The Vagabond’s Son by L.F. Falconer is a rags to riches tale about Adalanto, literally the son of a vagabond who raises the boy - if you can call it raising - in squalor to swear and hunt, and that women were only good for one thing. After Adalanto’s mother is traded to an ogre for money to buy the vile liquor called grue, his father tortures him until Adalanto escapes at age 11, when his father tries to kill him. Physically and emotionally scarred, he is rescued by a mason and his family. Adalanto’s nasty habits force him to once again flee. His life takes a turn for the better while hunting in the forest. He runs into Markaset, the leader of the king’s hunters, who takes Adalanto under his wing. He gets him a job in the palace with the king’s cook, where the cook’s wife teaches him in the ways of frolicking. Later, to escape her clutches, he becomes a palace guard, and then at age 22, through an act of heroism, a general. Things are great until the arrival of a terrible dragon, and “The Queen of Legend” - a savior who turns into a usurping tyrant when she demands the head of his best friend.

L.F. Falconer does a superb job of captivating the reader with this unique fairy tale with a dark interior. As is forewarned, this is not a book for the meek. The author takes the reader on a journey of what it is like to have the worst parent imaginable. The Vagabond’s Son kind of reminded me of a darker version of Braveheart, but in a fantasy setting, with the education of man who would become a general. But that is where the comparison ends.
This unique tale is imaginative, captivating, and worthy to be in the company of the likes of Quentin Tarantino and Tim Burton. Brava, Ms. Falconer!

L.F. Falconer's novel, The Vagabond's Son, follows the life of Adalanto, the son of Shanandria and Laramento. Shanandria, a young beauty, loves Adalanto with all her heart. However, Laramento is abusive and cruel, abusing the boy and Shanandria physically, mentally, and emotionally. One day, Laramento bound Shanandria and sold her to the ogres after he raped her. Since then, he has been raising his son with terror, fear, and violence. Adalanto has grown to fear his father, developing emotional, physical, and mental scars at a very young age.

This novel was beautifully written with amazing details and character development. The style of writing had me on the edge of my seat. The sentences, words, and dialogue flow beautifully on the page. The details incorporated in these sentences allow readers to create images in their heads. Although the characters seem to be playing with stereotypes a bit, I think all the characters in the novel are well rounded. Even Laramento, the ruthless father, smiled at one point when Adalanto laughed.

The plot buildup was amazing and contained the right amount of suspense. In the beginning, although readers know that there is something up between Shanandria and Laramento, we didn't expect Laramento to sell his wife to the ogres. This nasty turn of events surprised me, but that's a good thing, because this shows that L.F. Falconer is not a boring writer. I also liked the fact that the setting is very original and well thought out. L.F. Falconer even created jargon pertaining to the culture surrounding the characters/plot. L.F. Falconer did a really good job explaining these different words in the first few pages of the novel, and I was never confused nor led astray while reading.