I am Excited!

[Jetthebinturong]

Well this is old, but I looked at the Amazon reviews and, overall, they're very positive

My favourite:
"Fantasy worlds are a fine thing so long as you don't end up living in one." So says Wilf Jones in the Acknowledgements to his epic fantasy. But I found myself seduced heart and soul by "The Best of Men," the first part of his "Song of Ages" trilogy. Intricate in plot, brisk in action, and rich in characters, the work is on a dazzling scale.

It portrays a future "Age" of Earth in the trappings of a sort of 18th century environment, industrializing in parts but weapons are still swords and bows, transport is still horses and carriages. And it's a very full environment with sorcerers, barons, villains, soldiers, demons and so on, but always counterpointed by vignettes of ordinary people – the Driftsman on his sand bar, Daisy and Evie drawing water, Annie Fornum in the ruins of Astoril.

Jones has wizards at the centre of things. They travel this world, Earnor, either working for the common good, or working for themselves – or whoever's paying. Troubleshooters or troublemakers.

The core story is a quest for the secret of "Song of Ages" (a mysterious ancient book). Its message from the past has a scary warning for the future. But the action is based on two journeys across the continent of Asteranor. Seama Beltome travels into the west to confront The Black Company – a vile bunch of individuals causing mayhem – and Tregar MacNabaer goes north in search of a lost army. Seama's journey is entertainingly much interrupted.

The geography is diverse and always believable. It sometimes feels as though Jones has a Times Atlas of Earnor. There are towns and cities and villages aplenty – Ayer, Riverport, Dreffield, Fletton-on-Marsh, Astoril, Altiparedo, Garassa and so on - and a whole continent of mountain ranges and rivers, lakes and plains. Don't worry there are maps – and fine ones too.

The author has a feel for striking, rough-edged dialogue and for the memorable expression ("The insolent waters of the inlet slapped his face"; "a wind that did not belong to Asteranor", "after over one hundred years of sublime certainty, the Wizard Beltomé had at last discovered doubt").

He also has a feel for narratives. Several of his characters tell stories along the way – and they tell them in character. My favourite is Bibron Farber telling the story of The Kingdom of Halfi. (or Tregar giving us "The Kraeken of Great Spurl" in his native dialect)

Amazon always likes us to point out the cons as well as the pros. If I were to complain about anything, and a minor complaint it is, I'd say there is a little more violence and horror than I like. It's not a comfortable easy read. People do bad things and Jones doesn't pull any punches. Not a problem, I suspect, for the average George Martin fan.

There are so many characters, and lives and names that you could get confused if you don't read carefully. Though, actually, Jones always does provide a good hook into each of them. As I'll be launching into it again, for me that won't be a problem. A bit like Tolkien, there's so much in here that I expect there'll be more to find with every reading.

If you like your fantasy worlds expansive and complete, a story that's as challenging as it is entertaining, and if you like the writing imaginative and well-crafted, "The Best of Men" is as good a book as you'll find."