Clansman: Invoking the Darkness

In this brisk first Mapper epic fantasy, Buckingham (Impasse) introduces Ian Krystal, a shrewd and calculating leader of a band of Hilltopper clansmen. Ian has been summoned to Abrogan by the new king, Blackpool, to build roads and tame the inhabitants. What he finds are villagers who worship cats, a bog filled with cannibals, and a royal court led by a drunken teen, Lord Bryce. After brokering peace with the cannibals, Ian, his brothers, and a secretive scribe join Lord Hodge, aggressive commander of the Green army, to clear the bog of monsters. When the fight goes poorly, it is left to Ian to clean up the mess and secure the safety of the road. His actions soon put him on the wrong side of the lords—and of Blackpool. Fans of action-driven fantasy epics will enjoy this story as long as they don’t require too much in the way of character development. (BookLife)