Professional Reviews
Title: THE CUP OF DEATH – Chronicles of the Dragons of the Maji
Title: THE CUP OF DEATH – Chronicles of the Dragons of the Maji

Author: FRANK HERDA

Since I’m not an avid reader of this genre and since the protagonist of Herda’s fast-paced fantasy adventure is an Apprentice Necromancer—I had to look it up. A necromancer, the dictionary told me, is a person with the ability to communicate with the spirits of the dead so as to predict the future. Whoa! What a job description! With that in mind, I happily dove in and was instantly captivated by Herda’s creative abilities as he portrayed his fantasy world, setting the rules in a logical manner, particular to detail so even the novice sci-fi/fantasy reader could “get it”. And the fact that the author accomplished that with such a skillful economy of words really impressed me. Not only that, but he did an excellent job of endearing this reader to the protagonist by portraying Frazier sympathetically as strong, yet humble. I have to admit that I was a little worried about being able to get into the complexities—this being an ongoing part of The Chronicles of the Dragons of the Maji—but rest assured, Herda provides just the right amount of backstory and this book stands quite well by itself.

Frazier, our protagonist, sets out as an apprentice journeyman, hoping to get into the prestigious Wizard’s Guild, choosing necromancy, the most difficult field, as his specialty. From there, Frazier’s special abilities are soon realized and once he’s sent on a mission, the reader is launched into the author’s world of enchantments, mental telepathy, master healers, evil sorcerers, potions, spells, giant scarabs, dark crystals, evil fortresses, invisibility shields, an island of dreams, and, yeah—dragons. These dragons are wonderfully portrayed; not only can they fly and perform complex tasks such as smoothing out cave tunnels by breathing fire, but the dragons are extremely loyal and can change form, even become “bond- mates” (spouses). And while we’re getting familiar with the characters, the author keeps the tension and omnipresent conflict building in the evil form of Melinda, the Dark Lady. There’s the promise of an ultimate showdown with the baddest of bad guys, Lord Rudnick and, in the end, we’re left breathless, in a “cliff-hanger” situation, craving more of the ongoing Chronicles.

I tried not to let the fact that the author is a Viet Nam war hero and Medal of Honor recipient affect my review and thankfully, I needn’t have worried because Herda’s writing is intelligent, entertaining, and particularly original and creative. I also like the way he tastefully bleeds in backstory, without bogging down the action—doling out only the necessary information in small increments, beginning at the middle of the book, and only after the reader is fully engaged by the plot. In fact, the only criticism I can toss out is that I found some of the dialogue to be a trifle stilted, but this is minor and more than compensated by the intriguing plot. All in all? . . . I found The Cup of Death to be a well-written and entertaining read.

Recommended by reviewer: Jan Evan Whitford, Allbooks Reviews

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