March to Other Worlds Day 2: Shards of Light by WIlliam L. Hahn
Day 2 Shards of Light by William L. Hahn
Continuing our march through fantasy literature brings me to Shards of Light by William L. Hahn, which I believe is one of the best heroic fantasies on the market today. It’s set in and round the city of Cryssigens as it confronts a crisis of leadership. The emperor whom the city reluctantly serves has just been overthrown and replaced by a dwarven adventurer whom no elf wants to follow. To make matters worse, the new emperor had the utter gall to conclusively demonstrate that the former Overlord of the city was secretly leading a cult of demon worshippers. Now it’s time to pick a new Overlord who will determine whether or not the city will rediscover its peace and stability or erupt into chaos in a futile effort to gain its independence.
These four books are simply wonderful. As you would expect in heroic fantasy, there are great characters struggling to accomplish the near impossible. But the thing that sets Shards of Light apart from the typical fantasy trilogy is the remarkable distinctiveness with which Hahn draws his three primary characters. Captain Justin, Feldspar, the adrenalin-crazed stealthic (quite possibly the most unique hero in all of fantasy literature), and the mysterious priestess, Altieri, are each written in a different person (third, first, and second respectively) and this greatly personalizes their exceedingly different style adventures. I have never read anything quite like this before or since.
So if you love heroic fantasy and you haven’t read Shards of Light yet, I strongly suggest you download a copy of The Ring and Flag and get reading.
If you’re interested in Shards of Light, why not join the discussion on my author page at Facebook?
