A Bard Act To Follow — Michael A. Ventrella

Michael Ventrella's Fortannis setting has produced a lot of fine fantasy fiction, and the fourth collection maintains a high level of quality throughout. Some of the stories are simply amusing ("Curso and the Wizard's Apprentice"), some tragic ("The Consistency of Small Minds"), and others heartwarming ("The Mutiny of Broken Things" and Ventrella's own "Remembering the Future"). Our protagonists range from courageous knights and cynical adventurers to an absolutely chilling, self-justifying sociopath. Taken together, they give us a picture of a living, immense world which can cover the span of human (and biata, dwarf, elf, ogre, and goblin...) endeavor and passion. A Bard Act to Follow does not merely continue the fine tradition of Fortannis; it elevates the written world to the next level, and indeed, as the title plays upon, will be a hard act to follow - Ryk Spoor, author of the Balanced Sword trilogy Reviews and Awards A Bard Act to Follow does not merely continue the fine tradition of Fortannis; it elevates the written world to the next level, and indeed, as the title plays upon, will be a hard act to follow - Ryk Spoor, author of the Balanced Sword trilogy