Fantasy

Throne Hunters #2

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Throne Hunters #2 by Phil Tucker

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Still Awesome!!

I’m assuming if you’re reading this review that you have already read volume one and want to know if this is as good as that was. It is. Go and get it.

All of the things that made the first book so great are still here. Engaging and twisty plot, well-rounded characters, interesting setting, that has enough progression/LitRPG elements to make it super appealing to fans of those genres, but not so much that it would turn off other readers.

If you’ve read this previously on Royal Road there have been some significant changes to the sequencing and timing of events that have streamlined the story and quickened the pace. It’s still the same story that you love but like the theatrical release instead of the extended cut.

If you haven’t read book one – check out my review of that (https://thematsignal.com/2025/05/29/review-throne-hunters-book-one-phil-tucker/) and then go and buy the book immediately. This is one of my absolute favourite series at the moment and it hits a perfect sweet spot somewhere between “I just want some brainless escapism” and “I want a super complicated literary fantasy epic”. There’s enough going on and it’s well written enough to elevate it far above the the former, but the story is contained enough to make it more accessible than the latter.
Try it! You’ll thank me later!



REVIEW: The Blood that Burns the Winter Snow – Ryan Cahill

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Stay with me – this is actually a review for the Blood that Burns the Winter Snow!

My name is Matthew, and I’m a chocoholic. I eat chocolate almost everyday and can easily deal to a Whittakers Creamy Milk Generous Block in a sitting. Sometimes, however, indulging in chocolatey gluttony is just not possible. Sometimes (like when I’m sitting at my desk at work at 3pm) you can only indulge in a sneaky chocolate hit to take the edge off the day. For those times I have a stack of mini-sized bars in my top drawer. That 3pm hit isn’t as satisfying as a full on choccy binge, but it’s tasty and sweet and it keeps me going through that moving-through-molasses slow part of the day.

The Blood that Burns the Winter Snow is a mini-sized “The Bound and the Broken” fix that, while it won’t give you that volume 4 full sized book that you’re definitely craving if you’ve read the rest of the series, is tasty and sweet and will remind you about everything you love about Ryan Cahill’s writing.

While waiting for the next volumes of my favourite series (this one, Stormlight, Dresden, Will of the Many etc) I’ve been reading a lot of self-published LitRPG and Progression Fantasy. There’s a lot fun stuff out there and it keeps me going but within the first page, this story smacked me in the face with the difference between fast food and fine dining (so many food analogies! I must be hungry!)

If you haven’t read the series before (and if you haven’t you’re really missing out) you could still read this first as a prologue that is great representation of what you can expect from the series. Relatable characters, visceral action, beautiful writing while just hinting at the wonderfully realised world that the story inhabits.

The shadowy backstory of Calen’s dad, Vars is one of the biggest mysteries of the series, and this short story casts just enough light to intensify our desire to know more and I’m just crossing my fingers that Ryan gives us more of this in the future.

It’s very short (I read it during an afternoon tea break at work), but very good.

My name is Matthew, and I’m a Cahill-olic

(In the interests of full disclosure I should add that I am an Advance Reader for this series and received an early copy of the story. For me this is like having a connection in the chocolate factory who lets me try the new flavours before everyone else!)

Review: Throne Hunters book one – Phil Tucker

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Like Crack for Lit RPG/Progression (any every other type of) Fantasy Fans

In a time where it seems like every fantasy series has to be a Super Mega Uber Epic, sometimes it’s great to read a tightly woven tale with a small cast of (extremely compelling) characters in a setting that is constrained to their (extremely well realised) immediate surroundings. Throne Hunters is essentially the weak to strong progression arc of a hugely likable (if flawed) main character and his also hugely likable (but very flawed) friends, set (so far) in a single city and dungeon.
All of these elements could be very cliche but it’s Phil Tucker so (as always) he finds new and suprising approaches to familiar tropes.

If you’ve never read Lit RPG or Progression Fantasy before, fear not! This is just a great fantasy story and the stat sheets and levelling up that are part and parcel of the sub-genre are done very organically and with a light touch. I’d say that it’s an awesome introduction to this type of book but be warned that it’s much better than most of the other Lit RPG out there so you should temper your expectations if you choose to look for something in the same genre.

I originally read this on Royal Road and the serialised format (and accompanying wait for each new chapter) caused me to describe it to someone as being like crack for Progression/Lit RPG Fantasy fans – so desperate was I for each new installment. This version has been revised and edited for better pacing in novel form and, if anything, it’s just concentrated all of that serial goodness into an even more satisfying package.

I’ve read almost everything Tucker has published and have never had a bad time but this one has really hit the spot for me personally. The (strongly recommended) Immortal Great Souls series is his best but Throne Hunters may actually be my favourite.