Leonard Last

A quick, fun epic fantasy story

The Liberator is a fairly quick, self-contained epic fantasy story. In true epic fantasy style, a Chosen One must travel to the Forgotten Lands to free a goddess and save the world. The story, although “generic” in its bones, was well-told, with a unique set of deities and some interesting lore. I had some nitpicks about the writing: the prose is very plain and can be repetitive at times; the plot moves very quickly in places and due to the speed, it seems like characters are unrealistically accepting of some pretty dramatic revelations; the dialogue can be a bit choppy or unnatural in places; there are also some typos and instances of the wrong word being used, although it was usually pretty obvious what it was intended to be (e.g. “executor” is used instead of “executioner”). Aside from my complaints regarding dialogue, the characters were engaging, and I enjoyed the journeys they undertook. History of the world is given to the reader as chapter openers in the form of excerpts from in-world books or letters. Although this isn’t a new idea, I felt that it was executed well, and gave a broad understanding of the world and lore without feeling like a lecture.

Readers who like a simple epic fantasy would enjoy this. It’s a fun story in the traditional style and world, but with some twists and unique elements. Readers who get bogged down in details, or who appreciate very simple prose would likely enjoy this, too. It would possibly be appropriate for younger readers due to its simple style, depending on your views on violence and assassination as a career. Violence and sex, while both present in this book, aren’t ever gruesomely detailed or drawn out in long scenes, so readers who prefer avoiding those might check out this book.… (altro)