The Corpse-Rat King by Lee Battersby

The battle was over.

Opening to

The Corpse-Rat King

by Lee Battersby

When I begin writing a book review, I start by brainstorming a list of ideas, quotes, general things I want to talk about in my review.  This is what I came up with for The Corpse-Rat King by Leet Battersby:

fun
fun
fantasy quest fiction
interesting characters
fun

The Corpse-Rat King is about Marius Helles, who is picking what he can from the bodies of the dead after the battle has ended.  We're in a medieval like setting, typical for most classic fantasy fiction.  Along with his 'apprentice' Gerd, Marius hopes to find something worth enough to retire on the body of a dead nobleman, when he stumbles on the king.  Just after secreting the king's crown underneath his cloak, Marius and Gerd are spotted by the king's men, who open fire on the looters killing them both.

As he lies dying, Marius sees the corpse next to him give him a wink.  Soon he finds himself pulled under the earth to the land of the dead where he is asked to become their king.  He explains that he is not a king but that he can find one for them if they'll let him go back up to the land of the living.  They agree, but they send along Gerd to keep an eye on him, to make sure he keeps his promise to find the dead a king to rule over them.

Marius intends to look for a king but he also intends to get as far away from the dead as he possibly can.  He and Gerd move through the world, largely hiding from the living who can sometimes tell that they are dead.  There's a series of encounters, a bit of unexpected character growth, a few entertaining chase scenes, and eventually the discovery of a suitable king for the land of the dead.

It was fun.