Mighty Hammer Down

Legend of Reason #1

by David J. Guyton

A longstanding peace is about to be shattered by villains in the shadows of Medora. They conspire with distant nations to cripple the western Empire. In their secretive attempt, they stumble across the power to slay Arius, the god of war, and replace him with a human puppet. But that mission fails, and they not only pave the path for the seven gods to walk the earth, but create a god of war who is bent on their destruction. In the chaos, a great war ignites and threatens all nations and cultures. Great beasts now walk the earth again, and the gods themselves have come down to influence the world of man once more. But the new god of war joins the battle on the Vindyri planes, fighting with all his might for the freedom of mankind, struggling to bring light to the coming darkness.

Genres: Fantasy, Ebooks, Fiction

402 pages, Paperback

First published November 30, 2008

Reviews

[Tbloxham · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was enjoying this book for what it was, exciting martial fantasy, when suddenly the mighty hand of author beliefs swept into view. As such, I can't recommend this book to anyone who doesn't believe in trickle down economics and that government intervention is fundamentally wrong. If you don't believe these things you'll have to sit through multi page tirades as the hero and his wise sage sidekick defeat a variety of strawman arguments for government intervention, including an argument against public roadbuilding and bridge maintenance. You'll read how multi-cultural society is always bad, and that people should stay in their own countries, with each country in the book a thinly veiled substitute for something in the real world

If you are capable of ignoring that (I wasn't) or believe these things there is a half decent book to be had here, with an interesting plotline about the gods and a battle between immortals. It really didn't need the addition of a poorly constructed political textbook. I know that a lot of fiction like this espouses similar beliefs with military forces squirming to do the right and noble thing under the thumb of foolish government types, but rarely is it put into such blatant terms.

[R. · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not a very good fantasy book. The writing was good, the plot was actually pretty good as well. The problem is that it was an 880 page book on the Nook and the story was only about 500 pages. The other 380 pages were weird dialogue between characters that I found to be of a deeply personal and philosophic nature and something that they wouldn't do.

Example/SPOILER ALERT
Two of the main characters meet a man on the road who helps them defend themselves from what seems to be bandits or something of the sort. After the fight, the stranger calmly explains that he is immortal and the three of them get into a philosophical discussion that went on for pages and pages about religion, the meaning of life, whether or not what we know is real is truly real, and how the Gods were created. These sorts of things don't seem to me like discussions to have on the side of the road with complete strangers right after you have been attacked and forced to kill numerous people.

That said, the whole book felt a little like the author was trying to persuade you to come over to his side in politics. The main characters advocate intolerance of others and isolationism, stating basically that might makes right and they can live any way that they want because no one has the power to make them change. The "evil doers" desire to see the poor taken better care of by the rich and a more even distribution of wealth. In short, I can't think of anything to call this book than Republican Neo-Conservative propaganda thinly veiled as fantasy.

The story itself would be good with all of that taken out. There is just too much lecturing about how the nation being overrun is being overrun because they foolishly allowed foreigners to live amongst them without forcing them to adopt the nations customs and religions or leave.

[bex · Rating 2 out of 5]

The primary purpose of this book, judging from having read the entire thing and having seen the wording of the note at the back, is to preach blind hatred. Those who believe in equality and giving the individual a chance to prove himself are the evil to be defeated by the blind hatred hero and his father, who hates even more. I do not recommend this book to anyone. In many ways I regret having wasted my time reading it. But since I am one of those bad guys who believes in giving people and things a fair chance, I felt I ought to read the entire thing before reviewing it negatively. Don't waste your time.

This is one of the few books that I have longed to put down, repeatedly, and had trouble picking up again. It just is so twisted.

[Adam Shields · Rating 2 out of 5]

So I am having a hard time deciding what I think about this book. On the one hand it wasn't bad writing. The story was fine and I probably will read the next in the series. I bought it on Kindle for a dollar and it was well worth that. But I also was somewhat irritated with the overt preaching that was a part of the book. It felt like Dostoyevsky, where there was a story and then all the sudden someone in the book started preaching. The preaching in this book was a libertarian variety. Now I am not opposed to libertarians. In fact, I have a lot of leanings to libertarians but this was just over the top preaching. So those parts I was just irritated about.

[Wesley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oookay, someone had said this book was all about trickle down economics and I didn't believe them, but 2/3 of the way in and I had to stop.
Guyton seems to have made the US Democratic Party the bad guys (mages) who are working with religious extremist terrorists (bhoor). It's crazy.
Once I hit that I had to stop as it was too baffling. Nothing happens on the first third third of the book as the main protagonist meditates on the meaning of his own bellybutton, the next part is actually not bad, but like I said, couldn't bring myself to actually finish the thing...

[Geoffrey Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed by this book. I hope it was a first book published, because it read as if it was. The beginning was very difficult and should be rewritten as the last quarter got better.
I am not sure that I would spend the time to read a sequel.

[Kevis Hendrickson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantasy readers everywhere should rejoice. Author David J. Guyton has written a powerhouse of a book in Mighty Hammer Down. Here is a fantasy book that is as impressively original as it is a literary tour de force.

I am an avid fan of fantasy fiction and have read my share of fantasy epics. However, rarely does a fantasy book surpass the trappings of the genre and approach the realm of literature. Mighty Hammer Down is a masterfully told story that resonates with its reader long after the final page has been turned.

Although boasting breathtaking battles, sweeping drama, light romance, and glorious prose, the strength of Mighty Hammer Down lies in its honest exploration of one man's soul as he copes with the truth of his existence in the midst of a world caught up in the frenzy of war and constant political upheaval.

Rommus Tirinius has spent the past several years of his life in stark contemplation of the meaninglessness of his existence. Everyone shuns him, forcing him to live the life of a recluse. But unknown to Rommus, he has become the target of a clandestine sect of evil mages who have uncovered the secret of his bloodline and plan to use him as the central tool in their plot to usurp control of the Medoran Empire. This seemingly innocuous event explodes into a major conflict drawing many opposing nations against each other with Rommus in the center of it all. Things only get more intense when the true nature of Rommus puts him at odds with the all-powerful gods.

I won't give away what happens in the story. But I encourage all fantasy fans to grab themselves a copy of Mighty Hammer Down and prepare to be swept up into a climactic tale featuring spellbinding magic, swashbuckling heroes, warring gods, feuding armies, ancient horrors, and a dose of political intrigue thrown in for good measure. Mighty Hammer Down is a roaring success. Bring on the sequel!

[Brandon Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I enjoyed the plot and characters in this book, the dialogue between characters got to be very annoying. I could understand a little philosophical premise to the book, but this was over the top. It conveyed more of the authors thoughts on religion, politics and racism and seemed more focused on those than the actual story. I'm torn if I would continue with the series as I enjoyed the storyline but I don't want it to be diluted with the authors philosphies.

[Beth A Horsch · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very enjoyable read. This is a book about good and evil, where some of the characters must examines beliefs and religion (and makes you think about your own beliefs). The characters are very well developed, and the story move along at a great pace. I look forward to the sequel.

[Richard M. Dahlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad read

Should have invested in a proof-reader! The percent signs in place of punctuation got really anoying to me. Don't think I'll bother with the next in the series.

[S.T. Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

Passionate above all else.

A solid four for David Guyten’s “Mighty Hammer Down”. It took me a while to get through Guyten’s book, but this had more to do with the length (almost 400 pages) than the story. In fact, I went through it at a sturdy clip, so to speak.

But let’s get started. Even though I have some criticism, as you’ll undoubtedly discover below, on the overall I truly enjoyed reading Mighty Hammer Down.
First of all, the first chapter is an attention grabber. Well-described action that would look well in a movie, I think. Though there is a slight lapse after that, my curiosity stuck with me to the end of his tale. A definite plus for any book.

Writing style:
There were a few minor hiccups during my multiple reading sessions into Guyten’s full-length novel, but on the overall his prose was steady, solid and consistent. Some typos, as is inevitable, but nothing disastrous.
Personally I would have liked the author to take some risks in his narrative, change the pacing a little every now and then just to keep me on my toes but he stuck to consistency instead.
In any case, whatever can be said of his style, Guyten has enthusiasm and a bright passion for his content and that came across on every page.

Setting:
The setting of Guyten’s world was a bit reminiscent of a childhood favorite called “The Trigan Empire” in regards to the Romanesque influences that definitely shined through. Architecture, clothes and appearances…the fact that this registered means that Guyten manages to portray the world he created, so a reader “gets it”. I do admit that the content of his…well, I suppose one would call it “his characters’ philosophy” outran his settings by far, making them secondary, and perhaps not even that.
Personally, I found the views of his characters, and the way he described them, fascinating. Very politically oriented, and let’s face it, politics never fail to interest or capture. Though there were times when the author appeared to become a little preachy, as in observations his hero made, it was not so that it annoyed. In fact, it actually managed to fully entertain me. It will however cause a love or hate response to readers, I’m thinking. Since I’m on the side of the first, I don’t consider the tendency to be much of a problem.

Plot:
Guyten’s plot is complex and you will be smart to keep track of it. Several evil parties eager to “rule the world” so to speak, and a handful of heroes trying desperately to stop them, while they’re trying to deal with careless Gods, vicious politics, sneaky assassins and evil men in general.

Characters:
Rommus: Guyten’s clear-cut hero appears to be a somewhat over-sensitive fellow at first. He is adrift in a world he doesn’t understand, and doesn’t understand him back. He’s gentle, intelligent, and big of heart and body, and yet still took a while to grow on me. In fact, I had a serious liking for his father from the very start. In the end Rommus lived up to his potential however, and managed to have me root for him.
Alana: She appears to be a little less clear-cut, and to my regret she was a bit two-dimensional because it was never really explained what her motivations were as she started out as foe and then ended up as friend. I would have liked to see more of what drove her, and how that affected her relationships towards the other characters. The thing that was clear throughout the book was that she became a close friend to Rommus and is destined to be more in the future of this series…at least, I sure hope so.
Tannis: Rommus’ father and a warrior of old. Set in his ways, loyal to the bone and…well, the way he viewed life fascinated me every time. I found myself looking forward to his dialogues, if only to see what he would say next.

The Villain:
There were several in fact. The evil emperor’s son who strove to destroy his father’s hard work. The sneaky “king” of the enemy seeking to destroy the land of our heroes with whatever means available. And a God wanting to rule all on his own. They were properly evil, they were appropriately present and well described, and vocal about their wants. There will be no doubt about any of their intentions.

Violence:
Guyten’s violence was graphic and yet so to the point that it left little impact on me. The brutality of certain actions were added in almost negligent manner that almost made me miss them altogether, and unlike the many fine scenes within this tale, they failed to impress me with vivid imagery. Which is a pity, but not a disaster since not everyone likes violence in the first place.

Conclusion:
Mighty Hammer Down is an interesting glimpse into David Guyten’s world, which is part one of the Legend of Reason series. It is not for everyone. If you’re not inclined to read long narratives about his heroes’ views towards life, religion, politics and more politics, this is not the book for you. If you want to get into heated discussions with your book club, family, or whatever, you shouldn’t miss this one. It is bound to set tongues wagging.

I, for one, am looking forward to the sequel.

[Aidan]

Best book ever recomend it to anyone

[Gerald Black · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are a bunch of intriguing arguments woven into the threads of this fine fantasy . it entertains while making you think.