Corban Avidanson has been raised in a small village in a remote fief in the northern part of the Realm by the local sheriff. At age fifteen, Corban learns that the man he has called "Father" all his life is actually a former knight of the Realm, and he is told his natural parents died when the last dark lord fell. On his eighteenth birthday, Corban is seized by the dark power and learns his true family heritage. His father, Oren Vayd, was the most recent Dark Lord to wreak havok on the Realm. Corban is the heir to the legacy of a long line of Vayds who have been Dark Lords (or Dark Ladies) going back thousands of years.
But Corban Vayd wants no part of being a Dark Lord or the dark power that comes with it. He wishes to find a way to purge himself of this darkness and live a normal life. Corban leaves his village and the young lady he had hoped to marry to begin his quest. He begins to make his way across the Realm towards Ebonland, the location of the Vayd family palace, Castle Obsidian. There he hopes to find the answer to ridding himself of the dark power and the Vayd family curse.
Along the way, Corban gains allies in a gryphon named Norval and Galya, a young female Garganite. He also meets some people who misunderstand him and think he's evil. Mandan, a young white wizard, can sense the dark power in Corban, but also knows that the darkness has not consumed him. The two become friends until Mandan's wife is killed in a werewolf attack on their caravan. The grief-stricken wizard blames Corban for his wife's death and heads to the Royal City to alert the leaders of the Realm including the Clerics, the Knights and the Regent Prince Mogens to the existence of this new Vayd.
Corban also makes two powerful enemies in the Baron Waldemarr of Reychland, and the Black Witch Zenobia. The Baron has enslaved the surviving Garganites for almost two decades. Garganites are creatures who were once human, but were cursed and transformed after they chose to serve Kaiser Vayd, the first Dark Lord. Zenobia, the Black Witch, is a one-time apprentice of Corban's father who wants the dark power to herself in order to rule as Dark Lady. She possesses the Black Staff, a powerful artifact created by the Vayds emanating dark power. Zenobia stole the staff from Oren Vayd at the time of his fall, and now she seeks to destroy Corban to solidify her hold on the dark power. The witch also has a son, Vogel, produced from an illicit tryst years ago with the Regent of the Realm.
Borgan brings plenty of Christian themes into his story. The Holy Triad, which represents the Trinity, appears from time to time during Corban's journey guiding him on his quest. Themes of temptation run throughout the story with Corban's use of the dark power and the use of violence to defeat his enemies. And this quest puts the young Vayd on a path towards redemption which will continue into the second and third books of the Dark Lord trilogy.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Dark Lord's Tale. Kevin Borgan tells a fascinating story about a villain who really doesn't want to be a villain. This is a great book for anyone who loves fantasy fiction. I am looking forward to reading The Sword of Fire: The Dark Lord's Tale, Book Two as well as the third installment when it comes out.
The Dark Lord's Tale is available in the Kindle format from Amazon.com. You can also learn more about Kevin Borgan and find more of his books at his Amazon author page. I have reviewed another Kevin Borgan novel, Isolated, in a previous post from May 1 of this year. You can read that review by clicking here.
No comments:
Post a Comment