What Midwest Book Review had to say about Hælend's Ballad...
If you are curious as to whether or not Hælend’s Ballad is a book you would enjoy, be sure to read this wonderful review (which will be officially published in December) from D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review. I believe she captured the essence of my novel very well:
“Hælend's Ballad is an epic fantasy that will delight fans of Lord of the Rings and other works more than lightly steeped in a sense of place and purpose.
No light read, it's a tale of dark places, dark hearts, and a quest that joins three unlikely comrades in a world-confronting journey where their choices and impact do not always make them the good guys.
The first feature to note is the exquisite sense of place that opens the story with powerful atmosphere: "Stepping through the open entryway, the smell of sour milk and lantern oil filled Eilívur’s nose. Several Sunderian men, clothed in brown leather tunics and jerkins, sat at the bar. As with just about everyone else in Sunder, they looked like poor farmers. One man, with a leathery face, smiled, revealing his toothless gums. Another man chewed on something, probably tobacco."
Ian Conrey's ability to bring alive this backdrop, injecting three very different characters whose perspectives of the world work at cross purposes to not only each other, but their own best interests, is part of what makes Hælend's Ballad a compelling force to contend with.
Fantasy readers who look for satisfyingly complex reads cemented by history, cultural, and psychological examination will find each flawed character equally compelling. This succeeds in creating subplots that hold the ability to stand powerfully on their own, yet interact in unexpected ways as a militia man, an abused teen, and a mother accused of murder each find themselves in an unexpected dance with fate and each other.
One defining moment describes appearances, but also equally applies to matters of changing hearts as experience and new revelations change these characters: “They must feel like true Daecish lords now,” said a young soldier standing next to Eilívur. “I’m sure they do,” he said. “But what you wear does not define who you are.”
The shadow which enters these people changes their perceptions, intentions, and interactions: "He was different now. Ever since the shadow entered him, he had a new strength and saw things from a different perspective." As each struggles with their choice to accept forces beyond their ability to properly assess, readers are treated to a compelling saga that closely examines the results of good intentions gone awry.
The spiritual reflections that affect these choices are also very nicely done: “Don’t you ever get frustrated at your god for making you go through all of this? I mean, wouldn’t he want to stop it if he loved you?”
As these multifaceted stories coalesce to become a powerful inspection of moral, ethical, and spiritual paths, readers receive a fine story that embraces and contrasts dark appetites, terrible memories, and beauty alike.
Hælend's Ballad lingers in the mind as it explores the end of one life and the beginning of another. Its complex saga of adversity, forgiveness and new possibilities will delight readers looking for more than a light fantasy.”