The One Kingdom - Sean Russell

The One Kingdom is a well-crafted story. And more than that, it reflects upon the nature of stories, on their import and their inevitability. As almost all fantasy novels are these days, it is part of a series, the first in what is to be 'The Swan's War Trilogy', and as far as I can tell, the first published work of its author, Sean Russell. And it's a cracker. Many of the traditional elements of fantasy are here, but at no time do they seem to descend to the level of cliché: innocent outsiders thrown into a world beyond their understanding, unknown creatures with symbolic meaning, pursuit by ... more

Sean Russell's 'One Kingdom' is the first installment of his new fantasy adventure, which introduces the believable and mystical world of magic, mages and bards. The story moves swiftly with plenty of action to hold the readers attention. The main charcters are interesting and thoroughly explored allowing the reader to understand and empathise with the struggles they encounter. Occasionally the plot becomes too complex which leaves the reader struggling, but for the most part is easily understood. Also, many characters are introduced throughout the course of the story and at times it becomes ... more