Mark Chadbourn has become one of my favourite fantasy authors though for reasons unknown he doesn’t get the big buzz that some do.
It all started with his Age of Misrule trilogy which was followed by The Dark Age Series and now we have the Kingdom of the Serpent.
In the Age of Misrule all over the country the ancient gods of Celtic myth are returning to the land they left bringing with them Fabulous Beasts, shapeshifters, and Night Walkers. New champions are needed in this new age where blue fire has replaced electricity as the world turns away from turns away from technology. The Brothers and Sisters of Dragons have a quest to find four magical talismans that are needed to fight the powers of old.
What makes this start of the series special is the vivid imagination of Chadbourn. He not only reinterprets Celtic myths he reinvents them and reuses them in order to make them as real as a Fabulous Beast flying over head. The other thing he does well is give us characters who are flawed and who become heroes as they progress through the story.
Leaving behind this quest we move on to The Dark Age where people are adapting to this new way of life. Rather than a linked trilogy where each book leads from the last. The two I’ve read so far are separate tales though I’m sure there are subplots and interconnections that will make more sense when I’ve read the last one (is it just me that savors reading a series if I know that I’m not going to see a sequel any time soon?).
All this brings me to the Kingdom of the Serpent. I’ve just read the wiki entry and had goose pimples! Chadbourn is bringing back some of my favourite characters. I wonder how he’ll do it?
Well I better read Jack of Ravens, which was released in paperback in December. And The Burning Man is coming quick succession in hardback in February. Luckily if you want to start at the begining and you should. The first trilogy is sold as an omnibus for the bargain price of £9.99 (or £6.50 currently on Amazon). So no excuses really.
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