The Darkslayer: Volume One

A pure “smash and bang” in-your-face action fantasy, calling back to the days when heroes wore chain-mail and the villains wore cloaks. The story of The Darkslayer focuses on Venir, a muscular, blonde, ale-imbibing adventurous hero of Bish, a world galaxies away. Venir is also known as The Darkslayer to the Underlings, a race of hairy humanoids with a fetish for killing humans. Venir might be the key that will free the world of man from the guileful underlings, or he could be the apocalyptic destroyer.

In Craig Halloran’s first outing as an author, he shines in giving a compelling narrative. He is able to tell the entire history of the world, and at the same time, plunges back into the main adventure. Every fantasy subspecies is jam-packed into the book. From Giant Dwarfs, to hot chicks in armor, to crafty halflings and the occasional half ogre. The character designs pop in large part to exceptional illustrations by Ernie Chan, whose past works include both Marvel and DC comics. While the main characters will punch a hole in your heart and settle down in it, it is the minor characters that add the depth to the plot. My favorite is Eep, the evil imp from another dimension. Eep may have been evil and nasty, but he had a humanistic loyalty that was admirable.

From the causal fantasy subscriber, to the die-hard Tolkienist, everyone will find something to enjoy in the ever expanding world of Bish. Let’s just hope the next installment doesn’t take too long to come out.