Heroes Wanted

by Allen Donnelly

In a world of swords and sorcery, where terrible magical forces twist the warp and weft of reality, where dragons soar through the skies and the dead rise from their graves, one woman stands firm in the face of terrible evil and monumental stupidity and tries to run a pub.

Dealing with dark, eldritch forces and getting people to pay their bar bills? All in a day's work for Catlyn Fordman, the short-tempered owner and landlady of The Dragon's Flight in the less than sleepy village of Heroes' Rest.

Heroes Wanted is a light-hearted, funny fantasy story about courage, friendship and family, but it's mainly about beer and stupidity.

332 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 19, 2014

About the author

I'm a man teetering on the brink of middle-age (I've already started the midlife crisis) who's decided that now's the perfect time to become a novelist - apparently eBooks are the next big thing!
A lover of sci-fi and fantasy, stupid action films, photography, gaming and a vast mix of music, I am nothing if not a nerd with a beard.

Reviews

[James Kemp · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have enjoyed reading this, and laughed out loud in places too. A fantasy tale with a different, not a serious quest for honour and glory, but a wry and humourous take on the genre from the point of view of a young woman who has inherited the Dragon's Flight pub in a village called Heroes Rest, the last stop before the adventuring in the mountains begins.

The humour is laced through the story, and reminds me very much of some of Terry Pratchett's earlier works. The world Allen Donnelly has created is believable and seems real. It has fantastical bits, there are elves and dwarves as customers, but these are background mostly. There's also a dragon which is sort of foreground too. However these are a natural part of the background for the story which is really made by the characters. These are wonderfully observed, and although a range of stereotypes are initially deployed, these develop over the course of the story into fuller rounder people.

If you are a Pratchett fan, or perhaps a Tom Holt fan, then I would strongly recommend that you get a copy of this and read it, I'm sure that you will enjoy it.

[Craig Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great comedy tale, set in a 'light' fantasy world (with so much dark fantasy around these days, it makes this a refreshing read!). Donnelly has created a number of wonderful characters, in particular the sarcastic leading lady - she absolutely carries the story, a fantastic persona - and her dim-witted brother. There is a generous amount of humour found in this novel; the character driven comedy was the highlight for me, although there were quite a few quick one-liners too, as well as the occasional drop into the puerile (I prefer the character driven stuff myself!). Occasionally slow paced, the story builds to a great climax and represents good value for money - if you like to laugh as you read, then give this a shot. There are few enough good comedy books around these days - let's hope Allen Donnelly comes up with a sequel.