BOOK REVIEW: THE CORRUPTED KINGDOM by JESSE GALENA.

Before I start this review I must confess, I'm not a fan of fantasy fiction (try saying that three times fast).

I am now a convert.

I like stories that I can completely immerse myself in. I also like stories that require me to use my brain. If an author can achieve the gargantuan task of creating a story that has me doing BOTH of these things, that author is on a winner.

Jesse Galena is one such author.

Non-linear story structure can be done well, and it can be done poorly. If it is done well, it serves the story and takes the reader along on the journey with the characters. Jesse Galena took me on a mammoth journey with The Corrupted Kingdom. The fact that he has managed to contain the story to a mere 42 pages, and still have it feel like an epic shows what a deft storyteller he is. I myself am currently writing a novel in which each chapter is it's own separate short story, and I therefore know how difficult it is to make each story engaging in their own right, and still carry on the arc of the novel seamlessly, which Jesse has managed with aplomb. I loved the characters, I ADORED the harsh, unrelenting setting through which they had to traverse, (being the slightly twisted individual that I am). I would happily give this a re-read.

In fact, I think I'll do that right now.

Four out of five stars for me.