Kingshold

[ Overall Thoughts ]
Kinshold is the fun, overall light-hearted story of the city of Kingshold navigating the change from monarchy rule to democratic rule, begun by the wizard Jyuth when he got fed up with the pattern of kings and queens that he placed on the throne becoming corrupt. To solve this, he decides from here on Kingshold will just have to govern itself, selecting a Lord Protector from amongst applicants through elections. This way, he no longer has to feel responsible should things go sideways. The world of Kingshold is vibrant and full of magic and demons and fantastical things and places, and though most of the story isn't focused on those elements the world feels large and real and captivating. We follow several POV characters throughout the city, and events slowly bring them together as the narrative progresses, having them work together toward a common goal from about halfway on. I really enjoyed the way these characters interacted with one another and contributed their individual talents. Kingshold is a unique and immensely enjoyable story, and I look forward to checking out the other books in the series.

[ Suggested Audience ]
Readers who enjoy a bit of revolution in their fantasy.
Readers looking for a wide cast of POV characters, working together for a better future.

[ TL;DR ]
Kingshold is a fun story with lovable characters plus a dose of social and political satire in the mix, which makes for an all-around enjoyable book.

An intriguing story of a fantasy kingdom brought into democracy by wizardly fiat.

The concept really hooked me; there may be other stories of fantasy-world democratization, but I don't really recall them, and certainly the idea of the Merlin-type getting sick of having to anoint new kings was a great spin on the genre.

Although the concept was great, a couple of the conventions chosen, while skillfully executed, were not to my personal preference, thus a 4 from me rather than 5. I'll discuss them below and I encourage you to read them as either criticism or praise depending upon your own preferences.

First, the story leans on RPG class tropes in world where 'adventurer' is a profession and the various cast can easily be identified by character-classes. It's not mired in the rules of any particular game, but there's definitely the feel of that sort of game-like structure to the world, much as you may have read in Nicholas Eames's celebrated Kings of the Wyld. Such tropes often provide an excellent short-hand to frame the story around, and most of my friends love stories like that, so I can hardly fault the author for choosing that approach even if it isn't one I particularly love.

Second, the narrative voice was very casual and modern. Again, it calls to mind other recent much-beloved works, so if that suits you, I think Woolliscroft uses it effectively. It's a medieval world where people say 'ok', and if that is not something that jars you, then you will probably find this a five-star adventure. If it is, well, that's an element to consider, but I think there is still much else to recommend this book.

Those elements aside (they may even be your preference), there are a lot of exciting twists and turns to Kingshold's budding democracy. Wizardly fiat alone is hardly sufficient to ensure a smooth transition of power from royal mandate to popular acclaim, and Wolliscroft's tale considers class issues between nobility, a rising merchant class, and the great unwashed masses.

While many elements of the world are assembled from a familiar collection of tropes, it is not cliché by any means. The various bards and assassins and dwarves and etc each have a flavor distinct to the setting and Wolliscroft paints and intriguing world that continues beyond the pages. I've compared him to Eames above and in this regard I think he excels that author, managing to avoid the perils of Chekov's gun by giving us a world that feels very extensive; distant vistas abound, and provide welcome texture to the setting.

Kingshold is a fun read with a very creative premise, and is a debut that promises even more great stories to come.