Shadow Swarm

“Shadow Swarm” was published in 2014 and was written by D. Robert Pease (http://www.drobertpease.com). Mr. Pease has published 7 books.

I obtained this novel for free through https://www.netgalley.com for review. This is a fantasy novel set in a place different from ours. Aberthole Nauile awakens to find himself in a stone sarcophagus. He knows neither who nor where he is. As the story quickly unfolds you find that Aberthole is the king of Nuadaim and he has just been “born” fully grown. He meets the Neglafem who are the guardians of the heir, and who have been watching over him.

Aberthole is still trying to accept that he is a king, when he and the Neglafem are attacked. Illiam the elder of the Neglafem who has just begun to teach Aberthole of this world, is killed during the attack. Illiam’s grand daughter, Elise, helps Aberthole to escape. While she is leading Aberthole away she is taken by the forces of evil. That starts a long battle raging widely across this world to get Elise back. Aberthole recruits others to help him battle the forces of evil that have been enslaving the world.

Aberthole is expected to have great power and be able to defeat the forces of evil, but he knows nothing about his powers. While he fights to overcome the enemy and get Elise back, he is full of self doubts.

He is tormented by the memory of the many who die under his leadership. He also feels he is letting his followers down because he is unable to wield the power they had expected him to possess. What power he slowly masters does not look like it will be enough to overcome the forces of evil.

I thought that this was a good fantasy story. It seems to be compressed into one novel, where the same tale in other fantasy series would be spread out over more. The way the story ends though, there may be follow on novels. I did not particularly like the main character Aberthole. He seemed to lack too much confidence in himself. Other than the violence of battles with sword and spear, I would rate this PG.