Overkill - Steven Shrewsbury

Deliverance will come - and it will be in the form of Gorias La Gaul, a 700 year old legend.

This is the 2nd book in a Fantasy Fiction series by Steven Shrewsbury. The action begins at the prologue and never lets up. Gorias provides a bit of comedy in what would be an otherwise dark tale. La Gaul never lacks for a smart assed quip or a colorful curse word. At his age he doesn’t care who he offends or how and it provides many humerous moments along the way.

The 700 year old man is quite spry for his age and his libido has yet to reach his peak. As a warrior, Gorias has killed his fair share of men, women and dragons and wears a trophy as proof. As a lover, he’s had his fair share of women, most of whom are 600 odd years younger than he. He was labeled a hero by the populous, but claims he’s no more than a very lucky man just trying to live his life. Through his travels Lord La Gaul meets up with old friends, receives a quest from a former lover to rescue a future one and kills numerous men and women, both alive and dead.

His quest is hindered by deceit, intrigue and more than a few vengeful and power hungry men, women and gods. He is assisted along the way by Alena, one the Queen’s guard, and Orsen, one of the Queen’s lackeys. Gorias’ lifetime of battles, women and whiskey has earned him top posting on many hit-lists. Not just the expected long lines cut-throats and bandits, but of fallen angels as well. Alena and Orsen have no idea just what kind of life Gorias has lead, but they are about to find out that there’s usually a hint of truth to most fables.

The storyline contains enough twists and turns to keep you guessing, but not so many as to confuse the plot. I was immersed in the book as soon as I opened it. After reading the last words I found myself thinking “I never saw that coming”. The action is kept fresh with wonderfully described battle scenes, explicit love scenes and detailed pasts relived as fables. The story flows from scene to scene with the hand of a well-practiced author.

If you love epic fantast books with dragons, pirates, swords, magic, angels and demons then I would strongly recommend this book to you. Personally, this is the first book I have read by Steven Shrewsbury, but I can guarantee it will not be the last.