Soldier Son – DK Holmberg
Review by: Ryan Mueller
I picked this up because I’ve really enjoyed Holmberg’s Cloud Warrior saga. I’ve read most of the way through that series and wanted to try one of his other series.
Overall, I’d say this was a good read. It’s about on the same level as the first Cloud Warrior Saga book, which I enjoyed, but not as much as the later books in the series.
Everything I’ve read so far of Holmberg’s focuses on a single point-of-view character. This allows for a shorter novel and a more focused read, but as a reader of epic fantasy, I sometimes find myself wishing I could see the world from others’ viewpoints.
In this one, it took me a while to warm up to Endric, the main character. At the beginning, he seems like a petulant child even though he’s old enough to become a military officer. This was an intentional choice by Holmberg, though, intended to showcase Endric’s character development throughout the novel. And he does develop. I won’t give away too much because I like to keep my reviews spoiler-free.
Because of the narrow focus, I found that the worldbuilding came out gradually. I also enjoyed finding out answers to mysteries as the story progressed. This approach works well for me as a reader because there’s nothing I hate more than the beginning of a book being weighed down by worldbuilding infodumps.
Thankfully, those were kept to a minimum here. Toward the end, there was a fair amount of action. It wasn’t an explosion of action like in his Cloud Warrior books, but it was still enjoyable. Overall, the book was a little lighter on action than I’d expected for a military-focused book, and that’s part of the reason I didn’t quite love it.
If you’re looking for a quick and easy fantasy read, this book fits the bill perfectly. It’s not great by any means, but it’s the kind of popcorn fantasy I like reading to relax before bed. Rating: 8/10