Customer Reviews

The Hands of Aldulan - [Book One: Kingdom of the Necromancer]

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4 star:		(3)
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I really enjoyed this book. After a somewhat slow start, I had trouble putting it down until I was finished. Radulski shows promise as an up-and-coming author, and I'm excited to read the next two books.

I will admit that the first few chapters made me a little skeptical and I didn't expect to actually finish reading it, let alone the next two. However, once I got a few chapters in (I don't recall exactly when, as it has been a while since I read the book), I was hooked. The book definitely gets better and better the further in you get, and when I finished I was frustrated because I knew he hadn't finished the second book in the series and I would have to wait. If I had all three books at once, I would have plowed right through to the end. Of course, now I am a little perturbed as the author forgot to let me know when the second book was actually published. I guess I'll have to scratch him off the Christmas card list...

Overall, I though the book was great, especially for an author's first book. If the progression of this book is any indication, Radulski shows definite promise as becoming a great fantasy author. If you are a fan of fantasy novels, this is for you, although I would not recommend this book for young readers, as there is a decent amount of graphic violence.

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.

Kingdom of the Necromancer
Eric A. Radulski
Double Dragon Publishing, Inc
ISBN: 1-55404-394-8
Fiction, Fantasy
Reviewed by Dr. Tami Brady for TCM Reviews
Posted by Eric A. Radulski for your reference.

The wizard Aldulan had lived for many ages before and after the coming of the mortals. In fact, it was his fascination with the short lifespan of these beings that caused the wizard to create clocks. Unfortunately with the mortals came a threat of darkness. It was this dread that caused Aldulan to create his greatest invention, the Clock of Aldulan. This was unlike any other invention. Held within this clock were all Aldulan's magic, all his knowledge, and all his hope for mankind. Its use caused the Undoing, a fresh start for the world.

A thousand years later, Aldulan's great hope for mankind has died. The Undoing did not get rid of evil. The immortal beings once bound in Malifess now press their borders. Their sole intent is the destruction of all of Arioc. What's more, pieces of the Clock of Aldulan which had been taken apart and spread throughout the world, are now finding their way into the hands of the enemy. Who knows what kind of chaos this could cause. The world's only hope lies with a group of Holders, people whose ancestors were given the duty of safely keeping a piece of the Clock of Aldulan.

Kingdom of the Necromancer is book one of The Hands of Aldulan series. I believe the series has a good deal of potential. The storyline is classic. The characters are interesting with much potential in their interactions. An extremely cool fight scene with a gordrake at the start of the book foreshadows even better scenes to come once the Holders actually reach the tower at Tur-Loghan.

This is a fantastic story. I can't wait to read all 3 books together. Better than Lord of the Rings.