Heroically Challenged by P.T. McCordic

P.T. McCordic’s Heroically Challenged is a comic fantasy novel that hits on all the adventuring tropes. The recipe includes that kid who wants to get out of the small village, the nerdy wizard whose talents lend themselves to study but wants to fight, and some fun dungeoneering. Add to this some play with royal bloodlines, the healer, and the bard… and you’ve got an entertaining read.

There’s Erik. A damn good farmer, but his brother will inherit the farm. Yet, that doesn’t really matter anyway because he believes that he’s destined for better things: Greatness! And when he dashes after that boar into the Blight-infested forest he finds beings that are caught up in the deadly sickness. Only an adventurer will be able to weed it out.

And there’s Alyx. On his way to becoming a full fledged wizard. His dream is to be part of a crew. Pewing monsters in dank dungeons. But the powers-that-be have other plans. They believe he would be better suited as the discovery of new magics. A quiet life cooped up in a library somewhere. But Alyx escapes…

These rookie adventurers find each other… and find a few more. Together they get a quest of sorts. Hilarity ensues… The laughs include an abundance of physically comedy, some play on words, and just that whimsical play with these traditional fantasy characters and plot lines.

My criticism lies in the fact that the book was a bit predictable and several of the jokes fell flat. I would recommend this novel to those wanting a fun, short read that they can cozy up with.

3.5 out of 5 stars.

Thank you to the author for an advanced copy for review.

Check out McCordic’s website.