Book Review: The Servant of the Manthycore

I had the pleasure of finishing Michael Ehart’s The Servant of the Manthycore recently. I’ve decided to make it my first ever book review.

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Reviewed Book The Servant of the Manthycore Double-Edged Publishing The Author Michael Ehart, http://mehart.blogspot.com/ Where to Purchase Double-Edged Publishing or Amazon.com

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Review

The Servant of the Manthycore is a compilation of several short stories featuring a tragic, morally equivocal, but truly likable warrior woman, a complete bad ass in a very small package who reminds us that we often do beautiful and awful things for love because we are human and cannot help it. The stories are terrificly paced, filled with plenty of sword-and-sorcery action, and leave the reader pondering in the mist between right and wrong.

Midway through the book, when the Servant is sent on a quest involving rubies and herbs, readers who find themselves thinking, “Didn’t I see this in a video game?” will be quickly reminded that the background stories from all of those role-playing games are rooted in mythology. And Ehart skillfully treads the familiar ground of old myths while blazing a trail for a new one. This is part of what great fantasy is all about.

I do wish Ehart would have fleshed out the setting a tad more. I feel he could have described the Middle Eastern Bronze Age in greater detail while maintaining the swift movement of the story–though this is a delicate balance. Despite this, Ehart imbues Servant with the gritty flavor of the Pulp Era while maintaining his own distinct and modern style. Readers who enjoy the stories and style of Robert E. Howard, Harold Lamb, and other historical fiction authors from the early 20th century will enjoy this book, as will readers of modern fantasy.

I definitely recommend it.