THE WRITE READS BLOG TOUR - The Tortured Kingdom - Bryan Asher
- Kindig
- Sep 16
- 3 min read
THE TORTURED KINGDOM
BRYAN ASHER
BLOG TOUR
The Write Reads have very kindly asked me to participate in their blog tour for The Tortured Kingdom by Bryan Asher which is out NOW! I'll start by telling you all about this 5 STAR READ and then share my review!
THE BOOK
Genre: Fantasy
Age Category: Adult
Illustrators: Batsky Starman and Arief Rachmad
Number of Pages: 276 Pages
Publication Date: January 31, 2025
After a comet strikes the continent of Yohme, it's left in shambles. Nations lay in rubble, magic has been corrupted, and a plague has turned most of the inhabitants into flesh-eating, undead, ghouls.
Traveling this apocalyptic landscape is Evan, a bounty hunter taking missions to survive. However, his latest quest to capture a thief leads to more than he bargained for. After uncovering an ancient map, he forms a party to hunt the sacred treasure inside the most formidable dungeon.
Once inside, they'll have to overcome the trials of a god to reach it, and they're not the only ones searching.
THE AUTHOR
Bryan Asher is a native Washingtonian and lifelong fan of fiction in all its forms. He started out like many kids from the '90s, being enthralled by all the superhero comics and cartoons crossing his vision. His love of literary fiction came when he was handed a copy of John Bellairs, “The Chessmen of Doom” by his local librarian. Bryan still credits John Bellairs as his greatest literary influence, with his books featuring multiple illustrations and stand-alone adventures, just like Bellairs.
After years of dedication and planning, he debuted his first novel in 2020, “The Assassin of Malcoze.” The following year he released his second novel, “The Treasure of Lor-Rev,” which went on to win multiple awards.
Bryan still lives in Renton Washington with his loving wife and two awesome children. He also still has the first comic book he ever purchased (which cost a quarter in 1990).
MY REVIEW
*****
As a D&D player, an RPG video game player and a lover of fantasy books, The Tortured Kingdom by Bryan Asher looked right up my street, and I couldn’t believe my luck when The Write Reads asked me to be part of their Blog Tour.
The continent of Yohme has been left forever changed by the strike of a comet – the undead are refusing to stay down and magic has been corrupted. When bounty hunter Evan finds himself in possession of a map with bountiful treasure at the end of it, he recruits some party members and goes after it. However, the trials that guard the treasure may be more difficult to beat than first expected…
The worldbuilding that Bryan Asher has put into this book is quite extraordinary – the amount of different species, with their own cultures and religions is commendable, and Yohme felt fleshed out and realistic throughout. I really liked the idea of the comet corrupting magic and raising the dead and would love to read more books in this setting in the future. I also appreciated the illustrations in the book which helped me to picture certain characters, as well as the lovely chapter heading drawings as well. I wish there was a drawing of the whole party together, which would have helped me to picture all of them as intended by the author.
The first chapter really throws the reader into the story headfirst, as we follow Evan in a dungeon, trying to slay a Champion. Initially the world building here did feel a little clunky, as there was only one character with no-one for him to talk to. A lot of exposition came in the form of Evan’s thoughts which seemed a little disingenuous, but this quickly faded when we met more of the characters and had more people to bounce dialogue off.
I really enjoy books that include trial-like elements and I was not disappointed here. There are lots of challenges that our heroes face to get to their prize and they all felt distinct, varied and interesting. The book really reminded me of running a raid on World of Warcraft back in the day and the combat was easy to picture with this in mind - I could see some of the same dynamics and tactics being employed. The dungeon with its tricks and traps kept my interest throughout and the challenges got more difficult as the stakes rose towards to final action-packed conclusion.
Overall, The Tortured Kingdom is the perfect book for lovers of D&D, video games and fantasy – an action-packed plot, detailed world-building and fun characters. Thank you to The Write Reads for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
LINKS TO BUY
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