Title: A Fool’s Revenge
Author: Jonathan Antony Strickland
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: February 22, 2013
Genres: Fantasy, Historical
Length: 12 pages
Source: I received a free copy from the author.
Rating: 3 Stars
Blurb:
A bitter hate filled wizard seeks revenge against one who has cheated him of his rightful place to rule the city of Lardenmuk. But the question is how was he cheated? His only clue lies within one unknown word. Maferentuss!
Content Warning: Jealousy and death.
Review:
Revenge is a dish best served when others least expect it.
I liked the descriptions of how wizards are assigned to towns, villages and cities and why so many of them have a strong preference for the latter. This isn’t something that I’ve seen covered in the fantasy genre before, but I have sometimes wondered about how people with magical abilities decide who is going to look after which community. Obviously, it would do little good to have ten wizards in one city while the outlying villages remain unprotected from anything that might try to attack them.
This short story would have benefitted from more world building. I struggled to understand the gaps in Zarkon’s knowledge when it came to what wizards were and weren’t capable of doing, especially since he was described as someone who was well-read and who had studied his craft in detail. While I wouldn’t expect him to know everything about his profession, especially anything esoteric, it struck me as odd that he didn’t seem to be aware of what appeared to be knowledge that was fairly easy to obtain.
The twist ending made me chuckle. It fit the themes and mood of this tale nicely, and it also provided a little comic relief in what had otherwise been a pretty tense scene. There’s something to be said for being surprised by a humorous moment just when one least expects it! As much as I wish I could go into greater detail here, this really is something that other readers should get to experience for themselves without any additional hints about what is to come.
A Fool’s Revenge was creative.