Glenn G. Thater

The Demon King of Bergher by Glenn G. Tather

This is short review for a short story I just finished reading.

It's a fantasy/horror story in a fantasy world setting with dwarves, elves, etc, etc, about Lord Torbin Malvegil and the events surrounding a demon king visiting his chambers and leaving him a gift. The story is written in the first person point of view of Lord Torbin Malvegil.

I'll start with saying I'm not a great fan of the first person POV, but it was bearable in this story. I had more problem with the telling, it felt like reading clumps of info dumps. It may be necessary for the story, but I rather it was done more subtle or toned down.

It's a good thing Glen G. Tather can write well, because despite the story being a whole lot of telling it still conveys an image and a sense of its own character, and in the portions where there is actually something happening it was even an exciting read. I rather had more of those moment and less lore, though I'm sure there are readers out there who would not mind this abundance of lore.

Did I like The Demon King of Bergher? I sort of did and sort of didn't.

Like is said, I liked the story once it got moving, but I disliked it when it didn't. If it was a novel I probably wouldn't have finished it, but as a short story it's bearable. If you like fantasy, with a descriptive back story, and slow reading, this story certainly is for you. If you are more like me, who love less description, and the back-story takes second place to a fast pace, then you might have to reconsider it.… (mehr)

Pure Excellence in the Fantasy Genre

The author, Glenn G. Thater, wrote this story based on 1200-year old documents about an enigmatic character, Lord Angle Theta, and his epic journeys and battles. There is even evidence dating all the way back to 2600 B.C. that speaks to the Angle Theta lore. The author has updated this lost tale into the fantasy novel Knight Eternal. It is a battle of good vs. evil in a time of gnomes, elves & knights, and sword & sorcery. Terrible evil has befallen a vast land, creeping into places everywhere - seen and unseen - and corrupting countless people. A cadre of souls sets out to save a comrade after a merciless attack, restore justice and stability, and exact revenge.

Like his first book, Harbinger of Doom (made up of two stories - The Gateway & The Fallen Angle), this is, in my opinion, truly excellent fantasy literature. Many of the themes will be be familiar to fans of the fantasy genre, but it's possible that's because the ancient lore these books are derived from predates many other fantasy stories. Perhaps the intriguing and highly entertaining stories of the intensely mysterious and powerful Angle Theta were amongst of the original sources of inspiration for these later tales. It is obvious to me the appeal of these tales and why they lived on.

I am not exaggerating when I say that excellence is in every part of this book - from the dialogue, the settings, the pacing, the plot, to the overall feel of the story. There is not one word that is extraneous or out of place, there is never any place where I wish there had been more description, or better description, better flow, or more excitement. The characters are all clearly drawn out with palpable presences and personalities - my two faves are Ob the Gnome, and Lord Angle Theta, who continuously simmers with nearly unmatched power, danger, and deep mystery. The dialogue is crisp & witty, humorous at times, and always meaningful. The stakes are high and the journey is wild and unpredictable. The story is perfectly put together and, I think, should be read by every fan of the fantasy genre - I mean this all sincerely. It is a classic in the making.

***Possible spoiler alerts - next paragraph only***

What is really surprising & completely refreshing is that near the end of the book, the story is switched over to the bad guys' point of view, and absolutely everything is upended. The reader is then left questioning if they have it backwards, maybe those are actually the good guys (though ultimately, everyone does bad things, no one is blame-free, but everything seems to have solid motivations). This sets this book (and its predecessors) apart from most other stories. It is revelatory, and so incredibly well done, I am enthralled by it. I am not sure who the good guys are, plus there are many shades of grey, and what an agonizing treat for the reader that is. The possibilities this leaves are so tantalizing that I have never wanted to read a sequel so bad. Ever!

***End spoiler alerts***

One thing is important to mention - the story ends suddenly, very suddenly. It really is the first half of a full story. I didn't realize this about the book, there were pages left, but they turned out to be the glossary, so it caught me by surprise. I dearly hope the next instalment will be released post haste!

To wrap it up, Knight Eternal is brilliant storytelling in every possible way. So much so, that I want to read every single tale about Angle Theta that has ever existed. Highly recommended!

Rai Aren, co-author of the award-winning mystery novel Secret of the Sands… (mehr)

The Gateway by Glenn G. Thater is the first of a trilogy of fantasy books also contained in a single volume called The Harbinger of Doom. In the Gateway, we are introduced to a coterie of brave knights from the House Eotrus who are investigating the mysterious disappearance of their lord and his army. Along the way, they discover a mystical gateway through which the forces of evil plan to enter the world. It is up to Lord Theta, Sir Gabriel, Brother Claradon, and the rest of the Eotrus Knights to stop this otherworldy invasion. Failure to do so will result in the end of the world as it is plunged into darkness by the hordes an unholy army.

Glenn Thater uses many tried and true plot devices to tell his story. However, although there are some memorable moments, The Gateway seems to miss as often as it hits. I find that Thater's writing is inconsistent in his use of dialogue. Characters inexplicably slip in and out of colloquial modern slang to poorly written archaic speech. I'm a little confused as to why the author sees the need to allow his characters to indulge in the incorrect use of 'thees', 'thys', and 'thous' when his story works just as well without them. This could be overlooked by most readers since they may not be familiar with archaic English. Yet, I am at a loss to understand why Thater's characters choose to speak in archaic English when most of the time they speak in ordinary diction. Confusing to say the least.

I also find the occasional shift in point-of-view to be disconcerting. Since this book is mostly written in the third-person, there really is no good reason why certain passages are written in the first-person. However creative it may seem, this is an unconventional method of writing a story that is ultimately distracting.

As for the story itself, The Gateway isn't really a book as it is a short story with chapters. I had some trouble reading the opening chapters due to being bombarded with too many characters at once all engaging in lengthy dialogue. To be fair, it is very difficult for any author to engage his reader with an opening that consists of a large number of characters we don't know or care about (yet) discussing a problem that they don't understand. The characters are confused. Therefore, so is the reader. Just trying to sort out who is who, when there is no physical description of them in the text, just makes the challenge of following the story even more difficult.

Fortunately for The Gateway, the story does eventually get better. In particular, the conclusion was quite exciting and made up for the lackluster opening chapters. In fact, although my opinion of the book wasn't high when I began to read The Gateway, I am now compelled to seek out the sequel to see where the story goes from here.

In conclusion, I would recommend The Gateway to readers who like their fantasy tales gritty and action-oriented. 3 1/2 stars.… (mehr)