The Red Knight

Anachron Press are beginning to shape up as a small press publisher worth watching; previous releases (such as Day of Demons) have been very promising and worthwhile, and their latest release The Red Knight by K T Davies, knocked my socks off. Gritty fantasy dramas featuring knights and warfare are a growing trend in fantasy fiction, and yet The Red Knight delivers all these things without descending into cliché. This is a tale of conflict, battle and strangeness, yet the heroes of this fantasy tale are believable and sympathetic. The dialogue is solid and possesses the sort of rough and ready humour one finds in the everyday, engaging the reader so subtly that you may find it hard to put down. Davies is a talented storyteller who can quickly immerse the reader into a world that seems so real you can almost hear the clash of swords and the crunch of bone. The protagonists are very interesting, and the main character, Knight Captain Alyda Stenna, is exactly what you want from a strong female lead, though perhaps not what you may have come to expect from the genre. Some of the supporting cast seem to have very interesting back stories and I would have liked to learn more about the world in which this story is set. There are a lot of intriguing ideas here, and it does get a little crowded at points, though not enough to break the flow of the story. This is a smashing debut, and a very refreshing and exciting read. Davies is one to look out for, and I wait with interest to see what she does next. 9 stars out of 10. --Starburst Magazine - --http://www.starburstmagazine.com/reviews/book-reviews-latest-literary-releases/3188-book-review-the-red-knight

When I read fantasy I expect more than my fair share of battles, magic, and if there is a bit of betrayal and the occasional traitor as well, that s all good. The Red Knight offers that and more. We get all the fantasy standards, but the author also scatters the plot with some insightful social commentary regarding the politics of gender. It s never shoe horned into the plot, it feels natural and occurs in a very organic fashion. In Antia, your role is not defined by your gender. Both men and women are trained as knights and treated equally on the battlefield. There are some great characters in the novel and I m sure that Garian and Alyda are bound to be popular. Both are put through the physical and emotional ringer. It would never do to allow heroes and heroines an easy ride now would it? Alyda has a particularly hard time but it gives Davies the opportunity to explore her hidden strengths. The scenes toward the novels end get pretty brutal and the outcome of events leave Alyda changed on many levels. If I have to be one hundred percent honest though, there was another character that was my out and out favourite. I was totally caught up by the lusty antics of Lady Iris Bear Berwick. It s great to discover a character that not only turns conventions on their head but also then throws them firmly out the window. Bear is the antithesis of the genteel ladies that pop up in other fantasy novels. She loves a drink, the odd recreational drug or two, dabbles in any romantic tryst she is offered and loves nothing better than a good fight. Add into the mix a secret that is revealed about her around half way through and you can no doubt understand why I was immediately and utterly smitten. I think this is the closest I have ever come to encountering a literary equivalent of Mrs Cheesecake. Davies displays a natural talent when it comes to dialogue and this creates some memorable moments. Even discussions between supporting characters raise a smile. Bah! Skani thumped his stomach. Tis pure muscle! My Gardu says I have the body of a god. A slightly chubby, past his prime god, maybe. Having the body of a slightly chubby god myself I couldn t help but be amused. When reading an author s first novel I think the thing I look for most is a sense of potential. I m glad to report that The Red Knight delivers on its initial promise, there is a confidence in the writing and I was drawn in from the first page. How best to sum up this debut novel then? I think I ll paraphrase liberally the tagline from The Princess Bride - Heroes. Villains. Violence. Magic. Not just your basic, average, everyday, ordinary, run-of-the-mill, ho-hum fantasy tale. If you like you re fantasy with a cheeky dash of adult content then you could do far worse. Recommended reading, I look forward to more. --http://www.theeloquentpage.co.uk/2012/07/23/the-red-knight-by-k-t-davies/

This is an epic fantasy story that isn t quite like your usual epic fantasy. There are no fluffy elves, no poetry and certainly no faffing around. There is some fruity language that somehow manages to help convey the horrors of war without going too far. It isn t all doom and gloom though, there are loves and lusts and plenty of humourous parts too. I wouldn t say this book is an emotional roller-coaster but there is certainly enough emotion to make sure you are empathetic to the characters. Talking of characters, I thought the Knight Captain Alyda was well done. She manages to be everything a leader of an elite fighting force should be. The fact that she isn t a token female leader and that there does not seem to be any real mention of equality made me wonder why there aren t more books like this. I was shocked by what happened to her in the final act, but it was utterly compelling. The supporting cast including the villains are intriguing and in many cases I was left wanting to read more just to know their stories. In a lot of ways this book reminds me of Robin Hobb but with a gritty realism added in. The combat scenes were particularly enjoyable. From the bone crunching jousting and single combat of two opposing leaders to the wholesale slaughter of a siege that needs to be broken quickly this book provides all the action you could want. Added to that are multiple layers of court intrigue and a system of magic that is mysterious, varied and powerful. This book has everything you d expect in an epic fantasy and does all of them well. The biggest criticism I have about this book is that the second book is not finished yet. --Tony's Thoughts - http://iuchiatesoro.wordpress.com/2012/07/26/the-red-knight-by-k-t-davies/