A Company of Adventurers is a character driven sword and sorcery novel, and wow what a great range and depth of characters. From the blurb you’ll read a little about Talen, the retired legend back for one last job purely to set his family on a path to a better life. But I think there’s much more than the financial need. Our hero wants to remember the thrill of the chase, and to be seen once more as a legendary adventurer by a world that remembers his exploit’s, but now sees him only as an aged farmhand. He has plenty of self-doubt as he hangs up his pitchfork and buckles on his enchanted sword. And that worked well, making him relatable and likable.
As the title suggests, the tale is set around a company and Talen is but one of the great people you’ll meet along the way. I really enjoyed Dianne. A strong female thief who backs up her boasts with uncanny ability, sharp wits, and a skill with throwing knives. But it’s certainly not a ‘gentleman thief’ world that honed Dianne’s tradecraft, and she has plenty of problems to test her including a love for the drink. Alongside the thief and the fighters stands Mick, a mage whose magic lives in the earth element. Powerful, intelligent, and ready to get the job done he nevertheless still needs his Berserker brother to protect his back with his sword and the speed and strength of magic mushrooms.
The story starts quite slow as we get to know the background of the characters and their reasons for getting in on the quest but builds up speed nicely. There’s quite a bit of internal dialogue, which I find can hold up the story somewhat, but the author does a great job of creating individual and unique voices for each of the characters and the roles they play.
The sword part of the genre really kicks in once the group comes together and the action is smoothly written and expertly choreographed. And while there are darker themes playing out there isn’t any graphic content, making it a novel that can be widely enjoyed.
The world building is clear everywhere and the reading really gets a sense of it playing out in the background as each chapter starts with the date from the worlds calendar, a proverb or popular saying for some of the folk who live in the universe the author has created, and a fantastically detailed glossary.
As with any story there are always one or two points the reader would have liked to see a little different and I’ll end this review with a couple. I would have liked to see more of the bad guys. Not their conflicts with the good guys but more of their background, society, hierarchy, and the actions that make them the bad guys. Also, the story ended too abruptly in my opinion. It’s quite clear that this is the first book in a series, and I’m excited to see how it continues, but it didn’t feel like a book had ended, leaving me ready for the next instalment. It just felt a little unnatural, with nothing wrapped up, or a definitive end to the first book in what looks to be a very worthy series.
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Top reviews from other countries
Martin Owton
Character-driven D&D-derived quest fantasy
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 3, 2023