Medieval Fantasy book. Caravan escorted by guards is attacked by monsters (goblins, etc). "Mirror" type portal. Battle between humans & monsters (enemy queen). Man (MC) visits city w strange shops selling diseases/ sickness (not poisons). Read around 2000.

[Andy]

Hi, I'm trying to find a fantasy/fictional book I read about 20 years ago.

At the beginning there is a caravan being escorted by some guards (shields & pikes) that was assaulted by some sort of monsters. The human faction(s) set in medieval times

There was a "mirror", that was a type of portal, i can't remember if it transported people around the mythical planet or to another world.

There is a bit where the main character visits a city and there are strange shops/streets. For example, there is a street full of shops selling diseases, not poisons, just diseases.

There is a big battle between humans and the monster's, led i think by a queen? I recall the humans using a V battle formation.

The main character was a man who i think wasn't particularly caring about the world.

Been trying to find it for years but cannot see anything matching it.

[Asia | Adventures with Asia Minor]

Andy, can you put some of the detail, as well as the genre, into the title/header? Mods will close this thread if you don't!

[Andy]

Is that any better?

[Kris]

Andy, is this book for adults or teens?

Can you tell us more about the man (MC) - e.g., human, job, employer, mission, skills?

I added some details to the header/topic title. You can update it by clicking the small "edit" link after the header. This only works on the full Desktop website - not the Mobile website or app. (On the Mobile website, click the "Desktop version" link at the bottom of the page.)

[Andy]

I recall reading it as a teen, maybe 15, but it struck me as being written in the format that would be aimed at adults as well, I read it a few times as i enjoyed it so much.

Unfortunately I cannot remember much about them. I know it was a man, don't recall any skills but seemed like a rogue/mercenary style character. He seemed to be almost solo on a mission to defeat the enemy "queen" whilst other armies faught hers. I recall her army being made up of different "waves" of monsters, not things like dragons etc.. but things similar in a way to what you would see in a tolkien story, so orcs, elves, goblins.

The mirror/portal i mentioned I think was near the end of the story where he may have travelled through it to defeat the "queen".

[Asia | Adventures with Asia Minor]

Do you remember anything about the title or author?

[Andy]

Afraid not, best i can say is the title might have been war/battle related as i loved those kind of books and that sort of title would have attracted me.

It was a stand alone book, i can confirm it is not one of the following authors:
Brian Ruckley, Brian Stavely, Christian Cameron, David Hemmell, Gail Z. Martin, Jack Whyte, Raymond E. Feist, Robert Jordan and Stan Nicholls.

I have looked through every Fantasy title on the Waterstones website between 1988 and 2001 and cannot find it.

I have a memory in my head of the front cover being of the dark shape of a man, stood on a cliff/road by a portal/window.

I do remember the book was quite worn, either through poor treatment or age.

[Madeline]

Sounds quite a bit like Reckless by Cornelia Funke, but that was around 2010 so the timing might not be right... Reckless

[Andy]

Can confirm it's not that book. I don't recall there being any children or childhood background to the main character.

Don't believe the main man has any family, nor romance.