Zombies are never a good thing. Souled zombies, ones that can independently think and act, are even worse. Then there are the goblins, ogres, seers, wizards, and more in this time nearly 3000 years in the future where magic is prevalent, dragons fly, and the evil necromancer king seeks to rule the world. The good people and creatures are far outnumbered by those bent on war and conquest. Those that can harness the most magic can turn the tide of battle –at least for now.
For Krish and his cousin Guzzy, the recent battles outside of their small village have been more then the annual minor attacks designed to disrupt the yearly harvest. The young men fight to defend their village, Pine Ridge, and to protect all they hold dear. With swords and spears protected by magic and salt, they fight on as the enemy in many different forms continues to press the attack and people they know die around them. Back up is on the way as kingdoms make alliances in order to slow the advance of those loyal to the evil necromancer king. One such alliance allows Prince Reveron of Kreese to eventually take over and lead the small group Krish is part of into battle. Krish becomes noticed not only by the Prince but by others and gradually works his way deeper and deeper into the circle of those that Prince Reveron trusts. While Krish may not have had formal military training, he acquires battle skills at a rapid rate and has certain other skills that he continues to try to keep hidden from those around him.
Nearly any fantasy story has to have an epic quest. The one Krish is sent on is huge and could mean the fate of the world as well as what is left of humanity, forever changed in our times, could massively change again. That is assuming he can survive and complete a quest that is nearly impossible from the start. The good thing is he will get some help. The bad thing is that the little help he gets most likely will not nearly be enough.
Blending a fantasy line set nearly 3000 years in the future heavily reliant on magic with a modern day cold and dispassionate tale of technology mercilessly doing exactly what it was designed to do resulting in horrific results, is not easy. Author Terry Ervin makes it look easy as he captivates readers for 288 pages in this very complex book.
Filled with interesting characters, this fully formed world is strangely different and yet at times very relevant to our modern day world of today. Krish is a man who develops throughout the book while never losing his awe at what forces are arrayed against him. Nor does he lose his own sense of purpose and place despite realistic periods of self-doubt and contemplation. The same core values that come across in the first few pages are still there at the end in a smarter more seasoned character.
In a world where nightmares and worse of a child are very much real and life does not last long, Krish battles and delights readers. It is a world that could happen. May even happen as technology spreads and is always vulnerable to use by those bent on power and greed.
The book is highly recommended as “FLANK HAWK “is a mighty good read.
FLANK HAWK: A First Civilization’s Legacy Novel
Terry W. Ervin II
Gryphonwood Press
July 2009
ISBN# 978-0-9825087-0-1
Paperback
290 Pages
$12.99
Material provided quite some time ago by the author in exchange for my objective review.
Kevin R. Tipple © 2011
Great review. I love this book!
ReplyDeleteThanks for reviewing Flank Hawk, Kevin. Now that you've read it, you can take the quiz and see what character you are:
ReplyDeletehttp://ervin-author.com/cgi-bin/quiz.pl
I agree, Angie. It's a great review and thanks for reading Flank Hawk.