Rise of the Red Hand by Jason Lancour
“The soul of the warrior was servitude. The only reason to fight was to protect yourself or defend those who could not protect themselves. If a person never had to bleed in the field or watch their friends die in the mud, then you, as a warrior, were doing your job.”
Lena Sullivan has trained for the day she would find herself in combat, fighting to the death to save people in need. Instead, her journey begins as a hired bodyguard on the long and dangerous road to Rafa, accompanying Professor Kristaad Durwynn as he conducts research for his history book.
But as the caravan of Red Hand clan members, soldiers, professors, mages and merchants continue their journey, the real mission of the trip is revealed. After a not-so-subtle conversation in a tavern leads to an attempt on the professor’s life, centuries-old tensions between the Goblins and Ialu people head towards a brutal breaking point. Lena realizes that she may find her fight, after all.
Rise of the Red Hand (Wandering Bear Creative) by Jason Lancour is an adventure story, a political drama and a battle epic all at once.
A BATTLE EPIC OF SHAKESPEAREAN PROPORTIONS
The highlight of this fantasy prequel is a series of ferocious battle scenes where our heroes are fighting through the rain and mud, outnumbered, and slowly losing their advantage. Nearly a third of the novella is comprised of combat scenes of Shakespearean magnitude, all with the tension and theatricality of the Henriad.
Jason Lancour has carefully plotted this climactic act of the novella and has done his research. He depicts battle tactics reminiscent of Roman and Greek infantries, using the formation of a united front (like the Greek phalanx) or defensive shield wall formations (like the Roman testudo).
As our heroes spend pages upon pages fighting for their lives, their calculated and advanced military tactics devolve into bloody and desperate attempts for survival. They begin fighting as a united front, then as cavalry, and finishing with brutal hand-to-hand combat. Lancour shows just how gritty and unpolished war can become, particularly when fighting barbaric opponents like the Goblins.
One last-ditch effort to buy time involves stacking the bodies of dead Goblins to form a wall across the road. This reminded me of the gruesome yet effective visual of corpses stacked to the ceiling that served as the backdrop of Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus, set after the events of Shakespeare’s bloodiest play. I’ll let the readers look that one up for themselves.
FANTASY FANS WILL CRAVE A SEQUEL
Lena is a powerful and memorable female lead. She is the perfect main character, not only because of her fighting skills but also because, as a human, she doesn’t know a lot about the world of Ialu people, which serves as a device for introducing this fantasy world, its people and its politics to readers.
I don’t often gravitate toward fantasy, but Rise of the Red Hand has a unique, cinematic quality that kept me glued to the page until late in the night. Jason Lancour has a way of making a 170-page novella feel grand while keeping a steady pace that moves the story forward.
This prequel’s careful world-building, witty dialogue and captivating characters only leave the reader wanting more, setting the scene for the story’s continuation. I can’t wait to see what dangers and adventures Lena Sullivan encounters in Storm Cloud Rising, the first full-length novel in this series.
About Jason Lancour:
Jason Lancour is the author of Rise of the Red Hand, a prequel to the full-length novel Storm Cloud Rising, the first volume of the Storm Cloud series. If you are interested in learning more, visit his author website where you can sign up for his newsletter. Or, check out his social media at jasonlancourauthor on some of the popular platforms. In either place, you’ll be able to receive updates about future work, writing-related news, inside info, idle ramblings and perhaps a map or two.
Well done, Megan!