read the blurb, couldn’t wait to read the book and now that it is time to write the review, my fingers are stuttering. Let me start off by saying I love this book, it is an epic tale to be sure. Mages, dwarves, elves, throw in the evil forces and well, I got lost for hours. Felt like crying when it ended, want the second book like yesterday, well I can be patient for a while. Bryan R South created a world that was extremely easy to enter and never ever want to come out again. He wove his magic into the written word, throwing a spell over those who read this book. I love stories like this, always have. Brings to mind my Terry Goodkind or Terry Brooks binges. Yes, I found it to be that good. Oh my, I am babbling again. Bottom line: get the book, read it, you will not regret it for even a second! Many thanks to Bryan R South and WPP for making this book available for me to read and review, it was an honor.
***Book was given to me in exchange for an honest review***
This is a great book,I had a wonderful time reading the interactions between the characters. If you are into classic fantasy including demons, elves, mages, and of course warriors then you won't be disappointed with this read. All of the characters, their dynamics and their relationships with one another kept me wanting more. I liked all the characters on the side of good and the evil side really made it an interesting story. There was just enough plot twists and turns to keep me intrigued without becoming like a roller coaster ride. This was more than just a classic good versus evil and will pull you in from page one.