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‘A King’s Quest’ tells the story of one man’s journey as he discovers that he is the rightful heir to the 14 Kingdoms of Kallamar and must accept his responsibility in restoring peace to the land. Damien Daverge, son of the former King who was murdered 10 years ago, departs on a quest to locate the Dragon Rings and prove his true identity. The 14 Kingdoms are presently on the verge of civil war as the land is divided between those who follow the ruling Regent and those who oppose his unjust laws. In a race against time Damien draws on the skills and power he has been instructed in as a battlemage. He must claim his throne before the Regent’s son comes of age and returns the exiled Elvynn Masters to the world, dooming humankind to eternal slavery.

This book immediately grabbed my attention as the author wasted no time in placing the main hero into a sticky situation packed with vividly described action. A number of intriguing characters are quickly introduced and I felt as if I was physically there, watching the interaction between the group members. Unfortunately, although the plot and ideas contained in ‘A King’s Quest’ had captivated me, I was distracted by the shockingly poor grammar and lack of proof-reading which was plainly apparent. Basic mistakes such as using the wrong spelling of a word are inexcusable and make the book difficult to read - I spent a lot of time having to reword sentences in my own head in order to make sense of what the author was trying to say. However, I forced myself to overlook these points after a time and when I focussed solely on the story I was impressed by the way it developed.

Apart from a tendency to ‘over-write’, A.V.Wedhorn has created some amazing images with his original descriptions and soon become caught up in this fantasy world. I think that the author’s strength lies in the faster-paced action sequences, particularly towards the end of the book when the wheel of story-telling never loses momentum. In my opinion the book could have been a lot shorter as a lot of description in the less important sections was repetitive; two consecutive sentences saying the same thing just in a slightly different way. I was also left feeling unsatisfied by the sudden ending and felt that Damien needed to return to the city of Castlekeep to bring a sense of resolution to his quest.

Overall I enjoyed reading this story with its politics, scheming and interesting fight scenes. It provides the reader with an entertaining tale and a perfect amount of complexity so that you eagerly turn the page in order to learn more. I strongly recommend that ‘A King’s Quest’ receive further proof-reading and editing as the writing currently falls far below that expected of a published writer. But with additional work this novel could be a great start to a new series of fantasy books.

Reviewed by Helen Kerslake

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