Arch Enemies by Michael A. Ventrella

Arch Enemies Reviews

• 
  Robert

  Arch Enemies is the first book in a two book series by Michael A. Ventrella based on a live action fantasy role playing game the author has run for the past 15 years. The second book is called The Axes of Evil and both are written with a young adult audience in mind.
  
  Arch Enemies depicts the adventures of Terin who is the unfortunate young bard looking to make a place for himself as a musician/storyteller. Just before he performs on stage, he is picked up by the squires Rendal and Darlissa and brought before Duke Aramis who has read a prophecy describing young Terin. The magic of the Arch which has sealed an ancient battle with evil Biata, a race of half human half gryphon, some gryphons, and humans is weakening and Terin is the key to fulfilling the prophecy of resealing the arch. The story progresses as Terin, Rendal, and Darlissa (who is a Biata herself) travel the land in search of what Terin must do. Of course the prophecy doesn't specify, so the story unfolds as they travel trying to figure it out. There are a couple subplots of what is happening to the dwarven caravans, an old Biata who lost his wife, and some other minor ones.
  
  This book has a promising beginning until it gets to the part about the prophecy. After that, I felt like it was just another story where a prophecy is told, a young boy does his thing and then wa-la, prophecy fulfilled. For starters, I will say I was wrong and it is much more than that. More about that later. There are many spots of traveling and getting to know the characters. For the most part, I really was not all that engaged in Terin's character. I will say that he grew on me later and then became bland again until towards the end. Darlissa, on the other hand, was my favorite. She was well written and had very good development and at the same time kept a nice mystery about her. The book flowed well and keeps the reader engaged enough to get through the differing scenes, action, and times of turmoil. The pacing was not done so well. It felt like driving a diesel semi, taking too long to get to the next gear until you get through all the gears and up to speed and then at the end, the pacing was perfect. The characters were well done and what parts there were with the villains was nicely done.
  
  Some criticisms:
  
  1. This book is written in the first person POV, not a favorite of mine. I would have liked a different perspective taken on this one. It would have been better if I could have been inside Darlissa's head and knowing a bit more how she felt and also more about the villain's ambitions and plans.
  
  2. The pacing could have used some tightening up. There were just too many places of Terin wondering and asking about things he didn't know about the prophecy only to get the same answers over and over. I will say once those questions were answered, I couldn't put the book down.
  
  3. The adventures have Terin taking paths that just seemed random. It was as if he was making something up that, to me, didn't make much sense and just helped to get to a different plot point. For those who have read it, I am talking about what Terin decides so as to travel to Dwarvenholm.
  
  Some positives:
  
  1. As promised, the prophecy. In order to avoid spoilers, I can't get into too much detail here. Suffice it to say, it is NOT a typical prophecy story and the twist with the prophecy is well worth the read. I applaud Mr. Ventrella's unique idea here.
  
  2. The race of the Biata. There is much background information found through the whole book about the race. They are unique and very well formulated and written about. It was nice to finally read a fantasy novel with something other than humans, elves, and dwarves, not to mention goblins and ogres.
  
  3. It is evident that Mr. Ventrella is a musician as well. The in-depth descriptions of music and the ability to relate it to the magic of the earth was spot on.
  
  4. Mr. Ventrella has a great sense of humor. There are many spots in the book where I distubed those around me with my laughing. Especially the scenes with the goblins.
  
  In the end, I would have to say this is a really good book. Once I got past my own personal biases about prophecies and the first person POV, it really did have a nice underlying shine to it. This is the first time I have heard of Mr. Ventrella and will have to say I was not disappointed. I believe a YA audience would enjoy this as well as adults. There are some graphic scenes, but not anything worse than what you see on TV nowadays. I look forward to continuing the adventure in The Axes of Evil.
  
  Happy reading
  
  -Dimndbangr
  
• 
  Scott Gillespie

  A conventional, but highly entertaining, sword & sorcery fantasy. Arch Enemies is a briskly-paced, liberally humorous and twisting quest for an improbable hero to fulfill a puzzling prophecy.
• 
  William Hahn

  This is an entertaining tale that makes a great introduction to the land of Ashbury as envisioned by Mike Ventrella. Terin, his not-really-willing protag, is a truly modern hero in a sense- he is pragmatic, questions authority, has no ties to the noble classes telling him he must undertake this dangerous quest, and spends a fair amount of time frankly, just whining. It gives the story a real Connecticut Yankee vibe that puts the reader in shoes they can fit right from the start.
  I chuckled at times how conveniently the story needed to trot to lots of places, and how Terin though born here had to learn SO much about his world. But Ventrella has a phrase-turning gift and brings the story around with appropriate tension, surprise plot twists, and that sense of irony and meaning to give you great enjoyment as you read. I found myself wanting to hear more about the characters mentioned here (especially for some reason that King, named Gareth!). Sample this fun, heroic romp and you won't be disappointed.