By Janie Franz, for MyShelf.com

FireDrakes - Chronicles of the Daemon Knights By David Korinetz

Sometimes a first novel can hold the promise of something fine that will materialize as an author matures in his craft. For Canadian author David Korinetz, however, his first novel is polished, his plot expertly devised, and his characters uniquely drawn. Here there is the promise of much more for years to come.

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By Allen Hustad, for the Kelowna Daily Courier

FireDrakes - Chronicles of the Daemon Knights By David Korinetz

David Korinetz is a local Okanagan author. Chronicles of the Daemon Knights is his first Fantasy novel. If you have read and enjoyed the Fantasy books written by such authors as J.R.R. Tolkien, S.M. Stirling or L.E. Modesitt jr., it is likely that you will enjoy this new entry to the Fantasy genre.

The plot line provides lots of action and enough turns and twists to keep you reading beyond the time you thought you would. There are Wizards, both male and female, who have the ability to transport their spirits almost anywhere as fetches, however they can be trapped and destroyed by a more powerful Wizard. The female Wizard in this book appears to be the evil one, and the male Wizard seems to be the more compassionate one. However, there are intimations that this may change in the sequel.

The Emperor is at war with the Dragon wizard, as well as manoeuvring to control the other kingdoms. The several armies are made up Legions, foot soldiers, Men at Arms, Archers, Barons, Dog Soldiers, Elves, Halflings, and Imperial Troopers. The Kings and Emperor make use of Tourneys to select the leaders of the army, which strongly resembles medieval Knights and their subordinates. Numerous battles take place during the course of this story, as well as duels, sieges, and covert actions within and between the different factions. Carpathian traders act as guides and provide transport for the armies on their fleet of sailing ships.

There are Elves who have the ability to practice their own specific magic, and magical beings such as Halflings, and the mysterious Shark Tooth the Kelatch whose past history and powers have been only partially revealed. There are also the sinister wolf men created through the evil black magic of one of the Wizards. Their role in the continuing conflict may be revealed in the sequel.

The protracted battles between the factions are fought using medieval mangonels, catapult engines, treachery, attacks by fire breathing dragons, and sieges.

This is a refreshing new entry to the Fantasy genre and provides great reading entertainment. The author brings a mature touch to the characterization of both the principal and minor characters in the book, which lends extra plausibility to story line. The ending of the book makes it clear that this story is just beginning, and will be continued in the future. Indeed, David Korinetz is currently working on the sequel for this book. I am looking forward to reading it as well. You can purchase the book through Chapters, Mosaic Books and Coles Books.