Sometimes you just need to read a good adventure story and Relentless Blades, book one of the Prophecies of Zarune, by Russell Carroll is just that. It tells the story of Grimlock, known as Grim, a young ranger tormented by the humans he is trying to protect and desperately trying to find his place in the world, a place where he can be accepted. It also tells the story of Vigilanton, known as Vig, a former knight of Valadon who now works for the local crime lord and is a bit of a rogue. He is trying to navigate his past values and his present life when things get brought to the surface and he is forced to face them. The two end up coming together when the Vragoths, a race with a rather nasty and evil reputation, come to town with a dispute with the Valadian knights about rights to some salvaged antiques. Things take a dangerous turn when the Vragoths reveal that they would do anything to acquire those antiques and that those antiques possibly hold even more dangerous power if used properly.
I rather liked this book mostly because I rather liked the characters. Two people who seem to be radically different are forced to work together in order to potentially save the rest of their world from something horribly dangerous. That being said, the exact specifics of their characters did seem to be rather unoriginal. I’ve seen a lot of characters with backstories similar to Grim’s, especially in regards to the whole half-human and half-something else but accepted by neither thing. The only unfamiliar thing there was the exact race that was used as that was new but a lot of the other elements were pretty similar. It was relatively the same with Vig as well as you frequently see that kind of character, a formally noble and righteous person who for whatever reason is living a life of a rogue but is forced to return to those noble ideals. I will admit I was surprised by the idea that he was forced to abandon the idea of being a knight because he was probably dyslexic. That was a new one for me. However, despite the seeming familiarity with the character archetypes I still greatly enjoyed how these particular ones were developed and fleshed out. I would have liked to see a little bit more for some of the background characters though. The plot line was good and intriguing as well. It had just the right amount of unknown that was gradually revealed with unexpected complications thrown in the way. The story had good pacing and developed with just the right speed. It did a good job of balancing the story with creating the setting and characters as well. I didn’t feel like it was info dumping the story behind the setting and realms and cities within that setting. The information provided was instead blended into the story as it went with just the right amount of detail. Taken all together I ended up enjoying the story but I will also admit that it did not draw me in. It was not the kind of story that you struggle to put down, at least not for me. I am however still happy to give it four out of five stars.
This is a pretty good example of a fantasy adventure novel so if you enjoy that type of work then I suggest you consider trying it out. If you don’t enjoy that kind of work then this book may not be for you. This book does contain the typical violence present in a fantasy adventure novel so that is something to potentially be aware of. However, it is not gratuitous or overdone and is only mildly explicit with minimal references to other mature content. While the book is primarily aimed at an adult audience I would have no issues with recommending it to older teens or young adults. It would probably be unsuitable for readers younger than that though so keep that in mind. Overall, it is a good book and one that you might consider reading. Remember that you are always welcome to share your thoughts in the comments. This book was acquired through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program.