I received “The Coward” by Stephen Aryan from the publisher as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I loved everything about the premise of this book. Following a character after their big heroic adventure has always intrigued me. What happens after the fame and when they get home? This story gives you an idea, and it’s not all wonderful and happy as one would expect. While that aspect isn’t quite unique, what made me love this story was the characters that ended up accompanying Kell, the main character who was a hero before and is now called to face new dangers that are cropping back up and threatening the land. I liked how the story weaved his previous heroism into the story in such a natural way that even though you learned a lot, it never felt like an information dump.

As I read, I thought that I had an idea of where the story was going or what was going to happen next, and was pleasantly surprised that the book kept me on my toes! Overall, I really enjoyed this book, Kell, and the company that he kept. The characters were unique and had depth, the story was interesting, and the whole book kept its promise! Looking forward to reading more from this author and reading the rest of this series.

When I think about heroism I often think about the conversation between Cat and Rimmer in Red Dwarf. There‘s an old cat proverb that goes, "It's better to live one hour as a tiger than an entire lifetime as a worm.” There's an old human proverb - "Whoever heard of a worm-skin rug?" I am with Rimmer on this one, better alive with a bruised ego, than in a hero’s grave. Kell Kressia already went on his quest and was the only survivor and he refuses to go on another. Some would call him The Coward, other may just call him The Sensible.

Ten years ago, the land was threatened by an eternal winter. A band of hardened warriors headed North to kill the Ice Lich. Along for the ride was the inexperienced Kell, who refused to leave their side. Kell was the only survivor. He may be known as a legend, but fame does not stop the nightmares and all he wants to do is be left alone to farm his land, but the last two seasons have been chilly and there is only one man that the King wants to head back up North.

In my youth, fantasy novels would often follow what felt like the similar pattern of an everyday ordinary teenager being sent on a quest. Over the next 3 to 10 novels, they became the hero. Reading about 17-year-olds can get a little tiresome when you are now far older than that. Therefore, it is great to read The Coward as this is a book about how Kell is no longer that boy and is also not the man that people seem to think he is.

The story is set in Kell’s present, but flashes back to moments of his original quest. Stephen Aryan never falls into the trap of staying in the past too long, this is a book about a man reflecting on what has gone before, it is not about the events themselves. The years weigh heavy on Kell and that gives the book a moodier feel. This is not downbeat but is a little cynical. I could sympathise with Kell’s point of view and many other older fantasy fans will to.

The theme of cowardness crops up a lot in the book and not only in the title. What is the nature of cowardness and bravery? Is it cowardly to fear something that you know is likely to kill you? Kell finds himself clashing with some characters as they are unable to marry the idea of his legend with the person they see before them. The book works because Kell never pretends to be anything other than himself. Let others think as they wish, he knows what he saw, and he knows what fear really is.

Along with the interesting themes, there is a great fantasy book. A good old-fashioned quest is still in this book, just told from a slightly different perspective. We meet new races, and the heroes must fight against the odds to kill various monsters. You could read the book as a straightforward fantasy and still have a great time, but it would be a shame to miss the nuances.

Like many fantasy books, The Coward is part of a series, but what makes the next outing so exciting is that it will be very different from the first. Events conspire to place Kell in a very different position and all the wonderful world building that Aryan smuggles in throughout the book will come to the fore. The Coward is one of the most enjoyable fantasy novels I have read in recent years. It has all the action and comradery of a classic fantasy outing, but it is told with a cynicism that is frankly refreshing. Who like a do-gooder hero anyway? Give me some one a little messed up like Kell any day.

10 years after the no-name farm boy saved the world and became a hero, trouble is stirring again in the north. Despite already having done his share, Kell Kressia is called on by the king to go back out into the cold and find out what is happening.

On seeing the synopsis for this book, I was thoroughly intrigued. There have been so many stories about conquering the odds on an epic quest, but so few that covered the fallout that such a journey has on the survivors.

I was a touch disappointed with the execution of the story though. In many parts, character actions felt incongruous with what we were told about them, or scenes resolved themselves improbably.

I finished the book curious about where the author wanted to take his story over future novels, though it was not the most compelling fantasy I have read recently. This was a decent read, not quite my style though.

The coward, first book in the Quest for Heroes series follows the life of Kell Kressia, who was the legendary hero that did the impossible in the past and now the King has summoned him to do another of his miracle once again. But only Kell knows the truth about his impossible deed he achieved in the past. Will the miracle happen again ?!

This book was definitely a fun read. The reluctant hero trope was executed neatly, the political aspects, detailed action sequences and wide supporting characters made this book a fine read and hyped me up for the sequel....

This book is an ode to heroism. To the real one. Not what we bookworms often read about in books.

For once, the hero is not without blemish and without fear. Nonetheless, Kell, despite what the title suggests, is not a coward. He is an ordinary man who discovered the hard way that epic deeds may have a reverse of the medal made of loss and grief and haunting remorses. And now, after ten years, he is forced to face the demons of his past he so long wished to be buried.

Even though it's a little slow-paced, the great characters (tridimensional and, above all, utterly 'human'), the richly detailed world and the web of secret political plots intrigued me and made me look forward to seeing what happens in the next instalment(s).

I really enjoyed reading The Coward! From the absolute get-go I was hooked with the easy humour within the first few pages. The quest was fast paced and interesting while being easy to keep up with the characters and their challenges. The highlight for me was actually Gerrens journey from naive boy to having to grow up much too fast and the effect this had on him. I love that there seems to be opportunity for a sequel too!
Thank you Netgalley, Angry Robot and Stephen Aryan for the ARC in exchange for an honest review - it was a pleasure to read!

Do you need an entertaining, page turner of a fantasy?? Then The Coward will check those boxes for you!! This book is chock full of action, danger, political maneuvering, and a cast of characters that you will want to see succeed and some creatures that will probably also give you some nightmares!! Kell Kressia is the reluctant hero who has spent the past ten years working his farm and trying to avoid the spotlight after being the only survivor of a quest to defeat an evil ice demon. But as the world's weather continues to get colder and colder, the possibility that the demon has returned becomes more and more likely. Kell is summoned by the King and ordered to head North and take care of whatever is there just like he did before. Along Kell's journey, he picks up companions of all types and skills, who each have their own reasons for wanting to go North and face this threat.
The action and pace just keep ramping up and it really is a non stop ride, with otherworldly dangers, creatures and threats from throughout the kingdom.
It was easy to get drawn into the world, the different peoples, the religion of the Shepard, and the companions on the journey are unique and Kell is certainly easy to root for. I really enjoyed the bard, Vahli and the Alfar, Willow as well as Lukas and Sigrid. The Reverend Mother Britak is not one to mess with and there are so many possibilities for what may happen in the next book, I can't wait to find out what happens in the next part of Kell's journey!! Definitely recommend this fun read!!

The Coward de Stephen Aryan es una fantasía muy correcta que no reinventa la rueda pero ni falta que le hace para tenernos entretenidos durante algunas horas.


El protagonista de la historia es Kell Kressia único superviviente de una expedición llevada a cabo por un grupo de héroes para acabar con la amenaza del norte que estaba provocando la pérdida de cultivos y la hambruna en los Cinco Reinos. Se unió al grupo por cabezonería, siendo un joven descerebrado y cansino. Ahora, diez años después, los signos del mal vuelven a estar presentes, pero Kell, más maduro y responsable, no desea realizar de nuevo un viaje del que cree que salió con vida de pura chiripa.

Aryan nos relata una historia que cumple punto por punto el viaje del héroe, como hemos visto muchas veces en la fantasía más convencional. No obstante, nos ofrece una vuelta de tuerca gracias al hecho de que sea la segunda vez que realiza la peregrinación, por lo tanto se suma el factor experiencia. De cara al lector sigue siendo novedoso porque no conocemos el viaje anterior salvo por los extractos del cantar que cierto bardo creó a raíz de la primera aventura, que es maniqueo y está manipulado de forma flagrante.

El viaje y la composición del conjunto de héroes también es convencional, aunque los personajes se hacen de querer con sus peculiaridades y características. Quizá la parte que da más empaque a la historia es la intriga política de la que seremos testigos entre bambalinas, entre los reyes y principalmente la cabeza de la iglesia, que es un ejemplo estupendo de los delirios de grandeza de la estructura eclesiástica.

Aunque la historia es bastante lineal, ya que hay que desplazarse desde el punto A al punto B para acabar con la amenaza C, se agradecen las historias añadidas de los miembros de la expedición, que dan un poco más de variedad a la misión. Y una vez alcanzadas las llanuras heladas, se nota cierta épica inspirada en la exploración del capitán Scott que le sienta muy bien a la aventura, que en caso contrario habría sido demasiado tradicional.

The Coward es una novela correcta, quizá no demasiado original, pero que cumple con su papel de entretenernos de forma más que pasable. Deja abierto el camino para una continuación que lógicamente habrá de centrarse más en los tejemanejes políticos que en una nueva amenaza, pero tampoco tengo la certeza absoluta de qué va a hacer el autor a continuación.

Kell has an epic ballad named after him chronicling the quest he took part in ten years ago. This legend has haunted him, but living in a quiet village has allowed him to put it in the past. That is until he is summoned to see the king and sent on a similar mission to find out if the nightmare from ten years ago has returned and is affecting the seasons.

At first Kell intends to take the money and run, but he ends up gathering a band of heroes each with their own reason to complete the quest. Unknown to Kell he also has protection from an old friend and the king has sent his own agent.

Well written, perfectly balanced between a full action story and the empathy to illustrate that Kell is more than just a washed-up fighter. I look forward to seeing how Kell deals with his next challenge.

I am a huge fan of traditional heroic fantasy, from David Gemmell to James Barclay and The Coward fits the bill perfectly.

My thanks to NetGalley and Angry Robot for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I mostly enjoyed this book! I had a few hangups that stopped me from giving it a full five stars, but overall I enjoyed my time with my first book by Stephen Aryan. I was concerned when I started this ARC that it would be full of ball jokes and edgy humor, but once things started moving, I was really interested to see what was going to happen.

Kell, Ice Lich-slayer of 10 years ago, suffers from, basically, PTSD from his trip to the frozen north, and a hefty dose of imposter syndrome. His inclusion on the original venture was unplanned, and despite his realization that heroes aren't necessarily the best of people still sees himself as being unequal to the company he kept. They went north, everyone died on the trip except him, he came back the sole survivor and victor after slaying the Ice Lich. Now, 10 years later, some signs are emerging that the Ice Lich may have returned, and the kings turn to Kell to save them all again -- only he doesn't particularly want to go there again, thanks.

I thought Kell was an interesting anti-hero in the beginning. He makes it clear he doesn't want to go, is basically bribed into going, and drags his feet the entire first part of the book before him and his recruited group of fellow adventurers actually go north. I think I would have enjoyed it more if the author had stuck with this anti-hero characterization, but once north, it seems like Kell changed into a father figure, an advisor, and a jaded hero who just wants to help everybody out. I can understand wanting to put old ghosts to rest, so to speak, but it really felt a bit like he changed from how Kell was set up in the beginning.

Another hangup I had involved the second viewpoint that we get to see periodically throughout the book. Britak, who I didn't mention in my writeup above, is the head religious figure for a large chunk of the kingdoms. Her POV doesn't really overlap with Kell's at all, which makes the book not really work as a standalone book in my opinion. You have two separate stories being told, one a compelling adventure to (re-)slay the Ice Lich, and the other a religious zealot's memoir as she checks in on her religious empire periodically. I can see where the author is setting up for something in later books, but I honestly felt a little bored reading through Britak's parts.

The bones of a really great story are here, though! I really liked Kell's story of his band of new heroes retracing his steps north, and the various problems they face along the way. I thought the writing style was a little more straightforward than I generally like, but the descriptions were great and I felt like the main characters at least were written well enough that they didn't feel like copies of each other.

A heartwarming, engaging and fun fantasy adventure!

The Coward is the first book in the Quest of Heroes series, and is the first book I have read by Stephen Aryan. After seeing the beautiful cover and reading the synopsis, I knew I had to read it.

The Coward follows Kell Kressia, who is a legend and a celebrity. Kell gained his status after going on a quest, when he was only 17 years old, and killed the Ice Lich. Thereby secured peace in the Five Kingdoms. However, 10 years after this epic quest, a new terror is threatening and the King wants to send Kell to defeat this evil, but Kell Kressia is not planning on going. He has already done his part.

The Coward follows the ‘quest trope’, which I typically do not enjoy reading. However, Aryan sets up the plot incredibly well, making the reader engaged in Kell’s story from the first page. Kell is such a relatable, stubborn and funny character that I thoroughly enjoyed following. Furthermore, the reader is given hints that there is more to Kell’s story than meets the eyes. The Coward has some truly memorable characters, which will pull at the reader’s heartstring. My favourite characters were definitely Kell and Gerren!

The Coward also focuses on the harsh reality of being depicted as a ‘hero’. Aryan masterfully displays that even heroes have weaknesses and imperfections, and society’s unrealistic expectations of these ‘heroes’ can lead to disastrous consequences.

This book reads and feels much like a standalone, although there are some plotlines that are not properly concluded. If you do not want to commit to the whole series, then you can absolutely just read The Coward.
My main criticism is that the section from 50% - 85% focuses a bit too much on action/battles for my taste. While the first half of the book focuses a lot on setting up the plot, building character relationship and on world-building, the second half is much more action-focused. Although I do not mind a bit of action, some of the scenes just felt a bit random or forced. There are at least three battle scenes that our cast are just suddenly thrown into (it makes sense in the story) which made the plot feel a bit repetitive. However, The Coward has a satisfying conclusion, which I appreciate.

In conclusion, The Coward is an enjoyable read with a memorable protagonist, great characters and an interesting world. The Coward takes a honest look at, what it means to be a hero and how all humans have imperfections. If you do not enjoy the ‘quest trope’ then you might not enjoy this book, but I would still recommend giving this book a try.

I found the concept for The Coward to be very interesting. I love the play on the hero’s story, not just with Kell but with all of the characters he originally travelled with. The stories and songs portray them as heroes but it’s never as simple as that. Kell is lauded as a hero for saving the Five Kingdoms but, in reality, the quest was hard on him and has left him a broken shell of a man who doesn’t want to repeat his story of heroism.

I really liked Kell. The opening of the story kind of sums up his character perfectly, an unlucky man covered in muck (not muck but if I use the actual word, Amazon won’t publish my review). I found him to be an interesting and complicated character. He was an idealist and literally followed a band of heroes to achieve his dream of what being a hero was but the quest pretty much destroyed him. Now, he believes himself cursed and doomed to spend the rest of his life alone and then he is called upon to return to the place of his nightmares because the bad thing has returned.

Nothing in the story goes quite how you would expect. You do expect a deconstruction of the hero trope but then even that is turned on its head somewhat. The secondary characters are cool, there’s Gerren, a teenager who is Kell as who he was before the quest, believing in heroes and grand quests and he makes a nice contrast to Kell. I also really liked Bronwyn, a warrior who has defeated everything she has faced and is looking for the ultimate challenge. And then there’s Reverend Mother Britak, who spends the novel scheming and I do love a bit of scheming.

The Coward works well as a story in its own right but also as a set up for the rest of the series. It does feel somewhat like a prelude to what’s to come and I am looking forward to seeing what happens next after finishing the books. The story is compelling and well paced and the characters are interesting and I very much enjoyed Kell’s story.

Unable to give a review, due to the book being archived before I could read it. Best of luck with the book and I wish you the best. Unfortunately had to write review and rate to keep my score up!

The title character of The Coward by Stephen Aryan is Kell Kressia, who left home as a boy of 17 ten years ago in search of adventure and got more than he bargained for.

As the sole survivor of a mission to kill the Ice Lich Kell has learned the hard way that being a hero isn't all it's cracked up to be and most heroes are selfish, drunken psychopaths.

But the weather has changed again for the worse and now people need a hero again, to venture North and see if the Ice Lich has somehow returned. So Kell is sent for and unwillingly agrees to go questing again. But actually, he is planning to run away at the first chance he gets.

This is an interesting take on the hero on a quest trope, a self confessed coward rejecting his own legend and wanting to go back to the farm and be left in peace. Once on his way, Kell collects other would be heroes, knowing he won't be able to do the journey alone. And in the meantime, Kell is unaware that the Reverend Mother, the religious leader of the Five Kingdoms, is plotting against him in a bid to return the people to the ways of the Shepherd. She is a great villain, and I would have liked more of her. The book also has a dry humour which made it enjoyable to read.

The world building in the book was imaginative, but few of the characters felt fully fleshed out. This is the first part of a two book series, so it's possible that more will happen in the second book to resolve that. One of my issues with fantasy novels is that in order to create a world and fill it with people it generally ends up being loooonnnnnngggg. This book doesn't suffer from being overly long winded, but a little bit more work on some of the characters would have been welcome.

In addition, Kell's original plan is to accept the quest then run away at the first chance he gets and hope that everyone will believe he died along the way. At the point he changes his mind about this, it happens very quickly, which felt a bit convenient.

I also sensed the writer had a bit of reluctance to "kill his darlings". Throughout the book we are constantly told how Kell was the only survivor of the first quest, and how 11 heroes died, so I was expecting a bit more of a bloodbath in the final battle at least.

I did enjoy the book and am interested to know what happens in part two. I would probably give this 3.5 stars, but as Netgalley doesn't give half stars I will round it up to four.

4.25
Thank you to Netgally and Angry Robots for giving me this opportunity to read this arc in exchange for an honest.

In the five kingdoms, Kell is known as the slayer of the Ice Lich, the only survivor of band of warriors that saved the world from famine and eternal ice. In other words, a hero. But is he?
We quickly learn that Kell is neither a hero nor a coward like the title would suggest, but a simple man who as a teenager just wanted to save the world and survived through a traumatic experience that resulted in ptsd. Now as a new threat emerges he must face his fears and try to save the world once more.

I really liked this book ! First of all this read was a lighter epic fantasy (light as in opposite of dark fantasy) than I usually read. At the beginning especially it doesn’t take itself seriously. While it does have serious topics like ptsd, stereotypes, truth, lies, faith and religion, there were also several slapstick moments (like something out of a Monty Python sketch) that made me laugh. About halfway through the book, as the characters get closer and closer to their goal, the action takes the front scene culminating into a epic end. There was also a good amount of political intrigue that sets up the rest of the saga.

I loved the diversity of the secondary characters, they were all really fleshed out and boy do I hate that nasty ass Reverent Mother the most.
The writing was great and the world building was richly and superbly interwoven into the story. As always Stephen Aryan excels in these areas.

Kell as a main character was really engaging. I really liked how we could see his struggle with being famous, especially the way people see him as a figure from a tale and not a real human being. It’s a good critique of celebrity culture and how we can idolise them in a selfish, possessive way yet. And of course there was a clear critique of organised religion who want to impose their way of thinking and their evil schemes to colonise the world.

There were times where the writing wasn’t polished enough (like repeating something about a character or contradicting statement by a character) but it didn’t impact negatively on my enjoyment especially considering this is an ARC.

The ending has me super excited and I’m looking forward to read the next book in this series!

This was a really good story, a wonderful epic full of deeply fleshed characters and just enough drama and magic to keep the pace. The writing was well done, descriptive and easy to imagine. It didn't take long for me to become fully absorbed in Kell and his life.

I will say that some of the emotional pay off fell a little flat. Things were resolved almost too easily or not at all.

I also found that in some places the story of Kell and the heroes went on so long that the other, juxtaposing storylines were forgotten, felt misplaced and didn't fully intermingle, but I'm curious about the threats they'll pose to coming books.

But overall this was a very enjoyable read and I look forward to future novels.

Kell Kressia was a cocky seventeen-year-old when he found out that the heroes he idolized were traveling North to battle an Ice Lich. The Lich's power was spreading devastation across the land. So they went North to battle the Lich and save the world. Through dumb luck, Kell was the only one who returned.

At the beginning of the story, it's been ten years since Kell defeated the Ice Lich. Despite being celebrated as the Savior of the Five Kingdoms, life hasn't been easy for him. So, when the King calls on Kell to lead another expedition to fight the Ice Lich again, there's no way he's going back. Kell's not making the same mistake twice. He's no hero.

And so starts Stephen Aryan's epic fantasy novel, "The Coward."

Unlike a lot of epic fantasy stories, the heroes in this tale are all too human. The heroes in this story are very brave, but if you actually got to know them, you probably wouldn't like them very much. But the people of the Five Kingdoms didn't want to hear the unvarnished truth about their heroes. They only want to hear the epic, idealized version of their heroes from the ballad they all know so well.

One the themes of this novel is the very human cost of the heroic deeds from those ballads. On their journey north a decade before, Kell witnessed firsthand the terrible personal price the heroes paid, the food poisoning, the nightmares, the catastrophic injuries and the fear everyone felt. No one was immune to any of that. Not the green 17 year old and not the most hardened veteran.

But the question I was left with this: who is the coward from the title? Was it really Kell?

Everyone's afraid at some point in their lives. Some people are even afraid all the time. But does that fear that make them a coward? Isn't a hero someone who feels the fear but goes out to fight anyway? I think the book should have been called "The Hero," instead.

My main complaint with this book is that It had a slow start. There was a lot of set up & world building at the beginning. I was also a bit impatient to get through scenes that were from other POVs: I love Kell's character and wanted to stick with his story.

But I stuck with it because I really wanted to find out what was going to happen to Kell: I'm so glad I did.

After about the 50% mark, I literally could not put this book down. I stayed up until 1 AM to finish it and I have no regrets. It might have started out a bit slow, but it had one hell of a finish.

Overall, I loved this book. It was a great story with some great characters and a richly detailed world. The fights were great and really kept me on the edge of my seat (and sleep deprived!).

Angry Robot Books and Netgalley provided an advanced review copy of the book in exchange for my honest review. And I honestly loved it.
It's not a perfect book, but it gets a solid 4.6 out of 5 stars from me! (rounding up to 5)..

I can't wait to read the next one! So, get cracking Stephen!

I was given the opportunity to review an ARC from Netgalley for an unbias review. When I heard this book was coming out and I read the description, it sounded right up my alley. No one talks about the horrors these characters go through on an adventure, did Frodo have PTSD at the end of the journey with the ring? Did Druss wake up with nightmares after Legend? Seeing this premise with a whole cast of new characters, a group of heroes was very well done. Each character diversified enough to keep them interesting, even with their mini POVs. Kell is a convincing hero and it's really fun to see his evolution about going back into the field.

Every book with multiple POVs has that one character you don't really care for (at least in my case). The main antagonist didn't quite blend enough for me, but it did help in the world building. I look forward to the sequels!

This book reminded me of Gemmell's Legend or, more recently, Rothfuss' Name of the Wind in that it focuses on the reality behind the mythic heroes. Nobody wants to know that their heroes fart but they do and this book examines the reality from different perspectives. All of our heroes join the adventure for different reasons and all of them see themselves- and their companions- differently as well. From the start of their journey to the finish, the real question is: who is actually the titular Coward and what makes someone such?

There are a lot of tropes here but they're well done and, really, sometimes it's hard to avoid but being able to write it in an original way makes up for a lot. The characters are really well rounded, the environments interesting- I was a little underwhelmed by the religious subplot but I imagine it will have more focus in future books of the series. It's important to me, in a GRRM and Jordan world to point out that while this is apparently the initial entry of a series, it does work as a standalone so if that would hold you back from reading it, don't let it.

I received an eARC from Angry Robot via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated for this review other than the book, and all opinions are my own.

This book follows Kell Kressia. At 17 years old he sets out with a band of heroes to kill the Lich that has placed a curse on the 5 kingdoms. Kell is the only one who returns and is branded a new hero. 10 years later famine has returned and is asked to go back to see what is causing the dread over the land and take care of it.

The book is called Coward which i find a bit misleading. Kell survived and was branded a hero and when asked to return he is afraid of dying, not of the mission. He originally wants to hide from the task but along the way picks up several misfits to help him on his journey to complete the mission..

I loved the book. and the world that Aryan built within the story. The main characters all had flaws but they way they were written, you fell in love with each one.. I felt there were times that were slow describing some of the political aspects within the book and there were a lot of characters within the 5 kingdoms. I sometimes had to go back to figure out which king and which country we were reading about. Overall I would recommend this book and I would buy it if I saw it in the store.