ARC Review Waiqar A Descent: Legends of the Dark Novel by Robbie MacNiven

I was given a copy to review via Netgalley and Aconyte Books. My reviews are always honest and all opinions are my own. #Waiqar #DescentLegendsoftheDark #RobbieMacNiven #Netgalley #AconyteBooks #BookReview

If you are looking for a brilliant high fantasy novel in the vain of the DragonLance and Forgotten Realms which ties into the popular Descent games you have come to the right place. I do want to say though that while familiarity with the world of Descent is of course going to be helpful it is not necessary to enjoy this brilliant and dark novel.

On a twist of events we get to see the world of Descent through the eyes of the bad guy, this time the most notorious necromancer, Waiqar, as he begins his conquest of the realms. Driven by his hunger for power, arrogance and skill. But before he can raise his undead armies and march on the Baronies Waiqar must secure his hold on the mistlands. But his court is far from secure filled with those who would easily cease control themselves from corrupt vampires to apprentices harbouring dark secrets. While his enemies vie for power Waiqar must see his plans come to fruition but power that is hard won can easily be lost.

I personally enjoyed this one perhaps a little more than the Zachareth novel purely due to seeing more of the workings of the court. There is a lot going on in this one and it’s incredibly well written. There is blood, gore, vampires, humans and of course the undead. It’s hard to catch your breath in this one and that’s just how I like some fantasy to be. While there is not a lot of detail on the world beyond the court in the sense of world building I don’t feel this would be a barrier to a reader since there is so much going on in the court. Drama intrigue and action intermingle to create a pulse pounding fantasy that is hard to put down.

One thing I love about the series most of all is looking at the ‘villains’ and while we don’t see a redeeming arc it is nice to be party to the ‘bad guys’ plans and story for once. I love a good fantasy about heroes saving the day but it’s nice to see the other side of the coin and these novels do that perfectly. They give an insight into what makes the villains tick, what causes them to act the way they do and for me that it a refreshing and enjoyable thing. I can’t wait to see if we get more villains stories in the future but I really hope we do.

Advertisement