Flame of Deception

The Wielders of Power

Book One

A "sword and sorcery" type story (one of my favorite genres). The opening entry of a series (I don't see any info as to how many books to expect), The Wielders of Power. And an excellent start it is. 

Set in a preindustrial, medieval land, our heroes are drawn into a situation in which the "fate of the world hangs in the balance" (my quote, not from the book). The four protagonists: Ron, the leader of the troupe, Grant, his best friend, Nora, Ron's romantic interest (If he can screw up the courage to tell her) and Shaw an older more experienced advisor.

The story is this bands quest to stop an evil practitioner of a long thought extinct power (the Flame). For an epic fantasy I find Flame of Deception to be more intricately crafted than most. The reader is treated to a tale filled with twists, turns, secrets and surprises. This supports my policy of not sharing spoilers; the reader deserves the pleasure of discovering these plot devices for themselves.

A morality tale; Flame of Deception leaves the reader to try and identify the good versus the evil. As in real life these concepts are not so clearly defined as one might think. Deciding where each character falls on the moral continuum is left to the reader. As a reader I appreciate this being left to me. I don't like to be led by the nose through a story. 

A couple minor points: first, I don't see a resolution of a particular conflict which is usually a part of a series, each book usually answers some minor part of the overarching plot. Thankfully, there is no cliffhanger to contend with (thank you Mr. Trevizo). Second, and infinitely less important, The name of our main hero "Ron", really, Ron?! He is following in the footsteps of mythic historic figures named Taroth and Thalom. Truly awesome names for epic figures. And now our new epic hero is: Ron?!! Oh well, who am I to question the author, it is after all, his story to tell. And I am glad I get to read it, so I'll shut up now.

I truly enjoyed Flame of Deception: The Wielders of Power Book One. If you enjoy "sword and sorcery" tales, I think you will enjoy this first installment of an epic fantasy series.

Enjoy!

Mike