TSALIX SILVERTHORN AND THE SCEPTER OF DESTINY

Three lifelong friends answer a call from their king to go on a life-changing quest in this high-fantasy novel.

In the kingdom of Sodizen, King Elosha’s twin sons are waging a cataclysmic war for the throne. Honorable and kind Prince Johona is the rightful heir by a few hours, but his brother, the vicious Prince Abadon, is determined to take power by any means necessary. Enter hapless warriors Tsalix Silverthorn, Asur Longtooth, and Kwercus Strongheart; King Elosha summons them to say that he needs their help to end the war. The king is guided by a mysterious, obscure prophecy about the Scepter of Power, a powerful wand that’s been locked away for generations and which confers control of the land to the person who holds it. The king enlists the trio to find the three talismans that will unlock the wand, which is sealed in a crystal sphere on Mount Destiny. Retrieving them is dangerous, but the earnest heroes are ready to fulfil the king’s wishes. They travel across the land with nothing but the aid of magical vials, to be opened at their time of greatest need, and a little help from friends they encounter along the way. This first novel in an upcoming series features multiple narrators and primarily follows Tsalix, Asur, and Kwercus as they retrieve the first talisman. It serves as a fair introduction to this fantasy world, and the storytelling competently engages with tropes of the high-fantasy genre. In the end, however, the tale does little more than walk a well-known route. There is an intriguing minor plotline that has a secondary character thoughtfully engaging with being on the wrong side of history. Ultimately, though, the bland characters, flat dialogue, and noticeable scarcity of consequential female characters detract from the overall reading experience.

An occasionally engaging but mostly run-of-the-mill fantasy tale.