Seven Princes

November 21, 2011
In his debut novel, Fultz attempts to marry the scope of doorstop fantasy with the lush language of Clark Ashton Smith, but he never quite achieves either. When an unkillable necromancer murders the king of Yaskatha and usurps his throne, young Prince D'zan flees, seeking allies in the neighboring kingdoms. Along the way, D'zan loses his mentor but learns the power of the sword he carries; he becomes friends with many of his noble peers but is betrayed by cardboard villain Prince Fangodrel of New Udurum and his sorcerous grandmother. As Fangodrel's power grows, the allied kingdoms are thrown into disarray by a series of gruesome magical attacks. Fultz's focus on the very big picture leads to undeveloped characters and events, and D'zan's growth from feckless boy to resolute warrior occurs largely in the ellipses between scenes.

January 1, 2012
Grisly fantasy debut and first of a trilogy from Fultz. Immortal necromancer Elhathym appears, seemingly from nowhere, to claim the throne of Yaskatha. When proud King Trimesqua refuses to yield, Elhathym invokes a legion of the dead and slaughters everyone in the palace save for young Prince D'zan and his bodyguard, Olthacus. The pair journey to New Udurum to seek help from King Vod, a giant and sorcerer. But, tormented by guilt over an evil deed in his past, Vod has disappeared, leaving the kingdom to his wife, Queen Shaira, his sons Fangodrel, Tadarus and Vireon, and daughter Sharadza. Elhathym, it emerges meanwhile, has formed an alliance with another ancient evil sorcerer, Empress Ianthe of Khyrei. Olthacus is slain by assassins sent by Ianthe, but Tadarus and Vireon side with D'zan, while Fangodrel develops a taste for blood-magic and joins the evil allies. Rounding out the seven will be Tyro and Lyrilan of Uurz and Andoses of Shar Dni. Sharadza runs off to learn sorcery and find some magical help. Non-stop action at a blistering pace, decorated with piles of corpses, spurting blood, ghastly tortures, mayhem, monsters and assorted butchery, not to mention the requisite heroics—you get the picture. Fultz sustains it for hundreds of pages, which is a feat in itself. Inevitably, though, it ends up numbing rather than horrifying. Vigorous and vibrant, with no claim to any serious purpose—a computer game that somehow shook out as words.

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Starred review from January 1, 2012

When Elhathym, the necromancer, murders the royal house of Yaskatha and seizes power, Prince D'zan, the sole survivor of the massacre, vows to avenge his family and liberate his homeland. Traveling thoughout the world, D'zan seeks aid from the Kingdoms of Udurum, land of Giants and men; the Uurz Empire, known for its lush, exotic Royal Gardens; Mumbaza, ruled by its Boy-King; and the Kingdom of Shar Dni, a country already under attack from pirates. Thus, seven princes become caught up in a great conflict. Fultz's first novel launches an epic series set in a world in which a race of Giants nears extinction and an aging king delivers himself to the Mer-Queen's justice for a crime committed in his youth. VERDICT A richly detailed background history filled with the legends of many cultures lends depth to a stand-out fantasy series from an author with an exceptional talent for characterization and world building.

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