A hero travels the darkest roads in this effectively unsettling fantasy series opener.
This dark fantasy debut thrusts a young knight into an unforgiving world of monsters, politics, and racial tension.
In the kingdom of Drussdell, Mario Deschamps has just graduated from Knight College. He must now complete his first deed to cement his place in the royal order. But the long shadow of his father, Sir Pablo Deschamps, haunts him. Five years ago, Pablo ended the Elven Uprising at the behest of King Dryden III of Drussdell. Then Pablo disappeared. Though Mario’s best friend, Tiberius, is half elf, he’s yet to experience the depth of hatred from a humanity that treats elves like second-class citizens. On the road, Mario finds the town of Eulway devastated by plague and gripped by the Golden Sun cult, which maintains that humanity is greater than all of the nonhuman races. With a local guard named Hamish, Mario proceeds through the cursed Eeragwia forest. After battling a plant creature, Mario and Hamish find themselves at the mercy of an enclave of elves. Deidre, a ferocious female archer, escorts them from the hidden village. But when the group discovers bandits selling elf girls into slavery, Deidre vows to help track them down. Meanwhile, Emperor Vesuvius Vladimir Valerius plans to consolidate power by pitting kingdoms against one another. Lukas Aurelius, his best spy, is there to help. Rettger churns up the knotty roots of racial tension and puts his characters through an emotional wringer in this first installment of a fantasy series. Mario begins his quest fresh-faced and naïve. Battle scars and nightmares featuring those he has slain soon make him doubt the knightly virtues of honesty, integrity, loyalty, and bravery. Creatures like wyverns and the hideous “obzen” add horror flourishes to the story. Even vampires arrive in all their finery and civilized blood-draining to make the murdering, raping humans seem more awful. Along with a glowing penchant for gore, the author consistently provides excellent reveals for characters who aren’t what they seem. But he does dispatch some players rather quickly. The whispering voice that Mario occasionally hears will tantalize readers until the last paragraphs, and the finale itself ensures a satisfyingly chaotic sequel.
A hero travels the darkest roads in this effectively unsettling fantasy series opener. (maps)Pub Date: Nov. 27, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5255-8923-2
Page Count: 300
Publisher: FriesenPress
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Engrossing worldbuilding, appealing characters, and a sense of humor make this a winning entry in the Sanderson canon.
A fantasy adventure with a sometimes-biting wit.
Tress is an ordinary girl with no thirst to see the world. Charlie is the son of the local duke, but he likes stories more than fencing. When the duke realizes the two teenagers are falling in love, he takes Charlie away to find a suitable wife—and returns with a different young man as his heir. Charlie, meanwhile, has been captured by the mysterious Sorceress who rules the Midnight Sea, which leaves Tress with no choice but to go rescue him. To do that, she’ll have to get off the barren island she’s forbidden to leave, cross the dangerous Verdant Sea, the even more dangerous Crimson Sea, and the totally deadly Midnight Sea, and somehow defeat the unbeatable Sorceress. The seas on Tress’ world are dangerous because they’re not made of water—they’re made of colorful spores that pour down from the world’s 12 stationary moons. Verdant spores explode into fast-growing vines if they get wet, which means inhaling them can be deadly. Crimson and midnight spores are worse. Ships protected by spore-killing silver sail these seas, and it’s Tress’ quest to find a ship and somehow persuade its crew to carry her to a place no ships want to go, to rescue a person nobody cares about but her. Luckily, Tress is kindhearted, resourceful, and curious—which also makes her an appealing heroine. Along her journey, Tress encounters a talking rat, a crew of reluctant pirates, and plenty of danger. Her story is narrated by an unusual cabin boy with a sharp wit. (About one duke, he says, “He’d apparently been quite heroic during those wars; you could tell because a great number of his troops had died, while he lived.”) The overall effect is not unlike The Princess Bride, which Sanderson cites as an inspiration.
Engrossing worldbuilding, appealing characters, and a sense of humor make this a winning entry in the Sanderson canon.Pub Date: April 4, 2023
ISBN: 9781250899651
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Tor
Review Posted Online: April 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2023
SEEN & HEARD
A multilayered exploration of the complacent as complicit, all within a unique yet relatable magic system.
An orphaned prince on the run gets a chance at freedom if he can become one of his would-be enslavers.
Three years ago, when the Hierarchy killed his family, 17-year-old Vis Solum had to hide in their Republic, bury his rage, and pretend to support the population’s enslavement in order to survive. The Hierarchy is built on Will—a person’s mental and physical energy—ceded by the low to those above them, and then again, all the way to the top of the three pyramids of leadership: Military, Governance, and Religion. Will powers carts and carriages, keeps vaults locked, and gives Will-users inhuman abilities while sapping ceders of their health and life span. So far, Vis has managed to refuse the ritual to cede his Will. Now, he has little more than a year before he legally has to cede or have his Will drained by Sappers. When Senator Quintus Ulciscor Telimus offers Vis the chance to escape ceding for at least another year, and perhaps never do it at all, Vis agrees. The man officially adopts him so he can attend the Catenan Academy, where all students are tested and prepared for the highest Hierarchy positions. If Vis dominates at the Academy, he can choose a position where he doesn’t need to cede or receive Will at all, far away from the Hierarchy. In return, Vis must act as a spy to prove Religion is unearthing a dangerous weapon. Then, when Vis is blackmailed to act as a double agent, everything changes. In order to succeed, he must become one of those he so hates while keeping his true identity a secret. If he doesn’t, he’ll end up dead, or worse. This Roman-inspired fantasy starts slow but more than makes up for it soon enough. With the inevitable comparisons in mind, fans of Pierce Brown's Red Rising will enjoy this book, but it’s darker, deeper, and takes unexpected paths worth traveling. Trust that the author will get you there in the end.
A multilayered exploration of the complacent as complicit, all within a unique yet relatable magic system.Pub Date: May 23, 2023
ISBN: 9781982141172
Page Count: 688
Publisher: Saga/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 27, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2023
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