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A review by nooralshanti
The Eagle's Flight: The Chronicles of Adalmearc by Daniel E. Olesen
5.0
The Eagle's Flight is an expertly written, thoroughly entertaining fantasy tale. And the best part? You can currently get it all for free through the author's website! http://www.annalsofadal.net/
When I first started reading it I was pleasantly surprised to find that the author did not hesitate to provide detailed descriptions of things like the layout of the capital city in a way that reminded me a little bit of Tolkien. And those descriptions really come in handy later when the city is embroiled in a war and I can clearly imagine where the troops are, what the walls are protecting, etc. Not many authors can pull off detailed descriptions without seeming overly info-dumpy, but Daniel Olesen does it extremely well in this novel.
This novel is filled with political plotting, battles, and a large cast of characters with conflicting motivations. There isn't necessarily one main character and I often found myself torn between the motivations of two characters who disagree or unsure about a character that I thought was my favorite, and so on. Various characters feature prominently throughout the book and their scenes are expertly woven together to give us a sense of the overall story and the state of the realm.
Finally, I thought I would mention the brief foray into a war with the invading outlanders. I'm used to picking up even the best fantasy books and finding that the bad guys or the enemy are based on Middle-Eastern cultures and stereotypes. While there was a definite hint towards the Middle-Eastern in their descriptions I didn't actually find the way it was handled to be much of an issue. They weren't vilified or overly stereotyped simply for who they were or for being different and while they did fight savagely in the war many of the leaders of Adalmearc did as well. Like I said this is rare and the author is to be commended for not relying too heavily on stereotypes.
Before this review turns too long I will conclude by saying I definitely recommend this book to any fantasy lover, especially those who love world-building. It was a satisfying read and I will be waiting for the next one!
When I first started reading it I was pleasantly surprised to find that the author did not hesitate to provide detailed descriptions of things like the layout of the capital city in a way that reminded me a little bit of Tolkien. And those descriptions really come in handy later when the city is embroiled in a war and I can clearly imagine where the troops are, what the walls are protecting, etc. Not many authors can pull off detailed descriptions without seeming overly info-dumpy, but Daniel Olesen does it extremely well in this novel.
This novel is filled with political plotting, battles, and a large cast of characters with conflicting motivations. There isn't necessarily one main character and I often found myself torn between the motivations of two characters who disagree or unsure about a character that I thought was my favorite, and so on. Various characters feature prominently throughout the book and their scenes are expertly woven together to give us a sense of the overall story and the state of the realm.
Finally, I thought I would mention the brief foray into a war with the invading outlanders. I'm used to picking up even the best fantasy books and finding that the bad guys or the enemy are based on Middle-Eastern cultures and stereotypes. While there was a definite hint towards the Middle-Eastern in their descriptions I didn't actually find the way it was handled to be much of an issue. They weren't vilified or overly stereotyped simply for who they were or for being different and while they did fight savagely in the war many of the leaders of Adalmearc did as well. Like I said this is rare and the author is to be commended for not relying too heavily on stereotypes.
Before this review turns too long I will conclude by saying I definitely recommend this book to any fantasy lover, especially those who love world-building. It was a satisfying read and I will be waiting for the next one!