Why is The Five Warrior Angels series on my TBR?
The Five Warrior Angels series by Brian Lee Durphy (published by Simon and Schuster) is a completed trilogy, with its three books, The Forgetting Moon, The Blackest Heart and The Lonesome Crown. They are all pretty thick books and that is one of the reasons I was attracted to this series (yes I have a problem). And, let’s be honest, the covers of these books by Richard Anderson are beautiful; I love the almost impressionistic strokes of the paintings and they also convey a majestic feeling of a great adventure (and he is the same artist of the cover of The Chronicles of the Unhewn Throne series, another set of breathtaking covers)!
While there is some buzz on BookTube about this series recently, it used to be quite underrated (and it still feels that way, since The Forgetting Moon only has about 1.5k reviews on Goodreads). My direct knowledge of the series is limited to the first book but I want to share why I included the series onto my reading list (and why it should be on yours because the first book delivers!).
The blurb for the first book just gives you exactly what the story is; a large scope epic fantasy story, with a lot of moving parts and a lot of clashing interests that make the plot rich and relatively complex.
Next to this, it appears that the story is grim dark and let me tell you that there is a level of violence in these books that makes it takes the violence to a level that I felt like gagging in a couple of scenes (and I do not kid, these scenes were intense for me).
There are also fantasy tropes and themes that truly work for me: from a man who believes to be a prophet and leads a bloody invasion (although, we see this man through the eyes of someone who is losing his faith which makes this point of view quite compelling); there is a chosen one story line (and I have yet to know what makes him unique which adds to the mystery of the next installments of the story) with a very brusque mentor; there is a cabal (but this time on the positive side of things, although when were cabals working on the better side of things? So I wonder if there is something hiding behind those doors?) and a messed up royal family (really, the king being manipulated opposed to great women in the royal line).
Further, there are a few magical items that also color the entire story; they also added mystery to the story; where do they come from, who can use them, why do we care so much? Partly the questions receive answers in the first book yet there is so much more to uncover!
The author also is part of the equation; and I have to come clean here. I struggled with his channel for a while; I was not sure about his personality and I have robbed myself of an interesting experience. Yes, Brian Lee Durphy has a ton of personality and comes across quite over the top; yet, this is part of his charm and, again in full transparency, I have been reconsidering his channel after I read The Forgetting Moon and giving it 5 stars out of five. He has an eclectic personality and vast knowledge of literature and his taste is not limited to fantasy, he reads all sorts of books and genres. This makes his channel particularly appealing to me and I have been adding quite a lot of new books to my “to-be-read” list thanks to his channel (including a ton of historical fiction!).
In short, this is a very interesting series that deserves the attention of all readers who like epic fantasy, great world building, interesting plot (with many different points of view and interests that friction if not even clash) and a very grim dark tone.
Have you read the series? If so, put any of the books emojis in the comments below and, if you have time, a few lines as to why people should be reading the series! If you did not read the book, do you plan to read it? If so, put a swords emoji down below and, if you have the opportunity, comment as to why this works for you!
