Rules of Ascension by David Coe is the first book in his Winds of Forlands series. This is one of the few political fantasy series I’ve tried and it absolutely rocks! I thought this author wasn’t well known, which would have sadden me even more since he can clearly write but to my surprise, he’s actually quite the opposite. Searching for his name on Google, I learned that the Robin Hood NBC adaptation was actually based on his book! Point is, I’m really glad the author is pretty known out there because he certainly deserves the recognition and I’m only saying that after reading the first book!

One of the things I love so much about epic book series like these is getting introduced to the myriad of characters and not only that but also getting a chance to view the world through their eyes and thoughts. Rules of Ascension has just enough of everything to keep me satisfied without overdosing me with one element or the other. You get different POV’s, a good world to build upon, awesome characters, betrayals, some romance, action and most importantly, a good dose of political intrigue. Oh and of course, the story itself! Although it feels very grand and epic in its own right, it still can’t compare to A Song of Ice and Fire series. Personally, I think that’s okay because once again, everything is dependent on the author and he just nails it on the head with this one. Although some might view this as yet another fantasy book with castles, kings and nobles doing the usual roundabout, the author made it so effortlessly to draw you in that you wouldn’t even notice it. His writing is just amazing and you’ll forget soon enough that you’re even reading. Words flow from page to page and you’ll never find yourself stuck at any point due to writing inconsistencies.

I’m not even going to lie, I will be starting the second book in the series as soon as I finish writing this review. It’s just that good. One of the only thing I found myself wanting is more races in the world. The Qirsi is definitely an interesting race but that leaves just them and the humans. If the author was able to introduce one or two more races, I would have loved it even more but trust me, that takes nothing away from the book. It’s just my wishful thinking.

If you’re looking for your next epic fantasy series, you definitely should give this one a try.