THE COWARD

RELEASED OUT NOW! 412 pages | Paperback/audiobook

Author Stephen Aryan

Publisher Angry Robot Books

The most popular stories in the fantasy oeuvre are quests. The Coward follows this trope, from sleepy Honaje homesteads to the Ice Lich’s fortress. World-weary champion Kell Kressia, however, is unlike your Bilbo or Frodo: he’s a celebrity, having endured this journey before, 10 years ago, and he knows what happens to fellowships up north.

There’s little to subvert the genre here. There’s a dark threat, intrigue between Church and Crown to keep Game Of Thrones fans grinning, assassins lurking in taverns, campfires, giant wolves… you get the idea. The prose feels functional rather than lyrical; it has a wonderful pace but rarely edifies.

Yet as expedition narratives go, it’s magnificent. The familiarity of the format is an advantage. Aryan’s novel is comforting, more David Gemmell than Joe Abercrombie. The characters are likeable and occasionally quirky; instead of a classic elf, for instance, we get Willow the Alfár, with blue skin and oversized hands. Muscular companions Bronwyn and Malomir are unlikely romantic heroes, but we become engrossed in their courtship.

Beyond the clichés, this is exactly the sort of breathless adventure we need after a lockdown year. It’s the first in a series; future instalments will, presumably, feature less cross-country marching and more skulduggery. Dave Bradley