In this debut fantasy, a shape-shifting sorcerer attempts to develop the skills necessary to thwart an ancient prophecy.
In the realm of Eversora, on the island of Lyrea, 15-year-old Darius is the son of a blacksmith. The boy’s best friends are books and knowledge, since the other teens shun him for not having a mother. His father, Keron, is the blacksmith for Baron Jesha, who oversees the mining town of Sinac. When Darius wonders what happened to his mother, Keron decides he’s old enough to know the truth. First Darius visits the library in Baron Jesha’s castle. On the way, he encounters a young girl with hypnotically green eyes. Further strangeness occurs inside the castle when Darius accidentally locates a chamber protected by magic. Inside is a book that won’t open. He brings the volume home, and his father explains that only nueri—shape-changing wolves—or people with majik in their blood, could have entered the chamber. Keron then tells him that the foul snake people, the Ananta, once enslaved a tribe of nueri called the Szahn. Darius’ mother, Virana, belonged to the Szahn. She left Sinac with the tribe, and the book is her journal. Later, Keron acquires a troublesome wolf pup that’s been caught nearby. The pup bonds with him and says that she is Dyla, Darius’ sister. That Keron possesses no knowledge of having had a second child with Virana is the grand intrigue in DaShaun’s grisly, toothsome novel. He places Darius at the convergence of several fantasy tropes, including Keron’s sorcerous bloodline and the prophecy stating that a child born of man (and another born of the soul) will destroy the Szahn. DaShaun sets a large stage meticulously, but once the action starts, the plot delivers thrills with monstrous gusto. The transformation sequences are visceral, as when one character “could feel ligaments and tendons snapping away from their connections, twisting inside his skin.” Further components like elemental lineages and a set of triple moons make for a magically layered narrative.
The ultimate crossroads for fans of werewolves and medieval sorcery.Pub Date: March 16, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-5227-0987-9
Page Count: 338
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: May 25, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Categories: FANTASY | EPIC FANTASY
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A celebration of fantasy that melds modern ideology with classic tropes. More of these dragons, please.
12
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After 1,000 years of peace, whispers that “the Nameless One will return” ignite the spark that sets the world order aflame.
No, the Nameless One is not a new nickname for Voldemort. Here, evil takes the shape of fire-breathing dragons—beasts that feed off chaos and imbalance—set on destroying humankind. The leader of these creatures, the Nameless One, has been trapped in the Abyss for ages after having been severely wounded by the sword Ascalon wielded by Galian Berethnet. These events brought about the current order: Virtudom, the kingdom set up by Berethnet, is a pious society that considers all dragons evil. In the East, dragons are worshiped as gods—but not the fire-breathing type. These dragons channel the power of water and are said to be born of stars. They forge a connection with humans by taking riders. In the South, an entirely different way of thinking exists. There, a society of female mages called the Priory worships the Mother. They don’t believe that the Berethnet line, continued by generations of queens, is the sacred key to keeping the Nameless One at bay. This means he could return—and soon. “Do you not see? It is a cycle.” The one thing uniting all corners of the world is fear. Representatives of each belief system—Queen Sabran the Ninth of Virtudom, hopeful dragon rider Tané of the East, and Ead Duryan, mage of the Priory from the South—are linked by the common goal of keeping the Nameless One trapped at any cost. This world of female warriors and leaders feels natural, and while there is a “chosen one” aspect to the tale, it’s far from the main point. Shannon’s depth of imagination and worldbuilding are impressive, as this 800-pager is filled not only with legend, but also with satisfying twists that turn legend on its head. Shannon isn’t new to this game of complex storytelling. Her Bone Season novels (The Song Rising, 2017, etc.) navigate a multilayered society of clairvoyants. Here, Shannon chooses a more traditional view of magic, where light fights against dark, earth against sky, and fire against water. Through these classic pairings, an entirely fresh and addicting tale is born. Shannon may favor detailed explication over keeping a steady pace, but the epic converging of plotlines at the end is enough to forgive.
A celebration of fantasy that melds modern ideology with classic tropes. More of these dragons, please.Pub Date: Feb. 26, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-63557-029-8
Page Count: 848
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2019
Categories: GENERAL SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY | FANTASY | EPIC FANTASY
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A fast-paced fantasy adventure that takes readers into a series of interconnected worlds ruled by magic—or the lack of it.
Long ago, the doors between worlds were open, and anyone with magic could travel from one to the next. Now the doors are closed, and only a chosen few have the power to travel between Grey London, a world without magic, Red London, a world suffused with it, and White London, a world where magic is scarce, coveted and jealously guarded. As for Black London, the city consumed, no one would be so foolish as to risk a trip—not even Kell. Officially, he’s a royal messenger, carrying letters among the rulers of the three Londons. Unofficially, he’s a smuggler who collects artifacts from other worlds. It’s that habit that leads him to accept a dangerous relic, something that shouldn’t exist. And it’s when a wanted Grey London thief named Lila steals the artifact that the real trouble starts—for both of them. Schwab (Vicious, 2013, etc.) creates a memorable world—actually, three memorable worlds—and even more memorable characters. Lila in particular is a winningly unconventional heroine who, as she declares, would “rather die on an adventure than live standing still.” The brisk plot makes this a page-turner that confronts darkness but is never overwhelmed by it.
Pub Date: Feb. 24, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-7653-7645-9
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Tor
Review Posted Online: Dec. 6, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2014
Categories: GENERAL SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY | FANTASY | HISTORICAL FANTASY
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