Indie book love! I’ll admit I have struggled at times to connect with some of the independent books which have floated onto my TBR, but not so with Hierophantasy. I loved this delightful genre-savvy fantasy farce from beginning to end.
Can I lift the curtain a bit? In the first draft of this post, I had written this sentence:
“Check it out when you need a break from your seven-book heavy-worldbuilding epic fantasy of choice. ”
That line hit the cutting room floor when I ultimately decided I hate the sentiment. Not because it isn’t true – this book is absolutely a refreshing change of pace – but because the framing is off. It’s condescending to imply that a book’s main value is its tonal difference from its genre peers. We do that too often in bookish online spaces, and I want to train that thought pattern out of my language. Hierophantasy stands on its own as a well-paced, clever, and humorous novel.
Let’s talk about it.
The Basics:
Title: Hierophantasy
Author: Kyle James
Genre: Fantasy, Humor (farce, parody)
Published: Kyle James, 2024
Spoiler-Free Summary:
Our hero Artie is a down-on-his-luck thief and con man, sentenced to Death By Impossible Adventure for his crimes. He must cross a kingdom of ridiculous dangers (and one whimsical forest) to face the dragon Sandrakoleth, destroyer of cities. His jailer, bodyguard, and escort, tasked to guarantee he sees the mission through to its grizzly end is Hjalmar, the greatest hero in all the land, foiling Art’s plans to give his captors the slip as soon as he passes the city gates.
Along the way, the pair meets more quirky allies, including a bored demon with wanderlust, an eccentric inventor, and contractually obligated plot eagles who throw not-so-subtle shade at the most well-known (and hotly debated) plot hole in all of fantasy.
Why You Will Love This Book:
It’s a comedy, and I laughed. Enough said, right? If you loved the DnD movie (the good one from 2023, not the terrible one from ~ 2000), you will probably like this book. It’s similarly irreverent with a real eye towards just the right reference for the die-hard fantasy fan. It’s short, light, fun adventure well worth the price of admission.
Where Can You Learn More?
Throw Kyle some love over at his website. Otherwise, you know where to find books online.
Happy reading, folks.
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