The Kings' AssassinAuthor: Ed CannonGenre: Fiction - Fantasy Date Published: February 28, 2018 ISBN-10: 1984511688 ISBN-13: 9781984511683 Click here to read a sample GoodReads Rating:
4.48 |
The Kings’ Assassin, by Ed Cannon, is a well developed labyrinthine story revolving around Sillik, a young warrior who has been called back by telepathic communication from his father to the kingdom that he had grown up in.. The kingdom is a fictional city named Illicia, which is surrounded by the Weeping Waste desert replete with all types of strange lifeforms, sandfish, sand lizards and even dragons. Sillik’s return finds the city embroiled in a political upheaval that is a threat to his survival. Ed Cannon’s world where the story takes place has its landscape, cities and architecture is reminiscent of the fantastical realms described in Camelot, The Elder Scrolls and the Game of Thrones with a little of the city of Naboo tossed in. Some supernatural phenomenon remindful of Star Wars is interwoven into the city’s architecture, weapons, clothing, and food. Returning home, Sillik learns of the assassination of his father, the king, and his elder brothers. He leaves on a blood quest to find and kill the assassins and to prevent global war. Evil in the form of the Nine Gods of Darkness is locked in battle with the Seven Gods of Law. What is the connection between this eternal battle and the assassinations? That is something that is slowly unraveled in Cannon’s twisted, complex plot as Sillik fights for truth and his life. Sillik’s search for answers to the Kingdom’s upheaval is impeded with battles fought with sword and magic, traps, fearsome monsters, raging elements, and treacherous adversaries. His travels bring him to haunted, deserted cities like Tricon, Lisia and Vouyr that still harbor untamed evil that kills those who venture into their realms. Cannon shapes and defines his characters as believable and with depth. An example of his through characterization is this portrayal of Baldwin, the captain of the guards who finds himself very conscious of his unprofessional appearance. “conscious of his own shabby appearance compared to this dust-covered warrior. Baldwin’s leather was stained and dirty, but that was from drinking in the taverns. He sniffed and smelled the stale odors of drink and unwashed clothing. His hair was greasy and roughly cut. Remnants of last night’s dinner still resided in his gray-streaked beard. He couldn’t remember when the last time he had visited the city’s bathhouses. …He tugged at his worn, cracked leather with a sudden lack of confidence.” Women play major roles in the story and add another intricate layer to Cannon’s storyline. An old friend and competent warrior, Briana, struggles to protect Sillik as she had promised his father. Another woman, Renee, who is romantically close to Sillik is a beautiful, intelligent young damsel who can also be deadly if required. Other women of the court are not as loyal to the deposed king and perhaps hold some responsibility for his assassination. . I enjoyed this well-planned fantasy novel. The plot is layered. The scenes are descriptive but not overly complex to be confusing. Dragons, sand lizards-fearsome creatures with long claws and spikes for teeth, trained for riding if you could stomach their smell, and yana- a huge rare feline, the fiercest of all carnivores enrich the story. Ed Cannon’s imagined world, his paracosm, was painstakingly created by his rich imagination and powerful creative talent. He succeeds in being its creator, its god of creation painting a landscape of a place that resonates with characters, lifeforms, and beings that quickly take root within the reader’s mind. The Kings’ Assassin ends with a twist, and a promise to be continued in The Kings Death, as all good stories should. |
Ed Cannon grew up in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and graduated college with a BS in electrical engineering from Oklahoma State University. He moved from Oklahoma after college to get his first engineering job. His career has been associated with aviation and the certification of aircraft. He has a Third Dan Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do and taught for several years at a local YMCA. He enjoys camping, fishing, and photography. He is married to a Mechanical Engineer and his sons are both engineers. The original idea for this book began while in college. Fifty pages or so were written on an electric typewriter and then later transferred to a Apple IIe. From there, a printout of the story sat, collecting dust, until it was eventually scanned page-by-page and transformed into The Kings' Assassin. Additional stories are planned for this world.
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