4.0 out of 5 stars
Dark, compelling page turner, January 30, 2011
This review is from: The Hands of Aldulan - Heart of Malifess - Book Three (Kindle Edition)
Author Eric Radulski has crafted a compelling, action-packed trilogy in The Hands of Aldulan that is often as dark and disturbing as it is exciting. A classic good vs. evil fantasy, the writing is visually evocative, bringing both the cities and the wilderness to life and populating it with believable characters. While drawing from familiar fantasy tropes, the characters are realistic, struggling with their own flaws, and with and against each other, and they continue to develop over the course of the trilogy. They have back stories - and futures they may or may not live to see. There is a mythology to the world as well, which is, of course, central to the story, but Radulski is able to build his universe and its creation with the same briskness that he handles his excellent battle sequences, avoiding the long, drawn-out exposition that sometimes weighs down fantasy novels. Which is great, because what he does best is write really great, easy to visualize, action scenes, especially battles full of grim and gruesome details. Violence and gore abound, and Radulski revels in no-holds-barred depictions of the damage and chaos of war. Perhaps most successfully of all, he doesn't shy from the fact that war, even when the cause is righteous, does not come without its own bitter tolls, even to its heroes.
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