Publication Date: February 15, 2016
Elinor is a lieutenant in the Kings Army when she finds her fellow soldiers slaughtered outside of the city gates. She embarks on a quest of justice.
[easyazon_link identifier=”B01AKTACDK” locale=”US” tag=”rabidreaders-20″]Broken Banners[/easyazon_link] is the second book in the Reaper of Stone; An Echo of the Ascended series.
King and Gelineau have built a world in Aederon with callbacks to classic works of the genre but has a wholly unique feel. The novella is a panoply of battle scenes framed beautifully and given purpose by the stunning motives of its heroine counterbalanced by a dark adversary.
Elinor is a rarity in the fantasy genre. She is a powerful female, intelligent and savvy. We are not simply told that she is a badass; we see that quality in action. While [easyazon_link identifier=”B01AKTACDK” locale=”US” tag=”rabidreaders-20″]Broken Banners[/easyazon_link] is an easy stand-alone read. I can’t help but think that readers would benefit from reading “Reaper of Stone” (the first novella in the series–I got mixed up and read this one first) first as an introduction to Elinor. As richly written as her character is in [easyazon_link identifier=”B01AKTACDK” locale=”US” tag=”rabidreaders-20″]Broken Banners[/easyazon_link], I think some of her motivation could be revealed in the first book. King and Gelineau, despite penning an earlier work in the series, made the rare choice in a novella of truly developing their characters while not cheating the reader on a story.
This is the second novella I’ve read written by these authors. It’s impressive how much information they pack into a fast-moving and relatively short work. In 90 pages they give us a segment of the history of a world and characters placed in it that feel in no way abbreviated. Elinor has a keen sense of loss, a thirst for justice that feels as though it has a place in her world. At the end of [easyazon_link identifier=”B01AKTACDK” locale=”US” tag=”rabidreaders-20″]Broken Banners[/easyazon_link] we know the story will continue but aren’t left with a sense of a read unfinished.
Fantasy lovers of all ages should give the work of King and Gelineau a look. Their stories are well written, quick and packed with the sort of well-written action and unique characters readers crave.
You can read an excerpt and buy Broken Banners by Mark Gelineau and Joe King on:
Amazon U.S. • Amazon U.K. • Amazon Canada
For more information about Mark Gelineau and Joe King and his work, visit their website. You can connect with them on Facebook and Twitter @GELINEAUandKING. You can also find Mark Gelineau and Joe King on Goodreads.