The Forgetting Moon

The Forgetting Moon is the first book in The Five Warrior Angels by newcomer Brian Lee Durfee, and boy is it a fun ride. We all know the classic fantasy hero's journey, where a young farmboy is chosen by a magical prophecy to wield a magical weapon and save the land. At first glance The Forgetting Moon appears to be just another iteration of this tale, which experienced fantasy readers would have come across time and time again before the glorious rise of grimdark. However, Durfee proceedes to systematically subvert just about every trope found in these stories, and The Forgetting Moon turns into a fantastically executed grimdark tale that leaves you questioning whether the prophecy is actually just a crock of shit. The violence is extra-bloody, the 'heroes' are… questionable at best, and the villains just might have a point. The gallows humor in this one is top-notch, and you'll be laugh, then be horrified at the violence Durfee somehow made you find funny.Read this book if you want to see the prophesized hero get the shit kicked out of him and the prophecy turned on its head.