The Coward
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- Create Date：2021-07-13 08:51:52
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Stephen Aryan
- ISBN：0857668889
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Summary
Who will take up the mantle and slay the evil in the Frozen North， saving all from death and destruction？ Not Kell Kressia， he's done his part。。。
Kell Kressia is a legend， a celebrity， a hero。 Aged just seventeen he set out on an epic quest with a band of grizzled fighters to slay the Ice Lich and save the world， but only he returned victorious。 The Lich was dead， the ice receded and the Five Kingdoms were safe。
Ten years have passed Kell lives a quiet farmer's life， while stories about his heroism are told in every tavern across the length and breadth of the land。 But now a new terror has arisen in the north。 Beyond the frozen circle， north of the Frostrunner clans， something has taken up residence in the Lich's abandoned castle。 And the ice is beginning to creep south once more。
For the second time， Kell is called upon to take up his famous sword， Slayer， and battle the forces of darkness。 But he has a terrible secret that nobody knows。 He's not a hero - he was just lucky。 Everyone puts their faith in Kell the Legend， but he's a coward who has no intention of risking his life for anyone。。。
Kell Kressia is a legend， a celebrity， a hero。 Aged just seventeen he set out on an epic quest with a band of grizzled fighters to slay the Ice Lich and save the world， but only he returned victorious。 The Lich was dead， the ice receded and the Five Kingdoms were safe。
Ten years have passed Kell lives a quiet farmer's life， while stories about his heroism are told in every tavern across the length and breadth of the land。 But now a new terror has arisen in the north。 Beyond the frozen circle， north of the Frostrunner clans， something has taken up residence in the Lich's abandoned castle。 And the ice is beginning to creep south once more。
For the second time， Kell is called upon to take up his famous sword， Slayer， and battle the forces of darkness。 But he has a terrible secret that nobody knows。 He's not a hero - he was just lucky。 Everyone puts their faith in Kell the Legend， but he's a coward who has no intention of risking his life for anyone。。。
Reviews
Mel Curnow
，
After blasting through the two mage trilogies by Stephen Aryan， I was really excited to preorder this book。 The characters were easy to remember， all with unique personalities and culture。 The adventure was long and twisted but not long-winded and thoroughly enjoyable。 Some of the themes were very similar to other series， particularly towards the end， but there was also a lot of brand new themes and characters background that left me enthralled until the end。
FantasyBookNerd
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Rtc
Nomibis
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More mature but less exciting than previous booksMeaning is deeper with some parables about religion and how the truth is transmitted。 The plot is much less punchy than previous books though and scenes are less cathartic so it's less entertaining than previous stories。 The world seems also smaller and until the end we still expect Balrus to make an apparition。 Eventually this first book of the series still lays good fundation to a new world as intrigues start to get deeper so I look forward to s More mature but less exciting than previous booksMeaning is deeper with some parables about religion and how the truth is transmitted。 The plot is much less punchy than previous books though and scenes are less cathartic so it's less entertaining than previous stories。 The world seems also smaller and until the end we still expect Balrus to make an apparition。 Eventually this first book of the series still lays good fundation to a new world as intrigues start to get deeper so I look forward to see what happen next。 。。。more
Henry Lazarus
，
Stephen Aryan has a fun tale of The Coward （paper from Angry Robot）。 At 17 Kell Kressia joined a group of a dozen heroes headed to the far north to slay an Ice Lich who was bringing the cold south。 He was the only survivor。 A decade later， unrewarded for his actions， he’s been living a quiet life convinced he used up all his luck in his survival。 The cold is coming back and his King wants him to go back。 Of he’s going to take the money and run。 Somehow， instead， he acquires a motley crew and fin Stephen Aryan has a fun tale of The Coward （paper from Angry Robot）。 At 17 Kell Kressia joined a group of a dozen heroes headed to the far north to slay an Ice Lich who was bringing the cold south。 He was the only survivor。 A decade later， unrewarded for his actions， he’s been living a quiet life convinced he used up all his luck in his survival。 The cold is coming back and his King wants him to go back。 Of he’s going to take the money and run。 Somehow， instead， he acquires a motley crew and finds it impossible to quit。 Opposed by the local church that send assassins and soldiers， and all the horrors of the far north， it is an impossible trek that brings out the hero in all his crew。 Lots of fun。Review printed by Philadelphia Free Press 。。。more
Julia
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This book started really strong and had good characters。 Good world building as well。 The plot started to drag in the middle though and while the story was great fun to read， it all felt familiar to me。 I am glad I stuck with it but I felt like there wasn't really anything groundbreaking。 Good， escapist fantasy。 This book started really strong and had good characters。 Good world building as well。 The plot started to drag in the middle though and while the story was great fun to read， it all felt familiar to me。 I am glad I stuck with it but I felt like there wasn't really anything groundbreaking。 Good， escapist fantasy。 。。。more
Cameron Johnston
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It's been a long time since I read a proper fantasy quest story， and this one scratches that itch while taking the quest and characters in all sorts of interesting ways。 The best compliment I can make is that it feels like a David Gemmell novel， with all the flawed characters， gritty action and otherworldly magic。The Coward is an excellent book packed full of interesting characters， exotic icy locations， horrible monsters and desperate action。 It's been a long time since I read a proper fantasy quest story， and this one scratches that itch while taking the quest and characters in all sorts of interesting ways。 The best compliment I can make is that it feels like a David Gemmell novel， with all the flawed characters， gritty action and otherworldly magic。The Coward is an excellent book packed full of interesting characters， exotic icy locations， horrible monsters and desperate action。 。。。more
Norah
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When Kell Kressia was only 17 when he became a hero a legend， after defeating the Ice Lich and saving the five kingdoms。What was the truth of what happened in that journey and how did this effect his life。Ten years later and Kell Kressia now live as a farmer quietly when something start in the north， and the Kell's service might be needed again。The Coward is quest story， and who doesn't love one of those。 With great character arc。I liked how stephen Aryan handled PTSD and anxiety with the main c When Kell Kressia was only 17 when he became a hero a legend， after defeating the Ice Lich and saving the five kingdoms。What was the truth of what happened in that journey and how did this effect his life。Ten years later and Kell Kressia now live as a farmer quietly when something start in the north， and the Kell's service might be needed again。The Coward is quest story， and who doesn't love one of those。 With great character arc。I liked how stephen Aryan handled PTSD and anxiety with the main character。 Kell also suffers from imposter syndrome thinking he was not deserving of any praise There is different POV which I enjoyed very much， it was action-packed and the pacing was great。 There was a lot of heart and satisfying character development arc。Over all I loved it and would recommend it if you enjoyed Sebastien de Castell’s Greatcoats series， or Nicholas Eames’ King of the Wyld I think you should give this ago。 。。。more
Mary
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Kell Kressia is a hero。 When the Five Kingdoms were threatened， he set off to help slay the beast。 Of the whole group that began the quest together， only Kell returned alive。 Ten years later， it seems that the kingdoms are being threatened yet again， and who better to save the world than the man who saved it last？ The only problem is that Kell has no interest in saving anything or anyone a second time。 I'll be honest--I misunderstood what this book was about。 I thought it would be about a man wh Kell Kressia is a hero。 When the Five Kingdoms were threatened， he set off to help slay the beast。 Of the whole group that began the quest together， only Kell returned alive。 Ten years later， it seems that the kingdoms are being threatened yet again， and who better to save the world than the man who saved it last？ The only problem is that Kell has no interest in saving anything or anyone a second time。 I'll be honest--I misunderstood what this book was about。 I thought it would be about a man who had pretended to be a hero when given the opportunity and then ended up in a pickle when his services were called upon again。 The actual story was deeper， but also darker than anticipated。 Kell was an actual hero， but his first experience was so traumatic that when asked to help again， he considers running instead。 It was interesting to read a story about a hero who suffers from PTSD， and I think that part is unique。 Unfortunately， the story wasn't executed well overall。 The grammar was sloppy to the point where it was jarring to read at times。 I didn't care for many of the characters。 They felt flat and one-dimensional， but I struggled the most with the villain。 That part of the story didn't seem to connect well with the rest of the story。 The plot was also slow。 Nobody seemed to go anywhere quickly， and while that gave time to develop Kell's character better， it made it more of a struggle to continue reading。 This was a miss for me， but I did appreciate a unique take on a 'hero's quest' story。Thank you to Stephen Aryan， Angry Robot， and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and honestly review this book。 。。。more
Jordan Robinson
，
The Coward was a good story with well written characters。 I enjoyed the plot， though it was somewhat predictable， I never found myself truly surprised but enjoyed reading it。What bothered me were the many grammatical errors， from misspelled words， to lines that I could tell had been edited and had dropped an essential word， to the contrary where a word had been duplicated unnecessarily。 I look forward to the sequel， but fervently hope that a more meticulous hand will be applied during the final The Coward was a good story with well written characters。 I enjoyed the plot， though it was somewhat predictable， I never found myself truly surprised but enjoyed reading it。What bothered me were the many grammatical errors， from misspelled words， to lines that I could tell had been edited and had dropped an essential word， to the contrary where a word had been duplicated unnecessarily。 I look forward to the sequel， but fervently hope that a more meticulous hand will be applied during the final editing processes。 There is a lot of potential here。 。。。more
Lena
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So。 Dull。I expected something ironic and epic， but instead I got a formulaic wannabe high fantasy。 Boring characters， long descriptions， winding plot。 And the backstory that moves it all is totally implausible。
Sam
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I never impulse buy book， I always do a lot of research beforehand and read reviews but for some reason the title， cover， and description convinced me to just get a book from an author I've never heard of。 The first chapter got me a bit scared， I wasn't a huge fan of the humor but it quickly got better and I actually enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would and am looking forward to it's sequel。 3。5 I never impulse buy book， I always do a lot of research beforehand and read reviews but for some reason the title， cover， and description convinced me to just get a book from an author I've never heard of。 The first chapter got me a bit scared， I wasn't a huge fan of the humor but it quickly got better and I actually enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would and am looking forward to it's sequel。 3。5 。。。more
Tinthia
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Read it in one day。 Over 90 degrees out and I sat by the air conditioner and traveled to a land where monsters were real and heroes came in all shapes， colors， and genders。 Truly a fun romp with great characters， believable actions， great monsters and a non-cowardly hero。 I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fantasy-monster-medieval style stories。 Eagerly awaiting Book 2。
Xerxes
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Thank you to Angry Robot， for providing me with an ARC and allowing me to participate in this blog tour。 Special thank you to Caroline Lamb and Sam McQueen at Angry Robot as well。 All thoughts are mine and I really enjoyed this story。 Thank you to the Broken Binding as well for the copy that I ordered and the signed map plate。 Maps have a purpose in fantasy novels and I want to see more of this in the future。This is one of the most amazing titles I have read in the fantasy genre。 It is a story t Thank you to Angry Robot， for providing me with an ARC and allowing me to participate in this blog tour。 Special thank you to Caroline Lamb and Sam McQueen at Angry Robot as well。 All thoughts are mine and I really enjoyed this story。 Thank you to the Broken Binding as well for the copy that I ordered and the signed map plate。 Maps have a purpose in fantasy novels and I want to see more of this in the future。This is one of the most amazing titles I have read in the fantasy genre。 It is a story that keeps you on the edge， a story that keeps you wanting to read more， and a story that you wish it does not end。 Because I didn’t want it either。 Every single moment of this story had its special feeling， every scene felt unique， and I am mind blown。 I have to say this， my mind is in the fourth dimension。 It feels like I’ve uncovered a deeper plot， like a Christopher Nolan film， and there’s more to this story。 There’s more to Kell and this journey， much more。 This story to me is like a glimpse of something deeper and darker。 Yes， it was an epic journey。 Yes， some characters faced destinies I think could have been better （without wanting to spoil the story this will be the only clue you will get）。 Stephen has created an intriguing story that made me want to read more。 Dear reader， I tell you now， I still do not want this story to end。 There is a secret， a confounding secret that makes me want to discover more， a mystery that must be uncovered！The Coward is an apt title for this book， for it delivers an epic story that is the equivalent of an epic video game story， and has multiple comparisons with many TV shows。 Most often， I was often reminded of Game of Thrones in many respects。 After reading this book， I felt as if I had entered another universe。 Another parallel universe with multiple layers of complexity and intrigue。 That’s all I will say for now。 It is that good。 This book is that good。 It has an amazing story， well-written dialogue and easily likeable characters。 The journey is simple。 Kell once journeyed with a bunch of glorious heroes to kill the Lich Queen。 They didn’t return， and only Kell did。 He’s been having nightmares and wishes to forget about it， that it even happened。 He’s a man hiding his deepest fears in the corner of his soul， wishing to never even relive it again。Then， a letter arrives from the King of Algany， requesting that he take up the mantle as the Lich has once again returned。 Taking his famous sword， he battles the forces of darkness， shark horned beasts， wolves and horrible creatures， all the while collecting a bunch of companions that he never even wanted。 This novel should be named the Tavern。 Because I should be a tavern inn-keeper and open one up。 It’s very profitable。 Without spoiling the plot， let me summarize it to keep it simple: Kell’s journey to the castle of the Lich in the North complicates politics for everyone。 Kings rival each other against King。 The Shepard， who is our monotheistic God of this world shall we say， now has followers who are devout and fanatical， trying to spread the word of the true God。 Of the true Divine。 And then comes Princess Sigrid and her manipulation of Kell， in some sense， along with Lukas， who I believe is the steward。 There’s also a dangerous priestess， known as the Mother Reverend， who is determined to eliminate him。 The politics of the Five Kingdoms revolve around Kell’s journey simply because they forced him to do something he didn’t。The Kell that starts from the book， emerges a different Kell at the very end。 A transition of the truth， a search for the question of life itself， and the machinations of lies and deceit that everyone tells each other。 There was Gerran， one of the best characters in this story， and I felt a lot of sympathy for him。 There was Willow， a mysterious figure who is secretive and has layers upon layers of untold lore and stories。 There is Vahli， who was the definition of the loyal warrior， a bard， and a humble noble。 A man that fought for everything he wanted。 This is almost like the fantasy version of The Expanse。 Characters that I can relate to and get along with。 There are many untold characters in this book。 All amazing。And what I’ve told you is barely a glimpse。 This story has so many amazing secrets I want to read book 2 already。 I already want to read it。 I need to know more。 I need the story。 I need it。 This is an amazing story， and I for one loved every second。 This is the book you need in 2021 to read。 Amazing！ The cover designer Kieryn Tyler did an excellent job with interpreting the way the novel cover came out， and did a great job of understanding the story。 The cover is one of the BEST and I love PURPLE in fantasy covers。 Angry Robot have gotten a knocker here。 A fantastic， whopping knocker of a novel that has some mind-blowing concepts。 This is great。 I loved every second。 A shoutout to the cartographer who did an amazing job with the map design。 I loved it！ 。。。more
Cassidee Lanstra
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Actual rating: 7/10Thank you to Angry Robot for a chance to review The Coward by Stephen Aryan in exchange for an honest review。 I was super intrigued by the description， I love a good coward as much as I love a good hero。 That cover is just gorgeous， too。Well， the first thing that could be said is that this book is definitely polished and it’s going to be right up the alley of many fantasy readers。 There’s humor， battles， an epic journey， and an unlikely group of travelers that become like fami Actual rating: 7/10Thank you to Angry Robot for a chance to review The Coward by Stephen Aryan in exchange for an honest review。 I was super intrigued by the description， I love a good coward as much as I love a good hero。 That cover is just gorgeous， too。Well， the first thing that could be said is that this book is definitely polished and it’s going to be right up the alley of many fantasy readers。 There’s humor， battles， an epic journey， and an unlikely group of travelers that become like family to one another on that journey。 If you are a fan of Kings of the Wyld， I could definitely see this being something you’d enjoy。 I， on the other hand， DNF’ed KotW （hangs head in shame）。 The issue for both of these books was that I started out with the audios and really didn’t vibe with the respective narrators。 Luckily， with The Coward I decided to switch to physically reading at about 50%。 I enjoyed the second half of the novel much more than the first。 I don’t think that’s all due to the audio， though， and I know this narrator will actually be perfect for others。The first half went a lot slower for me。 I was a bit bored， if I am honest。 I actually thought I was going to end up rating this book a bit lower。 I didn’t care about any of our characters for a good while。 The second half was filled with action and revelations， and the ending promises for a fun adventure in the future。 I found myself endeared to our characters by the end of it and it completely saved my rating。 A huge bonus: the excerpt for the second book intrigued me greatly， so I will probably end up continuing with the series。 I do like that this could be read as a standalone if one desires！One thing I really enjoyed in this novel was the uncertainty of the fate of our main characters。 Aryan does not tread lightly and this is something I love when reading fantasy。 I enjoy being afraid for our characters， even if that means that someone I really liked dies。 I also love that so much of our story revolves around a lie and that Kell sheds a truthful， ugly light on the journey of the heroes that we hear about in fabled tales。Take my review with a grain of salt and check The Coward out for yourself， so far it has been getting rave reviews！ 。。。more
Lyz
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I picked up this book because I was seduced by a beautiful cover and an interesting concept for a plot。。。 and this book fell flat。 Short， choppy sentences with modern jargon that sticks out like a sore thumb （King Drew Bledsoe？） make it hard to be drawn into the world or take it seriously， location changes happen in a blink， and the secondary plotline was so incredibly boring， despite trying to be political intrigue， that I skipped the last few chapters of it。 Character development was so awkwar I picked up this book because I was seduced by a beautiful cover and an interesting concept for a plot。。。 and this book fell flat。 Short， choppy sentences with modern jargon that sticks out like a sore thumb （King Drew Bledsoe？） make it hard to be drawn into the world or take it seriously， location changes happen in a blink， and the secondary plotline was so incredibly boring， despite trying to be political intrigue， that I skipped the last few chapters of it。 Character development was so awkward and forced that even some deaths didn't make me feel anything， and the final epic battle vs evil was just incredibly awful。 The same as before， but he forgot to do this one thing， so this time it'll stick guys！ The big revelation afterwards I couldn't even care about。 I'll give the book some credit for at least making me want to see how it ends instead of DNFing it but that's it。 Didn't even read the preview for Book 2 because I won't even bother。 。。。more
Bek （Stories With Bee）
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Genre: new adult， epic fantasy， high fantasy， quest， political/ religious intrigue Age range: 17+Overall: 4。5/5Characters: 4/5 Plot: 4/5Writing and Setting: 4-5/5Content warning: *swearing， gore， violence， use of weapons， underage drinking， flagellation， death， injury， mental illness: PTSD， Anxiety， Depression。 The gist of my review: With epic battles， a seemingly impossible quest， and cast of misfit heroes， ‘The Coward’ by Stephen Aryan is a great read for fans of ‘The Lord of The Rings’。On top Genre: new adult， epic fantasy， high fantasy， quest， political/ religious intrigue Age range: 17+Overall: 4。5/5Characters: 4/5 Plot: 4/5Writing and Setting: 4-5/5Content warning: *swearing， gore， violence， use of weapons， underage drinking， flagellation， death， injury， mental illness: PTSD， Anxiety， Depression。 The gist of my review: With epic battles， a seemingly impossible quest， and cast of misfit heroes， ‘The Coward’ by Stephen Aryan is a great read for fans of ‘The Lord of The Rings’。On top of this， Aryan did an incredible job of combining this really interesting magic system， elements of political/religious intrigue， and developing a diverse and in- depth world。 I’m under the impression that this book has one of the greatest first sentences of all time。 ………“Kell Kressia， slayer of the Ice Lich and saviour of the Five Kingdoms， tripped on a rake and fell into a pile of horse shit。” ………。I really enjoyed this book。 The reason as to why I didn’t give it a 5/5 was because there was a very obvious lull in the middle of the book。 During this， there was a lot of battles for Kell and the crew but they all seemed to resemble each other slightly which then became a little repetitive。 Alongside this， there were scenes throughout the book that were trying to invoke some very profound emotions， however I found that I wasn’t overly moved。 Characters: 4。5/5The supporting characters were fantastic。 Normally I would break each character down and talk about them individually， however there is a number of very distinct voices in this story， and to do them all justice， this review would be very long。 For now I’m only going to talk about the two main and their very polarising characters。 Kell Kressia:Kell is a really interesting character。 This book provides a lot of insight about his past and how he previously made the journey to slay the Ice Lich alongside a crew of eleven heroes。 At the time he had been a young， naive seventeen year old and had come back as the lucky sole survivor from beyond the frozen circle。 In the present timeline he’s ten years older and has lived an unforgiving life。 Initially he runs from the call to slay another threat， but a young man， Garren， challenges Kell’s legacy， coerces him into making the journey north and demands that he joins Kell on his quest。Kell is a strong willed， brave， and insightful character。 He cringes at the idea of being a leader， but he cares for his crew and respects the fact that he’s not the strongest or most ambitious in his quest。 He’s very accepting of the differences between his crew members and we see new developments in Kell’s character as he interacts with each individual。 Throughout the story we are given a unique perspective between Kell from the past and Kell from the present， and so we are able to see how far he’s come as a person and in his personal growth。 Reverend Mother Britak :The Reverend Mother is the holy leader of the religious group who follow The Shepard。 She is a harsh， strict yet faithful leader to her religion and is striving to spread the word of the Shepard throughout The Five Kingdoms through any means necessary。 She has some very ‘questionable’ ways of ensuring that the 12 pillars （kind of like the 12 commandments） are followed and her intentions are to increase her zealot followers。 According to her religion， magic and magical beings are against the word of the Shepard， and therefore Kell， his legacy and his current journey are a distractor to the public and towards her campaign。 Although Kell and Britak don’t cross paths in this book， Britak’s narrative sets her up to be a very compelling and lethal enemy in the sequel。 A special mention to Vahli and Willow because they were both fantastic characters。 Plot: 4/5Admittedly， I didn’t have high hopes for the plot of this book。 I usually don’t enjoy when the plot is centralised around a main quest， and this is one of those books， however when I reached the last couple of chapters， things started to unveil that gave hints towards the nature of the sequel and I can’t express how much those details changed my mind about this book。 In my opinion， the last couple of chapters are what gave it an extra 1。5 stars and made me immediately excited for the release of the sequel。 Writing and Setting: 4-5/ 5We see multiple perspectives throughout the book， however our main characters are Kell and Britak。 The writing is in third person which allows for some very interesting perspectives。 As previously mentioned， there were parts in the book that were trying to evoke a lot of emotion and I didn’t really connect with them。 These scenes were fairly early on in the timeline so I’ve put it down to not knowing the characters all that well in comparison to the emotions I felt towards the end of the book。Without a doubt， the world building must be praised。 We see a vast array of kingdoms， races， creatures， towns and locations that were fascinating to read about that is unique to this story and incredibly creative。 。。。more
Andy Angel
，
Kell Kressia is a hero， a legend。 10 years ago he set off in a party to fight the Ice Lich， they won， the Ice Lich was killed but Kell was the only survivor。 Was he a skilled warrior though or just in the right place at the right time？ （the book's title kinda gives it away）。 In the here and now a new threat is rising in the North and the people believe they have just the man for the job （Kell should have learnt one of the first rules of fantasy fiction - things always come back to bite you in th Kell Kressia is a hero， a legend。 10 years ago he set off in a party to fight the Ice Lich， they won， the Ice Lich was killed but Kell was the only survivor。 Was he a skilled warrior though or just in the right place at the right time？ （the book's title kinda gives it away）。 In the here and now a new threat is rising in the North and the people believe they have just the man for the job （Kell should have learnt one of the first rules of fantasy fiction - things always come back to bite you in the butt）。 The people want Hero Kell to save them again， use his legendary prowess and warrior skills to save the day but Kell is no hero and doesn't want to go。 Anyway， long story short， as you would expect he goes off to save the day and picks up a rag tag bunch to help him on his quest。 These don't always seem to be the best， the most suitable but when it comes to the nitty gritty they somehow seem just the right ones for the job in hand。 For me I think it was this mis-matched gang that made this story for me。 So often these quests set out with what seems like a perfect group with just the right person for each task before them， a noble bunch whereas Kell's group seemed more like vagabonds and rogues。 As has been mentioned before it reminded me of Nicholas Eame's Kings of the Wyld and， trust me， that is not a bad thing。 I've read Aryan's books before and found his world building to be really good and the same applies with The Coward but there is also a sense of there being a lot more to come as well。 As this is the first in a series we'll just have to see but I， for one， will certainly be there for the next installment。 。。。more
Jennifer Lynch
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3。5
Caitlin
，
Thanks to NetGalley and Angry Robot for the eARC of The Coward in exchange for an honest review！The Coward follows Kell as an adult， the hero and last survivor who stood against the Ice Lich years before。 A man who doesn’t consider himself a hero and just wants to move past what he’s survived， he is then called back into service of the king when the weather changes to see if the Ice Lich has returned。 The Coward was such a fun book！ It’s not often you get a main character who is a coward， a man Thanks to NetGalley and Angry Robot for the eARC of The Coward in exchange for an honest review！The Coward follows Kell as an adult， the hero and last survivor who stood against the Ice Lich years before。 A man who doesn’t consider himself a hero and just wants to move past what he’s survived， he is then called back into service of the king when the weather changes to see if the Ice Lich has returned。 The Coward was such a fun book！ It’s not often you get a main character who is a coward， a man who doesn’t want to be a hero and instead just wants to farm and find a wife and live peacefully。 Someone who wants to forget what he’s already lived through。 This was such a unique take on a fantasy novel， having this grand adventure starting out with someone who does not want to go。 We have a few perspectives throughout the book， which made Kell’s story all the more interesting as you see what’s going on in the world and who is conspiring against him。 There is a lot happening throughout the start of the book especially， as Kell starts his adventures and assembles a group of other heroes， as well as seeing a political and religious side to the world and the effects it’s having on his adventure。 It did make the start of the book a bit slow as there is so much to be introduced to， but once it picks up， it really gets going。 The ending of the book was fantastic。 The build up， the heroes， everything about it just felt perfect。 Parts of it came as a bit of a surprise， which was refreshing as well。 So much of the this book managed to feel unique while following a timeless fantasy trope of adventuring heroes。 There are some content warnings for the book though， for those readers that need them。 Religious fanaticism with implied child abuse and ‘re-education schools’。 There is also some violent scenes， and some non consensual advances from some characters。 A lot of the scenes are implied though， so if you’re okay with just knowing about it without having to read brutal scenes， you might be able to tolerate those scenes。 I would strongly recommend this one if you’re looking for a new take on fantasy tropes， as this one is such a fun read。 。。。more
Lian Do
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Decent book throughout loved the ending。
Janice
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I liked that parts of this book that acknowledged that even heroes can come home with PTSD and have a hard time。 But the writing seemed pretty pedestrian to me。 There was a lot of action， but I found myself skimming over a lot of the action scenes because I honestly didn't care what happened。 Some characters were going to fight really hard。 Somebody was going to take a serious injury that would be handled with a few stitches in a later scene and never referred to again。 Somebody was afraid。 So p I liked that parts of this book that acknowledged that even heroes can come home with PTSD and have a hard time。 But the writing seemed pretty pedestrian to me。 There was a lot of action， but I found myself skimming over a lot of the action scenes because I honestly didn't care what happened。 Some characters were going to fight really hard。 Somebody was going to take a serious injury that would be handled with a few stitches in a later scene and never referred to again。 Somebody was afraid。 So probably， just not for me。 I see lots of folks liked it。 I did read to the end （in spite of some skimming）， wanting to know how things came out。 But I don't plan to read the sequel （sequels？） 。。。more
Heidi
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I am rounding up a bit for this one。 I found it atad slow to start but the perspective of the main character is interesting and relatable。 What sane person would want to relive a traumatizing experience。 The story is well written and a different enough story to leave me excited for book two。
Koeur
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Rating: 4。6/5Review: If ever there was a reluctant hero then Kell Kressia fits the mold forged by Kevin Costner。 Yet Kell makes it believable by shirking duty in favor of a rest he has justifiably earned in past service。 Rather than go North he decides that any other direction is better than facing the Ice Lich， yet with momentum in the people to save the countryside he has little choice but to serve。Where this novel excelled was the world building and， specifically， the characters。 Each persona Rating: 4。6/5Review: If ever there was a reluctant hero then Kell Kressia fits the mold forged by Kevin Costner。 Yet Kell makes it believable by shirking duty in favor of a rest he has justifiably earned in past service。 Rather than go North he decides that any other direction is better than facing the Ice Lich， yet with momentum in the people to save the countryside he has little choice but to serve。Where this novel excelled was the world building and， specifically， the characters。 Each persona is built with care in order to develop into well rounded players。 The movement is constant in the form of a quest which helps build character depth as well。 Bronwyn was one of my favorites， being Zena-like in body and rougher in presentation。A good read that severely lacked in editing。 The grammatical errors are numerous and sometimes left certain paragraphs without meaning as the stumble was too blatant to surmount。 Usually Angry Robot has very good editing but this was bad to the bone。I am looking forward to the next in this series， “The Warrior“。 。。。more
Lucsbooks
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"The Coward" by Stephen Aryan is the first book in the "Quest for Heroes" series， where we meet Kell Kressia， celebrated former hero and present-day farmer。 When after ten years of peace， his king calls upon him to defeat a new threat， Kell decides that he has done enough and it's time to disappear。General ImpressionsOther than the beautiful cover， what initially drew me into this story was the subversion of the hero quest trope: ten years after Kell accomplished the heroic feat he is still crus "The Coward" by Stephen Aryan is the first book in the "Quest for Heroes" series， where we meet Kell Kressia， celebrated former hero and present-day farmer。 When after ten years of peace， his king calls upon him to defeat a new threat， Kell decides that he has done enough and it's time to disappear。General ImpressionsOther than the beautiful cover， what initially drew me into this story was the subversion of the hero quest trope: ten years after Kell accomplished the heroic feat he is still crushed under the weight of PTSD and the knowledge of the things he saw and lived through: the death of his companions， the hardships of the journey and after returning the complete detachment he feels from everyone around him。Although I was very much excited by the synopsis， I started this book prepared to DNF it at the first sign of sexism or racism white men like to cover their fictional universes， particularly fantasy with。 Well， I'm happy I picked it up because I ended up reading one of the most diverse and gender-balanced adult fantasies in a while。 The political and religious arc were really well written but the cultural and architectural aspects were where Stephen truly shined。 I was impressed enough with the magical aspect as well and fell in love with his original animals and other sentient species。The characters themselves were also another of the high points in this story: there were all kinds of powerful and weak， heroes and villains that did not fell into the boring middle ages white-only worlds I tired of seeing presented as a novelty years ago。 Stephen gave us feminine guys that were as good with a knife as with a musical instrument， women that loved their physical strength， men that were not lesser or resented needing or asking for help。。。There were characters from different places with different costume and races and a believable reaction to those differences without endorsing discrimination。Something else I really was a fan of was the way the author respected Kell by not forcing him to be something he was not and have a romantic interest he was not prepared for out of anywhere。 These characters felt real: they were able to change but that change came from within not because he wanted them to fit in a certain mold。Conclusions"The Coward" gives us conflicted heroes and villains in a rich world I can't get enough of， after reading that first chapter of the sequel at the very end。 This was absolutely lovely and a gift for any lovers of fantasy。Thank you to Angry Robots for sending me this book。 。。。more
Frank Jarome
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This was really good。 The comparisons to David Gemmel and Kings of the Wyld were quite apt。 An interesting cast of characters， with plenty of secrets that are revealed as the story progresses。 It has a solid ending of its own， yes still leads into the still-to-come sequel。 I will definitely be checking that out as well
James
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3。5One of my favorite opening sentences to a book。 Had a lot of plot points and themes I love。 I thought the intrigue， landscape and action was all really great。 Characters were fun and very charming and the ending has me ready for a book two。 Two things that stood out to me was the middle portion feeling slightly repetitive， and the romance in the book didn't work for me。 Other than those things it was a good first experience with Aryan's work and will likely read book two when it releases。 3。5One of my favorite opening sentences to a book。 Had a lot of plot points and themes I love。 I thought the intrigue， landscape and action was all really great。 Characters were fun and very charming and the ending has me ready for a book two。 Two things that stood out to me was the middle portion feeling slightly repetitive， and the romance in the book didn't work for me。 Other than those things it was a good first experience with Aryan's work and will likely read book two when it releases。 。。。more
Eric Ballein
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3。5 rounded up。
Katrina Evans
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Solid fantasy story that I enjoyed a lot。 Full review here:https://allopinionsarenotequal。wordpr。。。 Solid fantasy story that I enjoyed a lot。 Full review here:https://allopinionsarenotequal。wordpr。。。 。。。more
Virginia
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A fantasy tale that starts as it means to go on。 Kell Kressia falls into a pile of shit in the first line and then keeps falling into metaphorical piles of it for the rest of the book。 This is both a truly enjoyable standard adventure fantasy and also a book that subtly turns the standard adventure fantasy on its head every chance it gets。 I'll be picking up the sequel the moment it drops。 A fantasy tale that starts as it means to go on。 Kell Kressia falls into a pile of shit in the first line and then keeps falling into metaphorical piles of it for the rest of the book。 This is both a truly enjoyable standard adventure fantasy and also a book that subtly turns the standard adventure fantasy on its head every chance it gets。 I'll be picking up the sequel the moment it drops。 。。。more
Angela
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3。5/5。 This was a pretty good story。 It didn't quite hook me as much as The Age of Darkness trilogy but it did a decent job at setting things up。 Kell is a believable character。 He's not overly bright but not as stupid as he could have been。 He's average。 He's a bit more seasoned in life then he had been on his previous adventure， which the readers get to hear throughout his travels toward the north。 Its nice that he knew what he was getting into and didn't end up having his home burned down and 3。5/5。 This was a pretty good story。 It didn't quite hook me as much as The Age of Darkness trilogy but it did a decent job at setting things up。 Kell is a believable character。 He's not overly bright but not as stupid as he could have been。 He's average。 He's a bit more seasoned in life then he had been on his previous adventure， which the readers get to hear throughout his travels toward the north。 Its nice that he knew what he was getting into and didn't end up having his home burned down and townsfolk slaughtered to get him moving。 Its an overused trope by this stage so kudo's on getting him out of town without having a body count。 The other characters that join Kell along the way are interesting in their own rights but my main focus was on Willow， Gerren， and the bard whose name I can't remember but starts with a V。 The other two characters were fine but it took a while to really see it。 There are also some other characters that we get to see that flesh out the world a bit。 They're sort of secondary plots to Kell's journey in this book， but appear to start the setup for the next book。 I definitely plan to read the next book as it could go a couple different ways and I'm curious to see what happens next。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Coward
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Coward&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Coward&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0