Forge of the Gods - The Last Knight by Eric Fogle is the first novel in what I expect to be a very good fantasy series. Being a first time author, Mr. Fogle has no reputation to live up to, no standards to meet, yet that does not stop him from forging his way into the genre with nothing held back. He obviously has talent and a knack for writing a griping story. When reviewing first time authors, I sometimes want to compare them to other more established authors. However, that really isn't fair to the new author as it immediately creates a comparison instead of letting that work stand on its own.

The plot of this book has several elements and a couple sub-plots sprinkled in for good measure. The main arc of this novel follows the young Squire Areck through a maturation process as he gains more responsibility, as well as facing some very challenging circumstances. One of the sub--plots deals with an upheaval in Heaven and how a group of angels are not only trying to figure out the cause, and solution, to the problem. But they are also facing a problem of their own that could lead to dramatic change to life as they know it. The second sub-plot again involves the gods, this time searching out a mysterious cause to something they do not even understand. So, the gods send Champions to find what they do not know they are looking for. The two sub-plots are not given very many chapters to fully develop, but, at times less is more. That certainly applies here. Mr. Forgle tells us just enough to keep us interested in these sub-plots but not enough to where they take over the main focus of the story, that of Areck.

The characters in this book had some obvious planning behind them. Every character that's talked about has a part to play in the overall book. There is certainly a great deal of character development with Areck and what he goes through. The character of Lord Bowon has a tremendous amount of development at well. I can't go into details, because I don't want to spoil things for anyone. While there are certainly some good, solid characters in this novel - the real strength of the novel comes from the plots and the overall story arch. I don't mean that as the characters are bad in any way, it's just meant the story if the thing of greatest import and at times the story seems to pull the characters along with it.

I have a few minor criticisms about this novel. First off there are a few times where I would have liked to read more descriptions about people, setting etc. What I mean by that was there were a few times when I had a hard time visualizing what it was I was supposed to see. This doesn't detract a great deal from the overall enjoyment of the novel, just a small nuisance. The very beginning of the book seemed a little jumbled to me. Mr. Fogle tried to introduce a lot of characters and many settings all in the span of about thirty pages. I don't know if this was due to word count limits or other necessities, but it felted rushed and I had a hard time following everything.

With that said, I enjoyed this novel quite a bit. It set up future events very well. For a new author, Mr. Fogle has penned a tale that is yet unfolding. This first installment is a very good addition to the fantasy genre and one the serious fantasy fans will enjoy. If you are looking for large scale battles, magic users throwing spells, or hoards of monsters - this may not be the book for you. Yet, if you are looking for a well constructed story that has deep ties to religion and the workings of faith do not hesitate to pick this up. This is not your typical mass market fantasy. At times the reader is required to think, and that, is a good thing. I know I am eagerly awaiting the next installment in this series. ( )