Evaluation Essay

Pascual Lewis

ENGL 110

Professor Plummer

9 November 2021

Evaluation Essay

We have all heard that reading a book can be like stepping into another world. Of course, in fantasy books, the reader is usually taken into a magical and thrilling world ruled by kings and queens with heroes battling unstoppable monsters. No matter what genre a book is all readers can agree that every good book should have an engaging plot, relatable characters, and vivid settings. One of the best fantasy books released in 2021 was The Coward by Stephen Aryan because it had the critical elements that made a great book and stands out from most fantasy books released in 2021. The book is about a past hero that unwillingly goes on a quest to save his world. This may seem like the outline for a basic plot, but the way the characters react and how unusual events occur creates a unique book.

The plot of The Coward cannot be predicted and is constantly being changed by the introduction of new characters or events. In other books, there are often predictable situations that the character is put in. For example, just when you think a significant character is about to die, they are miraculously saved. However, this book has significant characters that die and do not make heroic sacrifices. These unpredictable events make conflicts of right and wrong more intense. Also, new characters’ decisions are constantly changing the story and at the same time helping the reader discover why or how things happened. Since new characters are being introduced throughout the entire book it seems like the plot can go anywhere.

Another reason The Coward is a good book is that every reader will have a character to identify with. Some books seem to only have a few significant characters that the reader gets a chance to learn about and most of them aren’t relatable at all. Fantasy books always seem to have those characters that are invincible and cannot do wrong. In The Coward, every character is important and distinctive and we get to see how they all react to certain situations. The characters make realistic decisions when they are in danger, which makes them more relatable to readers. Common feelings of being scared, lonely, and mad that most people would feel in an intense situation are seen in each character. Other books suggest that heroes never feel pain and can always see a way out. This book gives a more accurate representation of how people would react in a scary situation. The author, Stephen Aryan, said in an interview that he based a few characters on the interactions that he had with soldiers with PTSD (Semel). Instead of focusing so much on the vicious battle with the monsters, the reader gets to see how the struggle within can be most frightening. When compared to other books, The Coward uses every character to connect with the readers.

Most fantasy books focus on one setting while The Coward switches between multiple different settings. The different settings keep the book from getting bland and repetitive. Fantasy books tend to have the setting in a medieval kingdom, deserted land, or someplace out of this world like in the sky with the gods. These settings can be interesting but staying in the same few settings for an entire book can become boring. In The Coward, the characters are seen in all types of settings as they travel through five kingdoms. For instance, in the first 40 pages, the book introduces three major settings. The first setting is in a rural area, then switches to a kingdom full of people with spectacular buildings, and later the setting of a corrupt city. The reader also gets to see different seasons and climate conditions that the characters must face. The switching of settings throughout the book helps keep the reader interested.

Some major problems in fantasy books that make them uninteresting are the use of basic cliches, bland, two-dimensional characters, or too much action and too little story. Fortunately, The Coward stays away from these characteristics of a dull fantasy.

Works Cited

Aryan, Stephen. The Coward. London, Angry Robot, 2021.

Semel, Paul. “Exclusive Interview: The Coward Author Stephen Aryan.” Paulsemel.com,

7 June 2021. https://paulsemel.com/exclusive-interview-the-coward-author-stephen-aryan/. Accessed 5 Nov. 2021.