THE GATHERING

A woman pursues a destiny of unimaginable power in this debut fantasy novel.

Thirty-four-year-old Koby, who’s oddly described in the narration as “middle-aged,” is spirited away from her mundane routine in Western Australia by noncorporeal “Creators of the Universes,” who reveal her true identity to her. They inform her that they used the powerful heart of the “last white star” to imbue her with life-force, so that she could fulfill a prophecy and go up against a major impending threat. The beings transport her to the ancient world of Logan, where she must train with the various magical and “Normal” people known as Kindred in order to realize her full powers. The Kindred, which include mages, faeries, “Vanishers,” and vampires, receive Koby as their long-awaited “White Queen” and take turns instructing her in their specific fields of magic and combat until her powers far exceed theirs. In the process, the Elder of the vampiric Kindred and a “Normal” knight both fall in love with her. By the time the aforementioned threat arrives—in the form of rapacious, world-destroying invaders—Koby has reached her full potential and made her choice between her two loves. However, she’s also realized that the enigmatic “Creators” may not be entirely benign. There’s a great deal of imagination at work here as well as a diverse cast of characters and intermittent high-octane action. However, the execution is hampered by excessive sentence fragments (“The fortress a spectacular sight”), misused words (“ridged” for rigid; “taught” for taut; “worriers” for warriors). Some statements end in question marks and some questions end in periods, random words are capitalized, and some wording is simply garbled: “Around her hips she wore a gun/knife/sword belt and golden locks piled up on top of her head.” Also, Koby’s adolescent, emotional jabs trivialize the enormity of her power, the high-stakes threat, and the gravitas of her origins. A sequel hook follows the climactic ending.

A colorful but awkwardly composed fantasy tale.