by Ray Wallace

His Father's Son
By Diana Bennett
Publish America      

His Father's Son is a fantasy novel which opens with a prologue depicting the discovery of four magic stones by a duo of aging adventurers named Giovanni and Juliano. The treasure is guarded by a man named Ezra who tells a tale of an ancient and evil god whose essence has been captured by the stones which now contain vast and unimaginable powers. When the "right and proper owner" who has been prophesized comes along, the stones will turn into three rings and an amulet which will grant immense powers to those who wear them. It seems that Giovanni may be this "proper owner" and so takes one of the stones into his possession which, as he soon discovers, fills him with superhuman strength and also makes him immortal. Another stone he gives to his longtime friend Juliano. A third he graciously offers to Ezra for guarding the stones all these years. And the fourth? This one he holds onto as he deems no one else worthy to possess it. Maybe one day he will have a son whom he can shape in his own image before giving him the gift of the final stone.

That son, named Dante, is the character around which the majority of the story revolves. At an early age, Dante learns to hate his continuously absent father, a hatred he uses to find the strength to take whatever he wants throughout his life, to kill, rape, and plunder as he pleases. As he grows older and his fearlessness and fighting skills grow, Dante's escapades become legend as word of his cunning and ruthlessness spreads throughout the land. Accompanying him on his various adventures is his childhood companion Jerome, one of the few people who can see past the wickedness of Dante's actions to the confused and lonely little boy that still lives within him. But will their friendship be enough to spare Jerome from Dante's unpredictable rage? And how will Dante react once he learns of the game his immortal father has been playing with his life and the lives of the few people he truly cares about?

Dante is, to say the least, an enigma of a character. At turns a merciless enemy and a devoted friend, a sexual predator and a passionate lover, a cold-blooded murderer and, in the end, a doting father, he is, if nothing else, a continuously entertaining protagonist. The book is at its best when Dante is at his worst. If someone has something to say with which Dante does not agree does he spend any time arguing his viewpoint, does he try to make the other party see things his way? No, of course not, he simply cuts the offender's throat. When a nobleman invites Dante to dine at his castle does he graciously partake of the meal and offer his gratitude? Again, no. He realizes it's a fine time to implement some brute force and take the castle and the surrounding village as his own. On and on it goes until Dante's inevitable showdown with his father. But by then Dante has a family of his own. Has love tempered him in a way that will prevent him from doing what must be done, from taking the necessary measures during his confrontation with the man responsible for much of the hardship in his life? Or will Dante's rage once again come to his aid and see him through this, the most dangerous of all his battles? There's only one way to find out. Pick up a copy of Diana Bennett's debut novel and discover for yourself whether or not Dante is, in fact, His Father's Son.