THE LIFE-TAKER

The last of a mighty race of warriors is one kingdom’s last hope in Garrett’s fantasy novel.

The Vultaikans were a great people, feared for their brutality and ruthlessness across the fantastical realm of Straifus. Now, all that is left of them is Kurzhon, known as the Life-Taker, who travels from place to place with only a desire for violence and his horse for company. Kurzhon discovers that he has been marked by a wizard named Zakariah; while this enrages him, he has no choice but to follow the wizard’s demands. When he first meets Zakariah, he is told of surviving Vultaikan artifacts, which Kurzhon can hardly believe; he had closed the mountain gate to Vultaika himself. If he wishes to retrieve the artefacts, he must travel to Zakariah’s kingdom of Resslayke. Unbeknownst to him, there is more at play than souvenirs from his homeland: The kingdom of Resslayke plans to use him in their war against the neighboring country of New Shenjen. Kurzhon may be one of the strongest in the land, but he’s made many enemies, and now they’re knocking at the front gate. The author has written an exciting fantasy yarn full of adventure—however, much of the violence, which is plentiful, feels repetitive and extraneous. The scenes in which Kurzhon refrains from overpowering and killing anyone he happens to come across are compelling and entertaining. While the plot is a slow boil, there is mature humor throughout the narrative and a range of other colorful characters to act as foils to Kurzhon’s ferocity (“ ‘Rolden…you…are a…FOOL,’ said Kurzhon, through gritted teeth, ‘but NOT…a fool…that is worth killing.’ Rolden looked up, now with some hope in his eyes. ‘Does this mean you’ll help us—’ ‘NO!’ Kurzhon bellowed”). Readers who enjoy stories heavy on combat will find this to be a fun read.

A violent fantasy story sure to excite action-oriented readers.