Howard Andrew Jones

Very enjoyable; had a hard time putting it down, even for dinner. It's told from the viewpoint of the faithful warrior, which is an interesting take in fantasy--lots of bards, scholars and loveable scoundrels narrating, but not many warriors. It's an interesting viewpoint, because often his interpretations and solutions are very straightforward and honest. He tends to think strategically only when it comes to protecting his young master or in a fight. He pairs with a scholar, Dabir, and they end up on a quest, hoping to thwart an evil magician and his henchmen. Sounds like the stuff bedtime stories are made of, and it works. I enjoyed the level of detail; while the author used 8th century Arabia in describing people, setting and customs, he took enough liberties to make the area his own. A magical tale, and I look forward to his next.
Didn't rate 5 stars just because I save that for my 'best' books, or 'need to own.'… (more)

Unfortunately, The Desert of Souls, by Howard Andrew Jones is told in the first person. Asim, our protagonist, is Captain of guards to a wealthy magistrate in a sword and sorcery caliphate. This magistrate is an intimate of the Caliph. You might expect such a powerful person to employee a guard Captain who is strong, mature, skilled, and perhaps cunning; or a least a bright... OK, maybe just perceptive. Nope, Asim, while not a simpleton, seems a bit young, at 24, and a bit dull-witted to manage his important post. I’m afraid that I have very little tolerance for a dumb protagonist, particularly when told in a first person narrative. Periodically, I find myself wanting to tap him on the shoulder and say "Duh-uh!" I think the author missed an opportunity in not telling the story from the view point of, Sabirah, the magistrate’s niece and ward, who is deemed so clever that she is permitted to pursue her education rather than be married off for political gain. A clearly daring girl, her exploits are only mentioned to explain her presence as a stowaway on Asim’s mission to retrieve two stolen magical items. Even so, I gave this book a chance and read through to the midst of chapter 9. This "Arabian Nights" setting is a welcome departure for me from the Urban-paranormal-romance deluging the fantasy genre at the moment and the author's writing is quite engaging. It’s even likely that Asim may develop a clue by the end of his adventures. However, I lost all patience and gave up at page 126, after yet another a pivotal turn in the plot was driven by the protagonist simply making another inappropriately dumb move. (Which situation amounts to: “We’re in trouble. The scholar who got us out of trouble before has a plan; let’s follow it!” “Plan? We don’t need no stinking plan!” With the epic examples of Scheherazade and Sinbad the Sailor, (whose caliphate worlds of magic and adventure the author tries to emulate), would that Jones had followed these examples more closely and chosen a reasonably clever protagonist. To this book’s credit it may well cause me to re-read One Thousand and One Nights or Judith Tarr’s Alamut (preceded by the The Hound and the Falcon series), for a reminder of what Arabian sword & sorcery looks like when it’s done right.… (more)

This second volume of the chronicles of Hanuvar, with short episodes of plots, dark magic, and battles, knit together with explanatory notes, as though written by a historian and editor of some ancient texts. Hanuvar is too clever at solving mysteries, too indestructible in battle, and too noble to be a convincing character. The stories always have a dread magical element, and usually a maiden in danger. The action moves along, but I find the dialogue and explanatory writing sometimes less than elegant. I became tired of the series, after 607 pages of text on the Kindle… (more)