Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers' Favorite

In R.G. Edwards's Eafin Lokdore and the Magician's Lost Medallion, after young border scout Eafin Lokdore discovers that the armies of Maggoria are advancing toward the peaceful hamlet of Qualdor, he carries a warning across the dangerous wilderness to the leaders of the Realm of Lorrimoor. The arrival of the magician Methusass reveals that the invasion centers upon a sacred artifact called the Spirit of Light Medallion, stolen by the sorcerer Dredmon from a hidden compound deep within Dredmon forest. Believing the Medallion could place the Kingdom under dark rule, Methusass sends Eafin and his companion Seth Gilmer on a dangerous mission into enemy territory. As war spreads across villages throughout the Realm, Eafin learns that his links to Methusass are deep, placing him at the center of a conflict larger than he ever imagined.

R.G. Edwards writes Eafin Lokdore and the Magician's Lost Medallion in an accessible style, giving the larger, sweeping conflict a human scale through Eafin’s acceptance of dangerous assignments. Edwards handles fantasy imagery especially well, taking readers inside places like Dredmon’s fortress, where mirrored chambers flood with colored light after wandering voices begin surrounding Eafin through the darkness. The textured atmosphere of torchlit catacombs lined with entombed warriors is hair-raising. The author gives ancillary characters equal fleshing out, and I love Twillen Brillons, whose wary outlook shows years spent living beside warfare near Dredmon forest, giving his guidance credibility once the rescue mission begins. Readers who adore hero journey fantasy fiction, replete with classic races of species and ancient kingdoms, will really enjoy this novel. I'm excited to see where Edwards takes us next in The Eafin Lokdore Trilogy.