Review by Frank Plowright

The Willow King is a Lord of Cinder, once Uthrek a king who cared for his people to the extent of ensuring a flaming beacon to stave off the coming darkness. Since his resurrection, though, he’s become a blight on the land, and it falls to Herad, another dead hero to unite a team of current heroes to put an end to the Willow King’s terror and relight the flame.

George Mann’s approach to Dark Souls is that of myth creation, initially via an all-knowing narrative voice. Almost the entire first chapter is set-up, determining the path and introducing the new heroes, who’re two warriors and a dreamer. Mann establishes them as formidable without ever greatly explaining how. For the myth building it’s enough that they’re Gern of the Forest, Yllis of the Cascade and Bol of the Dream, but all three bring their own demons. They’re travelling through the kingdom of Ustrad, which is a new land for readers of Dark Souls, with new threats, although still variations on the undead hollows.

A superb atmosphere is set by the shadow-led art of Maan House, where everyone is indistinct and seen from distance. Astute colouring from Roman Stevens sets the art off beautifully, almost always dark shades illuminated by what little light there is. It adds up to a resolutely creepy world populated by no-one you’d ever care to meet.

Dialogue is sparse and rarely deviates from explanation or exhortation as the heroes slaughter their way through masses and occasionally meet someone offering information, so we learn little about them. This continues until a final confrontation leading to a neatly devised circular ending and the creation of a new threat.

It’s the artwork that goes a long way to elevating a largely predictable plot that fantasy fans have read in one form or another multiple times. Still, that’s because warriors on a quest is a perennial fantasy favourite, here given a twist of darkness.