NAVIGATORS YOU CAN TRUST

Ambitious recruits of a peacekeeping association brave a war-torn world using magic and ingenuity in Fitzgerald’s debut fantasy.

The Perpetual War has ravaged Archengard for so long that no one even remembers why the fighting began. The conflict pits the Government against the Noda, a group led by the nefarious Jackals. It’s within this troubled climate that four individuals join the Navigational Brotherhood: mercenary Murta Kaster; bona fide knight Jezna Caelius; swashbuckler (read: pirate) Enoch Amon; and skilled marksman Dante “Prince” Larocque. Most Navigators have mastered magical “Ignis” abilities, but these four are a mixed bag. Enoch barely understands his own magical ability, and Prince, like his former Navigator father, has no Ignis. Although the recruits are ready to train, the Brotherhood base isn’t exactly safe—there are intermittent attacks and suspicious figures roaming the grounds; the Jackals, who many believe wield Ignis, are surely behind some of what’s unfolding. Meanwhile, Murta and the others vow to unearth the Sacred Heart, a powerful Talisman hidden for millennia that they certainly don’t want the Jackals finding first. Fitzgerald’s top-notch worldbuilding is sublimely dense (Ignis is a gift to humans conferred by the revered Dragon Lords). The principal four-person cast is dynamic, as each member comes with their own baggage that surfaces as the narrative progresses. Readers eventually get a clearer idea as to what the Ignis-gifted can do; apparently, no two abilities are alike. Jezna stands out just a touch more than her fellow recruits, due to her determination to uphold chivalry and the reason she consistently dons her “silver god armor.” While the character development and backstories unfold at a relatively slow pace, vibrant action scenes showcase the recruits’ varied skills, including Enoch’s “devastating right cross” and “burning knuckles.” The final act satisfies on multiple levels and leaves room for the story to continue as a series.

This absorbing, magical tale boasts a superb cast of spirited characters.