Vibrant characters populate this rewarding, otherworldly tale.
Citizens hoping to peacefully reunite countries in their ravaged world face sinister forces in this fantasy series opener.
Centuries ago, a plague called the Blight devastated the world of Messano. Arts and particular skills were lost, and trade between nations broke down entirely. But Tavi and Arran, the brothers of King Nical of Estneva, have big plans. Tavi has learned the lost craft of forging iron while Arran helps a builder complete a giant boat so that trade across Messano can open again. Meanwhile, some citizens, believing Nical will wage war against the country of Bregasso, aim for a royal alliance—a marriage between the king and Bregasso’s princess. Unfortunately, Silvana, who owns the Orphanage filled with children she eventually sells as slaves, would just as soon grab the Bregasso throne for herself. Now the iron that Tavi forges can be turned into weapons for a war that seems imminent. Playing a significant role in this epic tale is Devian, a Vacillian, whose gender changes indiscriminately. He had to flee his hometown, where the villagers stone all known Vacillians to death. As Devian travels to Messano, he gets entangled in its unrest and its motley inhabitants. Burgo’s story teems with effervescent characters. Arran, after smoking a leafy plant, discovers he can fly and becomes the Domus, whom others hold in reverence. This unmistakably adult fantasy is often as grim as the title suggests. For example, some atrocities are committed against children, and, in a striking supernatural turn, a dead man enters and takes control of a woman’s body and mind. The author employs simple but expressive language. Here, Burgo describes a man named Sandro, a stranger Devian meets on the road: “In the early morning hours after awakening, lying alone in his tent, the taste of this life was bitter upon his lips. What might he do that he had not already done before? What new flavors awaited him?” The author ends the novel on a relatively minor cliffhanger—but it’s vivid enough to leave readers eagerly anticipating the sequel.
Vibrant characters populate this rewarding, otherworldly tale. (map)Pub Date: Oct. 21, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-9975920-5-4
Page Count: 515
Publisher: New Rise Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 4, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
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