A BookViral Review Of Fyrgo By John D. Owen

• ASIN: ‎ B09MM7LTZF
• Language: ‎ English
• Print length: ‎ 418 pages
• Genre: Epic Fantasy

The BookViral Review:

With all the action and camaraderie of classic Epic Fantasy outings, Fyrgo gets off to a quick start and doesn’t let up until the final chapter.

Book 1 in Owen’s Aleutherun’s Tale series it also has a lot of zest, humour, energy and swordplay; it’s fun, and not an insult to the intelligence.

Underpinning this is Owen’s somewhat irreverent tone that keeps the mood light whilst respecting his characters and not simply using them for dialogue breaks between action sequences. To this end, they are given just the right amount of back history, not too little and not too much which in turn creates an overarching sense of purpose and an uncompromising emotional centre to his plot.

At plot level, “Fyrgo” is never boring and relentlessly unpredictable with action, intrigue and suspense elements merging together to create a story that is rich and satisfying.

One of the common failings of Epic Fantasy fiction is that in creating characters that are larger than life there isn’t room left for complexity or depth but that’s not the case here and in Fyrgo we find a character who is not only likeable and deserving of empathy but courts an air of fatalism. His path seems predestined from the moment he wounds Diarchos’ wagon driver and yet Owen keeps us guessing as to Fyrgo’s fate till the very end.

However, a great read in any genre must go beyond its lead protagonists and this is where Owen really comes into his own. Fyrgo and Diarchos deserve top billing, but a host of powerful auxiliary characters like Rhiya, Cherno and Skylar create a rich tapestry of players that are hard to forget and add a measure of intrigue that proves wholly enthralling. This extending to a cracking ending where his readers are rewarded with a wonderful mix of pathos and glory which will touch the most hardened of hearts,

A deeply layered and exhilarating read that ensnares the imagination, Fyrgo proves a remarkable five-star debut and is recommended without reservation.