The Wandering Poet: Book One

by Charles Emmons

A unique blend of fantasy and spiritual fiction, the Wandering Poet is the story of a man fallen from a position of influence and military power, to a lowly, crippled beggar. It is a story of loss and triumph, fear and courage, the search for identity and the discovery of truth. Follow the Wandering Poet as he journeys across a frozen wasteland in search of the man who betrayed him... The Rebel King.

112 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 22, 2017

Reviews

[Jordan Encee · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is much I need to say about this book, not in bad faith but as an encouragement for the future. To put it simply, this is a very fast-paced book. Many concepts can be good; however, most need to be explored. And that's my biggest problem with his book; it did not take time to explore the characters and concepts.
The Wandering Poet himself, I think, is the best character by far. However, there is so much left to explore about him. I love his action scenes and his demeanor. The sad part is that we know very little. We know he was taken as a kid, then became a general, and refused to follow his king's order, which is why he is wandering without a name. I think it would have benefited the story to explore these avenues to relate to this character better. Not only that, but it can add to world-building and other lore pieces to make the world feel more significant. Now for the poet part, he only did it once in the book. I felt it was a missed opportunity because we could have gotten some inside of the character's head during that chapter or the previous chapter. I get that he is doing the poet stuff because he wants a purpose, but seeing more of that side would be nice.
Raven is the next character; I liked the chemistry between the Poet and Raven. It was charming and cute all in one. However, I'm perplexed about Raven's life. Is she a bandit, or is she in a tribe? At first, it seems that she is the boss of a large community of bandits. Then we find out later that she is in a tribe. Did her dad (the tribe leader) tell her to create a group of bandits, or did she do it on her own? Exploring more about her personality and past can help expand her character into something better.
Peleg and his tribe needed more explanation. At first, Peleg seemed like he didn't know much about the common language, just small words. Then out of nowhere, he translates everything the Poet is saying. Something small needed to be explained, like; the tribe trains a few of their warriors to learn the common language just in case. And Peleg was just out of practice for a little bit. That would have been fine because it expanded the character and the lore of the tribe.
Peleg's tribe needed even more explanation. Like why was there a statue of the Poet? Did they build it and call it Ragnok? Or has it always been there and has always been Ragnok?
Overall, the book needed to slow down a bit more for its world and its characters. I love the action scenes; they are the most fun I have when reading this book. Some character dialogue is very charming to read through. Let's explore the world and define these characters to make an awesome sequel. The sequel will need to do much of the heavy lifting, but it will be worth it in the end.