Book Review: Epic Fantasy 0.9b By Will Weisser
rating:3.5
"The Decay is coming, and Ian, a fifteen-year-old from the Northwestern Forests of the Region, must flee his home village or be melted into noxious brown goo. With the help of an eccentric mage and an annoyingly cheerful orphan, he escapes to the Capital, fending off quadrupedal orcs, superintelligent vultures, and some of the Regions less desirable human residents. But when he encounters a mysterious stranger who reveals that the Region may not be what it appears, he must decide whether to stay faithful to his friends, or abandon them and seek the truth."Epic Fantasy 0.9b is a short tale by author Will Weisser, it follows the story of Ian, an apprentice wizard, as he makes his way across the tiny world known as The Region. Along the path he teams up with other residents of his home, friends both old and new, to help him with his quest, to find his father, and to learn the true nature of Decay, a seemingly unstoppable force of destruction thats following them wherever they go. If you enjoy tales of shady characters, likeable old wizards, illiterate heroes and obnoxious knights, then Epic Fantasy 0.9b is a world that youll feel right at home in. A twist on the traditional heros tale, with Science Fiction crashing into Fantasy in a way that Weisser makes his own, this book is a must, along with any that may follow. As you open the book youre presented with The Region in full, a small map on the first page shows you the land that youll soon be walking across. Akin to the maps you are presented with in the instruction manuals of video games, this one shows you the path that the hero will take, as well as giving you most of the information you need about the world. Though this could have a negative affect on some readers, as at first glance both the place names and name for The Region as a whole, can seem rather generic. The Region is a land of magic, knights and monsters, straight out of the highest fantasy books the world immediately draws the reader in, with questions that demand an answer. Decay, the magic system, the true nature of the orcs that are encountered in the first couple of pages, all of these things and more create a sense of wonder, keeping the reader guessing, some until the very last pages of the book, where the reader can only hope their curiosity will be relieved. You will find someone to relate to in the book, we read the book from Ians point of view, for the most part, but the other characters add just as much to the story as he does. One such character that might catch the attention of readers is Simon, almost a cliché in the way hes presented to the book, but written in such a way that it doesnt detract from the story, you even feel sorry for the situation that hes in, and the reason that hes been put there in the first place. The idea behind this book is amazing, and certainly one that I believe the author can expand on, it has a great hook, and although its probably a little niche I believe that a large audience exists for this type of fiction. If anything Im slightly disappointed that the book wasnt fleshed out a little more, though this does leave me with hope for the books to follow. The book itself is of a reasonable length, a novella that is long enough that you feel you get a good introduction to the world, while also being short enough to read through in a couple of hours. It does a great job of setting the stage for the books to follow. Without giving too much away, if the idea of this book grips you, and youre entertaining the notion of reading it, then Id recommend staying away from the authors twitter page until youve done so, lest you find yourself presented with a host of spoilers. The book is available for purchase on the Amazon Store: Epic Fantasy 0.9b The author can be found on Twitter: @metanautics The authors page can be found here: metanautics.net