An original premise is worth it’s weight in gold. That’s why Hero: The Unknown Territories drew my attention from the onset. The opening scene shows Tilger, a bold and valiant hero, bored to tears with his job. This hero has seen it all and is frankly sick of the daily grind: rescuing maidens, saving cowering townsfolk and fighting off vicious hordes. He longs for something new... and, of course, he finds it in an unexpected place. Tilger meets a wizard who sees through him and realizes what he really needs: to be stripped of his armor, his strength and his muscles. On a bet, Tilger loses it all and is told he can only regain his looks, strength, armor and weapons if he goes on a quest to search them out. Tilger is forced into a barbaric world completely unprepared. Luckily he has his faithful warhorse, Sho and along the way meets the tinker, Standback. Together the three embark on adventures where Tilger learns the real secret to being a hero has nothing to do with what he wears and everything to do with what is inside.
Hero is a well-written hero’s journey story chocked full of interesting characters, intriguing creatures and thrilling fight scenes. One of the best parts of this book is Fritschi’s humor which is woven in nicely. He made me chuckle on many occasions. It is a fun read. I did find myself wishing for two things however. One is that the world Tilger inhabits would be more vivid. Many times creatures were introduced with a basic description that left me longing for more. Also this book falls prey to the “saggy middle” syndrome. The scene did not build in intensity as the story unfolded. It is fun watching Tilger and Standback wander into different situations, like a cluster of monks with a very unusual leader, but I never felt a sense of urgency to read into the night.
Overall, if you love to explore new worlds and read about valiant knights who earn their stripes, check out Hero: The Unknown Territories. It’s a fun, light read that will give you a new outlook on heroism and keep you chuckling to boot.
You can find Hero here.
You can find Chris Fritschi on Amazon, facebook, google+ or twitter.
If you enjoyed this review follow Underground Book Reviews on Facebook,Twitter and subscribe to our newsletter.
You can also follow Katie French on Facebook and on her website.
Hero is a well-written hero’s journey story chocked full of interesting characters, intriguing creatures and thrilling fight scenes. One of the best parts of this book is Fritschi’s humor which is woven in nicely. He made me chuckle on many occasions. It is a fun read. I did find myself wishing for two things however. One is that the world Tilger inhabits would be more vivid. Many times creatures were introduced with a basic description that left me longing for more. Also this book falls prey to the “saggy middle” syndrome. The scene did not build in intensity as the story unfolded. It is fun watching Tilger and Standback wander into different situations, like a cluster of monks with a very unusual leader, but I never felt a sense of urgency to read into the night.
Overall, if you love to explore new worlds and read about valiant knights who earn their stripes, check out Hero: The Unknown Territories. It’s a fun, light read that will give you a new outlook on heroism and keep you chuckling to boot.
You can find Hero here.
You can find Chris Fritschi on Amazon, facebook, google+ or twitter.
If you enjoyed this review follow Underground Book Reviews on Facebook,Twitter and subscribe to our newsletter.
You can also follow Katie French on Facebook and on her website.
