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A review by theamazingmrg
Battlemage by Stephen Aryan
4.0
I read somebody else's review of this and their complaint was how the characters in this book are very black and white. They're either good or bad, and there aren't the shades of grey that you usually get in modern fantasy. And they weren't wrong. But where that review thought this was a bad thing, I'm not sure I agree. After a slew of 'grimdark' novels with bitter, twisted, and unpleasant characters, it was nice to read a more traditional fantasy novel.
The whole way through this book, I was constantly reminded of the books of David Gemmell. The slightly outcast lead character, the ravening hordes at the gates, the despicable villain. All things that Gemmell was a master of writing. His books were part of the reason I'm such a lover of fantasy, and Stephen Aryan has definitely written a worthy successor to that legacy. I then read the interview with him at the end of the book and he cited Gemmell as a major influence so I was pleased with myself for recognising it.
Battlemage is a decent book. It doesn't quite reach the heights of the best books of recent years (Joe Abercrombie, RJ Barker, and Nicholas Eames spring to mind) but it's a solid, well-written fantasy yarn that nicely sets up the premise of future books in the series. I'll definitely be reading the sequel.
Actual rating: 3.8/5
The whole way through this book, I was constantly reminded of the books of David Gemmell. The slightly outcast lead character, the ravening hordes at the gates, the despicable villain. All things that Gemmell was a master of writing. His books were part of the reason I'm such a lover of fantasy, and Stephen Aryan has definitely written a worthy successor to that legacy. I then read the interview with him at the end of the book and he cited Gemmell as a major influence so I was pleased with myself for recognising it.
Battlemage is a decent book. It doesn't quite reach the heights of the best books of recent years (Joe Abercrombie, RJ Barker, and Nicholas Eames spring to mind) but it's a solid, well-written fantasy yarn that nicely sets up the premise of future books in the series. I'll definitely be reading the sequel.
Actual rating: 3.8/5