Synopsis
THE ECHOES OF FATE, A PROPHECY UTTERED UNTO THE WORLD A THOUSAND YEARS AGO, CANNOT BE DENIED…
Mankind has lorded over the land of Illian for a thousand years, building on the ruins left by the elves, as if it were their birthright. A thousand years is a long time for an immortal race to see the truth of things, a truth that has remained unsaid for a millennium – elves are superior. They are faster, stronger and connected to the magical realm in a way that man could never grasp. Illian should belong to them.
Unaware of the shadow that looms in the east, the six kingdoms of man are fractured, unallied, and clawing at each other’s gates for more power.
This isn’t just war set to ravage the land, but a slaughter – the world of man cannot hope to survive.
Thrown into the heart of this war is a man known by many names; an Outlander of the wilds, an assassin, a ranger. Asher was born a thousand years ago, to a life he doesn’t remember. Forty years of brutal training and killing for money has beaten the earliest years of his life away, leaving his ties to the oldest of evils a mystery to all…
Review
Rise of the Ranger is an epic fantasy series by Philip C. Quaintrell that starts with an absolutely incredible prologue and the ball just keeps rolling. This is classic fantasy done right. I was impressed by the amount of POV characters which at first was overwhelming, but Quaintrell weaved these stories perfectly.
I was astounded with the sheer scope of the novel and can tell that there’s already so much left to explore and I am here for this journey. I’m a fan of how these characters are written and whilst there is a lot to read, I have a feeling this will all pay off in other novels. This is a massive 9 book series that I’m sure will reward those who read it. There were times that I wish I had more character chapters because I was enjoying them so much, but you can tell that this is an epic journey and Quaintrell expertly sets the stage for the overarching story.
The character work here was where Quaintrell found his feet. Asher, although only one of the main characters, has a lot of layers that are just opening, and I’m intrigued to find out more. Nathaniel and Reyna have a great dynamic and we are only just starting to see what they are capable of. We have betrayal, traitors and conflict all unravelling and Quaintrell has hit the mark with how brilliantly written these characters are. Elves play an important role and it’s great to see Quaintrell expand on people and cultures. Doing so, we see everything from a different perspective, and it really opens what we think is happening.
Some of the dialogue and scenes felt abrupt, mainly the romance and whilst I don’t mind romance in novels it felt like a rush to establish this. I’m also eager to see how the villain plays out as they felt tropey at the end. The ending itself was fantastically orchestrated. Heartbreaking and heroic, Quaintrell isn’t afraid to do what is necessary which makes for an exciting, but scary, read.
This is a series that has classic tropes but sets the tone for modern fantasy. This is setting out to be a massive undertaking but one I am eager to continue.
Leave a Reply