Fanboys Anonymous

Edward Harry is awfully full of pride. He has received tutelage in writing, uncommon for someone of his class in this time, and it's his nature to set a  magnificently high bar of morality for himself. In fact, everything about him seems to be the real deal. That is, everything except his name. Having answered to "boy" until he was a young adult, he chooses his own name, insisting on the importance of it being a strong and meaningful one. This was a significant scene in my opinion because it introduced the sort of person Edward Harry is. After little reading it becomes clear that, no matter what decision lies ahead of this man, he shares his trajectory, for the most part, with the straight arrow. His only shortcoming is his inability to hold his tongue when he should, although generally even that seems almost a strength.

However straight an arrow Edward might be, he is apparently subject to peer pressure and thus finds himself on a short scenic sailing trip with a young wayward Irishman, Calveigh, despite his master's wishes that he not keep the young man's company. It turns out that Calveigh has quite a bit more character than anyone expected, and the two become good friends on their journey—a scenic journey that turns into a fantasy crossing from the world of men into the unnatural world of elves, fairies, and other myths.

This crossing leads the young men to sights far beyond those in their wildest dreams and into situations far beyond those in their ugliest nightmares. Rather than being introduced to a world of graceful elves and wondrous fairies, Edward Harry and his friend walk head first into a place where humankind is either not welcome or welcome only for the purpose of servitude in the slave trade. The elves have the attitudes of cared-for kings, believing themselves superior and deserving simply because they are elves. Thus they have raised their kind onto pedestals from which they spit down on the masses. Edward Harry spits back, however, even when he is afraid.

This book is a part of The Elven Wars trilogy, a series that tells the story of Edward Harry and his rise from his lowly class within this new world to the commander of a great army against half of the elven population marked by their tainted snobbery. It WILL be epic.

This story is the best high fantasy story I have read to date…ever. Because it is set so long ago, it is written to sound very old English. Edward Harry is a smartass, and he tends to stay under the skin of those attempting to exert their "God given" dominance over him. I absolutely loved this story. I loved the personalities of the main characters, I enjoyed the humor and the shenanigans and I laughed at some of the nonsense in this great read. If you like epic fantasies, this is a must read. Tell me what you think downstairs.