The Wailing Willow (The Tomes of Brynjar prequel)

Author: Brian Cary

4.5 out of 5 Stars

Barbarian brothers Wulfric and Dainn are enjoying their time at a tavern called The Wailing Willow. But when they go to pay their tab and rent rooms, they realize their coin pouches have been stolen. The inns owner eventually agrees to let them work off their debt by killing a supposed, “wee beasty” in the cellar under the tavern. Joined by Angus, a dwarf who’s coin pouch was also stolen, the group descends into the tunnels under the tavern and what they find is more dangerous than they could have guessed.

This is a well-written and entertaining story. A humorous part of the story is the witty narration that uses modern references to sound like a modern storyteller telling a legend. Some of these references include mentioning cars and comparing the loudness of the Tavern to a howitzer. The only negative in the story is that the narrator can sometimes be too verbose in a way that was a little bit annoying.

We don’t learn a lot about our main characters; this novella is more of a set up for the next book in the series which is a full length novel. Wulfric and Dainn are barbarians and brothers. They’re warriors but also a bit bumbling. Angus is a hill-dweller, dwarves who live in hills instead of mountains. The three of them get along, and their interactions are entertaining.

Overall, I liked the story, and it took some turns I didn’t expect. I’m rating it 4.5 out of 5 stars; I took half a star for the negative I mentioned about the narration. If you enjoy fantasy adventures then you should check out this book.

Price through Amazon Kindle: $0

Link to buy: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NSF6BGV

(I do not benefit from the use of this link.)