CHRONOMANCER AND THE TIME GOD

This fantasy series starter tells of a band of heroes trying to prevent the return of a vanquished deity.

The orphan Aleister is the most talented student of magic in the kingdom of Mystas. One day, as the High Council of Wizardry upbraids him for destroying a valuable golem, Princess Silveron of Lamoria appears for a visit. After the council privately meets with Silveron, they tell Aleister that his punishment is to return with her and serve under King Aldon. Aleister’s roommate, Brayden, shares the rumor that the royal adviser, Delmar, may be manipulating the king. In the Lamorian capital of Boerune, Aleister joins a mission sparked by a letter from the powerful—yet supposedly mythical—Chronomancer. Alongside Cameron, a “fallen paladin of Alhaszi”; Lady Ardath, a Samidin priestess; and Droma, a Moravian worshiper of lawlessness, Aleister must find four missing pieces of the god Rael. Speed is essential because other adventurers also hunt for the pieces, hoping that the reassembled Rael will reward them with power. As Cameron and Droma explain, Rael will eliminate all other gods upon his return—and those gods comprise the Shimmering, a force field that currently protects the various kingdoms of Zarethea from one another. Aleister and his band thus plan to destroy the artifacts, lest the world plunge into war. Meadows mixes traditional fantasy elements, such as monsters and spellcasting, with politics in this series opener. Alethea, a traveling lute player who isn’t quite what she seems, stars in a framing sequence that depicts Zarethea as a world on the edge of chaos. Each hero represents an outlook that’s typical of their kingdom and deity; Droma, for example, is a priest of Xansees, the god of Freedom, while Cameron’s Alhaszi is the god of Order. Meadows offers pointed, if on-the-nose, critiques of American politics in lines such as “The government is divided among elected officials from one of two parties; all more interested in furtherin’ their own personal agendas...than actually helpin’ people.” Overall, the tone is light until the heroes come together in the final third of the novel, battling in the strange city of Cockaigne. A closing revelation about the lute player will guide readers toward the planned second volume.

A jovial, action-oriented tale that has much to say about modern life in the United States.