The Prophecy of the Kings Trilogy by David Burrows

The Prophecy of Kings trilogy is an epic tale of bravery, discovery, intense battles, and oh, of course, Dragons, Dwarves, Demons, and ugly creatures called Krell! Sparked with a flare of Lord of the Rings..yet singed with its own unique vibe, The Prophecy of Kings takes you on a long, dangerous journey With Kaplyn, prince of Allund. Through dangerous lands, and even into unknown worlds, Kaplyn and his good friends (whom he meets along the way) make their way through dark encounters to fight against the horrible prophecy that is said will pass. The Prophecy of Kings.

I must say that I was excited to receive this book. After reading the first chapter on Burrow’s website, I was, to say the least, very interested. I always love a good fantasy, and this novel, judging by the first chapter, appeared to be my cup of tea. Luckily, what appeared was not deceiving. The Prophecy of Kings was for the most part, all that I expected.

While the writing is good, and the battle scenes are excellent, the true highlight of these novels for me, were the characters. Each were distinct and interesting. While it did take me a bit of time to absorb their personalities, once I did, I deeply cared for the outcome of their lives. Kaplyn, whom was the main character, was very likable, and Vastra, a wizard with a secret, was compelling all the way through. There was also a decent amount of character development, which is something I always enjoy. For me, if the characters aren’t interesting, the writing will never truly grab me.

With that said..I do have a few critiques.

The first novel of The Prophecy of Kings was a bit slow going in, and for about half a book, I had a hard time connecting with the characters. However, midway through it really picked up, and I became more and more engaged. The farm scene with the pack of possessed wolves had me entranced by it’s vivid detail and harsh intensity. From there on the novel really had and me, and the ending, which came with a bang, was both unexpected AND stunning. By the time I read the final page, I knew I had to continue and jump right into the next book. I couldn’t bear not knowing what would happen next.

The second novel started off MUCH better than the last. It jumped straight into the story, and started off with a new character, Tumarl, who at first glance seemed incredibly unstable, bordering on schizophrenic. Unfortunately, his character doesn’t quite reach the level of interesting I thought it could have. None-the-less, he becomes another likable character. I also have to say, it truly seemed as though Burrows became much more confident with this novel — as if he came in to his own. The writing, the plot, the action..it’s all very well integrated. My only real complaint was that the middle was so climatic..I ended up feeling as if it reached its boiling point a bit soon – making the ending feel just a tad bit underwhelming. Despite this, this was a great read!

The third, I have to say, was the best. This novel has it all..intensity, betrayal, fierce battles, Demons, Krell, Dragons, Dwarves..loss..everything. I was grabbed by this one, and was never let go. This was truly the best out of the three, and kept me completely engaged from the beginning to the end. It was a great conclusion to a very entertaining trilogy.

All in all, The Prophecy of Kings is a worthy fantasy Trilogy. While it did have some rough edges, and there were times where it seemed to drag..the overall plot was good, and the characters were both compelling and enjoyable. From Dragons to Demons, to giant flying birds that can carry human-beings.. this had everything you’d expect and more from a good, action-packed fantasy. From novel to novel I felt great improvement and progression in the both writing and character development. I can only imagine what Burrows will come up with, and accomplish next. If you’re a fan of epic battles, and vast journeys through unique worlds, I’d suggest reading The Prophecy of Kings.



(4 out of 5)

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