Aphelion Review # 10

Wizard Sword

By William Hill

Review by Dan L. Hollifield

Type of music/work: Fantasy novel.

Musicians/Performers/Author(s):
William Hill
Published by Otter Creek Press, www.otterpress.com

General impressions of the album/book:

In the first few pages, I was hooked! Its great fun, and a wild ride!

Specifics:

Mr. Hill has wrtten a number of other books before, but this is his first venture into the epic fantasy genre. I must say, at first the 800 page volume was rather intimidating, but within minutes of first opening the book I was hooked on the story. By the end, I wanted a sequel, or at least a re-read. The layers of detail, the sheer number of characters and life forms, the quality of the characterizations- all served to make me want to look for more of Mr. Hills work.

As I read, it hit me that he had made full use of the "canvas" that such a large book presented. The story was complex, drawing one in gradually, and shifted viewpoints often to better tell the backstory and sub-plots. The set dressing was well done also, with well described settings for the imaginative characters to romp through. Ample historic and cultural detail is given for the various inhabitants of Mr. Hill's fairyland to flesh each one out into believable beings. Their respective cultures are well described and quite plausable. It was hard to keep in mind that this was a first foray into epic fantasy, as the story drew me along.

Background info:

William Hill has seven novels in print: Dawn of the Vampire and Vampire's Kiss published by Pinnacle Books; and The Magic Bicycle, Chasing Time, The Vampire Hunters, California Ghosting, and now Wizard Sword published by Otter Creek Press.

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