A Review of Revenant and the Tomb

Old-school fantasy dungeons and horror

Salutations, readers! I’m penning this review as a continuation from a livestream I hosted a couple weeks back. Today, we’re talking Revenant and the Tomb, a fantasy novella written by author Herman P. Hunter, a name I’m sure more than a few of you will recognize.

So how does this book stack up against its contemporaries? Does it deliver on its promises, in contrast to where so many other fantasy novels fail? Let’s find out…

Starting off, we’re introduced to our main protagonist Halsedric, as he and his two companions are in pursuit of an ancient tomb, where they hope to suppress the primordial evil lurking inside of it. It isn’t long, however, before they enlist the help of Drahm, an elderly human guide with a wealth of experience surrounding the ancient sepulcher. Apparently, many adventuring parties have attempted to raid the place in the past; yet all of them have failed.

Just what kind of dangers may be lurking within the dreaded depths of this tomb? And what treasures are waiting to be plundered for those with adequate bravery and skill?

To answer that, I would honestly suggest reading the novella in question. As you might have guessed, the basic outline isn’t anything new to an experienced reader of fantasy. Yet I will go ahead and state that any who might be skeptical of this kind of story should lay their fears to rest: Revenant and the Tomb is a familiar tale that’s told exceptionally well, with a great amount of expertise, wit, and mystery bringing the wider narrative together.

Oh, did I also mention that this book is short? Indeed, the pacing cuts no corners in getting straight to the action, what with a group of characters that are (mostly) relatable, and if not that, they are most certainly compelling to learn about.

Along with Drahm and Halsedric, we’re also joined by the Elanni hunter Herodiani (pronounced hero-DYE-nee), as well as the wisecracking Wodeman Tulvgir. These characters sort of fill in the roles of your standard not-elves and -dwarves; but even so, their execution is unique enough to make you want to know more about what happens to them, not to mention learning about their greater place in the world.

I must say that I really enjoyed the simple premise. In truth, I find it remarkably refreshing, what with the vast majority of modern fantasy taking up untold hundreds of pages, balancing a few dozen subplots, and last but not least, forcing in your standard teen romance melodrama. (I’m looking at you Game of Thrones and Wheel of Time.)

But I digress. The dynamic between each of the characters is well developed, with most of it being shown and/or implied rather than flatly told. Likewise, the worldbuilding and combination of races, historical events, kingdoms, etc. help to give the setting a palpable feeling of age.

The best part of all this is that info dumps are the exception, not the rule.

I was also surprised with how well the elements of horror were mixed together throughout. At first we’re given minor glimpses of what could possibly be lying in wait at our party’s destination, before we’re met with some truly harrowing revelations up until the final fight.

In particular, I loved the odd moments where Halsedric and company are forced to remain silent, as we, the readers, are left uncertain as to whether something bad is lurking right around the next corner. Herman P. Hunter shows us exactly how skilled he is at evoking a sense of mystery and dread. Pacing, character, and action were all highlights, yet it was the element of suspense that became the greatest delight to this reviewer.

This culminates in a final showdown between major forces I shall leave unnamed. Needless to say, the action and tension kept me engaged from start to finish, and the conclusion itself left me satisfied, for the most part.

Now we arrive at my critiques, and frankly, I only have a few minor ones. Firstly, I feel that the plot required a handful of chapters before it took off with some of the stronger characters and bits of worldbuilding. What we get in the beginning is fairly standard stuff (our heroes meet in a tavern, for example), but I do think this works well in setting up what’s to come. Add in the fact that most of these chapters breeze along at a breakneck speed, and we end up with a gripe that isn’t half as severe as it could have been.

Similarly, I thought the final showdown between our protagonist and villain could have used a tad more excitement at the end. I don’t think that much would have to be added at all, even. What we end up getting, although exciting in its own right, was only slightly anticlimactic.

It isn’t the end of the world or anything, but it is just a little disappointing.

Last but not least, as has been pointed out by many other reviews of this book, the word “gasoline” is used as a means of description fairly early on, which, for a medieval fantasy setting, can feel a little off-putting to readers. On the one hand, I can see this taking several people out of the experience for what is, essentially, the novella’s opening scene. On the other hand, I find it to be a very minor criticism, and it honestly took me a second person to even notice it in the first place.

But now I’m getting into nitpicks. With all said and done, I can’t really think of anything else negative to mention. I speak truthfully when I say that Revenant and the Tomb is one of the most polished and well-plotted Iron Age stories I’ve come across thus far as a reviewer. I don’t think it’ll exactly rock your world, but I believe it isn’t meant to. What we get instead, however, is nothing short of a hell of a lot of fun!

If you would like to check out Revenant and the Tomb and/or its sequel, you can find both of them on Amazon. Herman P. Hunter also has his own website, Twitter, and Youtube.