Heroes WantedHeroes Wanted by Allen Donnelly

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have enjoyed reading this, and laughed out loud in places too. A fantasy tale with a different, not a serious quest for honour and glory, but a wry and humourous take on the genre from the point of view of a young woman who has inherited the Dragon’s Flight pub in a village called Heroes Rest, the last stop before the adventuring in the mountains begins.

The humour is laced through the story, and reminds me very much of some of Terry Pratchett‘s earlier works. The world Allen Donnelly has created is believable and seems real. It has fantastical bits, there are elves and dwarves as customers, but these are background mostly. There’s also a dragon which is sort of foreground too. However these are a natural part of the background for the story which is really made by the characters. These are wonderfully observed, and although a range of stereotypes are initially deployed, these develop over the course of the story into fuller rounder people.

If you are a Pratchett fan, or perhaps a Tom Holt fan, then I would strongly recommend that you get a copy of this and read it, I’m sure that you will enjoy it.

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