The Coward by Stephen Aryan (Quest for Heroes #1)
My Review (5*): Any time I start a book for a blog tour I’m always a bit wary even if I choose to be part of the blog tour and thought it was going to be the right book for me. It’s a sort of state-of-mind that help me to read the book without high expectations and appreciate it. It happened also with this book even if I joined the blog tour after having read some parts and had high expectations. I’ve been reading fantasy for decades and I remember when fantasy was a hero starting a quest and a happy-ever-after at the end of the book/series. Then I discovered Gemmell and his characters, their internal struggle and their mental wounds. I loved those stories and loved those heroes. When I began this story I felt like when I was reading Gemmell: a hero that struggle with his fame, a man who was broken and doesn’t want to go back to be a hero. This is just the start as this story is a quest, characters struggling to understand what they want and who they are but it’s also a great story that transcend any possibility of comparing to previous series as there’s plenty going and the author did an excellent job in creating his own mythology and his own type of heroes. It’s a slow burning story that introduce the reader to a very complex world where climate is changing and there’s the possibility that a powerful supernatural foe is acting again. There’s a quest to overcome the foe but there’s also plenty of politics that involves kings and religion. I loved this world and loved the characters. Kell is a great character. His character is realistic, likeable and you cannot help appreciating his maturity, realism and the empathy toward his comrades in this quest. The character development is excellent and all the characters are well thought and interesting. The world building is fascinating, complex and rich of details. You get to know different people, customs and a lot of historical background. One note about the title: there’s plenty of discussions about what being brave or a coward means. It’s up to you to discover about it. As said before I’m always a bit wary at the beginning of the book but after the first chapters I was hooked and couldn’t stop reading. This is one of those case when you feel a bit lost at end of the book because you have to go back to reality after having traveller to a fantastic world. This is the first book I read by Stephen Aryan and won’t surely be the last as he’s a talented storyteller and delivered a gripping and highly entertaining story. This is the first in a series and there’s a sort of cliffhanger at the end of the book that makes me wish I was able to read the next book soon. I strongly recommend it if you want to read a well written and fascinating fantasy story. Many thanks to Angry Robots for this ARC, all opinions are mine
The Plot: Who will slay the evil in the Frozen North, saving all from death and destruction? Not Kell Kressia, he's done his part... Kell Kressia is a legend, a celebrity, a hero. Aged just seventeen, he set out on an epic quest with a band of wizened fighters to slay the Ice Lich and save the world. He returned victorious, but alone. Ten years have passed and Kell lives a quiet life, while stories of his heroism are told in taverns all across the land. But now a new terror has arisen in the north – something has taken up residence in the Lich’s abandoned castle beyond the Frozen Circle, and the ice is beginning to creep south once more. For the second time, Kell is called upon to take up his famous sword, Slayer, and battle the forces of darkness. But he has a terrible secret. Kell was never a hero – he was just lucky. Everyone puts their faith in Kell the Legend, but he’s just a coward who has no intention of risking his life for anyone...
Book Page: https://www.angryrobotbooks.com/shop/year/2021/the-coward/
The Author: Stephen Aryan is the author of the Age of Darkness and Age of Dread trilogies. His first novel, Battlemage, was a finalist for the David Gemmell Morningstar Award for best debut fantasy novel. It also won the inaugural Hellfest Inferno Award in France. He has previously written a comic book column and reviews for Tor.com. In addition, he has self-published and kickstarted his own comics.
Social links: Website: https://stephen-aryan.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/StephenAryan44 Instagram: @angryrobotbooks | @stephenaryan_writer Twitter: @angryrobotbooks | @stevearyan
