An indie fantasy epic that keeps on giving!
I think it was way back in 2018 when I stumbled upon book 1 in the series, Champion’s Rising, and was introduced to the incredible world of Prince Snarmis and his companions. I was immediately pulled in, and now, seven years later, it’s been a blast to pick up this fourth—but lucky not final book! And it’s just as awesome now as when I started.
I’ve read book 2: Avatar of Death, and book 3: The Daemon Capital as well, and the journey to Trail Of Heroes has been fantastic. There’s something really cool about following an author along over the years, perhaps particularly an indie author and especially when the books are still in being written and you have no idea how long you have to wait for the next installment.
It’s the detailed world building that really sold this series for me, particularly one very important detail: the daemons. You see, Psykoria—the land this series takes place in—is ravaged by war, invaded by horrible demonic creatures that want nothing more than to lay waste and wage destruction everywhere they go. And they’re so friggin’ awesome! They’re all sorted into various classes and castes, often denoted by colors, depending on which daemon champion they follow and who controls them (if you’re familiar with Warhammer, think of the various branches of chaos demons) and I love reading about their grotesque looks and the weapons they wield.
Throughout the books we follow Prince Snarmis, his family, and his ragtag band of soldiers, friends, spellcasters and companions as they battle their way through scores of daemons, trying to save the world and their homes. Trail of Heroes is no different, with the exception of a very interesting POV shift as Snarmis gets caught up in more than a little trouble—and a rescue mission has to be set in motion.
Claymore’s strengths is like I mentioned in their world building. There’s a few things that irks me in the writing sometimes, things that seem a bit too easy, discussions and decisions that are glossed over where I’d love to see the plot unfold a bit more to really get into the heads of the characters and get to know them better. But the writing is never dull, the action always delivers and the world is always captivating.
All in all, Psykoria, Prince Snarmis, and S.F. Claymore keeps the series fresh year after year and Trail of Heroes is proof that if you just care enough to look, you can find some incredible gems in indie books. Can’t wait for the next one!
Have you read anything exciting lately? Who’s your favorite indie author these days? Let me know in the comments! I’d love to hear about it.
And as always, please check out all my books and stories below. If you’re into psychological horror, crime thrillers, or science-fiction and fantasy, you’ve come to the right place! Bye for now!
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Trey Stone, Author 
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