Books One to Two of the Heroes of Legend

In Hammer’s fantasy novel, a boy deals with great magical power and a princess meets a legendary hero.

A stern military commander named Rodin finds himself mystically transported to Stonehenge, where he encounters a
supernatural being named Quartz who’s slippery about his own identity (“I was here to witness the making of this world,”
he says. “I even played my part in its making”). Quartz imparts visions of the spirit of Abel, Rodin’s brother. The narrative shifts
to a young boy named Matthew, who’s being trained by a sorcerer named Sifu to master his newly increased
“Fire-Magic” powers. Readers of the previous installments in Hammer’s series will remember that Matthew earlier took a
large gulp of a mystical “Heavenly Peach Elixir”; now the elixir courses through his body “like a raging red dragon of
flames!” So much raw power in one so young is a source of worry for Matthew’s teachers, “because young minds can be
impressionable, and easily led in the wrong direction.” Also concerned for Matthew’s safety is an ancient character named
Eldarus, who’s voyaging to protect the boy from a menacing figure known as the Jinn-Magician (“There in the right
passageway stood the Jinn-Magician, waving that red jewelled staff that hissed and fizzed with electric light. He was
standing over two guards that he had surely murdered”). The story also re-introduces the headstrong Princess Cybele as
she encounters the legendary Greek hero Perseus on his quest to fight Medusa and the gorgons. (She doesn’t believe
him: “That man died over three thousand years ago,” she says. “You are handsome enough, boy, but don’t push your
luck.”)

The author’s narrative technique of rapidly shifting viewpoints from chapter to chapter echoes a similar tactic by some of
the bestselling writers in the fantasy genre, and for good reason: It keeps the story hurrying along in a compulsively
readable way. Hammer is likewise skillful at changing tones; one chapter can be filled with high-stakes sorcerous tension,
and the next can be, equally convincingly, lighthearted (Princess Cybele’s verbal sparring with Perseus is a perfect
example of the latter). Unfortunately, these strengths don’t always offset the narrative’s weaknesses. Elements of the story
are disappointingly derivative—the vampire lord is called Drahkul, Eldarus makes frequent references to the Three Rings
of Power, and so on. The larger plot will be utterly beyond the comprehension of any newcomer—the author makes no
concerted effort to fill in new readers about anything that’s happened in the series’ earlier entries. Readers encounter a
very inventive world—one that features everything from Jinns to Greek mythology to Shaolin monks to the Monkey King,
and in which the legions of Caesar can easily end up fighting hordes of vampires. Readers already up to speed on the
many ongoing plot threads will find this volume a tense and fast-paced addition to Hammer’s engaging fantasy world. The
plot thread involving Cybele’s growing—and ill-fated—feelings for Perseus is particularly effective, and Hammer does a
good job of orchestrating the book’s suspenseful ending, which leads readers right on to the next installment.

A colorful and hyperactive section of a larger multicultural fantasy epic.

- Kirkus Reviews

Three young heroes find themselves in a world descending into chaos in this high fantasy novella.

The Dark Days have returned. Ten-year-old Matthew is an orphaned prince in exile, looked after by his tutor and wizard,
Eldarus, and his new pet dragon, Utredius. The boy’s ultimate goal is to take back his dead father’s kingdom from a
conquering emperor, but rumored happenings suggest that other, more imminent trials may be in store. A white wolf with
red eyes has been born, and a phoenix has appeared out of the desert. Even worse, the Vampire King who has slept since
time immemorial has reawakened to unleash a plague on the land. “All hope depends on you, Matthew,” Eldarus tells him.
“Not just to rule your people, but perhaps to also lead the battles that will eventually destroy the Vampire King.” It’s a lot for a 10-year-old to handle. Matthew gets separated from Eldarus when the Vampire King sends a minion to kill the boy and steal his dragon, but he soon finds himself in the company of a capable new friend, the Cloudwalker Sun Wukong, who has mastered the ability to fly. Matthew isn’t the only young person whose life has been thrown into turmoil by recent events. Eighteen-year-old Princess Cybele is the one who brought the phoenix into being by shooting fire from the palm of her hand. Twelve-year-old Tristan comes from a clan renowned for its archers, and he is destined to be Cybele’s steward and protector. The white wolf with red eyes happens to be his pet. Can these young protagonists and their animal companions rise to the occasion to keep the world from being overrun by darkness? Just how the prophecies will unfold is
anyone’s guess.

In this series opener, Hammer’s prose evokes the romantic diction and mythological complexity of the high fantasy genre,
sometimes to an eye-rolling extent: “If the prophecies are to be believed, the Snow Wolf will be born this night,” Tristan’s
father tells him. “Frostgale’s mate was the king of all sabre-wolves, and so the prophecies state that he shall sire the Snow Wolf. You know the story, boy. Do I have to tell it again?” There isn’t much here that can be considered original thinking, and some of it even comes across as a tad bit lazy. The Vampire King’s name? Drahkuhl. The emperor’s? Caesar. That said, the author gets things started with an admirable economy. It’s a 93-page novella, and readers will meet most of the major players by Page 6. It’s unclear how many more installments Hammer has planned—one suspects it’s quite a few—but so far the pacing is brisk and the world, if not completely unique, is quite fun. Matthew and Eldarus travel on a ship with a crew of pirate ghosts. Drahkuhl stalks ancient ruins and subsists on the blood of sheep. This story may not prove to be a crossover hit like some of the books that inspired it, but readers who love the fantasy genre will find much
here to enjoy.

A derivative but skillfully executed and engaging fantasy.

- Kirkus Reviews