Reviews of "Arch Enemies"
(excerpts)
The young bard, Terin Ostler, is astounded when two squires arrive to take him into the Duke’s presence – even more astounded when he learns that he is the one foretold in a prophecy to ensure the Arch remains sealed to imprison the evil Thessi within. The atmosphere of the quest that follows is heightened by intrigues and by Terin’s doubts about who tells the true account of the prophecy, since he is not allowed to read it. The action is lively when the two squires, Rendel and Darlissa, face repeated attacks to protect the timid bard – while he gradually grows in maturity, courage, and character.
Terin’s sardonic observations bring the quest to life, and the suitably convoluted events of the final crisis close the prophecy and the story in fine style. The world of these humans, gryphons, elves, dwarves, and many other magic creatures is a constantly fascinating place for the lover of fantasy to discover within these pages.
This is no raw transcription of random events but a tightly written and plotted work that will keep the reader enthralled until the last word is read.
Christopher Hoare, Muse Book Reviews
What does work is Ventrella’s conception of an entirely new race. Yes the old fantasy stereotypes are all still here (goblins, elves, dwarves, etc.) but with the addition of the biata, a feathered people who refreshingly aren’t just a recycling of the aforementioned genre archetypes. This is good because in many ways the biata need to work, since the plot is based so heavily on their history.
Despite the rather patchwork beginning of events in Arch Enemies, a late twist lends the entire novel a surprisingly tight narrative.
Pat Ferrara, Mania.com
Clever, funny and suspenseful. Normally, I would rather eat bees than read fantasy novels, but this one is great.
Mark Waid, author of Kingdom Come and Birthright
A really good read!
The book arrived at 5:30pm on a Friday night and I didn't put it down until I was finished with it at 1am in the morning. Once the heroes were off on their adventure, the book quickly picked up pace and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to find out where they'd wind up next.
One of the most refreshing things in this book is that the main character is not a battle ready individual, nor even a peasant who suddenly thrust into this fate becomes accustomed to it, learning how to wield weapons, killing his enemies as necessary and so on. He is a man (more of a boy) that rather runs away than fight, knows that he cannot defeat a trained warrior one on one and even blanches at the death of his foes. He is one of the more realistic and believable characters I have read in a book.
If you enjoy reading a book that is a straight forward adventure, with the occasional offshot plotline, humor and a rather entertaining characters, this is a book for you.
Mark Mensch
Reading 'Arch Enemies' was a joy and a treat.
Bravo for bringing forward the biata race into the story and downplaying the other fantasy favorites that have had their share in the limelight. The situations Terin has to overcome in the story are things we can all relate to. He is pressured into doing a task that he would not normally do and quickly realizes he's in way over his head. He is not the all-powerful champion and is constantly making errors in judgment. Yet, through simple acts of telling the truth and by conducting himself in small deeds of valor, he triumphs by showing us that bravery is not necessarily found in grand, epic measures.
Readers beware, you will not be able to tear yourself away from the last hundred pages of this story!
Eric Hamilton
Michael A. Ventrella's first effort proves to be a strong one. Full of wit and whimsy, this novel entertains with its rich fantasy world and characters. The misadventures of a young bard fit well into a setting of knights, dwarves, elves, goblins and other fantasy races. The reluctant hero can easily become a labored cliche, but Ventrella manages to make his reluctant hero interesting, funny and even heroic.
Scott Kondrk
Wild gryphons couldn't make me stop reading once I finally got started.
Wonderful written, with well developed and well liked characters, both main and supportive characters (Darlissa is brilliant, I think I am envious of her). The plot was great and unexpected with that ever-so-clever twist at the end. A must read for any fantasy lover. It was extremely visual and descriptive. And funny (well, I laughed). I am looking forward to reading the sequel.
Samantha Nurse
The narrative rolls along smoothly, working well in the first person, and the language is simple, concise, and refreshingly bereft of the flowery prose which, in my opinion, is too often evident in fantasy fiction.
The main characters are well developed and credible. One of my acid tests for any character in a work of fiction is whether they evoke an emotional response in me; and the main characters in this book definitely did.
Overall, this was a very enjoyable and easy read. If, like me, you occasionally hanker after a simple piece of fantasy escapism, and can't be bothered wading through the giant tomes put out by many modern day fantasy authors, this book is for you.
Another acid test I use to judge a book is whether it leaves me wanting more, and again, in this case, it definitely did...
William Bailey
A light, pleasant read with good timing, well thought out twists, and convincing characters and events. Often writers depend on premature episode cuts in order to structure chapters and build suspense, and they introduce unforeseeable actions in order to move a story along. Thankfully, Arch Enemies rarely resorts to such tactics. Instead, we get a little magic, a simple coming of age story with a consistent sequence of events, and a manageable plot. As a non-reader of fantasy books, I still found this story very entertaining, and I am curious to see how Ventrella's writing style will evolve in subsequent installments of the series.
Galia Halpern
Terin is a likable character and you find yourself rooting for him to fulfill the prophecy. Terin's self-effacing humor fits in with his character and makes him believable. Some of the reviews mention the presence of humor. Don't be put off by this. The humor is occasional and not overwhelming.
I enjoyed the unexpected twists in the plot. Reading a story written in the first person only works if the character is likable and someone you want to know quickly. If not, it becomes annoying. Mike Ventrella is able to use Terin's skill as a bard in telling the story so that it flows naturally.
Margaret Muth
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