Reader Reviews

Engaging, rich, Tolkienesque on one side of the coin. Fantasy Avengers on the other. Peak epic fantasy.

Return to Aramon: A New Moon reads more as a book in a series along the lines of Chronicles of Narnia. Old and familiar. Poetic and intellectual. You won't be able to put the first half of the book down, and the second half takes all the lore and worldbuilding to 11. You are immersed in this unique, fantastic, and grand, lived-in world. A story of virtue, and a battle with clear battle lines of good and evil. If you're looking for nuanced "shades-of-grey" anti-heroes, there are plenty of other books for you.

There's an incredible cast of characters, and The Brotherhood of Aramon feels like a team of medieval X-Men. They each have cool and unique powers that they wield for truth and justice.

In the first few sentences where we meet Voldigar, you immediately want to pledge yourself to study under his tutelage and contemplate every word he says — maybe even pencil yourself in for his next Crusade.

Ferguson pulls no punches as to the source of his inspiration: his Christian faith. Much like C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, it is evident that every word in this book is inspired by The Word. However, much like the very Brotherhood of Aramon itself, the book doesn't come across as "preachy." It's more like an extra subtext that the reader can choose to engage with should they wish and open that door if they happen to hear a soft knocking as they read on.

Return to Aramon: A New Moon delivers exactly what it promises — unapologetic, sword-and-sorcery goodness with heart. No cynicism. No deconstruction. Just pure, distilled fantasy that reminds you why you fell in love with the genre in the first place. If you've been waiting for someone to write fantasy like they used to, your wait is over.

In a genre that has splintered into several different sub-genres, it is refreshing to experience a story that is fundamentally epic fantasy at its roots. Ezra Ferguson’s Return to Aramon: A New Moon encapsulates that feel of traditional fantasy.

While there are multiple points of view with several main and side characters, the main Character, Voldigar, was easy to side with. His triumphs felt like my triumphs, and his sorrows felt like my own. There were moments when I did not know what the story would force Voldigar to suffer through, and I felt genuine concern for him...

Reading Return to Aramon feels like I've been plopped down in the middle of an epic adventure. It was complex and blended nicely between being plot driven and driven by character choices. The characters were diverse in both age, gender, and had a cast of many fantasy races. The world building was phenominal, helping the reader immerse themselves in the world of Aramon.

Voldigar was by far my favorite character. My heart aches for Voldigar as he struggles with his desires to just live a simple life after giving so much in the past and his sense of duty to the Brotherhood he has dedicated his life to. He is constantly torn between letting go of his responsibility and staying for his ailing wife, who you can tell he adores. Man deserves a break after everything, but the punches keep coming and I am utterly heartbroken for him...

Return to Aramon is a very solid introduction into the land of Aramon and the adventure that takes place in it. I was very impressed by the writing quality in the book and the storytelling ability of the author. This is a book that could be enjoyed by a younger audience just as well as readers on the older side.

The book starts off strong with an intriguing scene that lays out a mystery and then begins to introduce a fairly large cast. The character work in the story was probably my favorite part. Each person felt like they had a real personality, motivation, and part to play in the world. The main character (Voldigar) and his wife, especially, had a great dynamic and the story creates a very real dilemma around their relationship . . .

The conflict and villain in the story rolls out at a fantastic pace. The story moves along in a way that builds the stakes and adventure naturally. The author does a great job of unfolding mysteries at the right time and the pacing of the story in general is definitely one of his strengths . . .

I thoroughly enjoyed this story overall. The Brotherhood, especially, was incredibly interesting. It felt similar to something out of Star Wars and each member of the order had distinct personalities and powers. Some of the more minor characters from the Brotherhood ended up being my favorites in the book.