Peter V. Brett "The Warded Man"

I just finished reading this and enjoyed it immensely.  Peter V. Brett has written something which is simple, yet totally riveting. I could not put this book down and read avidly from start to finish.  This book is one of action, from the front cover to the back.  There is not a lot of emphasis on the description of the scenes or on feelings.  The action though unfolds in such a way as to give insight into the main characters and into the land in which the tale unfolds.  The author does not try to do too much and succeeds quite well at what he does attempt, an unfortunately rare trait.

In brief we have a humanity threatened by demons, or what they call demons.  The history is simple.  Long ago man fought against demons until it developed magic.  The magic worked against demons.  When the demons were on the edge of being totally defeated they vanished.  Man then forgot its magic, which after all was only to do with demons, developed science and spread to cover the world.  Unfortunately the demons were not finished.  When the demons rose again, without magic man kind was near crushed until they remembered some few wards to use as protections.  That is the situation now, people huddle in fear behind arcane barricades at night while the demons delight in torment.

The hero, or one of the main heroes, fights his fears of the demons and through the course of the book discovers ways to fight back.

The only problem with the book is one a good editor would have spotted.  There was a perfect ending point to this first book in a series, but he continues and creates another.  He probably felt it necessary to bring the main characters together though, so he can be forgiven.  He could maybe have met them before discovering the spear?  Who knows.

I will read more Brett and would recommend this book to any fantasy readers who like a good heroic adventure romp.  Not surprisingly the author is a fan of D&D.