Recommended for fans of DnD, classic fantasy action-adventures, and Lit RPGs
Krell is a Paladin. But unlike most Paladins you’ll be familiar with, he doesn’t serve the god of justice, light, or fluffy kittens. Krell serves a chaotic god; ReckNor, lord of the sea, storms, and shipwrecks.
This is an amazing idea and that alone makes ‘Beginning of Arrogance’ a compelling read. Unlike many ensemble fantasy stories, Cole makes the excellent choice of choosing the most interesting character as the protagonist. Negotiating the idea of free will while having a god living in your head is an existential issue that Krell navigates in compelling and nuanced ways. The relationship between Krell and his god is also very well-developed, and unique from many such relationships I’ve seen play out in classic fantasy. Something to mention here is that ReckNor takes a pretty active (and vocal) part in the story. If you like that (I did – it’s well implemented), great; if the presence of gods in books annoys you, you’ve been warned.
Another stand-out feature of ‘Beginning of Arrogance’ I’d like to highlight is its humour, as I haven’t seen this mentioned in other reviews of the title. I want to stress that Cole’s dialogue features some great comedy, and for me, that was a huge plus. The humour isn’t overpowering by any means, and the author skilfully transitions between humorous dialogue, sad scenes, action scenes, and worldbuilding. If you enjoy witty party banter and find yourself sick of the overly serious atmosphere some action-adventure fantasy can veer towards, you’ll like this book.
As I mentioned above, this is an ensemble piece, focused on Krell’s adventures with a party of companions. In order to manage a larger character roster, Cole makes the sensible choice of relying on some fantasy clichés to quickly characterise the different party members. That’s no problem in and of itself, and it does allow the characters to quickly establish a fun and engaging dynamic. I found the band of adventurers immediately charming and compelling, and never found myself bored by the use of existing tropes, especially given the fast pace of the story.
It is worth stressing, though, that this is a book much more focused on plot rather than a story about the hidden depths of its characters. What I should also mention here – and this might be a make-or-break point for some readers – is that ‘Beginning of Arrogance’ is a through-and-through ‘classic’ fantasy in that it is a story about men, written from the perspective of a man. If you are a fan of classic fantasy authors like Eddings, Moorcock, etc. you won’t mind this, but if you’re more used to ‘newer’ fantasy with a more equal gender split and more varied representation, keep this in mind.
So, why four stars and not five? If I could, I probably would have scored ‘Beginning of Arrogance’ somewhere in the middle. There are just a few minor things that I thought could have been implemented better.
Firstly, I thought the start was a little slow. The story beginning with a quasi-training sequence was a little cliché and in my opinion, it didn’t set up the tone or the themes of the book as well as it could have. If that’s your experience also, push through it – the book is worth it.
Secondly, I thought that, at times, Cole could have done more to show and not tell. Sometimes, for instance, other characters will claim things about Krell before the reader has had to chance to make up their own mind. Two examples of this are Krell’s arrogance – which I felt I was told about before I saw it ‘in action’ – and his supposed insanity.
Early on in the book, I also would have liked to find out more about how Krell feels about being called as a paladin of ReckNor. We know what he says about it but as we later find out, there is a disconnect between what he says and how he feels. This is a fascinating conflict that could have been set up earlier on. However, I would once again emphasise – if you’ve just started the book and would like to see Krell’s character explored in more depth, stick with it; it’s coming.
TL;DR: Overall, I would recommend this for fans of DnD, LitRPGs, and classic fantasy after Moorcock and Eddings. In the realm of newer fantasy, I could see fans of ‘Godkiller’ having a good time with this if you enjoyed the quest- and travel format of Kaner’s work and are fine with a largely male-centred perspective. Beginning of Arrogance is available as paperback, hardcover, e-book and audiobook. You can check it out here.
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