The Fury of Kings - R S Moule

 

'In the shadow of Eryispek—a mountain said to have no summit—a dark power is stirring. Storms rage in the frozen heights. Unexplained disappearances shake the kingdom below. And old enemies are sharpening their swords…

Andrick the Barrelbreaker first led an army at sixteen.

His victories secured the throne of Erland for his brother and shattered the rebellious noble houses in the West. Decades later, a fragile peace still holds.

But when the king’s only son is murdered, Erland is plunged into crisis. The new heir will stop at nothing to secure his claim. The king, maddened by grief, stalks the halls and hidden passages of his keep, growing more unpredictable by the day.

As war and magical disaster loom, Andrick must decide between protecting his family and marching out to serve a brother he barely recognizes.

His children must also choose their destinies.

Training in the practice yard every day, Orsian dreams of fighting beside his father. Now, for the first time, he faces the brutal reality of battle.

And Pherri is haunted by very different dreams—of figures struggling up the mountain, of a voice more chilling than the wind, of blood on the snow. Only she can resist the darkness that waits on the slopes above…'

It can be detrimental at times to be compared to the likes of Feist, Martin and Gwinn (seems every other book that comes out namechecks at least one of these) but sometimes that new author or series can live up to the hype. Thankfully Moule's The Fury of Kings (TFoK) is one of those that does. 

Set in the land of Erland, watched over by a seemingly topless mountain this could be any fantasy setting but there's something about the way Moule sets a scene that makes it that little bit more real. As it is the start of a new series there is quite a slow and steady start to the book (which is something I personally like) but once it gets going the hooks are in and the pages almost turn themselves. Watching the story unfold through the eyes of the different character viewpoints, both adult and child, works well and, thankfully, the magical element is there but not in a "here's a problem, here's a spell, problem solved" way. Each character brings their own thing to the table and the story is richer, stronger for that.

So, did I enjoy it? I most certainly did, just my cup of tea and I cannot wait for the next part.

I'm going to give it 4/5* just because I am expecting even better from the author as the series progresses so I need to be able to give later books more stars to acknowledge that but it is certainly Highly Recommended. 

Seriously . . . go buy this now, you know it makes sense