DARK LORD RISING

In the fantasy world of Alamptria, knights use magic swords to do battle with vampires in Worthington’s debut novel, the first in a planned series.

Once upon a time, lizardlike creatures called Kongorfs conquered the land of Elysium and its human inhabitants. An elf named Grongone singlehandedly ends the occupation, thanks to the power of his magical claymore, and after a few centuries, humans and Krongorfs even become allies. But then civil war breaks out due to a group of separatists called Bramonians who refuse to worship Jesus Christ or obey Elysium’s king. As the struggle continues, Grongone realizes that a new evil force is on the rise, so he forges three magical claymores and searches for worthy souls to wield them. He eventually gives them to the Seaton brothers: Andromin, Caprius and Dragus. The loyalist Elysians finally triumph over the Bramonians, but in the process, they lose their king to assassination. The Seaton brothers’ father, Confidus, becomes the new king, but no sooner does he assume the throne than strange occurrences send his three sons on a quest for answers. They discover that an undead monster named Makoor is rallying an army of vampires to take over the world. As the brothers fight them, they come to realize that there’s more to their magical claymores than they’d ever realized, and they try to uncover the weapons’ secrets with the help of Grongone’s four intelligent monkey servants. Meanwhile, the prince of the vampires decides to strike at the brothers’ loved ones. At its best, this novel reads like fantasy fan fiction. However, it’s hampered by awkward similes (“making love like minks”) and bizarre plot zigzags. Overall, it’s a pale imitation of great high fantasy epics, with irredeemably evil foes who can be slaughtered without moral qualms, an all-powerful, deus ex machina wizard, and a beautiful maiden in a villain’s clutches, waiting for rescue. In the end, readers may find that its highly derivative storytelling and bland characterization leave a great deal to be desired.

An ambitious but unsuccessful fantasy tale.