The Sleeping King by Cindy Dees & Bill Flippin

By: Unknown on Saturday, September 05, 2015

Title:  The Sleeping King
Author:  Cindy Dees & Bill Flippin
Publication Date:  September 8/15 by Tor Books
Length:  496pgs
Genre:  fantasy
Shelf:  Netgalley
Rating: ★★★★

Back Cover Blurb:

The Sleeping King is the start of a new fantasy series by New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Cindy Dees.

Dees has won a Golden Heart Award, two RITAs for Category Suspense and Adventure and has also twice snared RT's Series Romantic Suspense of the Year. She is a great storyteller, and the adventures in her more than fifty novels are often inspired by her own life. Dees is an Air Force vet-the youngest female pilot in Air Force history-and fought in the first Gulf War. She's had amazing adventures, and she's used her experiences to tell some kickass stories.

But as much as she love romances, Cindy's other passion has been fantasy gaming. For almost twenty years she's been involved with Dragon Crest, one of the original live action role-playing games. She's the story content creator on the game, and wanted to do an epic fantasy based on it, with the blessing and input of Dragon Crest founder Bill Flippin.

The Sleeping King is the first in an epic fantasy series, featuring the best of the genre: near immortal imperial overlords, a prophecy of a sleeping elven king who's said to be the savior of the races . . . and two young people who are set on a path to save the day.

My Review:

What a great start to the new fantasy series. The plot is densely crafted in the fashion of high and dark fantasy, giving readers a complex and captivating story to follow. The biggest downfall I saw with this novel was the large amount of world building right at the very beginning. I found the information dump made it difficult to get into the story until we hit the plot proper. That said, this intricately crafted world is now fully set up for this new series.

The cast of characters was varied and intriguing. I enjoyed getting to know each of them and their differences. I enjoyed that they were important in and of themselves, not simply in how they served the plot. Their intertwining and merging stories made this one for the records.

This is a novel that will be enjoyed by readers of fantasy, regardless of the subgenre. Dees seamlessly combines multiple elements to create a unique and lasting whole.

Book Links 

Goodreads - Shelfari 

Amazon.com - Amazon.ca - B&N - Kobo - Indigo - Google Play