Reviewed by: Sooz
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Approximate word count: 120-125,000 words
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Author:
Dean F.
Wilson was born in Dublin, Ireland. The
Call of Agon was his first published novel, which won an award for an early
draft in 2001. Wilson has since published two more. He is also a journalist
working in the technology field.
You can
learn more at his website.
Description:
Agon, a
powerful and evil god, is being called back to the world from his prison.
Ifferon, one of the last of the bloodline of the god Telm, is one of the few
who can stop Agon’s resurrection. He embarks on the journey with several
companions who aid in his quest.
Appraisal:
The term
epic fantasy was made to apply to The
Call of Agon.
It has all
the typical elements you would expect with a dangerous mission to save the
world, a band of companions whose attributes complement each other, an evil
monster, and an epic world.
The book
starts with the “hero” realizing that he can no longer run. Ifferon spent the
last decade hiding. However, his secret has caught up to him as the monastery
he has been living in is under attack from dark forces.
He manages
to escape the attack, and that is when the journey begins.
I used
“hero” in quotes because Ifferon is reluctant. He spent most of his life hiding
and now that he is pushed to the forefront, he would rather run than face the
challenges, which makes for interesting conversations between him and the
people who want to fight.
The
characters are mostly well-written and have their own voices, especially
Herr'Don, a brute prince charged to help Ifferon. Ifferon is actually one of
the most underdeveloped characters for most of the first half of the book, but
I think that’s by design. Also, it’s not entirely clear as to why Ifferon needs
to be protected, simply that he is important. But this is all revealed in time.
The band
does their fair share of walking through this world, which is one of the
drawbacks of the book. When it looks as though an action scene is finally about
to happen, it’s not given enough play with a section ending just as the intense
fighting is about to begin. The next section then starts when everything is
over and some of the characters recount what happened to them. More action and
less talking in this case would have been better.
Author Dean
F. Wilson makes up for that with the big fight scene followed by several
important reveals at the end of the book. The action in this section was
gripping and kept me pushing through to the finale. I was actually disappointed
when the book was over because I became so invested by this point, I wanted to
know more.
But anytime
you read something with “Book One” in the title, you know that there is a
chance the story continues even when the book is over.
Wilson
wrote the book with beautiful prose and mixed in lyrical verses as part of the
story. It’s not an easy book to read, but that’s not a negative. The Call of Agon is a book that readers
can’t skim through, but have to pay attention and absorb the words.
Format/Typo Issues:
No
significant issues.
Rating: **** Four stars
1 comment:
I read this book last year and found it enjoyable. I liked the high adventure aspect of it and that each character has secrets and mysteries that the reader has to guess at based upon the character's actions. I'll be keeping my eye out for Book 2.
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