Talon: The Windwalker Archive Book Review

Talon: The Windwalker Archive Book 1 by Michael James Ploof is set two hundred years before the events of Whill of Agora. Both of these series are epic fantasies, set in a world rich with magic, lore, and unique cultures. While I haven't read the Whill of Agora books, is isn't necessary, because both book series can be read as stand-alone series. But in Talon, you'll meet new characters, see where some characters came from (like Chief, the wolf pup), and see how the story all began.

Ploof's books are inspired by the works of Robert Jordan, George R.R. Martin, R. A.Salvator and Tolkien. So you'll find similar themes and types of characters in his stories. This fantasy realm contains many races of creatures, from humans to dwarves, elves to giants, even dragons. The land is rich with interesting conflicts, drama and relationships. And there's enough world building to paint a lovely picture of the scenery.

I happen to really like coming-of-age type stories, and this one is about a boy named Talon who was born premature. In his village, children undergo a sort of initiation to become men and he fails in his trial. It's kind of like the Spartan lifestyle, where children who aren't strong enough to survive the initiation is cast out or killed. Except in this barbarian tribe, instead of simply being abandoned, you are sent to live on a slave island. Talon is banished to the slave village where other discarded children live and that's where he meets some unlikely friends.

OPINIONS

I love underdog stories and this book definitely kept me interested. It was a page-turner and the type of fantasy story that I love. I play a lot of fantasy-themed RPG's and board games, so it's definitely a setting that I love. Some of my favorite characters are barbarians. And this story kind of reminds me of some of the characters in the movie 300, based on the story of Leonidas of Sparta. 

I'm really excited to continue reading this series and I look forward to picking up Whill of Agora. These are the types of books many of my friends enjoy as well, so I'll be sharing them with them as well! 

#whillofagora

Disclosure: I received Talon: The Windwalker Archive from Legends of Agora on Tomoson.com. I was provided the eBook for free in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.