Wolf's-head (Rogues of Bindar) by Chris Turner

Summary: Welcome to Bindar: a world of scoundrels, opportunists and glib talkers. A conniving fisherman discovers a new meaning for the words mischief and scandal when he falls on the wrong side of a macabre magician, propelling him and his jokester poet friend into outlandish adventures, shattering all illusions of a just and fair world. 

 First it is prison, then it is the precarious life of outlaws. To meet a dazzling shapeshifter, shrunken and imprisoned in the magician’s bottle of brine, and then liberate her is not enough. Harried across the land, accompanied by a rebellious sea captain, they encounter the formidable Dakkaw, an ogreish creature of questionable repute. Can they win free of 'Bisiguth', and the Dakkaw’s sinister agenda?

Journey to new reaches of faraway Bindar with these unlikely heroes who must trust their instincts, survive by wits and bravado against lords, lawgivers, enchanting damsels and fey creatures . . .

Book I of the epic 3-book saga. 

Wolf's-head: Rogues of Bindar is an ambitious foray into the epic fantasy world, however it is plagued by a verbose narrative and an underdeveloped plot. 3 stars out of 5

Epic fantasy often contains loftier story-telling and more complex sentences than other genres,  however in the case of Wolf's-head it is too much; the wordiness slows the plot and prevents a distinctive voice from forming. There is nothing wrong with challenging the vocabulary of the reader, or being descriptive, but not to the point where it stifles/slows the narrative.  

Baus is the main character, however for most of the story he appears too far removed from the piece. The beginning of the book needs something to hook the reader; some reason to care about Baus: a conflict, a character flaw, anything to humanize him. Then, once the reader is drawn into Baus' world, the high level of description would not seem so out of place: I need a reason for wanting to know what the city looks like, what the people look/talk/smell like. I need an investment in their world. Even Baus' eventual capture wasn't enough: I didn't care for Baus' well-being.

In terms of conflict, the reader is left in the dark as to what the overarching conflict is for too long. Typically in epic fantasy, conflicts abound and the reader knows from the get-go exactly what conflict is driving the piece (war, love triangle, etc). At the beginning of the book, Baus' trip to the fair wasn't enough to build suspense or foreshadowing. And I have no idea what his "plan of providence was." 

The very ending of the book (which leads into the sequel) was the first time I found myself getting lost in the story, and able to overlook the style. There's definitely a lot of good fantasy elements here, and an author with a phenomenal vocabulary; with some work to pare down the narrative and heighten the level of suspense it could be a great read. 

Smashwords (2.99)
Amazon (2.99)