Austen’s debut fantasy is the account of beast-like Silas, whose unintentional rescue of a beautiful barmaid from obscurity will have lasting consequences on the fate of his homeland, Larasca.
Orphaned Silas, raised by the heartless Giovanni, possesses a bevy of supernatural powers, including a beastlike strength and the uncanny ability to propel fire from his hands. But these traits only alienate him further; Silas soon comes to the attention of the Protectors, the esteemed guard of Larasca, and goes on the lam. Meanwhile, across town, a barmaid named Rina flees a deceitful friend and a band of soldiers. As danger draws near, Silas—unknowing hero and underdog—rescues Rina from a dreadful end. The pair, accompanied by a mangy mutt Ride begin their escape to the Larascan capital, Joanissia. There, they encounter a strange underground city, a mysterious Demon-boy and a pack of murderous wolves—all while continuing to elude the encroaching Protectors. Intertwined with the youths’ story is the tale of the Protectors and Stags (soldiers-in-training) ruled by a harsh commander. In Joanissia, Queen Morana plots heartlessly in the stone-cold castle—a power hungry ruler desperate to maintain control. These three tales unwind naturally, giving readers a clear picture of life in Larasca and the surrounding nations: power struggles between rulers, the Stags’ difficult existence and the bartering of young children in power-driven marriages. At times, these interwoven plotlines may be difficult to follow, but their true—and breathtaking—pattern is resolved at the book’s close. Austen is adept at presenting well-rounded characters, a feat considering the horde that appears within this title. For a writer of her age—18-years-old—Austen exhibits a masterful command of the written word. Medieval enthusiasts won’t be disappointed with the historically accurate period details that dot this engaging fantasy novel about a nation in turmoil. The first volume of what promises to be a fulfilling science-fiction trilogy.
Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 978-1468115260
Page Count: 682
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: April 5, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy.
Are we not men? We are—well, ask Bigfoot, as Brooks does in this delightful yarn, following on his bestseller World War Z(2006).
A zombie apocalypse is one thing. A volcanic eruption is quite another, for, as the journalist who does a framing voice-over narration for Brooks’ latest puts it, when Mount Rainier popped its cork, “it was the psychological aspect, the hyperbole-fueled hysteria that had ended up killing the most people.” Maybe, but the sasquatches whom the volcano displaced contributed to the statistics, too, if only out of self-defense. Brooks places the epicenter of the Bigfoot war in a high-tech hideaway populated by the kind of people you might find in a Jurassic Park franchise: the schmo who doesn’t know how to do much of anything but tries anyway, the well-intentioned bleeding heart, the know-it-all intellectual who turns out to know the wrong things, the immigrant with a tough backstory and an instinct for survival. Indeed, the novel does double duty as a survival manual, packed full of good advice—for instance, try not to get wounded, for “injury turns you from a giver to a taker. Taking up our resources, our time to care for you.” Brooks presents a case for making room for Bigfoot in the world while peppering his narrative with timely social criticism about bad behavior on the human side of the conflict: The explosion of Rainier might have been better forecast had the president not slashed the budget of the U.S. Geological Survey, leading to “immediate suspension of the National Volcano Early Warning System,” and there’s always someone around looking to monetize the natural disaster and the sasquatch-y onslaught that follows. Brooks is a pro at building suspense even if it plays out in some rather spectacularly yucky episodes, one involving a short spear that takes its name from “the sucking sound of pulling it out of the dead man’s heart and lungs.” Grossness aside, it puts you right there on the scene.
A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy.Pub Date: June 16, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-9848-2678-7
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Del Rey/Ballantine
Review Posted Online: Feb. 9, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
An author to watch, Buehlman is now two for two in delivering eerie, offbeat novels with admirable literary skill.
Cormac McCarthy's The Road meets Chaucer's Canterbury Tales in this frightful medieval epic about an orphan girl with visionary powers in plague-devastated France.
The year is 1348. The conflict between France and England is nothing compared to the all-out war building between good angels and fallen ones for control of heaven (though a scene in which soldiers are massacred by a rainbow of arrows is pretty horrific). Among mortals, only the girl, Delphine, knows of the cataclysm to come. Angels speak to her, issuing warnings—and a command to run. A pack of thieves is about to carry her off and rape her when she is saved by a disgraced knight, Thomas, with whom she teams on a march across the parched landscape. Survivors desperate for food have made donkey a delicacy and don't mind eating human flesh. The few healthy people left lock themselves in, not wanting to risk contact with strangers, no matter how dire the strangers' needs. To venture out at night is suicidal: Horrific forces swirl about, ravaging living forms. Lethal black clouds, tentacled water creatures and assorted monsters are comfortable in the daylight hours as well. The knight and a third fellow journeyer, a priest, have difficulty believing Delphine's visions are real, but with oblivion lurking in every shadow, they don't have any choice but to trust her. The question becomes, can she trust herself? Buehlman, who drew upon his love of Fitzgerald and Hemingway in his acclaimed Southern horror novel, Those Across the River (2011), slips effortlessly into a different kind of literary sensibility, one that doesn't scrimp on earthy humor and lyrical writing in the face of unspeakable horrors. The power of suggestion is the author's strong suit, along with first-rate storytelling talent.
An author to watch, Buehlman is now two for two in delivering eerie, offbeat novels with admirable literary skill.Pub Date: Oct. 2, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-937007-86-7
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Ace/Berkley
Review Posted Online: Sept. 1, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2012
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