“Panzel had been one blow away from bringing an end to the Minotaur's reign, but an unexpected development put their contest on hold. Regretfully, he had to put the Sazardon Labyrinth behind him in order to save House Mercurius and the rest of the kingdom from a developing crisis. Many years have passed since then. Deep within the final boss room, the minotaur yet lives, sharpening its skills by fighting deadly monsters and the occasional human challenger. Up on the surface, a boy from House Mercurius embarks on his own journey of self-improvement. He travels to distant lands, including snow-covered mountains and ocean temples; faces untold perils; and forges many relationships. His every experience contributes to his ultimate goal of fulfilling his father's legacy. The boy's name is Zara, and he is the son of the hero, Panzel.” (Yen Press)
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The most discernible change from book one of “King of Labyrinth” to “Birth of A Hero” rests within a strong tonal shift in the delivery of the fantasy narrative. Notably, the initial entry in the series focused on a Minotaur learning to level up in the same way the adventures using the dungeon system to find fame and fortune. In addition, the narrative was tied heavily to Japanese role-playing games in focusing on abilities and loot. Ultimately, the first novel conveyed itself as a love letter to fantasy genre interpreted through video game culture and also concluding at a point that made it hard to see how BIS would develop the story.
So where does Shien Bis take the “King of the Labyrinth” in the second book? The answer, two generations removed and out of the dungeon with a new protagonist looking to adventure across the world. Consequently, the second novel reads much different in tone and BIS pushes to prove himself a competent fantasy writer to mixed success.
Firstly, the author proves he does not need to be reliant on appealing to the gamer crowd, as the time spent with Zara in the outside world marks his most smooth and intriguing prose. The description of landscapes and monsters is a larger focal point, which in turn also bring forward fascinating interpersonal connections which were lacking previously. From finding romance for the first time to witnessing the birth of a holy dragon, Zara acts as the ideal protagonist to help deepen the lore of the series and give it a more humane perspective.
However, this tonal shift is not without fault, with the book suffering from bad pacing issues due to heavy exposition. Unfortunately, having two generations removed from the last book, the author focuses a lot on filling in the gaps – appearing as short history lessons to the fictional landscape heavy with different names and regions. Unfortunately, these expositions only accomplish bogging down the reader and distracting from the vastly more intriguing adventures of young Zara. In the end, “Birth of Hero” is certainly the stronger book out of the two currently available, but lacks the consistent entertainment value of its predecessor.
“Birth of Hero” may not be as fast paced and action heavy as the “Cry of the Minotaur”, but it does show a marked improvement and greater ability to craft stories within the fantasy genre. If anything, I am ecstatic for the next entry as this release works perfectly for framing the fight between Zara and the Minotaur (who is mentioned in brief throughout this book and is still leveling up).
