Reader's Review: "Son Of No One" by Daryl J Ball

 
Synopsis from Amazon:

Kar is a survivor. As a half-human, half-elf, he is a walking target. Since the human invasion, the myriad races of Mibekel hate anything associated with their old rivals. That includes Kar. Bitter over his fate, he undertakes a journey...to kill his human father. To cross the Barrier, a mystical boundary that separates Mibekel from the humans, Kar steals a powerful gem that negates magic. That choice pits him against a powerful sorcerer--a sorcerer who wants the gem and will stop at nothing to get it. With bodies piling up, Kar has to take a stand. After everything he has endured, he might be the only one capable of saving Mibekel and its people.

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My Review:

It's been a long time since I've read a sword-and-sorcery fantasy that was less than 300 pages--and Daryl Ball packs an epic amount of adventurous shenanigans, murderous magical intrigue, and long-standing Elvish grudges in just under half the time!

Son of No One plunges the reader right in the midst of Kar's attempt to escape some goblin vandals who would like to pilfer "that which he's rightfully stolen" (to quote The Princess Bride)--and the pace keeps going right until the very last. This book is short enough to read in one or two sittings... And for an avid reader, two might not altogether be necessary.

One of the pitfalls of writing a story in this way, with the space being so limited and the economies of words to consider, is that if the writer isn't strong enough, they might end up sacrificing emotional impact and character development in an attempt to keep things short and neat.

Ball doesn't--in fact, the emotional notes strike true in just the right moments, even while I was waiting to reach the end and still be wondering how I felt about the characters. In just a few short sentences, Ball gives us a measure of each of his characters, from the nameless cleric to Kar's Elvish half-brother who swings in to save his neck and then bids him adieu near the start of the book as Kar heads deeper into trouble he is only just beginning to understand. The same deft hand that kept me absolutely hooked on the quaint ramblings of an ancient vampire in The Tannis Project strung me along a little like Kar, moving the action across the countryside of Mibekel, with an eclectic variety of beings to hinder him along the way, from kobolds to hill-giants!

I feel like I've just been through some sort of initiation into the world of Mibekel--introductions have been made, lines have been drawn, lives have been taken, and you better believe I'm solidly on "Team Karantu" for the foreseeable future! Son Of No One earns a glittering, cracking *****5 STARS***** from me, and here's to the journey that has only just begun!

Further Reading: (Also By This Author/Epic Sword-And-Sorcery)

The Tannis Project--Daryl J. Ball

The Chronicles of Lorrek--Kelly Blanchard
        -Someday I'll Be Redeemed 
        -I Still Have A Soul 
        -I'm Still Alive 
        -Do You Trust Me? 
        -You Left Me No Choice 
        -They Must Be Stopped

Talented Series--Amy Hopkins
     -A Drop of Dream 
     -A Dash of Fiend 
     -A Splash of Truth

-Dawn of Destiny--Amy Hopkins and Michael Anderle

-A Spell in the Country--Morgan Smith

The Shaudrey Universe Series--J. E. Mueller
       -Fire's Song