The Conqueror's Shadow

Corvis Rebaine #1

by Ari Marmell

With The Conqueror’s Shadow, Ari Marmell brings a welcome seasoning of wit to the genre, proving that dark fantasy can address the enduring questions of good and evil and still retain a sense of humor. Playful yet intense, sharply sarcastic yet deeply sincere, The Conqueror’s Shadow announces the appearance of a unique talent—and an antihero like no other.

They called him the Terror of the East. His past shrouded in mystery, his identity hidden beneath a suit of enchanted black armor and a skull-like helm, Corvis Rebaine carved a bloody path through Imphallion, aided by Davro, a savage ogre, and Seilloah, a witch with a taste for human flesh. No shield or weapon could stop his demon-forged axe. And no magic could match the spells of his demon slave, Khanda.

Yet just when ultimate victory was in his grasp, Rebaine faltered. His plans of conquest, born from a desire to see Imphallion governed with firmness and honesty, shattered. Amid the chaos of a collapsing army, Rebaine vanished, taking only a single hostage—the young noblewoman Tyannon—to guarantee his escape.

Seventeen years later, Rebaine and Tyannon are married, living in obscurity and raising their children, a daughter and a son. Rebaine has put his past behind him, given up his dreams of conquest. Not even news of Audriss—an upstart warlord following Rebaine’s old path of conquest—can stir the retired warrior to action.
 
Until his daughter is assaulted by Audriss’s goons.

Now, to rescue the country he once tried to conquer, Rebaine once more dons the armor of the Terror of the East and seeks out his former allies. But Davro has become a peaceful farmer. Seilloah has no wish to leave her haunted forest home. And Khanda . . . well, to describe his feelings for his former master as undying hatred would be an understatement.

But even if Rebaine can convince his onetime comrades to join him, he faces a greater challenge: Does he dare to reawaken the part of him that gloried in cruelty, blood, and destruction? With the safety of his family at stake, can he dare not to?
 

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Dark Fantasy, Adult, Sword and Sorcery, High Fantasy, Epic Fantasy

448 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

When Ari Marmell has free time left over between feeding cats and posting on social media, he writes a little bit. His work includes novels, short stories, role-playing games, and video games, all of which he enjoyed in lieu of school work when growing up. He’s the author of the Mick Oberon gangland/urban fantasy series, the Widdershins YA fantasy series, and many others, with publishers such as Del Rey, Titan Books, Pyr Books, Wizards of the Coast, and now Omnium Gatherum.

Ari currently resides in Austin, Texas. He lives in a clutter that has a moderate amount of apartment in it, along with George—his wife—and the aforementioned cats, who probably want something.

Reviews

[Megan · Rating 1 out of 5]

(Re-posted from http://theturnedbrain.blogspot.com)

So like many, many others I read Mieville's Kraken. I don't have any thoughts on that one that others (many, many others) have not posted, so I don't think I'll add another review to the teeming pile. Let's just say that overall I enjoyed it but upon completion my brain felt like it had run a marathon. I decided to read something light and easy to recover.

And The Conqueror's Shadow seemed like it would fit that bill. Except that I barely made it a quarter of the way in before I gave up and found something else to read.

What happened? My suspension of belief is what happened. You know, that ability to believe what ever outlandishness the author is selling you in order to enjoy the story. I've been reading pretty much exclusive sci-fi and fantasy since I was nine years old. I thought my suspension of disbelief was made out of the same stuff as Wolverine's bones. Unbreakable.

Talking dragons? Sure. Secret world of magic? Ok. Zombie plague? Why the hell not? I mean come on, I just read a book about a god-Kraken and my biggest issue was an excess of wordplay, not the idea of a missing squid heralding the end of the world.
But I just couldn't get my head to accept the premise of The Conqueror's Shadow long enough to enjoy it.

You see, there's this evil dark lord character, Corvus. The Scourge of the East or some such. He wants to rule the kingdom and devoted a great deal of effort to the cause, recruiting an army of orcs and goblins to do his bidding. Cities fall, countless innocent people are murdered, you know the drill.
Then something goes wrong, he nabs a young, pretty hostage and abandons his army. Fast forward a whole bunch of years and he's living the quite life on a little farm with the hostage, who's now his loving wife.

Corvus is now a loving father and doting husband and all round nice guy. And here's where the book lost me. I just couldn't buy it. This guy caused countless people untold suffering, and all in all he seems pretty ok with it.

The premise of this book really intrigued me. A now retired dark lord has to return to his old ways to save the land from a new rising evil. I was expecting a kick ass anti hero. Not necessarily haunted by his past, but at least affected by it. Something akin to Lucifer from Gaiman's Sandman series. But honestly, Corvus does not read like an anti-hero. He reads like a hero-hero, and if you didn't already know about the things he'd done you wouldn't suspect it for a second. I'm sorry, but if you were responsible for the fall of a whole bunch of cities and the deaths of thousands of people, you don't get to be a hero-hero. It's a deal breaker.

It's as though the author was worried the reader wouldn't be able to sympathise with an evil mass murderer, so he goes too far in the other direction to make us like him. Oh, he didn't want to kill all those people, it was a necessary evil and so on. Honestly, it made me lose respect for Corvus. If he had have stood behind the things he'd done it would have made for an interesting and unique perspective. The fact that he was such a nice guy made me dislike more, and above all I just couldn't believe it.

So, I stopped reading. Which means that as the book progresses Corvus might have dropped the nice guy facade, I don't know. If he does, feel free to tell me in the comments and I might give the book enough shot. Because it was written well enough, with a whole bunch of genuinely funny one-liners. And if your suspension of disbelief can handle it you may well get more out of this one than I did.

[Jeffrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not your bedtime standard fantasy. The hero, if you can call him that, is Corvis Rebaine, a middling magician and ferocious fighter, who at the outset of this bloody and fierce novel leads an army into Denathere, an ancient city in the kingdom of Imphallon. He commands the services of a magical axe, a cannibalistic witch, a murdering group of orgres, and a demon, and who at the beginning of the novel brutally murders hundreds, all to quell the populous, solely to find and secure a magical spellbook hidden in a secret compartment below the city. His brutality is extreme as, for example, he gained the services of the demon by murdering thirteen poor souls to feed it. But his quest is a failure, and he has to secretly flee, with a baron’s daughter as a hostage. Meanwhile his second in command murders hundreds of hostages.

Years later, we find Rebaine married to his former hostage (standard fantasy bs) and living far from civilization, with his two young children, when another invading army again attacks Denathere. It is commanded by Baron Audriss, a brutal leader, who has the services of a demon, a magical dagger, a murderous group of monsters and Rebaine’s second in command. He seems to be following Rebaine’s playbook because he is every bit as bloody and murderous as Rebaine.

Rebaine finds himself drawn into the conflict when some soldiers in Audriss army accost Rebaine’s daughter, which soldiers, Rebaine slaughters in a nice battle scene merely armed with a spade. The soldiers were secretly sent by Audriss solely to draw Rebaine back into warfare. But like every other audacious plan, you should only poke a sleeping bear if you know you can kill it.

Rebaine decides that he must stop Audriss to ensure that his family is protected, and seeks out the former members of his command. First by blackmailing a leader of the ogres to join him, then fighting through a Sidhe infested forest to recruit his cannibalistic witch, and then braving a treacherous mountain climb to reclaim his demon.
Then the battles, betrayals, war, murder and action really begin.

This is not a book for people who want a lovable noble, who inspires his troops, who never kill anyone who is not bad. Rebaine is a battle hardened warrior, who allows his demon to feed on innocents, his witch to kill and eat nobles and promises Ogres and Mercenaries riches that he cannot possibly pay, all as part of his agenda to defeat Audriss, and the campaign to defeat Audriss includes capture, torture, bloodshed and murder.

Plus there are interludes in the midst of the story that go back in time and fill in the gaps.

I thought the story was engrossing, had sparks of humor and a lot of realistic battle scenes. We all know that war involved killing, but here its front and center, with no niceties.

Its all good and bad, but it makes an engrossing fantasy and a really fast read.

The sequel, A Warrior's Legacy is presently out in hardcover. So you can scoop both up right now. It would be a good choice.

[Blodeuedd Finland · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thoughts:

I liked it, a lot. There was something light over the whole book, even in the darkness. Corvis is not someone you should like, but how could I not like him. At the beginning of the book he does his name credit, he is not a nice person, quite the opposite. The he disappears and marries, haves children, only to see the world break again. And again he shows that he truly is The Terror of The East. But sometimes you just have to love the evil guy, because at least this time he wants to protect his wife and children. Marmell sure does a great job creating this character you just fall for.



There is humour and a streak of light through out the book. Much come from Khanda, his "pet" demon. That demon has a tongue on him and says what he wants. To my horror I like him too, even when he is feasting on souls. There is also his once trusted friends, great sidekicks there.



The book does what fantasy should do. It sweeps you into a new world and make you feel right at home there. A kingdom that can not stand together, the guilds wants one thing, the nobles another thing, and a new enemy that wants to have it all. There are battles, death, destruction, and one good plot that had me guessing.



But the thing I did like the best was how much I liked these characters, and how I wanted to read more about them. The book ends where it ends. A nice conclusion and that is it. But it leaves an opening and there will be another book, and I want that book.



Recommendation and final thoughts:

Of course I am recommending this book, I could not put it down, and I did not want to put it down either. It was fun, it was light, it was dark, it was a great ride. I have to give it a 4 and I hope he keeps up the good work.



So go read it, and I promise you will like Corvis too.

[Callam Farrell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an ok fantasy book, the main hero is evil but not very evil so it’s a bit weird. The bad guy is ok. It doesn’t really make the characters interesting, they’re all just smarmy and quippy as their character traits so that’s not the best. Overall ok, there are better fantasy books where the main character is evil

[Simcha Lazarus · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy fantasy books that play around with the classical elements of fantasy while adding unique twists, and this is what really drew me to read The Conqueror’s Shadow.
While it included many characteristics that you would expect to find in standard fantasy, such as witches, ogres, magical weapons and enchanted forests, it is unusual in that it tells the story from the perspective of a retired villain, one who has exchanged his ambitions of rulership for a quiet family life.

In the book’s prologue we get a look at the dark side of Corvis Rebain, as he and his army ruthlessly slaughter the residents of a city in order to reach a particular object located there. When Corvis’s plans fall through, he grabs a young woman nearby as a hostage and makes his escape, leaving behind a city full of death and destruction.

When we next meet Corvis he has been transformed into a peaceful land owner with a loving wife and two young children. This new Corvis is quite likable and readers will find themselves quickly warming up to him. But when Corvis is forced to don his armor once again, we discover that the old Corvis is not so far away. It’s then that the reader comes to realize how blurred the line between hero and villain really is.

As Corvis goes about planning his new campaign, the reader is treated to brief flashbacks of some particular events from the past that led to Corvis’s earlier dreams of conquest. We are also given glimpses into the events following Corvis’s retreat after his failed attack and the development of his relationship with his hostage, who later became his wife.

In many ways The Conqueror’s Shadow fulfilled my expectations quite satisfactorily, but in some aspects I found myself a little let down. I really enjoyed the unique perspective the story gives and the questions it brings up about heroes and villains, but this approach doesn’t seem to extend to all the characters, particularly not the true villain who in the end succumbs to very typical villain-like behavior. I had also expected some of the other characters to be explored in a bit more depth, particularly some of Corvis’s enemies, and I was disappointed that we never really get inside their heads.

I also felt that the flashbacks ended a bit too soon for me to really get the full picture that they were intended to provide. The first set of flashbacks ended before really showing readers what had actually set Corvis off on his plans of conquest and the second set didn’t offer as much of an explanation as I would have liked for how Corvis’s hostage ended up as his wife. So when the story concluded I still felt that there were some pieces missing, which bothered me somewhat.

There were parts of the book that lagged a bit, particularly towards the middle, but the book ended with some interesting surprises and an action packed climax, that I found quite satisfying.

Marmell also does an interesting job balancing the darkness of the story with humor, resulting in a somewhat lighthearted feel, despite the grim events in the tale.

The trapdoor shot open as though spring-loaded. A sudden burst of musty air puffed into the closet, the cloud of dust rising above him, an enraged spirit awakened from what was supposed to have been eternal slumber.
But when the dust cleared, when his eyes adjusted to the darkness within the small alcove, he saw only what he expected to see. A black drop cloth over a large chest.

And within that chest ...

An axe. A suit of black armor, spiked, plated with bone. And a helm formed to evoke an iron-banded skull.

Shaking violently as a newborn calf, Corvis lifted the helm from its place in the chest, where it had lain untouched for years. The jaw gaped open as he lifted it up, as though the skull itself were greeting him. Corvis gazed intently into the sockets, examining the dark strips of iron crossing the face and continuing around the head. He glanced down at the armor itself, saw his reflection, though blurred, in the dusty black plates, saw the thin spines jutting from the cuirass. He pondered, in his mind's eye, the image the entire ensemble must have projected.
And though he fought to keep it away, one specific thought kept returning, over and over again, to the forefront of his mind:

What the hell was I thinking? I must've looked like a world-class idiot in this thing!



Unfortunately though, Marmell overdid the sarcastic comments which began to get irritating when every character always seemed to have a witty comment or retort on hand. I hope that in the sequel, The Warlord’s Lament, Marmell will cut back on these and perhaps limit the sarcastic barbs to just one or two of the characters.

Overall, The Conqueror's Shadow is a well-told story that provides an entertaining read that I believe many fans of fantasy will enjoy. While it has its faults, it’s also enjoyable enough that those faults may be overlooked for the pleasure of the story as a whole.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that follows the dark lord after he goes off the path? Great.

That's the pitch this book gives. It kind of, sort of follows through on that. Really it's about an ex-dark lord having to come back so that he can deal with a different dark lord.

Corvis Rebaine is that dark lord. When his plans were scuppered, he left it all behind and tried to live a quiet life. It was going well up until it became clear that the new dark lord on the block wasn't going to let him be. Now he has to gather up his old lieutenants and an army to deal with him.

It's a solid premise. The execution is mostly good. The story isn't 'predictable' in the surer sense of the word, parts of the story you can see coming, other parts take a slight u-turn and can surprise you. There's a sardonic humour to this book, which mostly comes through Corvis's demon companion that is with him most of the way.

There're plenty of battles, plenty of blood, magic and so forth. Ari Marmell isn't afraid to go into the grizzly details of what can and does happen when people fight to the death.

Corvis himself is the glue holding this story together. If you can't get on board with him as a protagonist, then the story probably won't work. You have to accept that this is a mortal man who very nearly conquered the land, threw it all away to become a family man and finds himself having to go to war again. For me it worked, but I can appreciate that it doesn't for everyone.

The story features plenty of flashbacks to either before his first conquest of between the gap in the prologue and the story proper. There aren't as many of the latter as I would have liked. Corvis's relationship with his wife and children definitely needed to be featured more, as their safety is his primary reason for donning his old armour.

Overall a satisfying story though, I will be checking out the sequel.

[Jason Waltz · Rating 4 out of 5]

know what? I just decided to give this 4 stars. was going to be 3. last half sold me. literally, from where I posted my reading update (page 242) on, the novel bettered itself big-time. Corvis really isn't meant to be liked, but he can be understood. that doesn't start to happen till at least a quarter way in, so I understand those readers who toss the book claiming they don't buy him, can't suspend belief. it takes some time, but I think Marmell pulls it off. he also provided some cool magic and strong secondary characters, and his attempts at humor also greatly increased in the second half. I even laughed aloud twice, beside a few other chuckles. I know there's a sequel but I don't need it, at least not for any of the main characters, though I'd like to read something starring the mercenary general of Corvis' out-of-retirement army.

overall a decent first novel with a nice bit of subterfuge and featuring an unusual protagonist.

[RG · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little cliched and predictable but fun

[Nickolas Brand · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Conqueror’s Shadow:

9.5/10 Stars - A fantastic book, possibly one of my all time favorites.

Characters: 2.5/2.5

Characters, or character is where The Conqueror's Shadow really shines. The portrayal of the eponymous conquerer, Corvis Rebaine, will be a treat for anyone who appreciates grim characters done well. Yes, the evil warlord has settled down with a family, but there’s some darkness to be had for sure. Rather than a cartoonish caricature of a supervillain, Ari Marmell delivers a deep, and well explored character to carry the novel. Corvis’ actions are believable for a man with his history and position, and you can feel for him as he grapples with internal conflict throughout the book. He’s not the chosen one, and is capable of faults like the rest of us. While the focus is firmly the main character, the supporting cast gets some attention too. While some may at first glance seem flat, their motivations and desires are generally explored in an organic way that contributes to the story. There is mystery to be had, but I felt like I knew what motivated who, and why that mattered by the end.

Dialogue: 2.0/2.5

The dialogue really helps drive the book, and comes across as a unique signature I haven’t experienced elsewhere. Characters speak in a natural and convincing manner Quite a few characters are witty, and there are an abundance of savage remarks and comebacks to enjoy, even from unexpected sources. I do think that this oftentimes served to lighten the mood (maybe even when inappropriate), and it felt like the majority of named characters had spent years preparing one-liners. Despite this, the characters weren’t overly wordy. Dialogue was trim and helped much more than it hurt.


Plot: 2.0/2.5

The plot for this novel was undoubtedly solid. The idea for the story is certainly original, and the idea was built around a rather interesting world. History matters a lot in this one, and is explored where appropriate. The plot is driven by the characters and not the other way around. This contributes to a fast but organic pace for the book. There are important reveals, dramatic moments, and even a place or two where stakes shift dramatically. Aside from a lack of details pertaining to a pair of entities important to the story, the plot was well executed and appropriately brutal.

Writing: 2.5/2.5

I don’t think there’s any denying that this outing by Marmell is well written. I may have noticed one typo in the whole book, and that’s a strong maybe. The prose was easy to slip into reading, and variances in sentence structure were frequently well utilized to emphasize points. I learned a new word, which is always a good feeling! No complaints in this department --- only compliments.

X-Factor: + 0.5

If I had to pick an X-factor for this book, it’d definitely have to be main character, Corvis Rebaine. As someone who is looking after a family, the character strongly resonated with me. He’s principled in that morally gray area, and smart to boot. The decisions he made throughout the book all made sense in light of his motives and personality, and the strength he gains from his love for his family comes through strongly despite the nigh-grimdark tone of the book. I’ve seen writing advice mention that the trick to successfully writing darker material is to make sure you keep just enough hope to keep the readers going. Corvis’ resolve in the face of danger to his family is that hope.

[Stanislas Sodonon · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a review for the GraphicAudio version of this book.

Let's talk about the medium first.
For the longest time, I've been curious about the slogan "A Movie in your Mind".
I got the chance to test it out with this book.
I won't do it again.

It was horrible.
It sounded like someone left the TV on, but I couldn't see the pictures.
You'd think it a good thing. It isn't.
Sound effects and background music on an audiobook are ridiculously distracting.
It gets even worse when the effects come before the narration, giving the listener the disturbing feeling of a story "catching up" to itself.
But the ultimate crime is making music and SFX so loud I can't hear the dialog.
That's just ridiculous.

OK, now let's talk about the "story", or the caricature of a story, to be more accurate.

In short, it felt like watching a B-movie on fast-forward.A camp, a war, an excavation, an escape, years later, an abduction, a chase... We're husseled along from plot point to plot point, never given time enough to digest the scene, or the setting. Because the author is so much in a rush to spin a grand tale, the characters look like unpainted sketches, puppets that go through the motion of being human, but lack the depth to pull it off.

I'm all for anti-heros. Battle-worn fiends, with their violent past sleeping just beneath the skin. But I have to believe it. The things that push characters to action must be tangible enough to sell the motion. And I didn't buy Corvus for one minute. He is a shell, a construct, with sets pre-programmed behaviours that contradict each other in perfect hypocrisy.

As for the "team-collection" journey, I dropped the book at the first guy (Troll?, whatever). I could have predicted every single line Corvus used, even the ones that put a lie to the whole "peaceful" life he built for himself. Think 1980's A-team level of sophistication.

I don't do that. I read books because I want a good time.
This one didn't deliver.

[Kat]

DNF at page 127.

So I keep running into this problem. I start a new book, and it's not badly written, and the premise is interesting enough, but as I read I gradually lose momentum until I finally realize: I don't care. Even if the writing is okay (and this book, while not spectacular, is better written than probably 90% of the books I pick up and then put back down again), there is nothing about the characters or story that make me say, "Wow, I really need to know what happens next!" Reading becomes a chore and a slog, and I continue out of a sense of duty and stubbornness, until finally I say to myself, "Self. Life is too short to read books you don't want to read. You can quit." And I reply, "Oh, yes, you're right." And I do.

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ari Marmell has been writing freelance for years, including short stories, co-authored shared-world fiction, and RPG manuals for Wizards of the Coast. THE CONQUEROR'S SHADOW is his first solo novel, and he attempts to shake things up, with a twist on the standard sword and sorcery.

Corvis Rebaine is happily married to a loving and clever wife, Tyannon. He's got two rascally kids. He's living a simple life among small-town villagers. Everything's all peachy keen.

But his sordid past catches up to him when bandits attempt to assault his daughter. However, this is no random attack, its very deliberateness to bring Corvis out of hiding, because he has something everyone would kill to get.

You see, almost twenty years ago Corvis built himself an army of witches, humans, ogres, goblins, et al, with the purpose of conquering Imphallion. But in order to actually succeed he needed a book of spells, hidden deep within the catacombs of one of Imphallion's largest cities. He assaults the city, barely able to hold it while his enemies gather to dig him out, his entire plan hinging on finding that book and using it to conquer Imphallion for good. He finds the book...but he can't use it. All his plans turn to ruin, so he takes a hostage, young noblewoman Tyannon (yep, the one he eventually marries), and escapes, only to abandon his army and any dreams of conquest.

Now, nearly twenty years later, a copycat warlord is tracing Corvis' steps, using his old plans to start a new campaign of destruction, and find the spell book for his own use. So Corvis does the only thing a former evil warlord can do when someone steals his plans and threatens his family: remake his own army and fight back.

The best thing CONQUEROR has going for it is its serious-goofy-dark sense of humor. In fact, this story wouldn't have worked without it. Why? Because no reader would ever believe that Corvis, the Terror of the East, who strung up bodies in his conquered cities, and laid waste to the countryside, would eventually become a sentimental family man. It defies all rational characterization. The entire plot is crazily contrived. Yet the humor allows readers to suspend belief--for the story anyway, characterization is something else, altogether.

CONQUEROR boasts a big cast, but it revolves around the main three: Corvis Rebaine, former warlord, now husband/father trying to protect his own; Davro, ogre, former lieutenant in Corvis' army; and Seilloah, witch. Marmell paints these stock characters with a few goofy twists and even goofier banter. In fact the dialogue between the main characters is often worthy of an eye-roll. Perhaps it's the humorous take on these supposed dark characters that makes them less believable. Perhaps it's the RPG quality to the set-up. Whatever the case, the result was that I wanted to like Corvis, but never really understood his motivations and behavior. It's a nice idea that he repents of his ways and ends up with a happy family life, but it was hard for me to take seriously considering the circumstances. It doesn't help either that I don't believe Tynannon's behavior. I mean, really, the guy marries the girl he kidnaps and Tynannon never contacts the brother she saved from death? Whose life hung in the balance in the first place because of Corvis? Perhaps they deserve each other. Davro's constant griping was like a violin with one string, his characterization about as deep. Seilloah...I still don't know what I was supposed to think of her.

Marmell tries to help us catch up on the history with brief chapter openers that show us scenes from the past--they aren't chronological, but still relevant to chapter events. Between those and the exciting prologue, it's almost too much information too early in the novel. The PoV switches between several characters, frequently within a scene or to a random character who's never used a second time. Marmell also jumps from scene to scene to keep the pacing quick, but it made the narrative hard to follow when it left out gaps of information and plot. And the ending is a contrived mish-mash of events. All of these problems hurts the forward momentum of the story, which is often rocky. And since I seem incapable of writing a review without a petty complaint, here's mine for this novel: Marmell likes his adjectives/adverbs way too much, which makes for unnecessary wordiness and affects the flow of the prose.

The setting is your standard fantasy landscape, but it doesn't get in the way of the storytelling. Marmell's prose carries the plot along well enough, describes the fights without being too flashy, and adds a handful of new ideas to keep readers interested. The magic isn't anything special, it's used inconsistently, and when it is used it's convenient for the plot. This is too bad because the demon-inhabited items could have been more integrated into the story and really added some spice. Also hinted at are the different levels of sorcery ability, which isn't explained in much detail, but at the same time trumped by the special spell book that would allow the use of even 'higher circle' spells independent of ability.

THE CONQUEROR'S SHADOW is fluffy fantasy reading, despite the author's attempts to explore the theme of justifying evil actions for the sake of good intentions. The best audience is probably your teenage son, who won't get stuck on the unbelievability of it, will laugh with the snappy dialogue, and will like the idea of the villain being the 'hero'--plus it's clean enough for parents who like to keep an eye on content.

[Crowinator · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marmell is best known for RPG manuals and related novels (like for Magic: The Gathering) and this is his first original novel. It’s an action fantasy on the sword and sorcery side of the spectrum and it has many traditional elements (ogres, gnomes, named magical swords, demon-infused pendants) without totally feeling like a retread. Sometimes Marmell avoids cliché just by making fun, like Corvis’ reaction when he puts on his old armor for the first time in 17 years: the armor he used to think was awesomely frightening suddenly seems ridiculous and embarrassing, kind of like when you look back on old photos of yourself in junior high and cringe, and his wife laughs at him. I really like that scene. Other times, Marmell dives right in to cliché, like the special weapons with silly fantasy names that change shape depending on the inner character of the wielder.

One of the things I liked about this book was how all of the characters are working a different angle, biding their time until each can bring his or her plans to fruition. Most of them are self-serving to some degree and few of them are loyal because they choose to be. On Corvis’ side, his powerful allies are being blackmailed or coerced and his grunts are being lied to. While Audriss’ powerful allies seem more loyal, I think it’s only because they joined him to gain something (in the case of his supernatural allies, that’s mostly violence, blood, or bodies) and Audriss is delivering what they want. Still, it’s clear that he has a tenuous hold on them at best. Corvis and Audriss, of course, are the shiftiest; in fact, they both even have fake identities. The plot becomes increasingly twisty and chaotic as various characters’ machinations succeed or fail, and the mix of political intrigue, warfare, black humor, and magic keeps the story interesting and fast-paced.

However, one of the problems with this shiftiness is that none of the characters are likable, especially Corvis, who is deceitful and disloyal and self-serving and, worst of all, believes that everything terrible he does is in service to his well-intentioned plan to protect his family. I bought this for the first half of the book, but he grows increasingly Machiavellian and, while I do believe he cares for his family, I don’t think that’s really his motivation by the end. I’m not sure it was at the beginning, either. Though it makes him intriguing, it was hard for me to care about him. It was hard to care about anyone actually, because they’re all shades of the same person: terribly witty, opportunistic, despicable, and violent. After so many biting conversations and backstabbing, they all start to blend together.

My other big problem is the prologue. Prologues are one of those things you either love or hate, see the necessity of or think are pointless. I mostly think they are pointless, though I have read some good ones, and this one seems especially unnecessary. It covers the final events of Corvis’ first war, his search for the spellbook, and his desertion of his army. These are all things that are rehashed later, but that’s not my main problem with it. My main problem is it’s written differently from the rest of the book, and by differently I mean badly. It’s full of grandstanding, overblown prose, with way too many adjectives and adverbs and one cliché after another. The rest of the book is written in a more modern tone, much less high fantasy and much less purple. I don’t know what happened. I can’t decide if it’s supposed to be an ironic contrast or if it’s written that way in earnest. I can see it as a send-up of genre conventions, because of scenes like the one I mentioned earlier, where Corvis realizes how dumb his old armor is, but if so, it’s not done well enough to be effective. It’s still painful to read. If the whole book had been written that way, I never would have finished it.

I did not see the ending coming, however, and it was a perfect heist movie finish (such as, the criminal gets away with a big score, tricking his enemies, allies, and even the audience), so I will definitely have to read the sequel to see what Corvis does next. He makes for a very dark trickster figure, and that’s enough to keep me interested in him, even if I also despise him a little.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those books that's been sitting in the pile for a while at Hobbit Towers. I’ve not been avoiding it, just haven’t managed to get to it. Whilst it was lurking there, Youngest Hobbit looked at the cover of this one (portraying a huge axe), and says to me, “Dad, some of the books you read have great covers!”

The cover actually does sum this one up fairly well – a large, no, LARGE, axe with strange symbols on it, outlined in red – could be blood, could be something else. You know that this one is going to involve violence and gore and..... well, it won’t be pretty.

But: hold on. What Ari tries to do here is something interesting, to tell the tale of a Conqueror – Corvis Rebaine, Terror of the East – but by what happens twenty years later, when the Conqueror has conquered and gone away to hide in seclusion with his wife and family.
Of course, his opponents are not going to let him get away with being hidden and his home and family are discovered, with the consequence that he has to don the old armour of ‘the Terror’ and then go off to collect his former allies, the demon Khanda (held captive in a magic token), the ogre Davro and the wood-witch Seilloah, in order to take on his nemesis, Audriss.

So, we have witches, ogres and magic. Not to mention nasty goblins. Nothing particularly new there, either. The plot is really a rewritten The Magnificent Seven re-imagined as Fantasy. The main plot idea - that of the ‘old warrior returning’ is not really new, and goes back to Gemmell’s Druss for example. There are touches of black magic, possessed weaponry (hello, Elric?) and vampirism to riff off also.
Such obvious tropes might be a tad repetitive to some. However, there’s a lot to like here. The tale is told is very entertaining. Its strength is in its witty dialogue and a sense of dry amusement along the journey. There’s some nice characterisation, especially in the character of Corvis, and the tale is, in turns, both creepy and amusing.

As a result, it wasn’t long before I wanted to keep turning the pages, even though I could see what was coming. The fight scenes are suitably gory and bloody, the ending quite impressive. There are some nice little twists along the way, that Ari manages to use which make the tale a little less sturm und drang and a little more thoughtful. I particularly liked the fact that each chapter starts with a moment of backstory before continuing the plot of the present. It is how we get an idea of how Corvis became the respected and feared man he was, and it does highlight the point that some leaders are there not by choice but by means of responsibility.

And in the end, the conclusion is perhaps inevitable. Such matters rarely end well for someone.

In summary, this is a great page turner which also raises questions – can a man whose life has involved nasty, horrific things ever be something else? Can they, or should they, ever try to recoup past glories?

This revenge tale is worth the telling.

[Pygmy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked it up based on the cool cover model, and was pleasantly surprised to find the summary of the novel hit all sorts of guilty pleasures for me: Pretty Evil guy conquers half the world, inexplicibly disappears, then ends up living the anonymous happy life married to his hostage in PoDunk Village. Then more troubles come and he must re-recruit his former Semi-Evil comrades to defeat this even greater, more evil threat!

So, I luv me some villains-turned-heroes. The book started out promising, if surprisingly light-feeling. Unfortunately, the story and writing style eventually caused a severe disconnect between actions, motives, and attitude. The tone of the writing is light, and while the story briefly touches on the main character's conquering aspirations, it quickly skips forward many years to when he is happy, sappy, and terribly unconvincing as a former-mass-murderer.

He is not troubled by all the people he murdered. He doesn't care that he ordered his men to spike villagers on the road as dying scarecrows. His wife doesn't care that her brother probably died after he hauled her away as a hostage.

He comes across as the World's Greatest Dad and Husband, with a clear conscience and no sign of the inhumanity and callousness that is required to commit atrocious war acts. Not to say bad guys can't fall in love or have to feel bad about killing, but there should be SOME SIGN of Something Wrong, right? At most, he makes a speech about how the current Guild rulers are useless, and how the world would be better off if he ruled it. Being that he lives a peaceful life in a quiet village and how at this point, I have no idea what the state of the world was in before the war, I am not convinced that the world needs a new ruler.

The background of how the main character began on his trip to Conquering Evilness is filled in piecemeal in small flashbacks at every chapter break. I kind of wish this story started in on the character's descent into darkness rather than fast-forwarded years ahead when he is "good" and useless.

Then after a point, every character's snarkiness sounded identical and not very funny...like a continuous stream of sarcasm from someone who doesn't know when to stop for maximum effect.

Overall, not bad per se, but not good enough to keep going.

[Practical Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is not quite a three star, but simply better than a two. The writing is pretty decent. The premise of the book is flawed. Now the author's job is to get me to suspend belief and buy into that premise. I mean this is a fantasy novel so that suspension of belief is mandatory... and I've been able to do it before. Just not here. Why? (Some might call what comes next spoilers, but since most of what is coming, is actually in the description of the book on the inside leaf, I'm going to go ahead with the-not-spoiling spoilers).

So where was I? Oh yeah, the why? Well... The Terror of the East stops his years of killing, looting, and rampaging right at the moment of his greatest victory? All for a woman he just met? How romantic... I love it when the villain is in touch with his feelings... I don't believe it... but whatever.

So... Once he wipes off all the gore and dirt after his campaign, he kidnaps the woman, and BAM!, seventeen years later we're transported to their they're idyllic, spot in the sun, farm. Complete with animals, plants, true love with his former kidnapee, and children. The Terror of the East is now Ward Cleaver... and it happened off screen. Oh there are flashbacks at the beginning of each chapter, some deal with the growth of the relationship, most do not. And what is there dealing with the relationship is pretty thin.

So now comes a new bad guy, who seems bent on wrecking havoc and destruction the same way the Terror of the East, now retired, did seventeen years prior. This New Terror knows that the Old Terror is coming after him, and... let's him. "Go gather your friends... gather your army... gather your friends' armies... (not much of aI'll wait, right here or, at my next city of destruction, just follow the dead bodies, you'll find me. And once you have sufficient forces mustered, why don't you just come and kill me? It will be fun. A party even." ) So once again, this reader was left to suspend belief of plot happenings that he just couldn't muster in good conscience.

So why the three stars? There is a good story here. There is some wit showed by the author, and a genuine connection to characters within the micro-scale of the plot. But overall, the author asked too much, and didn't provide enough reason for me to fully engage.

[Joe Aguiar · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story starts out with the cruel conquerer Corvis Rebaine laying siege to yet another city in his bloody quest to rule all the land. But, when his plans go awry, he takes a young woman hostage and then the so-called 'Terror Of The East' disappears without a trace. 17 years later we find the vile Rebaine has not only married his fair hostage but, has two children and lives peacefully with his family in a secluded cottage. A changed man. But, when his humble and happy new life is shattered by the advent of a new would-be conquerer, Audriss The Serpent, Rebaine finds he may have to wear his black steel and bone armor once more and once again carry his axe into battle to save all that he holds dear. Can the former tyrant now play the hero? I really enjoyed this book! Writer Ari Marmell spins a wonderfully entertaining yarn and makes you root for a hero who was once a despicable villain. And that's one of the strongest aspects of this book, the engaging and colorful characters Marmell fills it with. Whether it be the character of Rebaine himself, his allies who want to see him dead as much as his enemies, or the adversaries he faces, the author knows how to create memorable characters and some very sarcastically witty dialogue. And while the book is filled with non-stop action, chases, battles and feats of magic, it is the characters and their banter that really entertains in this fast paced read. A thoroughly entertaining book and I can't wait to read the sequel, The Warlord's Legacy!

[Rodney · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read another book(The Goblin Corps) by the same author, and decided to give this one a try. While, the plot is solid from beginning to finish, it was hard for me to really enjoy this book. The main character Corvis, is one I felt like I really wanted to like but, I couldn't. Former evil Dark Lordship aside, I didn't find Corvis interesting in the slightest. The moments where his not fighting against his enemies, he spends alot of time arguing with his demonic "ally" or debating useless banter with his subordinates. To sum thinks up, this book was all "talk" and no "bite". The battle scenes are decent and the book does have a slight twist to it that, will leave thinking, "Didn't see that one coming" but, there is not much to say about it.

Your either really going to love it or just find to be decent.

[Hobart · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a rollicking good read! This book has it all...great battle scenes; the fate of the world in the balance; wise crackin' tough guys; wicked witches; ugly, brutish trolls; snarky demons...

Sure, it's a story we've read/seen before--baddest of the bad guys retires, reforms (at least sorta), and has to come out of retirement to stop a new bad guy.

This telling of that familiar tale is done with panache and a clever trick or three to shake things up. Well done, and more than primes the pump for reading more in this world.

[Grim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a new take on an old genre. Its well written with just the right balance of back story character development and action. A real page turner which I found totally addictive from the first too last page. Although still an excellent book I must confess I found the ending slightly disappointing.

I always find reviews difficult to write as I don't want too spoil the book for a new reader. The real stand out lines, amazing action scenes to recall them here will rob you of the treat of reading them the first time. This is genuinely one of the best books I've read in a long time'

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reposting an old review from my blog here, from when I read it back in 2010.

I grew up on Dungeons and Dragons. Pool of Radiance was the first PC game I owned, and Dragons of Autumn Twilight was one of the first novels I ever remember reading. The Conqueror’s Shadow clearly draws inspiration from D&D fiction – but twists it into a darker, grittier direction. I’ve seen a lot of other excellent dark fantasy lately, but none of it has ever so closely resembled a traditional D&D story. Make no mistake, however, this is not your average heroic adventure. In fact, it’s quite the opposite – and very intentionally so.

The Conqueror’s Shadow is the story of Corvis Rebaine, a former warlord that nearly conquered the continent of Imphallion. The novel is written from a third person perspective, and some sections focus on the perspectives of other characters, but ultimately Corvis is the clear protagonist of the story. Additionally, the beginning of each chapter has a section that describes an event that occurred sometime prior to the main story. This unusual approach helps to give the reader a very thorough understanding of all the circumstances behind the events of the novel, including the motivations of the villains and most of the other members of the cast. I liked this approach, as it helped make the most of the characters in the story seem three-dimensional. While the protagonist is a brutal, sometimes villainous character, you also get to see the events through the perspective of characters that more closely resemble typical heroes – a famous knight, the regent that lead the armies against the warlord, and the powerful sorcerers that aided them.

I should mention that while I noted some “dark” scenes in my previous book review, that was an entirely different kind of dark. The Name of the Wind was dark in that it had some jarring, horrible, things happen to the main character. It also felt very gritty and realistic. This book, on the other hand, is dark in that it delves into a great deal of moral ambiguity. The characters – including the protagonist – do some terrible things for what they believe to be the greater good. The author gives compelling justifications for some truly atrocious deeds; this is not reading for the faint of heart. I enjoyed that quality of the story immensely.

Now, let’s get into the specific elements of the story. I’m cutting out a few sections; I’ve decided that I went overboard on the number of categories for the last review. Please forgive me while my reviewing skills go through some growing pains.

Characters: Corvis starts as a strong, likable protagonist and only grows throughout the story. This is, for the most part, engineered by showing us Corvis’ dedication to his causes and his willingness to do whatever it takes to accomplish his goals. We see Corvis both develop as a character and show aspects of his personality that remain static; this is not your traditional “hero’s rise” nor is it even a redemption story. Really, I saw it as being more about ambition, and about the extreme measures that might be necessary to force change in a culture.

It also teaches us not to screw with a guy who wears a helmet that looks like a skull.

Corvis also has something of a psuedo-adventuring party composed mostly of his lieutenants. Each of his companions is seemingly an intentional mirror of common fantasy troupe protagonists; we get a witch instead of a sorceress, an ogre instead of a burly fighter, and a demon-possessed object instead of a spiritual guide. Consequently, Corvis’ equipment is similar; rather than an ancestral family sword, he has a demonic axe, more befitting his reputation as a butcher of men.

The primary antagonist, Audriss, is Corvis’ own reflection. When we see things from Audriss’ perspective, his goals and motives are understandable – but I’d actually say that the author may have gone a little too far with the mirroring. The antagonist managed to get a demonic weapon nearly identical to the protagonist’s, a demon of his own with a centruies-long animosity for Corvis’ demon, and his own, more impressive black armor. Part of this resemblance is justifiable; it’s a major plot point that Audriss is following in Corvis’ footsteps. The magical items (including the trapped demons) matching so closely seems a bit more far fetched to me, however, since we do not see any other magic items in the story. This leads me to believe that magical items are rare in this setting, and even with the villain’s considerable resources, it seems awkward to me that he ended up with gear that so closely matched the protagonist’s own items. Perhaps these demon-blades are the only magical weapons in the setting, and maybe the antagonist was inspired by Corvis’ own use of a demon and went to find one himself, but ultimately I think the two characters could have used a little more distinction.

And, on a similar note, all the characters could have used another kind of distinction – dialogue. I love a cynical, sarcastic protagonist. I love characters like that in general. This story takes it a step too far. There aren’t really any major characters that *aren’t* cynical and sarcastic. Perhaps a few minor ones, but really, all the major characters seem to share this trait. I’d like to see more distinct personalities and dialogue styles in Marmell’s future volumes.

World: We see only a fraction of the world (which I don’t seem to remember hearing a name for) in this story; it’s more focused on a single continent. This isn’t a problem, really, just a note. The continent itself seems fairly diverse, and we get hints of the world outside. If the author reads this, I’d like to thank him for having a “frozen south” instead of a “frozen north”. This story reverses a number of conventional fantasy tropes, but that one was particularly amusing to me.

We get hints of developed religions, deities, etc. in the story, but not a lot of depth. This is fine, as the story is focused on the war, and we have no evidence of any traditional priestly powers in the scope of the story. Perhaps the gods don’t give out superpowers in this setting, or maybe we just haven’t seen a cleric or paladin equivalent yet. (Does Corvis count as an anti-paladin or Blackguard? Hrm…) In any case, religion plays a minor role in the story, and it’s something I’d like to see explored more in future books.

Typical fantasy races have been drastically transformed in this story – gnomes are terrifying, hideous abominations; ogres are horned cyclopses; fay are scary, vicious predators… Most of the more common races, such as elves and dwarves, are completely absent. And another popular race is never even identified by name – but you’ll figure it out if you read the book. Fantastic.

We get to see a seemingly realistic depiction of traveling through a frozen mountain range in the story, which I really enjoyed. Too often, this type of scene is glossed over in favor of showing off how badass the protagonist is to survive in the “arctic” conditions. In this book, we get to see the protagonist pushed to his limits, suffering from all the side effects of muscling his way through unfamiliar conditions. This was one of the better scenes, in my opinion.

I also enjoyed the depiction of how demons work in this setting. I’d rather not spoil the details, but demons in this world are unique and creepy as hell.

Speaking of “hell”, though, I’d should jump into the next section.

Writing: “Hell” is one of those words I dislike seeing in fantasy unless there is a clearly defined “hell” in that setting’s mythology. I’m really not sure if there’s one here or not, so I’m not going to point any fingers yet, but if there *isn’t* a hell in the setting I’d rather see the word avoided. This isn’t a tangent – one of the most jarring parts of the writing in this book was the number of anachronisms and modern day phrases. There were a number of times that I read a phrase several times because it jarred me to see it in a fantasy book; I don’t mind swearing in fantasy, by the way, but modern phrases do bug me. For example, at one point a character uses the expression, “With bells on.” This *could* be used in a medieval setting – I’m sure they had bells – but the fact that it’s a modern-day expression bugged me a bit.

On a similar note, the writer uses a little too much RPG language for my tastes. Using “circles” to denote levels of spell-casting power works great for staying in-character for pen and paper or LARP, but it’s less believable in a novel. I also laughed when the phrase “low on health” was used. Maybe it’s just me, but that’s almost as extreme as saying, “Corvis was almost out of hit points.” This lends some humor to the tale, of course, and it’s fine if that was intentional – but I found it immersion-breaking.

That minor gripe aside, I found the writing style of this book both unique and compelling. I especially liked the unusual flavor of having sections at the beginning of each chapter set in the past; this was both a convenient device for revealing information at the appropriate pace and a good way to keep the reader hooked into reading more. I had a hard time putting the book down, especially toward the end.

The ending was fantastic. The last several chapters are a string of enthralling events, leading up to a fantastic climax. I was very pleased by the last couple pages, too. I don’t think any other ending could have done the story justice.

Overall: In conclusion, The Conqueror’s Shadow starts strong and only gets stronger as it progresses. I had a great time reading the book, though I will say that readers who don’t enjoy D&D style fantasy will probably have some of the same problems with this book that they do with Forgotten Realms, Dragonlance, etc. The book sets up nicely for sequels, but also stands well on its own – a rarity, in my experience. The story gets most of its originality by taking your average fantasy story and turning it inside-out, which proved to be clever and captivating.

I’d recommend this story to anyone who likes darker, nastier protagonists – or even readers who enjoy an old fashioned D&D story. You’ll get a kick out of seeing the D&D story arc turned upside down.

[Phantastische_Fluchten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Er war der „Schrecken des Ostens“. Corbis Rebaine. Nachdem er mit einem Heer aus Ogern und Söldnern eine Eroberungsfeldzug in Imphallion gestartet hatte, verschwand der Kriegsfürst plötzlich ohne ein Wort, sein Heer löste sich auf und siebzehn Jahre hörte man nichts mehr von dem grausamen Kriegsfürsten.
Als die zivilisierten Reiche sich nach siebzehn Jahren einer neuen Gefahr gegenüberstehen und Corbis‘ Familie bedroht wird, muss der alternde Held erneut ein Heer um sich sammeln, um der Gefahr entgegen zu treten. Der unbekannte Feind nutzt die alten Taktiken des ehemaligen „Schrecken des Ostens“. Und Corbis muss erkennen, dass der "die Schlange" wie sich der Heerführer nennt, das gleiche Ziel hat, wie er damals vor siebzehn Jahren. Und dieses Ziel darf der Feind keinesfalls erreichen.
Also macht sich Corbis auf, seine alten Freunde zu finden und ein neues Heer zusammen zu stellen. Doch es ist seit damals viel Zeit vergangen, wird er es rechtzeitig schaffen, um die zivilisierten Lande, die er einst selbst bedroht hat, nun zu retten?

Kommentar:
Ich hatte wieder richtig Lust auf gute dark oder high fantasy. Zum Glück gibt mein Regal genug Auswahl her und so bin ich auf dieses Buch gestoßen. Es handelt sich insgesamt und eine Trilogie, der Dämon des Krieges ist der erste, in sich abgeschlossene Band. Ich frage mich immer wieder, warum solche Bücher zehn Jahre ungelesen in meinem Regal stehen, denn die Geschichte ist genauso, wie ich fantasy liebe. Ein alternder Held (oder eher Antiheld) der, um seine Familie zu beschützen, noch einmal in den Kampf ziehen muss.
Seine dämonische Rüstung passt kaum noch, der Knochenhelm sitzt zu unbequem und die Knochen knacken bei jedem Schritt. Doch sie haben seine Familie angegriffen, seine Tochter bedroht und sie wagen es, ihn, den Dämonenkrieger, zu imitieren.
Lange Zeit erfährt der Lesende nicht, warum Corbis damals den Feldzug gestartet hat, was er suchte und warum er plötzlich von der Bildfläche verschwand. Wir lernen einen älteren Mann und Familienvater kennen, der seine Frau und seine Kinder abgöttisch liebt und mit seinem Leben zufrieden ist. Das steht im krassen Gegensatz zu seinem damaligen Leben. Und als er seine alten Gefährten sucht, muss er feststellen, dass auch sie ein neues und ruhiges Leben gewählt haben.
Der Oger Davro lebt fern seiner Heimat und züchtet Schafe und Schweine. Wüssten die kriegerischen Oger von seinem beschaulichen, friedvollen Leben, würden sie ihn töten. Davro ist Rebaine noch etwas schuldig und so verlässt er sein Heim, um dem Krieger zu folgen. Doch tagtäglich, fast stündlich erinnert der riesige Oger seine ehemaligen Heerführer an dessen Erpressung. Die Dialoge sind herrlich und ich habe oft gelacht. Als die Zauberin Seilloah dazu kommt, wird die Geschichte noch unterhaltsamer. Warum sie Corbis folgt, bleibt unklar aber mit ihren Fähigkeiten ist sie ihm eine große Hilfe. Und da ist da noch Khanda! Corbis Rebaine hat sich geschworen, nie wieder Kontakt zu diesem Dämon aufzunehmen, der in einer Kette gefangen ist. Nach seinem Rückzug aus der Schlacht hat Corbis das Amulett tief im Eis vergraben. Doch nun ist es an der Zeit, den Dämon wieder zu nutzen. Khanda ist das Herzstück dieses Romans. Er und Corbis liefern sich einen Schlagabtausch, der einfach genial ist. Durch die Macht des Dämons verfügt Corbis über ungeahnte Kräfte, die er im Kampf nutzen kann.
Doch wie nun ohne Geld oder Belohnung ein Söldnerheer zusammenstellen, dass dem des Gegners ebenbürtig ist?
Das Buch wurde von Wolfgang Thon übersetzt, was schon für gute Qualität bürgt. Der Humor ist wunderbar und vor allem die Dialoge zwischen Khanda und Corbis sind herrlich schräg. Obwohl es sich um dark fantasy handelt, kommt der Humor also nicht so kurz, so dass die Gewaltszenen und Schlachten nicht so bedrückend sind wie erwartet. Die Figuren sind gut ausgearbeitet und glaubwürdig. Es gibt einige Wesen, die ich in der Fantasy bisher nicht kannte, wie Mithraem, der dem Feind dient und dessen mächtigste Waffe ist.
Gebannte Dämonen gibt es schon, zum Beispiel in der Reihe „die Schwerter des Zorns“ von David Weber“ und in der Serie „der Totengräbersohn“ von Sam Feuerbach. Aber Khanda kann da durchaus mithalten. Er ist böse, unfreiwillig komisch und tiefgründiger, als man erwartet.
Natürlich entspricht die Geschichte etwas dem gängigen Klischee: Alternder Held zieht aus, seine Familie und sein Land zu retten. Aber es macht unheimlich Spaß, das Buch zu lesen und zu erfahren, wie Corbain die Aufgabe löst.
Es gibt zwei Karten im Innencover, ein Personenregister fehlt jedoch. Man kann dieses Buch eigenständig lesen, die Geschichte ist abgeschlossen, man ahnt aber, dass dies noch nicht alles war.

Fazit:
Eine Geschichte die zwar dem Genre dark fantasy zugeordnet werden kann, deren Humor aber herrlich zu lesen ist. Ich mag alternde Helden. In einer Welt, in der romancy und young adult gerade 90% des Fantasy Genres belegen, sticht dieses Buch hervor. Für alle, die es blutig, heldenhaft, humorvoll und kämpferisch mögen.

[Sensitivemuse · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven’t read a good fantasy in such a long time! And this one was excellent! It’s fun to see a bunch of misfit anti heroes come together to try and save the world because not only did they leave on bad terms back then in the day, Corvis actually had the galls to come back to ask them for favors (we all had that one friend didn’t we?)

Each of the characters have their distinct quirk and personality. Also they’re not afraid to tell Corvis how it is (and he surprisingly takes it...which makes them a more fun bunch to read) I can’t really say I have a favorite although I admit I was disappointed in Khanda towards the last half of the book. He definitely had the best and more fun personality to read on but he just *had* to do it didn’t he? (you’ll see when you finish the book)

The plot had a steady pace and it was good. I was actually surprised as to who the Serpent really was as you’d think it was obvious. It was a good surprise and the action in the last third of the book was massive with lots of action. Although it gets pretty dark at times and Corvis isn’t a hero per se (more like a terrorizing horrible despot who decimates towns and villages to his liking) it has black comedy elements in it and overall because of this provides a ‘lightness’ to the story. It helps that the cast of characters have witty retorts and comebacks which also provides a few laughs here and there.

The world building and setting is pretty much your standard fantasy setting that is portrayed in most novels of the genre out there. Nevertheless it doesn’t take away from the novel and still provides a good foundation for it.

A plot rich with a variety of characters, good light banter, and some action is what makes up this book in a nutshell. I definitely recommend it as it was an enjoyable read.

[Geoffrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Random grab at the library, and I liked this! There were a few things I felt were lacking but overall an enjoyable read.

I think this story does a good job of giving you characters that aren't good or evil but somewhere in between. Corvis has done unforgivable things and killed so many people, yet in his mind he does it for the greater good. Just as interesting, both he and his gang are not good people yet often instinctively choose to help people. A witch that eats people but also wants to heal people? That could have been a story by itself honestly.

I go back and forth about how I feel about the depth of this story. Corvis turning his life around and living the quiet life with a wife and kids is a great story element, but you don't ever get enough of the backstory to really feel that hit. On the other hand, it's not a romance novel so maybe I didn't need to get more details about their relationship. Corvis' early life and meeting the rest of his gang shows there's been quite a lot that's happened prior to the events of this book, but it never really dives in too deep. On the other hand, we get enough to understand the characters without this turning into a multiple-book story.

I think this story balances humor with seriousness well, and gives an entertaining adventure without going too deep into the details. Sometimes I wanted more detail sometimes I didn't and perhaps some events would have had more of an emotional hook with it, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good - well-written story with that feeling you get each time you find that “just right” novel. It has everything that I personally require in my fantasy story. This however comes at you in a different way. It begins 20 (maybe 17 yrs?) AFTER the primary character: Corvus Rebaine, has gone through a very bloody, highly exhausting war against his enemies. It’s interesting who he is playing house with at the start & how he is as a man at the beginning…20 years later. However, certain things happen that forced him to rethink his life & the life of the people of this world. He knows he must return to being the man he once was (in part, not wholly) all those years ago-but without doing so without losing himself as he is now. His fight begins for very different reasons this time. He leaves, gains travelling & fighting companions from his old life while forming a new army. His fight no longer has him as the primary power in the land. Someone else is very much trying to not only emulate his old life, but take him down as he does so. Wow, it’s a great work. Finally something I could sink my teeth into without regret or disappointment.

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read. Loved the interactions with Khanda. People being scared sh*tless at the sight of Corvis is satisfying. Beginning of the book was more of a casual on & off read for me but towards the half-end of the book I got invested and couldn't put it down.

8.5/10 would read again for the 5th time

[Nathan Woll · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very fun book, similar plot to Maleficient Seven, though this came out first. Definitely reminiscent of Goblin Corps. Marmell's other significant work, so if you like that you'll probably like this.

[Dantegideon · Rating 3 out of 5]

It can’t quite decide if it’s grimdark or Gemmell.

[Joe Gleason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun book that stands out in a rather saturated genre. Cool names for things.

[Elizabeth]

DNF. Just got bored with this. No interest.