A complex and occasionally grotesque series opener with elements that will be familiar to genre fans.
In Nelson’s epic-fantasy series-starter, a group of monks tries to find a kingdom’s lost heir to stave off government corruption and monsters.
In the world of Tesseris, four continents meet in a city called the Crux—a massive realm that’s full of foul and manipulative people. Long ago, before a cataclysmic event, the Kai’loth royals ruled. A sect of monks called the Patient established the Order of Drake Knights to find that royal family’s young heir. Miles is a Knight of Drakes who’s been searching for 10 years. Accompanying him on his quest is a wise elder, Alcwyn; a tough bar worker named Kendra; and a mountainous woodsman called Sig. Meanwhile, in the jungles of southern Tol’thuran, the elf ranger Qel searches for his older brother, Qerym, and any lost knowledge that might be worth bringing back to his people in Tol’gorul. When he does finally find his sibling, Qel becomes enmeshed in the fellow ranger’s transgressions. Also in play is the pirate ship Leviathan, which is run by Capt. Hakaan; he and his men set out from the Snakepit, a secret enclave of pirate vessels tethered together. The captain’s reckless cruelty sets a 14-year-old crewmember known as Sea Rat on a transformative journey. Meanwhile, back in the Crux, Damien is a reluctant pentarch representing the Kai’loth. He deals with morally bankrupt men, such as Pasaan, who want slavery to be legalized.
Over the course of the novel, Nelson follows the epic-fantasy formula of a tracking multiple characters in various locations to express the world’s breadth. Politicians such as Damien reveal aspects of the wealthy echelons of society, while those such as the half-elf seamstress Fei illustrate the lives of those who struggle. The most intriguing moments are when plot threads darkly connect, as when Qerym lies about knowing the fate of Miles. Readers who are searching for more profane medieval tales, such as that found in the genre’s most popular series (including George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire) will find lines like this: “And I been pirating since ’fore your gran’m’ther spread ’er legs for whichever man made yer own whore of a mum.” The story also revels in instances of savage comeuppance, though occasionally, as when Fei giggles while killing, the effect is ghoulish. The stately prose effectively depicts the Crux’s politics, as when one character suggests that one should “do a little wrong so you could see the right thing done in the end.” Sometimes, however, simpler prose would serve the narrative better (“He was not unhandsome, rather quite the opposite”). Overall, this series opener is a bulky fantasy buffet. Giant creatures and elves recall classic works such as Dune and the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Yet here, as in many modern narratives, children and teenagers suffer the worst, apparently for emotional effect. Whether this strategy will translate into memorable character arcs in future installments remains to be seen. A complex and occasionally grotesque series opener with elements that will be familiar to genre fans.Pub Date: Dec. 24, 2021
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 415
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Dec. 21, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A wonderfully weird horror romance that requires an acquired taste and a strong stomach.
A shapeshifting monster finds love with a human whose family hopes to exterminate her kind in this mix of fantasy, horror, and romance.
Shesheshen’s yearly hibernation is interrupted when a group of monster hunters disrupts the makeshift nest she’s made in the bowels of a ruined manor. She typically takes the form of an amorphous blob, but quick thinking leads her to construct a more humanoid appearance to trick the nosy hunters. Her hard work, constructing a new body from the remains of past feasts, isn’t convincing enough, and she’s driven off a cliff to her death. Her saving grace comes in the form of Homily, who nurses Shesheshen back to health, fully believing the alien creature is simply a young woman just like her. Homily’s nurturing ministrations cause Shesheshen to feel something foreign to her: love. However, Shesheshen begins to realize that her version of love doesn’t quite align with the very human Homily’s. Shesheshen wants to be honest with Homily and reveal her true form, until Homily confides that she’s a monster hunter of sorts, determined to seek revenge on a shapeshifter who cursed her family. In the realm of monster romances, Shesheshen is quite physically different from the typical humanoid love interests. For example, the book’s title is a direct reflection of the way Shesheshen initially wants to communicate her affection for Homily: by injecting the woman with her eggs until the young hatch and inevitably eat her from the inside. Shesheshen makes for an interesting narrator, as readers experience these new feelings and sensations right along with her. Seeing her find ways to describe and parse new emotions like friendship and love is often more interesting than the romance itself. Referring to this merely as both an opposites-attract and a secret-enemies-to-lovers romance doesn’t quite encapsulate the bizarro narrative that debut novelist Wiswell has created. While inventive enough to push the boundaries of romance and dark fantasy, this may appeal mainly to niche genre-fiction fans.
A wonderfully weird horror romance that requires an acquired taste and a strong stomach.Pub Date: April 2, 2024
ISBN: 9780756418854
Page Count: 320
Publisher: DAW
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2024
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
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