The Warded Man, by Peter V. Brett - a Review

The interesting thing about this novel is that the author wrote the first

draft on his smartphone while taking the train into work.

Be glad he did: The Warded Man is a good book. It follows three kids quickly from childhood into adulthood as they change from, basically, outcasts into relatively smart adults that have much needed skills.

The night brings demons forth from the ground to terrorize anyone not hiding behind magical wards that block the demons. Arlen is the boy that wants to be a Messenger, traveling between villages and braving the demons. Leesha is a young lady with excellent healing skills, all but driven from her village. And Rojer is a young misfit that becomes a skilled ...Court Jester-type character. All three develop skills that can be used against demons, and eventually team up
to save Leesha's village.

There's much much more to the book, but I'd give away too much by trying to summarize any more of it.

The Warded Man is the first in a series and I definitely plan to check out the next installment.