Will Macmillan-Jones – “The Banned Underground – The Amulet of Kings” [Book Review]

The Banned Underground is a fantasy novel unlike any other I have ever experienced. The terrific melding of fantasy with incredibly dry, wry humor and wit is just fantastic. I found myself chuckling through most of the book and on a few occasions those chuckles turned into full on fits of laughter.

Here’s the setup; the Dwarf King from under the mountain loses an amulet used to power the dwarf mansion. This amulet turns up missing under mysterious circumstances one night after a performance by The Banned Underground, a mystical rhythm and blues band. Along the way we are introduced to a myriad of eccentric, quirky yet memorable characters that bring this story to life. You won’t easily forget Grizelda the white witch who is constantly surrounded by frogs or Fungus, a bog troll who was born in a peat bog and not a toilet, and I can guarantee you won’t easily forget the drunken, pizza loving dwarf musicians.

Author Will Macmillan-Jones’ writing is fantastic and his command of the language makes the story flow naturally and easily. No matter how complicated the story line got I was able to keep up without any difficulty. Not once did I lose my place amongst all of the fantastical elements and obscure locations and with the help of a cheat sheet I was even able to keep up with the book’s enormous cast of characters.

At the end of the day I think The Banned Underground is a super fun read that I would highly recommend to anyone who likes fantasy, comedy or any combination of the two. Check it out, you won’t regret it.

Written by: Will Macmillan-Jones
Format/Length: Paperback, 176 pages.
Publisher: Safkhet Publishing (November 2011)