A Prince’s Errand

To start with, a thank you to Robert Zangari for providing me with a copy of the first (sort of) novel in his Tales of the Amulet series. I’m always a little worried when I’m given a free copy by an author in case I end up not liking the book, but I am extremely happy to say that this wasn’t the case here. This book is exactly what I hope for when looking for a new epic fantasy series, and I’m eagerly awaiting the next in the series (even though I’ve already got the prequal to sink my teeth into). Also, I’ll refer to Dan and Robert (a father and son team, I believe) as the Zangaris throughout, hoping that is the correct way to make a plural out of your last names.

So, where to start. A Prince’s Errand is set in a world where magic, monsters, and malevolent forces are all part and parcel of a classic medieval setting. The story broadly follows two old adventuring companions and the titular prince from third-person perspectives plus brief sections from a handful of other characters. The first main character is Cornar, a gruff, weathered leader of an adventuring troop who is hired by Prince Kaescis to assist him in his quest to find ancient treasures and perhaps a great deal more. Iltar, Cornar’s usual adventuring partner, is forced to sit out this adventure as he is busy teaching his small army of apprentice necromancers, leading to the two main story arcs that the book follows. We get a great deal of travel in this novel, giving us a broad view of the world of Kalda and the astounding depth the Zangaris have embarked on to create a truly flesh-out fantasy universe. Spliced between the book’s three parts are short chapters from other random folks currently struggling through the world, and the presence of these short stories really helps build the world in the listener/reader’s mind in a way that you would usually only expect after two or three novels in a series. I’m a sucker for great world building, and this book has it in spades.

The book falls back on a few classic fantasy tropes, but the Zangaris do a great deal to give them their own personal flare. If you’ve read some of my other reviews, then you’ll know that I have a bit of a chip on my shoulder about elves and dragons, namely that they are overused and often lack any originality in their portrayal. Well, this series has both playing fairly key roles, and I have to admit, the Zangaris manage to work their magic and have my usual bigotry towards these two races completely washed away. In particular, this is one of the best depiction of dragons that I have stumbled across since The Traitor Son Cycle, and that’s saying a lot.

Now the magic system is lacking in one notable way, in that there isn’t much of system to speak of. There are mages, and mages do magic, but I haven’t really got much of an idea of how that magic works. There aren’t really any underlying laws and principles governing the magic other than that there are specific branches and schools of magic that each spell falls into and that each mage specialises in. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and I enjoyed the Zangaris’ take on necromancy, but I do love me a good practical magical system that has rules that it is shackled to and tangible aspects that allow it to be used in practical and often ingenious ways, such as in Stormlight Archive or King Killer Chronicles. But really, I’m just nit-picking here. The approach seen here tends to be the norm.

With regards to the writing, the Zangaris do an inspiring job of portraying the existing relationships between the character. Now I know both Zangaris have written many other short stories and such within this universe over the years and so have already established a lot within the canon, but I (and most people) won’t have read those books. However, their ability to convey these pre-existing relationships within this novel alone is exceptional. An example; I’ve not witnessed any of the events that have led to Cornar’s men loving and respecting him, but in short order I completely believe the degree to which they would unquestioningly follow him into the very gates of hell if he asked them to. It’s truly great character writing. Another example where the authors’ talent shines through is in the many switches between character perspectives being both clear and seamless (if that makes sense). There is a fair bit of head jumping, often within the same scenes. This runs the risk of becoming very jarring, but the Zangaris execute this perfectly, with each character having their own very distinctive internal narration and plenty of cues given immediately after a perspective shift without ramming said cues down our throats. It’s a tricky tightrope to balance on, but balance on it they do.

Now I do have some cons for the book. Not a lot, mind, but a few. My biggest is that the Zangaris tends to overly explain things, driving a point home when we already know why someone or something is the way it is. It’s overkill a lot of the time. Their writing ability is plenty good enough to allow for a little more subtly, but they kept spending too long trying to make sure that we understood something, slamming the brakes on the pacing and drawing us out of what is otherwise a very engrossing story. Trust your writing skill, Dan and Robert. It’s good enough. Most of my other cons are just small, niggling things that I found a little annoying, but nothing to really put me off. Like how there are a lot of secondary characters with similar sounding names and it all gets a little confusing at times. Maybe this is less of an issue if you are reading it and not listening, but I’m an audiobook reviewer, so I’m going to review it as an audiobook.

In summation, A Prince’s errand is a great book that I can see turning into a truly amazing series. Keep doing what you’re doing, Dan and Robert, and I can see one of my extremely rare 5-star reviews appearing before too long.

As for narration, well, it’s Michael Kramer, the OG of fantasy narration. You’d have to find something pretty awfully written for that man not to bring it to life within your mind, and as my review has stated pretty clearly, the only time ‘awfully’ should be used to describe this book is if it proceeds the word ‘good’. 

Personal Score: 4.5 stars

Professional Score: 4.5 stars

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