THROUGH TITANS TRAIL by AUSTIN DRAGON 309
My first time reading this author and I have to admit his name caught my eye, so how was I to resist? Well, I didn't, hence... So it starts off like a fairytale, seriously, the first sentence is "Once Upon a Time" but with the promise of violence, death and danger, you know you're in for a Grimm-esque tale.
It started out fairly neutral, a group of people, each with their own motivation and reason, want to travel to the magical Realm. To do so they need to pass through Titan's Trail, fraught with unknown dangers, where few have made it, alive. They need to join a caravan, one with warriors who might give them a chance of survival. Why would anyone put their life on the line to traverse the Titan's Trail? Why for gold and fortune naturally. Hobbs is one who hopes to make it, having lost his noble standing, he's destitute, hungry and desperate. His fortune looks set to change when he encounters a strange man with an even stranger dog, but whether it's for the better remains to be seen. At least he now has warm clothes, proper meals and s purpose once more. The Traveller is an enigma, he's more, he knows things, has seen things, has even been through the Trail and lived to tell the tale. His was a character who kept me guessing, who IS he, WHAT his motives are and what the ultimate goal is. I loved his "dog", so dedicated to him and "other"
Betrayal, treachery and survival are the order of the day. There's a bit of everything in this book, magic, swordmanship, magical creatures, sorcerers, strong, interesting characters who are built on and expanded. I found the beginning interesting, I wanted to discover more but about a third in, I was getting a bit frustrated, for every two steps forward, I felt as though I was blown one step back. Much of the same with very little advancement in the tale. I would have liked to see more development of these great characters, more true interactions, their goals were aligned but I felt something missing. It's an interesting concept, an interesting plot and the Traveller and his Dog fascinating but I couldn't wrap my head around why he'd need so many with him when he's already made the journey. There's also a cool berserker I would have liked to see more explanation of, the Princess and her maid too. Having said all that, there was enough for me to want to finish the book but whether I'll read the next one, hmm, I'm not certain