It is Monday in most of the world, and what better way to start off the week of blogs than with another great one from the Review Team, this one from Timothy M.

The Paladin
David McLeod

Reviewer: Timothy M.
Status: Complete
Word Count: 52,005

Some authors on GA create their own settings, either by mixing magic into our universe or by creating separate worlds. David McLeod does both, although most of his fantasy genre stories takes place in another universe which occasionally interacts with ours. The Paladin is one such story, which starts out in our world until the main characters are flung into another place with different rules of everyday life. I like the concept of a continuous struggle between good and evil, and how love / sex between males can be a source of magic. I often return to this group of favorite stories, many of which are intertwined with each other, and The Paladin together with Book of Heroes is a good place to start.

There are humans, elves and dwarves. There are friendship and hardship, long travels and intimate interludes (but most of the sex takes place ‘off screen’), heroism and kindness in small acts. Some aspects of the stories are fairly unusual and may take a little while to get used to, e.g. the longevity of people, the long youth phase of boys, and reincarnation. But to me the real draw of McLeod’s world is the importance of honesty, trust, knowledge, and the willingness to respect and help others. There is a strict code of honor and only evil people destroy nature or seek to accumulate possessions. I guess it can be called escapism and feel-good fantasy, but sometimes we need that, right?

Category: Fiction  Genres: Adventure, Fantasy  Tags: teen, magic, gay, alternate earth, first time, medieval  Rating: Mature