American writer C.E. Wooldridge Jr.’s The Colts of Midnight drops the reader right into Golterran, a continent where magic and steel clash in ways that explore old tropes in new light. This standalone entry in the Twelve Paladins series walks that tricky line between D&D-style adventure and genuine character work—and honestly? It pulls it off. Part of the larger The Twelve Paladin series, this is a standalone book that expands the universe of the main series I haven’t read.
The story centers on Amelia Darkbane, a crusader dealing with family baggage and a divine oath that’s basically tied her fate to the world’s survival. What I appreciated right off the bat is that Amelia isn’t your typical shining knight. She’s grieving, questioning everything, and trying to figure out who she is beyond her duties. Her relationship with Sable, a “phantom steed” that speaks telepathically, creates some genuinely memorable scenes. The “Colts of Midnight” themselves are ghostly foals descended from a legendary horse (presuming I understood correctly).
Wooldridge sets this during the First Year of the Fifth Age (the “Age of the Salamander”), and you can tell he’s put serious work into building this world. The different races—aerin, odum, sancts, huntari, orcs, and shade—are helpfully listed at the start of the book, and they aren’t just fantasy window dressing. They have actual cultures, histories, and beliefs that matter to the plot. If you’ve spent time around tabletop RPGs, this will feel like home territory, but it mostly never feels like a dry campaign manual. According to the author’s Amazon writer bio, Woolridge has been working on this universe since 2011, and it shows.
The action comes fast and brutal. Amelia teams up with Gunner Gruen, Indra Ashe, and Bertil (a feline huntari) to fight gnolls, orcs, and some seriously nasty undead. There also several moments that remind you this isn’t a story where plot armor keeps everyone safe, as fans of Game of Thrones will be used to by now. When it comes to the fighting, Wooldridge doesn’t hold back. Crossbow bolts through skulls, spears punching through hearts, massive doomwalkers stomping across mountains—it’s all described with the kind of detail that makes you absorbed. But it never feels gratuitous because the violence serves the story.
The religious and magical elements feel thoughtfully integrated rather than tacked on. Faith in deities like Aerith, Sol, and Lumina shapes how characters make decisions, while blood magic (or “vertomancy”) comes with a steep price that affects the plot in meaningful ways. One critique might be that sometimes the book reads like detailed campaign notes, and borders on info dumps. Wooldridge loves his worldbuilding, and there are stretches where he dives deep. If you’re into that level of detail, you’ll eat it up. If you prefer character-driven stories, some sections might feel slow. The pacing is mostly well-done though, and the book is a quick, easy read at 173 pages.
The book delivers on spectacle when it needs to—fire-breathing nightmares (a clever pun), glowing eyes in darkness, armies clashing under crimson skies. But it also knows when to pull back for quieter moments: Amelia looking up at the moons Nielda and Undine, or whispering a broken prayer for her sister in some ruins. After Amelia takes down a doomwalker, she just collapses and sobs. These breathing spaces keep the relentless action from wearing you out. Plus, the more vulnerable scenes prevent her from becoming another perfect, untouchable paladin, such as in The Rings of Power. She’s brave but realistically human.
Although I can’t claim to have read any of the rest of the series, The Colts of Midnight works both as part of the larger Twelve Paladins saga and as a standalone read. While it apparently references The Tides of Kadavar (the first volume), you won’t be lost jumping in here. There are even pictures at the start of chapters to help you visualise the scenes. It might not have all the polish of big-name fantasy series, but it’s competently edited with genuine heart and impressive world-building. What really stands out is the sense of lived-in history, as if the world has been breathing long before the story begins.
This is a solid, imaginative high fantasy for readers who don’t mind their adventure stories tinged with elements of realism. If you grew up reading Salvatore’s Drizzt books, the Dragonlance novels, or rolling dice around a gaming table, you’ll probably find yourself right at home here. Wooldridge wears his influences openly, but with enough originality to carve out his own space.
Verdict: At a relatively brief 173 pages, Wooldridge achieves in The Colts of Midnight what many independent fantasy authors strive for, a page-turning epic that feels both part of a larger saga and rewarding in itself.
You can get your copy of The Colts of Midnight or read for free on Kindle Unlimited here!
