Book One:
Palaces and Prison
Author: Ron Miller
Softcover, 286
pages
Black Cat
Press
Ron Miller’s Bronwyn should be required reading for every aspiring writer that thinks he want to write fantasy fiction. Filled with vibrant heroes, delicious villains, and crisp prose, Browyn represents everything good and wonderful about the fantasy genre.
This is actually a revision of Miller’s original work, first published about a decade ago. In fact, Miller has revised all three books from the original collection and added a fourth all new episode. Book One, subtitled Palaces and Prison, sets the stage for what will surely be an amazing adventure. Bronwyn at its heart is a tale about a woman trying to save her father’s kingdom from a ruthless tyrant. No, not her brother Prince Ferenc, who by traditional will wear the crown and rule as king. Ferenc, too stupid and full of his vanity to care, is merely a pawn in the intricate plans of the real threat. Payne Roelt, more cunning and charismatic that any villain should be allowed to be, seems to have been laying his plans for control since he first met the prince when they were but children. Now only the Princess Bronwyn stands in his way.
The book opens with the rescue of our protagonist. Actually, it opens with an explanation of why she was able to be rescued by the particular person who saves her. Miller has a peculiar storytelling style that unfolds like a winding river adorned with incredible foliage on its banks. You really aren’t sure where he is going with it at first, but the view is amazing, and when he is finished you realize there was no other way to go.
Bronwyn’s savior is the massive sarcophagus maker Thud Mollockle, a freakish monstrosity of a man by most standards. Yet he possesses the innocence of a child, the heart of a lion, and the strength of a bull. It is a carefully crafted combination that in the hands of a lesser writer would have come across as predictable. Instead, Miller delivers a memorable character in Thud worthy of Hero status. Miller takes great pains to bring each and every character to life. From the city guard that only appears for a few paragraphs to the major players in this grand story, each character has a distinct personality that draws the reader deeply into the world.
Add to the mix a colorful assortment of gypsies, pirates, and kobolds (YES, I said kobolds. Not the small scaly kind so beloved by yours truly, but kobolds nonetheless), and Bronwyn is surely one of the most enjoyable fantasy novels I have ever read.