The Royal Champion

I initially became aware of this series after seeing a post in the David Gemmell Facebook group, that the first book, The Swordsman's Lament, was on offer on the Kindle store for 99 pence. As the author is also a member of that group and Gemmell is one of his influences, I decided to go and check it out. In doing so I found the synopsis intriguing, which coupled with an appealing cover was enough for me to buy it.

It was either the same day or the next day, that the author put up a post of his own stating that anyone who subscribed to his newsletter would receive the prequel novella for free, so that's what I did.

It took me nearly eighteen months to read through the books on my TBR pile that I had bought before this, but on getting to it I was not disappointed. Though it is a fairly short novel, it does deliver an engaging story full of compelling characters, who are immediately likeable, though some less so by the end. 

The plot is carefully thought out with actions taken by the characters having real consequences, which don't just disappear when it is inconvenient to the plot, giving a nicely balanced tale full of mystery and tension, with a satisfying conclusion. 

The prequel is a concise story too, but the characters introduced in it all have personalities that are well defined, which together with a well-structured plot make this a quick and entertaining read.