Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
Ben Galley's The Forever King has it all - history, war, adventure, magic, and mystery. You can feel the author's creative passion seeping through the pages. Fans of epic fantasy will be thrilled. Sadly, I'm not one of them.
Arka Empire banned magick (yes, with k) and kills those who possess it. Sure, there is a rebellion (there's always one) led by the Outlaw King, but they operate near the empire's northern fringes. Mithrid Fenn leads challenging but overall enjoyable life until the spellbook washes ashore. Then, things go terribly, terribly wrong, and she loses everything she holds dear.
She joins the rebels, learns valuable lessons, discovers her inner potential and appetite for revenge. Of course, it's much more complicated than that, what with dragons, politics, precarious balance of power. You'll find out for yourself if you give it a try.
Mithrid is a fierce female protagonist. Not always likable, sometimes headstrong, but focused and determined, and I appreciate those qualities. Her development and acceptance of her potential to do magick is gradual and convincing. Kudos for that.
Side characters are relatable and magic inventive - it's based on words and sounds, and some mages have spellbooks carved into their backs. Fascinating stuff.
While The Forever King's world is quite captivating, the amount of information can feel cumbersome. Readers have to consume a lot of lore to understand where the story takes them. Of course, fantasy readers want lore and worldbuilding, but it sometimes feels like the story doesn't always come first. That said, I'm not too fond of epic fantasy precisely because of this. I may be just the wrong reader to appreciate Ben's work; extensive worldbuilding tires me quickly.
Although the story takes some time to get going and wrap up toward the end, it feels structurally balanced. However, the story's pacing may feel uneven to those who like a faster pace; the extended passages and some repetitions slow it down. I think (but it's strongly subjective) that cutting off 20 % of the text wouldn't hurt it—quite the opposite.
The Forever King will appeal to fans of dark and epic fantasy. Even though it drags, it still packs a punch and provides solid entertainment. The evocative setting, relatable characters, and intriguing events create a memorable story. Not surprising or original, but hitting all the right epic fantasy beats. Additionally, the audiobook version is excellent, and I highly recommend this format to those who enjoy audiobooks.
Arka Empire banned magick (yes, with k) and kills those who possess it. Sure, there is a rebellion (there's always one) led by the Outlaw King, but they operate near the empire's northern fringes. Mithrid Fenn leads challenging but overall enjoyable life until the spellbook washes ashore. Then, things go terribly, terribly wrong, and she loses everything she holds dear.
She joins the rebels, learns valuable lessons, discovers her inner potential and appetite for revenge. Of course, it's much more complicated than that, what with dragons, politics, precarious balance of power. You'll find out for yourself if you give it a try.
Mithrid is a fierce female protagonist. Not always likable, sometimes headstrong, but focused and determined, and I appreciate those qualities. Her development and acceptance of her potential to do magick is gradual and convincing. Kudos for that.
Side characters are relatable and magic inventive - it's based on words and sounds, and some mages have spellbooks carved into their backs. Fascinating stuff.
While The Forever King's world is quite captivating, the amount of information can feel cumbersome. Readers have to consume a lot of lore to understand where the story takes them. Of course, fantasy readers want lore and worldbuilding, but it sometimes feels like the story doesn't always come first. That said, I'm not too fond of epic fantasy precisely because of this. I may be just the wrong reader to appreciate Ben's work; extensive worldbuilding tires me quickly.
Although the story takes some time to get going and wrap up toward the end, it feels structurally balanced. However, the story's pacing may feel uneven to those who like a faster pace; the extended passages and some repetitions slow it down. I think (but it's strongly subjective) that cutting off 20 % of the text wouldn't hurt it—quite the opposite.
The Forever King will appeal to fans of dark and epic fantasy. Even though it drags, it still packs a punch and provides solid entertainment. The evocative setting, relatable characters, and intriguing events create a memorable story. Not surprising or original, but hitting all the right epic fantasy beats. Additionally, the audiobook version is excellent, and I highly recommend this format to those who enjoy audiobooks.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
fast-paced
I was provided a copy of this ebook by the author, this in no way influences my feelings or opinions.
The Forever King book one in the Scalussen Chronicles is the new release from Ben Galley, and all I can say is this book was AMAZING! Mage battles in chapter one that include daemons and dragons, all the way to an enormous final battle that will leave you salivating for more.
It starts with a land that has been living under an oppressive empire for years, an empire that has forbidden magick yet uses magick to track down offenders. Then you have Farden and his rebellion standing against the evil empire. That alone had my attention but then when you add the magic system that Ben put in the book the battles get to a scale that epic is almost not big enough to cover.
The main character Mithrid Fenn was a girl living in a small seaside town away from everything until a magick book washes up on shore, then her and her friends open it and catch the attention of the rebels. And from there on it’s a wild ride to the end of the book.
I loved Mithrid her character development through the story is amazing she goes from a naïve small town girl to well you will have to read it to find out. To travel with her as she deals with everything that has happened to her and how she deals with it through the story is just part of the fun to be had.
Don’t worry this is not just about her development, there is plenty of action to feast on as well, the author covers about many types of fantasy creatures in this Norse inspired tale. I have already mentioned daemons and dragons, there are also minotaurs, gods, vampires, and yetis to name a few. The battle scenes are gritty but not overly gory, and there are plenty battles to read through.
So with all that being said, go get the book and give it a read. This is definitely going on my top books of the year list. I give this one a solid 5 of 5 stars.
The Forever King book one in the Scalussen Chronicles is the new release from Ben Galley, and all I can say is this book was AMAZING! Mage battles in chapter one that include daemons and dragons, all the way to an enormous final battle that will leave you salivating for more.
It starts with a land that has been living under an oppressive empire for years, an empire that has forbidden magick yet uses magick to track down offenders. Then you have Farden and his rebellion standing against the evil empire. That alone had my attention but then when you add the magic system that Ben put in the book the battles get to a scale that epic is almost not big enough to cover.
The main character Mithrid Fenn was a girl living in a small seaside town away from everything until a magick book washes up on shore, then her and her friends open it and catch the attention of the rebels. And from there on it’s a wild ride to the end of the book.
I loved Mithrid her character development through the story is amazing she goes from a naïve small town girl to well you will have to read it to find out. To travel with her as she deals with everything that has happened to her and how she deals with it through the story is just part of the fun to be had.
Don’t worry this is not just about her development, there is plenty of action to feast on as well, the author covers about many types of fantasy creatures in this Norse inspired tale. I have already mentioned daemons and dragons, there are also minotaurs, gods, vampires, and yetis to name a few. The battle scenes are gritty but not overly gory, and there are plenty battles to read through.
So with all that being said, go get the book and give it a read. This is definitely going on my top books of the year list. I give this one a solid 5 of 5 stars.