Prophecy of the Kings Omnibus [Paperback]

Prophecy of the Kings Trilogy is an omnibus edition and it contains three fantasy books (Legacy of the Eldric, Dragon Rider and Shadow of the Demon).

During the last couple of years I've noticed that several lesser known traditional fantasy books are often more interesting and fascinating than well known traditional fantasy books. Prophecy of the Kings is one of these books, because it's pure entertainment from start to finish. When I began to read this book I didn't know much about it, but the story turned out to be surprisingly entertaining and it was fun to read what happened to the characters and what kind of plot twists the author had invented.

Prophecy of the Kings is a story about a group of peple who try to save their world. Demons and their worshipers are trying to open a gateway to a demon world, which would let demons loose in the world and all the inhabitants would either die or become slaves. The heroes of this story try to find the mysterious Eldric, which have disappeared and have left behind only certain items (the Eldric may be the only a hope against the demons, so finding them is important). This quest takes the heroes on a big adventure and changes their lives dramatically.

The four main characters are Kaplyn, Lars, Vastra and Lomar. Kaplyn is a prince who escaped from his home. Lars is a man who was shipwrecked and can't return home to his family. Vastra is a mysterious sorcerer who doesn't reveal much about himself. He hires Kaplyn and Lars, because he needs help in order to find what he's looking for. Lomar is an interesting character, because he's an Alvalah (the Alvalah are albinoes who live in the middle of a secluded forest in a place called Gilfillan).

I was amazed how fluently the author wrote about the adventures of the characters and the events, which ranged from travelling in the forest to a war with the demons. Reading about beautiful landscapes, magical happenings and action scenes was enjoyable. The author has created an interesting history for his fantasy world, so revelations about the past were fascinating.

I think it's good to mention that the story is surprisingly complex. Although this book is clearly traditional epic fantasy, it's more complex than several other similar books, because David Burrows has had ambition to create a complex story. It's nice that the author manages to end Legend of the Eldric and Dragon Rider in an addictive way so that the reader wants to know what happens in the final book.

The author's love for traditional fantasy can be seen in this book, because the story is true to the genre in almost every possible way. This can either be seen as a good thing or a bad thing depending on the reader's interest in traditional fantasy (I know that there are several readers who don't like traditional fantasy, because they only want to read realistic adult fantasy without traditional fantasy elements, but there are also readers who enjoy good old-fashioned fantasy). I personally found this book to be entertaining, because I've always liked traditional fantasy and I've been able to enjoy reading it. (I'm not trying to be a spokesperson for traditional fantasy, but I have to mention that it seems that more and more people have become alienated from traditional fantasy, which is a shame.)

This book is full of intresting details and lots of traditional fantasy elements (sorcerers, magic, demons, dwarves, spirits, dragons etc). What I liked most was that the author wrote fascinatingly about the demigods (Kalanth), which were guardians of the world. I also enjoyed reading about the dwarves and the Alvalah, because both races were different and had their own cultures. Reading about the ancient and extinct Eldric was very fascinating, because the author managed to prolong telling about them and didn't reveal what happened to them in the beginning of the book. I also have to mention that the author has come up with an original idea involving aging and magical sleep (this kind of fantasy elements can usually be found in fairy tales, so it was interesting to read about it).

The home of the Alvalah, Gilfillan, reminded me a bit of Lothlórien (the forest realm of the elves in Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings). I'm not sure if Lothlórien has been an inspiration for this forest realm, but it's nice that the author invented Gilfillan, because it's a beautiful creation and the author writes almost poetically about it and its wonders.

In my opinion Prophecy of the Kings Trilogy is a good example of a neglected fantasy trilogy, which deserves to get more publicity, because several fans of epic fantasy stories may find it interesting. This kind of traditional fantasy is fun to read and it offers harmless entertainment for its readers, because the reader simply has to allow the story to transport himself/herself to an imaginary fantasy world. I'm sure that fans of Terry Brooks will like this kind of fantasy very much because there are certain similarities between Brooks' Shannara books and this trilogy. Fans of old-fashioned quest fantasy may also enjoy this trilogy.

I'll also mention that it was refreshing to read a fantasy book, which didn't contain sexual situations or swearing. The lack of these things makes this book ideal reading for younger readers (I'm sure that young adults will enjoy reading this book).

Although I liked this book, I think it's good to mention that there were some rough spots in this book. The character development could have been a bit better, because it would've been nice to read more about the feelings of the characters and how they grow as persons. Certain situations were solved a bit too easily and fast (this can be a bit annoying for readers who have read lots of traditional fantasy books), but this is normal in traditional fantasy. I think that the author's purpose has been to keep the story flowing as fluently as possible so that the reader doesn't become bored, because the heroes have to face many kinds of threats and problems and have to find a way out of difficult situations.

Despite certain shortcomings, Prophecy of the Kings Trilogy is an exciting, easily likeable and fast-paced fantasy adventure, which is difficult to put down once you start reading it. Fans of adventure stories will be delighted by how easily the author keeps the story flowing and delivers plot twists along the way (if you're looking for an enjoyable fantasy adventure, this trilogy will offer good entertainment for a few hours). I can recommend this book to readers who enjoy reading traditional epic fantasy stories, because it's among the best new traditional fantasy books published during the recent years.

Mystical tale filled with fantastic action scenes, dragons, 3 princes, wizards, astral travelling, demons and tree spiders! Burrows has written an amazing epic fantasy that will have you glued to the pages. The author is a fan of LOTR and his trilogy is in a similar vein, yet is filled with original ideas that are unique to Burrows. This amazing trilogy is a must read for all fans of fantasy lands and epic battle scenes.

This is the most captivating fantasy work that I have read in the last 10 years. The tale starts as a simple adventure but soon runs into magic, parallel worlds, dragons and souls connected through time and space. The story unfolds in 3-D technicolour in your mind as you read with each character coming to life as they arrive in the storyline. If you like your fantasy with twists and turns written with a refreshing orginality, then this is the book for you.