This all sounds pretty good but Priest suffers from several flaws, the biggest is Heden himself. One of them has just been mysteriously killed and the church needs to know the hows and whys. Heden is sent off to investigate a remote group of knights who guard a fantastically dangerous patch of forest. This sounds like a perfect setup for a long running 80s crime fighting drama, or maybe a sitcom - all you need to do is find someone to play saxophone on the theme music.īut things start to go downhill quickly as this plot line is quickly dropped in favor of the main quest. She is promptly installed the pub he owns but never opens to live with his collection of fabulous magical items and possibly magic cat.

He is introduced rescuing a young prostitute from a cult. Titular priest, Heden, is a former adventurer who became disillusioned with his church and now acts as a sort of fixer, doing jobs that the church cannot. The cover proclaims Priest to be 'A Fantasy Hardboiled' and it starts promisingly enough.

Good on Colville for having the gumption to write and release such a labor of love but I found Priest to be somewhat slog to get through. Priest Ratcatchers Book 1 By Matthew Colville ISBN: 0615512151This month's book club tome is a well-regarded self-published fantasy novel.

Priest book matthew colville