Gant is a commoner, forbidden from learning swordsmanship. He trains in spite of the law and ends up branded an outlaw. However fate intervenes while Gant is on the run and soon he is embroiled in an odyssey with forces of darkness that can only be vanquished with help from his friends, not all of whom are human. An epic that delivers the best in the tradition of classic fantasy.
Brumbaugh is a new author to me and one that I will definitely pick up again. I found this book to be riveting and well developed. The world building was detailed and vivid. I enjoyed getting to know Gant and following his journey. If you like epic fantasies packed with imaginative characters and lots of magic, this book is for you. Cannot wait to continue the series!
Fall of the Western Kings (Tirumfall Trilogy Book 1) is a J Drew Brumbaugh is an original fantasy story with a lot of everything to reel you in. The character development and the world building see magic and lots of magical beings come together as a battle ensues with dragons and elves, knights and wizards and evil versus good. The story was a little slow to begin with but soon made up as we get further into the characters and action.
Right from the first word, this story is in a hurry to get going, galloping towards adventure before you’ve had time to strap yourself in. It’s a little dizzying and disorientating and gives you little chance to know the character of Gant before you are following him on his quests. But I can somewhat appreciate this bull-by-the-horns approach that Brumbaugh utilises throughout, putting you right in the quest-leaden shoes of the protagonist who leaves his home, as an outlaw, for the unknown, with only his illegal knowledge of swordplay to keep him from harm. Just as Gant is often in the dark regarding the motivations of others and what path he is meant to follow, so is the reader. I often found myself caught unawares by the turn of events and the fast pace meant that the story moved quickly, not meandering to a standstill as some fantasy stories have a tendency to do (becoming somewhat bogged down by all the lore and political intrigue that often is commonplace in this genre). I did, however, find myself wishing that Brumbaugh meandered just a little, slowing down to focus on the little details that could add some context and texture to both the world and the characters. The world he has created is intriguing and interesting and I found myself a little frustrated that more time wasn’t spent getting to know it, even just a little history or its lore. Also, there were some characters that I really enjoyed reading. I thought their motivations and actions were interesting, but again not much time was given to lingering on these characters before the story moved on and I was swept along with it. This could be coloured by my own reading preferences and for those that enjoy a fast-paced story that hardly gives you time to breathe before it’s onto the next set-piece, then this is the story for you.
I adored many of the side characters, especially Chamz, who you are introduced to early on as Gant’s best friend. This character is witty and cheeky and added a dash of colour and light-heartedness to all parts of the story that he was in. I wish I felt the same love for Gant, but I really didn’t, I’m not sure why, but Brumbaugh wrote Chamz in a natural and easy way that made him incredibly likeable and realistic.
I think Brumbaugh is a very skilled writer and some of the descriptions littered throughout this book are really stunning and wonderfully penned. I want more of them! Again (though this may just be my preference) I was longing for a little stalling in the story to have more of those passages and to linger just a little on the beautiful moments that Brumbaugh had managed to paint with his writing.
I really think that this is worth the read and will definitely read the rest of the trilogy, while I wish it lingered more on final details and gave you a little time to breathe, the story is intriguing and the fact that I want to know more about the world shows how interesting the fantasy Brumbaugh has penned is. While it shares characteristics with many stories within this genre it still manages to find its own voice and carve out its own space, free from cliché. In that way, it doesn’t feel like the tired retelling of fantasies that have gone before, but a new refreshing addition that is well worth sinking your teeth into, just remember to fasten your seatbelt first.