Over the four books of L.A. Hammer’s Heroes of Legend series, the author draws from an impressive wealth of sources, including Eastern philosophy, classical mythology, early horror literature of the West, as well as standard, Tolkienesque fantasy elements that form the bedrock of the narrative structure.

The stories, while somewhat derivative, offer an impressively complex, action-packed series of adventures featuring the orphaned, magical young prince Matthew, Princess Cybele, and archer Tristan. In their quest to defeat a vampire king named Drahkuhl (the nod to Bram Stoker’s legendary baddie hardly feels coincidental), they find a rich and varied troupe of allies, from the wizard Eldarus to white wolves and dragons (nod to Game of Thrones) to an emperor named Caesar (nod to ancient Roman history) to gods, goddesses and spirits pulled from such avenues as ancient Celtic mythology, Buddhism and the Greek pantheon of gods.

Taken singly, the four books of the series feel rather hurried as the author works to fit a surprising amount of action, plot and intrigue into the novella form. Yet Hammer’s overarching vision for his characters has a sense of cohesiveness. Even as the heroes shuttle between adventures in short bursts and rapid perspective shifts, the format offers readers the space to find connections between the separate stories and elements.

It’s a rapid-fire approach that may feel a bit cursory for longtime fantasy fans. For newcomers to the genre, however, especially young readers, Hammer offers a rich fusion. Although many of the ingredients here are familiar, including the sometimes-clichéd writing style (the books offer many boilerplate grandiose descriptions of prophecies, saviors and end-of-world standoffs between good and evil), Hammer delivers a fun romp featuring plentiful magic, action and larger-than-life-characters.

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