#BlogTour ‘The Fury Of Kings’ by R.S Moules

About the book…

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…

Race through the pages of an epic new series and enter a world of intrigue, battles and destiny that will leave you breathless. The Erland Saga is a classic fantasy adventure, perfect for fans of George R.R. Martin, John Gwynne and Raymond E. Feist.

My thanks to the lovely Noelle Holton at Bookouture’s imprint, Second Sky Books, who invited me to participate in the blogtour for ‘The Fury Of Kings’ by R.S Moule which is published in paperback and e-book from May 12th!

Erland is a country divided in half by the Pale River, an uneasy and hard fought for peace keeping both halves united under King Hessian. It exists -I think- in the foothills of a mountain that has no summit, at least not one that anyone has found when the book starts. Until, that is, his son, Jarhick is killed, not in war, but by someone who despite being surrounded by bodyguards and soldiers, got close enough to stab him with a poisoned blade. A painful and protracted death taking 10 days to conclude, leaves Hessian with a daughter and no heir, as well as a heap of problems.

As with many fantasy worlds, the lineage is patriarchal so as soon as that drop of royal blood hits the water, sharks begin to circle.

Hessian’s enemies sense weakness. His daughter, Halena, is unmarried. His enemy’s son is betrothed to a girl who would make not only an increased sense of danger to the Erland Throne, but also Andrick Barrelbreaker, Hessian’s brother. Coming up with the notion to gazump Prindian’s matrimonial plans, Hessian believes he can still hold onto his throne. But will it really be that simple when the first chapter of an almost 600 page fantasy novel reveals poisoning , plotting and prophecy? I think not…

It must be incredibly difficult in this post GRRM world, for fantasy writers to create a world without being referred back in reference to a man who is a titan of the field. It leads to high expectations and shortfalls, however, what it has shown is that there is an appetite for massive, sprawling world building, and that schemes, shenanigans and supernatural undertones will always be in fashion.

The women we are introduced to are initially seen as adjuncts to the males, either as daughters or wives of, and that limited viewpoint really comes back to bite the men in the arse time and time again as they ignore sensible advice, or pass ideas of as their own-see Pherri as the book reader, the learner, who suggests from her own research into lineage that uncle Hessian marries Lady Ciera Istlewick as one of many examples, as her father, Andrick, tells Hessian he thought of it himself. Then you have Halena, the daughter of Hessian who is left vulnerable to unwanted attention after her brother’s death. A Cersei-esque figure of Lady Breta Prindian rounds out, for this reader, the most memorable women from the novel. Her ambition knows no bounds and she seems an early contender as commissioner of the poisoned blade.

As this world wobbles on its axis, however, a deeper and darker power begins to make itself known , setting up a climatic battle between men, and more.

Knee deep in mythology and world building, the only gripe I would have about getting lost in Erland is that I would have loved some maps, and family trees. I read an e-book ARC but definitely will look into getting a paperback as I found it a very long book for my old eyes to cope with(although with an e-book, it was easier to look up names of people , there is quite the cast of characters!)

For such a big book it does fly by at pace, there is a necessary amount of exposition for it being the world building initial outing, however, the setup for book 2 is really well placed to leave you wanting more. I really enjoyed it and appreciated the care and planning which went into alternating the viewpoints of the chapters, the multiple protagonists providing a rounded viewpoint of this brand new world,

About the author…

R.S. Moule (‘Roger’) lives in South London with his wife Eloise and their cat Tinks.

He has a passion for writing epic fantasy grounded by human flaws and desires, set in worlds inspired by a childhood divided between his home in the soft, rolling hills of the Cotswolds and summers spent exploring the rugged coastline and deep glens of the Isle of Man.

When not reading or writing, he can often be found playing guitar, watching football, or looking for his keys.

Twitter @RS_Moule @SecondSkyBooks