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The BookViral Review:
A kaleidoscope of medieval fantasy Howard returns with book 2 in his Griffin Legends series to once again deliver the kind of rousing, large-scale adventure that marks the best sword and sorcery epics and finds Godfrey’s resolve tested beyond anything he could have imagined.
The best Fantasy novels give us epic battles and yet invariably the action takes second place to their protagonist’s values and desire for justice and this is something Howard brings to the fore in the evolving dynamics between Godfrey de Bastogne and his beau Lady Madeline as they find themselves under siege from High Warlord Alvir and his dark forces.
As with Godfrey’s Crusade, this creates a fabular quality to Howard’s narrative, which not only makes it highly original but transcends the well-trodden line between good and evil as Lady Madeline, frustrated with the limits of her magical abilities, finds herself drawn to malevolent forces in a possessed grimoire!
As with “Godfrey’s Crusade” readers will know they are in good hands with Howard setting a mood that fully immerses the reader in his vividly imagined world. This is underpinned by a plot that catches us up in something bigger than ourselves to remind us that the best Epic Fantasy novels are something to be treasured.
As Howard puts his easily distinguishable characters through their paces he gives us a brutal fusion of angst and action with weapons and wizardry to get our blood up and in a continuation of his series thematic thrust there is treason and tragedy in abundance. We can imagine Godfrey’s stalwart knights on their war horses with broadswords drawn and in his extended battle scenes we are once again reminded of the impossible heroism and gore of which Homer sang in “The Iliad.”
A superb sequel to Godfrey’s Crusade and a must-read for fans of Heroic Fantasy who appreciate originality Godfrey Under Siege is unreservedly recommended!
The term epic has become too freely used in respect of Arthurian Fantasy Fiction but in the case of Godfrey’s Crusade it’s more than warranted with Mark Howard delivering the kind of rousing, large-scale adventure that marks the best sword and sorcery epics.
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