The Last Ritual by Dragos Gaszpar; A Fantasy That Is Sometimes Too Dark and Somber For Its Own Good

 

The Last Ritual by Dragos Gaszpar; A Fantasy That Is Sometimes Too Dark and Somber For Its Own Good 

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: When a book starts with the line “we killed God,” you know that you are in for a dark somber time. That's what you get with The Last Ritual by Dragos Gaszpar, a dark Epic Fantasy which is mostly set during extensive battles between mortal enemies.

A group of traveling companions have spent centuries fighting against the beastly Leath. After some of their companions are killed in their latest battle, they think that they have an advantage when one of their own, Tarra returns from captivity with a Leath named Skar in tow. Having one of their enemies in their camp gives them an opportunity to study and understand the Leath and fight them smarter rather than harder. 

The somber tone is the book’s biggest strength but oddly enough is also its biggest weakness. It answers a fundamental question of whether a book can be too dark for its own good. The Last Ritual says, “yes.”

The tone is what makes this Fantasy novel realistic which sounds like a contradiction in terms but in this case it works. It serves as a deconstruction of tropes which are often found in Fantasies.

While battles are the norm for many novels and death is expected, that's often a side feature of the conflict. In this case, victory in war gives way to endless slaughter and the heroism faced by the characters is switched instead for brutal inescapable violence. There are no wins when enemy armies have been fighting against each other for a long time. Instead, it is a resigned weariness that forces them to move forward because to end it would lead them to wondering what the point was in all of the fighting in the first place.

The constant battles can be weary not only to the characters but to the Reader as well. The book starts out suspenseful as some characters are met with death pretty early giving an intentional ill ease. But the fights and violence are so frequent and repetitive, that battle fatigue sets in. It becomes harder to remember strategies, motives, and actions. After a while, the battles are interchangeable. The Reader squirms with impatience and even boredom mirroring the emotions of the characters who live for the fight but are sick of it as well.

The dour nature can be found not only in tone and plot but in character as well. The companions face not only the Leath but disagreements from within. For example, Tarra who has spent time with the Leath suggests a more communicative and understanding approach that encourages dialogue and negotiation with them. Her colleague Silanna is more fiery tempered and is in favor of slaughtering every Leath and letting the god that they just killed rise from the dead to sort it out later. Melaan, who serves as the primary protagonist, hovers between the two ideologies, violent fury at the Leath and empathetic humanity, especially the more that he talks to Skar and sees a multifaceted complex individual and not a mindless monster. 

The characters face their own views about mortality, prejudice, xenophobia, and what happens when the enemy is more within than outside. They argue and bicker a great deal amongst themselves. Just like the battles they often go back and forth on a regular basis. However, just like the fights against the Leath, the characters' personal struggles become tedious and cringy. At one point they stop an emergency situation just to have another argument that gets more shrill, irritating, and makes the Reader root for the Leath to end it. The protagonists' feelings towards each other also plays into realism that the constant struggle against the Leath is what holds them together as a unit. Without it, they wouldn't be close or even friends. 

The Last Ritual is a book that thrives on being as troubling and morbid as possible. It works but it also goes a long way and leaves the Reader feeling hollow and empty.

 

Dance of Demons (Poison and Opium Book 1)by Alyssa Lauseng; Japanese Inspired Setting, Labyrinthine Plot, and Diametrical Duo Accentuate Dark Fantasy

 

Dance of Demons (Poison and Opium Book 1)by Alyssa Lauseng; Japanese Inspired Setting, Labyrinthine Plot, and Diametrical Duo Accentuate Dark Fantasy 

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews 

 Spoilers: Alyssa Lauseng’s Fantasy novel, Dance of Demons has a lot of positive attributes that keep it fresh and unique in a subgenre that can get repetitive with its tropes. It has a magnificent detailed setting inspired by Japanese culture, an engaging labyrinthine plot that engages the Reader with its multiple perspectives and points of view, and it has deutragonists that are diverse in background and worldviews but make a convincing team and are on their way to becoming a charming gay couple. 

In the land of Okara during the time of the Ghiatian Empire, Daisuke, a young slave boy, seizes an opportunity to escape to freedom.  When a military recruiter arrives, Daisuke enlists and heads to Perena where he tries to adjust to a foot soldier’s life. Meanwhile Obito, a member of the Omnito, Imperial Intelligence, is stricken by a devastating loss when Itsuki, his partner in work and life, dies after they uncover a potential conspiracy involving members of Obito’s wealthy and influential family. Obito is partnerless and wouldn’t you know there is a young ex-slave and soldier who rose through the ranks to become an Omnito and is looking for a partner himself. Meanwhile, Lady Shadow, an enigmatic cult leader bonds with Kanashimi, a ruthless demon, to search for magical talismans which will empower her to defeat the Emperor.

One of the most outstanding attributes is Lauseng’s attention to the Japanese inspired setting. Many Epic Fantasies still have their toes in a Eurocentric old world and use European, largely Celtic and Norse, inspired Medieval settings and characters. After a while it gets old, cliched, repetitive, and even slightly xenophobic when authors rely on these tropes. Within the past 40 or so years thanks to the rise of diversity, there are finally Science Fiction and Fantasy novels that aren’t solely bound to European history and literature. Afrofuturism for example is inspired by lore, history, and aesthetics from African countries. There are many otaku fans of manga and anime all over the world that produce Asian inspired speculative fiction, one of the most prominent being Avatar: the Last Airbender. 

Dance of Demons is set in a fictional world but it is greatly inspired by Japanese culture. The social hierarchy is based on the Feudal era with its imperial court and divine influence of the Emperor. There is a rigid structure which is practically impossible to break from but not unheard of. The Empeor’s rule is total and somewhat suffocating. The imperial court lives an opulent existence that is far away from the people down below so it’s very easy for corrupt officials and abusive slavers to gain prominence and power.

Their deities have names like Hikari (light) and Kuro (black) though have a remote standoffish approach to the mortals underneath, not unlike the human rulers. Characters like Daisuke even question their existence. Then you have those like Lady Shadow that are fanatic in their devotion.

Everything from costuming, art, culture, food, ceremonies, names, and mythology adheres to this certain time and place. While there is no known connection to Earth like in most Epic Fantasy novels, one could be led to believe that a team of Japanese astronauts may have found their way to Perena and took their history and culture with them so their descendents followed that progression. Lauseng is able to simultaneously capture a specific Earth culture and build a fictional world around it.  

The plot is wound by various characters and their motivations. Chief among them are the motives of Lady Shadow. She is an intriguing character driven to near insanity and obsession by power and a desire to rid her world of the Emperor. Her drive to destroy the Emperor comes from a specific place of abuse, degradation, and powerlessness. We get hints of the ruined girl that became the unhinged woman.

Lady Shadow is controlled by Kanashimi but still has enough foresight and manipulation to sway human forces in her favor. This isn’t a case where the demon has more power and is in complete control. It’s more like he has a worthy partner that is his match in cunning and ruthless efficiency plus the ability to gain allies and conspirators in a variety of places. 

There are conspiracies within conspiracies and sometimes it’s hard to find out who is allied with who and how wide these forces are. It becomes clear that Daisuke and Obito are being swayed by forces outside themselves. No matter where they turn, they may end up as pawns in someone else’s design. 

Daisuke and Obito are commendable protagonists as individuals and as a duo. Because of his slave background, Daisuke gains an angry negative view of the world. This view is channeled by his fighting skills that he learned from the military and he brings a street tough don’t mess with me attitude to the Ominto as a spy and assassin. One that suspects everyone but is able to excel in self defense and defense of his colleagues. He is able to discern ulterior motives and has the discipline to know when to fight and when not to. 

Obito is his diametric counterpart in background and experience but similar in goals and motives in making himself an independent mark. Through his family, he had the material goods that Daisuke did not but he is no stranger to being abused and dominated by others. Various family members connive and conspire against one another so Obito doesn’t feel safe around them. 

Unlike Daisuke, Obito keeps his emotions inward and shows an air of quiet indifference. His real emotions for Itsuki are only felt when alone. He is aware of the higher political games that Daisuke is not. He has those airs of suspicion but is strategic and analytical about when he addresses and uses them. 

Like many partnerships, Obito and Daisuke bring out each other’s better qualities. Obito is able to do his part to educate Daisuke in poison making and also in political structure to make him a consummate spy and assassin, while Daisuke frees the emotions that boil up inside Obito so he can actually act on them and become a protective fighting force. The two emerge as partners, best friends, and dance towards an intimate closer relationship.

Dance of Demons is a perfect dance of detail, intrigue, and richness that will please any Fantasy fan. 

Ismene and The Voice by Juniper Calle; Fanciful and Profound Fantasy About A Mysterious Library and The Woman Who Loves It

 

Ismene and The Voice by Juniper Calle; Fanciful and Profound Fantasy About A Mysterious Library and The Woman Who Loves It

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: It's been awhile since I completely identified with a book character and now, I have found one. She is Ismene, the protagonist of Ismene and The Voice by Juniper Calle, an Epic Fantasy novel about a fracturing kingdom, a wide and sentient library, and a woman whose power comes from reading and sharing knowledge and wisdom with others.

Ismene is one of three characters who explore The Castle, a mysterious building which houses The Library, a collection that contains most of their world's knowledge. The other two characters are Lady Harmonia, Ismene's wealthy, spoiled employer and the daughter of the most powerful man in their lands and Eryx, a scholar whom Harmonia’s family sponsors and is a secret activist. Each woman has her own reasons for going on this journey. Harmonia wants to find and research texts and statistics that portray her lineage in a good light. Eryx wants to find forbidden knowledge and share it with fellow rebels that challenge Harmonia's family’s rule. Ismene wants to collect and share information with others. In other words, Ismene wants to be a part of The Library.

Calle superbly balances the setting and characters by giving us a fanciful and profound location and engaging and brilliant characters who are affected by it. Of course the most important setting is The Castle and Calle is not sparse with the details.

The Castle is described as remote and intimidating. It must be crossed by climbing a very steep mountain. If it takes a struggle to reach it, then you know it must have something greatly valuable within. The remoteness is the point as The Castle is a mere observer to the political struggles, familial conflicts, and wars underneath, neither good nor evil. It is merely a neutral force that records and keeps information, leaving the people down below to decide what to do with the information that they are given.

One of the most intriguing aspects of The Castle is that it's alive. It is often personified as a living creature that breathes, listens, and thinks. Books immediately appear at request and words light up on the pages so the Reader can locate the right information and sources.Many characters like Ismene speak to it like penitents to a divine being, something powerful and worthy of respect even worship. 

There are also servants called The Hands that attend to visitors' needs like giving them books, fixing their beds, and delivering food and messages. They appear in and out of the walls and shadows as though they are automatons that are physically attached to the Castle and operate only when needed.

By far the most intriguing aspect of The Castle is The Voice, the Castle’s spokesfigure. They are completely covered by androgynous clothing and veils. No one knows who they are, their real name, appearance, gender, age, even whether or not they are human. All that is known is that they live at The Castle and are its Head Librarian. They control who enters the library and who has access to the Library’s knowledge. They seem to be mentally and emotionally connected to the Castle even to the point of feeling its illness and pain.

 One can say if The Castle is a computer the hardware of monitor, screen, keyboard, and endless indecipherable streams of data, then The Voice is The Central Processing Unit (CPU) that runs the software, directs and interprets the flow and transfer of data, and coordinates the information process. They are connected to The Castle and retain all of the Library’s knowledge in their head. They have no identity except they are The Library.

The Library and its surrounding Castle is a curious and imposing setting but it retains probably the largest and most valuable treasure in the land. Nothing is more important than information and knowledge and an educated and knowledgeable population is not an easy one to control. 

Harmonia and her family understand this. She borrows and presents books that offer positive opinions about her family. She doesn't want to keep the people ignorant. In fact, she makes a big show of encouraging education and patronizing scholars and academics. But she does want to control what they read and how they interpret what they read.

 If books are negative, critical, or question her family’s authority they are banned and the people are denied access. Since information can only be obtained by going to The Castle, this leaves out critical thought and independent research. If they are not told about any problems, then they won't be aware that they exist and will obey Harmonia's family without question.

 Harmonia is similar to political, government, and religious authority figures. They want to restrict certain types of books under the guise of “age appropriateness” and control what people read rather than interfere with the act of reading itself. People can learn to read but these censors will tell them what they can read and learn. They can't question the norm if they are never told what the alternatives to the norm are. For Harmonia The Library is a means of control.

Harmonia is an authority figure that represents the system that Eryx and Ismene fight against in their own way. Eryx is the fiery rebel. She is grateful for the scholarship gift that Harmonia has given her but she is not blind to the limitations, flaws, illegal actions, and misdeeds that people like her and her power thirsty father do. 

Eryx is idealistic and passionate about her causes and wants to educate the people to act. She borrows forbidden books and shares them with peasants, servants, and resistance cells. She is a member of a Scholars Guild and organizes resistance movements through that.

Eryx is reminiscent of activists, warriors, protestors, and revolutionaries. They are people who use that information to support their causes. They check and research laws and statistics to support their claims so they can make crucial arguments and presentations. It's not a matter of just acting by committing random acts of violence or quoting generalities. It's finding solutions to the problem of an autocratic society and possibly the means of creating a more egalitarian society in its place. For Eryx, The Library is a means for change.

While Eryx uses The Castle’s knowledge to spread revolutionary ideals that Harmonia wants to suppress, Ismene believes that the very actions of giving information is revolutionary in and of itself. She isn't as outwardly rebellious as Eryx but she fights in her own way by keeping information and spreading it herself. When Eryx shows her that she borrowed forbidden books, Ismene shows her stacks of several books that she kept over the years.

That's why I find her so relatable and consequently she is my favorite character. Knowledge is what's most important to her, not the results of power. She lives in a world of books and reading. She, like the Castle, is an outsider and observer of all around her. But unlike The Castle and The Voice who are neutral, Ismene has her opinions about the world around her. She just prefers to fight smarter and quieter than people like Eryx and Harmonia.

 While Ismene considers Eryx a friend and at one time respected Harmonia, she has no romantic interest and is possibly Asexual. She loves The Library and books the way other people love their families, lovers, friends, their country, or power. It holds her strongest emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual connection. 

Ismene reads, keeps the knowledge in her head, and shares it with others. As she learns more, the information is stored in her mind and brings her closer to becoming a part of the Library. She is practically a Priestess and The Library is her deity. 

Ismene is like many people whose loyalties lie in her chosen form of expression and wisdom. The educators, the creatives, the artists, the thinkers, the philosophers, the journalists, the writers, the researchers, the academics, and intellectuals. Those who autocrats often go after and arrest first because they know the truth. 

These deep thinkers can find the pertinent knowledge in that endless stream of information and empower people around them to act on that knowledge. In doing so, they become empowered by the wisdom and truth that they hold, learn, and share. For Harmonia and Eryx The Castle is a means to achieve their goals. For Ismene The Castle is the goal. For her, The Castle is.

Charming Tomorrow by Conor Jest; Brilliant But At Times Confusing Sequel Adds Time Travel and Modern Times

 

Charming Tomorrow by Conor Jest; Brilliant But At Times Confusing Sequel Adds Time Travel and Modern Times

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews 

This review is also on Reedsy Discovery 

Spoilers: Charming Tomorrow, the sequel to Where The Witches Dwell in The Everlan Trilogy, takes its characters and Readers to where few Epic Fantasies dare to tread. It takes us into the mysterious, magical, wild, and weird world of…. California 1999.

Okay not exactly the most unique or original setting, but still it's interesting to add time travel to a subgenre which is all too often tightly bound to its various tropes. It adds a splash of cleverness, humor, and sharper stakes as ancient practically immortal characters duke it out in the past and present. 

When last we left, our hero and villain, Roulic and Mayhem respectively they fought in a place called The Edge and because there were no guardrails or safety signs (and personal safety is not first in your list when you are battling each other with the known world at stake), the tumbled over The Edge into darkness. When they came to, they found themselves far away from the land of Doth in 1699 to as I mentioned before California 1999. Cast adrift but needing magic users to help him return to the past, Mayem solicits a local fortune teller by using mental manipulation and verbal threats to obtain her assistance. Meanwhile, Roulic reunites with some familiar faces: The Witches of Doth, seven sisters and one brother, all gifted with magical abilities and the siblings of Ravenna, Roulic’s intended lover who is stranded in the 1600’s. (They are all long lived. It's not as weird and unlikely as it sounds). The Witches have a proposition for Roulic, go back in time to the 1640’s and fight Mayem before he becomes too powerful then rescue Ravenna before she is cursed by merging with a bridge before Roulic met her in the first volume. 

The book starts out in a satiric, even light hearted vein with some funny moments as Roulic and Mayhem navigate themselves through modern society. One of the cleverest moments occurs as Roulic and Mayhem are walking through Laguna Beach. They are naturally confused and out of their element when metal machines roll by on paved roads, people, particularly women, dress casually and wear revealing clothing, and come up to them to say “hey” and act approachable. 

Funnier still are the people of 1999 who have little to no reaction at all. Aside from some admiring their period style clothing and weaponry (one even asks Roulic who made his authentic boots), but no mass confusion or suspicion. They take the weirdness in stride. Guy wearing a full Medieval-style tunic and leggings? Boring. Carrying ready made polished and clearly been used? See it every Tuesday. Babbling about Destiny, dragons, magical keys, witches, and the end of the world? Look, I got things to do but we can meet later for coffee, kay? 

Fortune tellers and psychics are widely available so all they have to do is find or control the right ones. Not only that but of course someone knows a family of witches, seven sisters and one brother! Who doesn't? They can lead Roulic right to them!

The other thing that Jest excels at in this volume is giving more diverse dimensions and personalities to the Witches. In the previous book, most of the distinction was given largely to Aurora because she guided Roulic on his journey and Ravenna because she was the enchanted love interest. In this volume all of the siblings stand out as individuals and family.  From the maternal leader Aurora, to the serene High Priestess Marlee, the sardonic serious Raine, the quiet dreamy Alison, the bookish intellectual Jillian, the mischievous tricksters Maddy and Agnes, and the affectionate enthusiastic, Jax, they are an interesting family unit that works together even if they don't always agree.

 Much of their individuality has a lot to do with the move to modern day. Many of the siblings adjusted, some more than others. Jax in particular thrives in this new environment  bring trendy, dressing in modern clothing, talking in modern slang and being indistinguishable from any Xer or Millennial growing up in the late ‘90’s. Of course, it is not surprising that he and his sisters would adjust so well. Unlike Roulic who just got there, they lived for centuries in this environment so they had plenty of time to adapt to modern styles, professions, societies, and structures. They fit right in inconspicuous though clearly some are in the know.

The modern setting is so fun and interesting. It even fits well into Roulic and Mayem’s larger journey that reveals what their legacy is and how their actions create ripple effects that change their worlds for centuries. Sometimes those actions have long term consequences that even they can't always see in their lifetime. The modern setting is so odd and yet unique that it's a shame that it doesn't last and Roulic and Mayem reenter the 1640’s Doth and the magical Medieval-like Fantasy world that they left behind in volume one.

The transition isn't bad. There are some suspenseful twists particularly as Roulic has to avoid running into his young self and rescue Ravenna but make sure that they actually get together romantically anyway. Otherwise, Ravenna and her family won't be able to ally with Roulic against Mayem. But they already did and aided him. He wouldn't have been thrown over The Edge with Mayem and visit the present and return to the past-Time Travel is so confusing!

Confusion is one of the bigger issues concerning the rest of Charming Tomorrow. The time travel aspects while well written take out much of the suspense within. Of course, Roulic and Mayem will act the way that they do because they already did. Much of Roulic's tasks are somewhat arbitrary and difficult to keep track of particularly when he encounters the dragons that he once protected and the Pearlytook, the magical key that he once possessed in the previous book.

Also there is an uncertainty within the book which involves retconning many of the events from the previous book. It's less like an adventure that takes the characters into a new setting, presents challenges that raise the stakes, and transforms them in various ways. It seems more like there were things that Jest didn't like in the previous book so used the second to fix them so they would no longer exist in this universe. 

Despite these concerns, the Time Travel angle is an interesting layer that contrasts greatly with the usual plot points in Epic Fantasy. Roulic thrives well in both times and travels back and forth between them. Mayem also thrives and his conversations with his new allies are both charismatic and chilling. He wins them over but he also makes them aware that failure is not an option.

The Witches also are actively involved in Roulic and Mayem’s travel between time periods. They observe their movements from 1999 and are able to provide magical assistance like creating storms and sending telepathic messages. One of the funniest running bits is that, many of the siblings, Maddy and Agnes particularly, watch and discuss these adventures, what Roulic should do or shouldn't have done, and offer predictions about what will happen next like they are binge watching a favorite series on Netflix. So the 1640’s and 1990’s settings aren't bad, they just need work to catch up to each other and be more original.

Since the 1999 portion contains most of the book’s highlights, perhaps Jest could have set most of the book here then returned to Doth in the next book. This would give more story than just reiterating  what happened in the first book and look more like an actual well thought storyline instead of a desperate retcon. But still Charming Tomorrow is a good book and The Witches are the best characters and are definitely worth remembering and rooting for.

Desulti: An Epic Fantasy by Ross Hightower and Deb Heim; Fascinating Feminist Fantasy Focuses on Fascism and Infighting.

 Desulti: An Epic Fantasy by Ross Hightower and Deb Heim; Fascinating Feminist Fantasy Focuses on Fascism and Infighting.

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Sometimes when groups get together for a common purpose, it is assumed that they will be on the same page and work together. That isn't always the case. There might still be animosity because of where people come from, ethnicity, political beliefs, separate biases, socio-economic background, or any other reason. They often have to ask themselves if the cause or threat that brought them together were removed, would they still have any other common ground? Would they defend each other? Would they think about one another's circumstances? Would they even be friends and allies or sworn enemies?

That is the central conflict surrounding Ross Hightower and Deb Heim’s Epic Fantasy novel, Desulti. 

Before I begin to summarize the novel, I would like to commend Hightower and Helm for their brilliant clever way of getting the Readers up to speed with the previous novel, Argren Blue. Because Desulti is a prequel to the authors’ Spirit Song trilogy and is itself the second volume in the prequel trilogy, Readers are bound to be lost. No matter, Hightower and Helm offer a very interesting twist on summarizing Argren Blue. In the Introduction, a monk tells his young protege the events of the previous volume as a story. 

The monk gives an oral history lesson to the boy about how Tove, the main protagonist, fled the Inquisition that imprisoned and scarred her and met the Desulti, an organization of women who obtained power through wealth. The Desulti use that vast wealth and their team of warriors, the Murtair, to protect, shelter, and defend other women. After she is helped by a Desulti, Tove decides to seek sanctuary with the organization and possibly join.

This introduction shows how important oral history and storytelling often is in an agrarian Medieval-like Fantasy setting. When many forms of communication do not exist or are sparse, news, history, myth, and legend are often orally repeated. The opening prepares us for the society that we are going to encounter.

Desulti picks up where Argren Blue left off with Tove asking for sanctuary. She is given it and decides to join. Unfortunately, she is faced with a huge stumbling block. The Desulti are a presence within the Empire and Tove was part of the Oss’stera, a group of rebels against that same Empire. Most importantly, she is an Alle’oss or l’osse, the lower caste. Most Desulti are part of Volloch, the upper caste and look down on the Alle’oss. Despite this prejudice, Tove is accepted into the Desulti but does not receive a warm welcome by many. She is the butt of several pranks, given grunt work as an assignment, stereotyped, gossipped about, and is the focus of several rumors meant to undermine her reputation. Most seriously, she is despised by Lyssa, the Chief Executive of the Desulti and Nessa, the Murtair Leader. The pranks and prejudice increase particularly as Tove and her new allies discover a hidden conspiracy within the Desulti that could put the entire group in jeopardy.

Desulti is a fantasy novel with a theme that is all too real in our modern life: a theme of prejudice. People will use any means to put themselves and others into separate groups: race, politics, country of origin, religion, class, anything. It becomes us vs. them and anyone could be considered a “them.” As long as someone is different, an Other, someone else will find a means to hate them and express that hatred. That is what the focus is on in this book.

Tove is determined to prove herself within this group that she sought sanctuary from. She aspires to become a Murtair because she sees women defending themselves and achieving power. For someone who has faced arrest, torture, sexual assault, physical attacks that left her scarred, and emotional attacks that left her traumatized that objective is tantalizing. She is willing to face the most demeaning jobs and her judgemental colleagues if it means that she can excel within the Desulti.

Tove makes some powerful enemies, most notably Lyssa. Tove's arrival could not have come at a worse time for her. She has her own ambitions for what she wants to turn the Desulti into and won't let anyone stand in the way of that goal, especially a newcomer that represents a social caste that she has no loyalty towards. 

Lyssa has the makings of a cult leader or Fascist dictator. She tramples on the Desulti’s values, particularly their goal to protect all women from sexual assault and marginalization. They aspire to be independently wealthy as warriors, priestesses, merchants, and tradeswomen. While they influence the Empire, they try to keep an unbiased approach that advises but doesn't allow the Emperor to seize power over them. 

Lyssa however wants the Desulti to be a central Imperial power. She is willing to move operations to the Capitol City and become an official advisor to the Emperor. She has biases about who should join the Desulti and wants all members to be similar to herself, all Volloch, all uniform, all Imperial loyalists, and all devoted to Lyssa and her goals. 

She wants to deprive the Desulti of the independence that they fought so hard for for her own personal gain. She doesn't like the Emperor but loves control more than she loves the Desulti. Since she can't get power for herself as a woman in a male dominated society, she wants to be the influence behind the throne and sway Imperial rule in her favor. As power hungry as the Emperor is, he wants to let her create a tyranny of conformity and prejudice. 

Lyssa also connives and claws her way to authority within the Desulti. She manipulates by using member's vulnerabilities. She delights in degrading and humiliating Tove though pretends to be a detached leader. She resorts to kidnapping and emotional blackmail to gain allyship. She is someone who pays lip service to solidarity and loyalty but is completely self-centered. She breaks any law or vow to push herself up and forward. 

Tove's presence upsets Lyssa’s ambitions by her mere presence. She gives a fresh outlook to the other Desulti where they recognize that an Alle’oss has a lot to offer coming from a different background, having a different perspective, and therefore carrying a different voice than the others. They recognize that Tove being there carries real value.

Tove makes some strong allies within the Desulti. Soifre, the Chief Financial Officer, has the same prejudices against the Alle’oss as Lyssa and many of their colleagues. However, she is pragmatic enough to see the advantages of recommending Tove for membership. She also has the foresight to see that opening their organization to Alle’oss means new members, more money, stronger voices, and more influence.

Cianna is appointed Tove’s counselor and often provides important information to Tove and other women. She also becomes an informant when she reveals what she knows about the conspiracy spearheaded by Lyssa.

Brie is a Desulti who lured Tove to them and becomes a staunch ally and friend of hers. Most importantly, her sister, Danu bonds with Tove to the point of becoming a love interest. Towards the end, Tove and Danu become committed lovers, practically a married couple. They are aware that Tove’s destiny could constantly put her in danger and Danu will constantly be anxious about her safety. However, they are willing to face this truth together.

One of the most powerful moments in the book is when Tove and other members of the Desulti confess that they come from different parts of the Empire, have their own reasons to join the Desulti, and had to deal with various struggles before signing up and great sacrifices that they have made since. They realize that despite the differences that they had before they arrived, they are now Desulti. They are brought together for a single purpose. The differences are miniscule because they have a common ground to work hard and gain independence and solidarity. It brings a tear to the eye when they all chant, “I am (Alle’oss etc.) and I am Desulti and I'm proud!” 

Desulti is the type of book that gives Readers an Epic Fantasy setting but tells a story that resonates in real life. We all feel like outsiders for some reason. Sometimes we are oppressed because of those differences by people who can seem more powerful. The point is to organize and recognize those similar issues. To unite for not only a common purpose but to give voice to the individual experiences and concerns. To make sure that diverse voices are represented within the main purpose.

 For example equal rights for women is a common purpose for Feminists and Women's Rights activists, but they must also look at individual struggles from all women including women of color, immigrants, working class women, women from different religions and politics, lesbians, and trans women. They have their own individual experiences and issues but they contribute to the main goal of receiving equality for women to earn their own money, receive equal pay, and have the right to make decisions about their own bodies.

It's important to belong to a group but just as important to be oneself within that group. That way true change can finally happen for everyone.

New Book Alert: To End Every War (Book One) by Raymond W. Wilkinson; Complex Occult Academia Feminist Fantasy of Female Friendship is the Best New Book of 2023

 

New Book Alert: To End Every War (Book One) by Raymond W. Wilkinson; Complex Occult Academia Feminist Fantasy of Female Friendship is the Best New Book of 2023

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Well the year is over. Time to close it and open the next one with a bang and a review of the best new book of 2023. That honor goes to Raymond W. Wilkinson’s To End Every War. It's a complex superb Occult Academia Feminist Fantasy novel about a group of women who represent different species in their world and are united for the common cause of building peace and stopping war between the various people and nations.

In 1901, Vespa Academy is the most prestigious and well respected university. Students all over their world attend alongside classmates and faculty of different species. There are Humans, Dwarves, Elves, Fairies, Selkies, Giants, Abraxas, Kitsunes, and Centaurs, to name a few. Many of the countries in which they come from are at war with each other and they all have a shared history of domination and oppression.

 During her first year at the Academy, Esmeralda, the Human Duchessa of Vespa is determined to do something about it. She arranges for four women from different species to be roommates to open up potential friendships and communication and to put an end to the various wars that surround them. After all, if people fear what they don't understand, then understanding is what needs to happen.

Besides Esmeralda, the potential roommates are: Viatrix Corna, a scholarly and devout Dwarf whose parents are professors at the Academy, Zabel Lusine, a quiet and mysterious Elf who is hiding various secrets from her past, Kirsi Takala, a wild Selkie (a water creature like a siren) who is struggling with her addictions, and Alya Panosyan, a serious minded and stern Abraxas (half person half-bull) who has spent much of her life fighting and isn't quite ready to lay down her weapons. Other characters also become important to this newly made quintet like Kamilla “Kam” Ruszo, a saucy Human/Fairy hybrid sophomore who is on academic probation, Bernie, Esmeralda’s loyal assistant, Violeta AKA Doppel, a look alike and spy for Esmeralda, Dina, Alya’s more reserved sister, Erna, a bullying Giant and Warden, and Snow, a naive Centaur. Through their tumultuous first academic year, these women study, attend classes, fall in love, learn things about their families and their world, suffer great loss, achieve mighty victories, and cultivate a deep friendship that changes all of them.

To End Every War is a strange combination of Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, and Mary McCarthy’s The Group. It is an Epic Fantasy with amazing world building and wide sweeping plots. It is also a first rate Women's Fiction novel in which each character experiences personal struggles, challenges, and conflicts that changes their outlook and strengthens their bond with each other. 

Each character is masterfully explored as individuals and as a group. Not in some time have I read a novel about such a memorable team of friends and thought, “I wish that I could be one of them.” The lead seven characters: Esmeralda, Viatrix, Zabel, Kirsi, Alya, Kam, and Bernie are rich and vibrant in a way that transcends genres and makes these women relatable and identifiable to their modern day Readers. There is not a weak link in the chain. 

To illustrate the interconnectivity of the characters, Wilkinson inserts some clever narrative approaches. Incidents are repeated across chapters so each of the main female characters have different interactions and responses to the same events. 

One incident involves Esmeralda, the four future roommates, and Bernie meeting each other on the gondola that takes them to the Academy. They have some serious disagreements and a burst of magic caused by an unwilling Zabel stops their infighting. 

Another incident occurs during a school gathering when the protagonists are faced with various personal, familial, and political complications. It culminates in an assassination attempt and the discovery of a betrayal and a potential conspiracy.

These events are recalled by each character giving her own perspective based on her personality, experience, and biases. Their encounters reflect different emotions such as defensive, rational, anxious, irate, worried, curious, self-absorbed, preoccupied, confused or hopeful among others. It's rather like having several eyewitnesses giving their own accounts of the same event. You probably would have several different versions that describe the basic facts of the event but pepper it with their own assumptions and feelings about it. 

Say a two-car collision is seen by five people (including the two drivers). All will agree that two cars hit each other and the name of the street where the collision occurred but there will be five different versions of who hit who, the amount of damage, the trauma that occurred, and the emotional impact. 

The character’s different perspectives of the same events develops them as representatives of their separate homogeneous communities, students involved in a wider diverse community, and women who are questioning their societal roles, life goals, and separate identities.

The world building is detailed and sneakily subversive. Like many other fantasy works, To End Every War, has a map to provide visual information about the world. It's beautifully illustrated and looks very familiar. The outline depicts some recognizable features such as a large country in the east that covers almost that entire half, a chain of islands and a large peninsula to the north, and a boot shaped nation in the south. Yes, it's actually a refurbished map of Europe. That and the fact that the years are organized similar to how they are in the western world, during the school year of 1901-1902, suggest that To End Every War is not set on a completely new fantasy world, but an alternate version of Earth. Perhaps the time and place setting and the theme of countries in constant war is also a reflection of our history, specifically during the World Wars. Maybe the union of the female characters to work out their issues with communication and discussion rather than weapons and declarations echoes the real life formation of organizations like the League of Nations and United Nations.

It is also very important to note the academic setting of the book. It's no coincidence that the opening features several women leaving their individual countries to encounter each other on their way to college. Going to college is not just an educational experience as students use their studies and major to prepare for their chosen career and life trajectory. It is a social experience as they leave home, taste independence, meet other students and staff that are different from them sometimes for the first time, and become involved in important causes that they become passionate towards. 

In this new environment the characters have to spend a lot of time together, talking to each other, fighting, learning, and gaining a wider understanding. In meeting other people, the characters look at their old worlds and countries with less affection and unwavering loyalty. They recognize the flaws within their nations and how they contributed to the constant state of war that they have been in for generations. They also become aware of those who benefit and profit from the species’s division. They realize that in the various conflicts, their nations failed to unite against a real enemy that might be larger, hidden, and more powerful.

This is a wide sweeping Epic Fantasy with strong themes of developing connections across borders, obtaining knowledge and wisdom through learning and education, and achieving peace and strength through unity. To End Every War is also a strong Feminist novel about the importance of creating and developing a foundation of sisterhood. Vespa Academy is co-educational and there are plenty of male characters. In fact, many are paired off in the end (and the male characters are just as well written as the females). But this is definitely a woman's book. The female characters are the stars and are rich with nuances, development, and good writing. They embrace leadership opportunities within their species and cultures and are individualized by their personal journeys. 

The main characters have their previous world views shaken. In fact, what stands out is not the epicness of political infighting, magical quests, secret conspiracies, and sweeping battles. It's the individual journeys and internal changes that make the book. This is not an Epic Fantasy novel that happens to star female characters. It's a Woman's Fiction novel that happens to have an Epic Fantasy setting. Characters use magic and fight with weapons, but they also fall in love, attend class, fight with family members, and rely on each other for physical, mental, and emotional support.

As they go through these experiences, each character develops and changes. Esmeralda, an idealist, learns how to be an effective leader and future ruler for all people not just her own. Viatrix discovers some heartbreaking revelations about her family and the Dwarves in general that alters her once arrogant worldview. Alya learns that strength can be found in peace and to trust those she thought were her enemies. Kirsi makes an effort to get off of her self-destructive path and gains a more positive forward thinking outlook. Zabel reveals her troubled background and accepts assistance from her friends. Kam learns to reconcile and gain closure with the two halves of her heritage. Bernie steps out of Esmeralda's shadow and makes her own voice heard.

There are wonderful moments as the characters interact with each other strengthening their emotional ties. Viatrix is asked to be Kirsi’s minder, a task in which she is first unprepared but then results in a deeper understanding between the two. Alya and Zabel’s people are sworn enemies, but Alya helps Zabel through a mental breakdown. Kam uses her skills of sneaking around forbidden areas like the Academy’s Dark Library to find important information that will aid Esmeralda and the others. Esmeralda is very protective towards the other women. Bernie is the chronicler of this account and capture her friend's voices and actions out of love and friendship. The main characters in To End Every War are wonderfully written as striking individuals that form into a perfectly working team.

To End Every War combines the immense world building of an Epic Fantasy and the intimacy and emotional core of a Woman's Fiction novel to create a masterpiece that transcends both genres and inhabits one of its own.

New Book Alert: Merchants of Knowledge and Magic (The Pentagonal Dominion) by Erika McCorkle; Unique World Building Is The Highlight of This Odd Unforgettable Epic Fantasy

 

New Book Alert: Merchants of Knowledge and Magic (The Pentagonal Dominion) by Erika McCorkle; Unique World Building Is The Highlight of This Odd Unforgettable Epic Fantasy 

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Of the various worlds in Epic Fantasy that I visited this year (and there were many), among the most evocative, unique, and intriguing is The Pentagonal Dominion in Erika McCorkle's Merchants of Knowledge and Magic.

It is the strangest, most bizarre, most fantastic world that I have come across in some time.

The plot, or rather plots, are mostly slight. They involve a pair of merchants hired by various people throughout the book to find someone or retrieve something for some greater purpose. The missions aren't fully connected and they don't really seem to add up to anything important, at least not in this volume anyway.

 The book's structure is in loose anthology form as each mission is introduced separately and equal time is given for the characters to resolve that mission. Then that assignment usually leads them head (or heads) first into the next assignment or adventure.

Instead, Merchants of Knowledge and Magic's strongest virtues are in character, setting, and world building. In fact the main purpose of the various missions is to introduce the Readers to this strange new world. Since it is a world that captures the imagination and is impossible to forget,  I would say "Mission Accomplished."

 Every character and setting seems to come from someone's weirdest fever dreams or nightmares. Boy, is it ever a crazy oddball fever dream that we stumbled into.

The two Merchants in question are Calinthe Erytrichos and Zakuro "Pom" Rathmusen, the eponymous Merchants of Knowledge and Magic respectively. They are a very fascinating pair. 

Calinthe is half-Ulese and half-Odonata, species that many believe can't reproduce until they meet her. She has green skin, wings, and is intersex (though prefers she/her pronouns). Calinthe is a Mind volkhv which means that she can obtain knowledge. She often interrogates suspects with a game of Eight Questions in which they have to tell the truth (though they aren't above using certain points of view or telling half-truths to cover up information). 

 Zakuro has four arms, dark skin, and is  a Godblood, which means that she is descended from gods. She is practiced in various magical abilities such as making herself invisible or shape shifting. She was isolated by her abusive mother and had barely encountered non-deities until she met and fell in love with Calinthe.

The two travel together to do various assignments as Calinthe obtains information while Zakuro serves as a bodyguard and protector using her magic to help or hide them if things go badly. They earn money by trading magic and knowledge as currency.

Already this book stands out from many other Epic Fantasies and Science Fiction because of the lack of humanoid characters. Many times authors insert characters who are human in appearance as though their imaginations couldn't conceive of a world where humans, or species resembling humans, don't exist. With neither of her two leads being human, McCorkle stretches the imagination by looking through the perspectives and lifestyles of different creatures and species that are different from those who are reading it.

Calinthe and Zakuro aren't the only unique characters that this book encounters. We first encounter the duo as they walk into a bar which has a Kraken bartender and a Werewolf suspect that they have to interview. (Sounds like a bad joke from another dimension). Things go awry when the Kraken gets stabbed by the nervous Wolf.

One of the characters that they meet in the bar is Paivi Valkoinen, who may be a spy or a deserter from the powerful Aloutian military. One of Paivi's unique traits is that her belly is hollow and can be used to store objects which are chilled or warmed by her body temperature. So yes she is in fact a walking cooler (which excites Zakuro since they can have an ongoing supply of ale). 

That's nothing however. Calinthe's father is so large that her mother and sometimes she can travel inside his abdomen. (Take from that what you will).

Many of the settings are also unique. People can travel from dimension to dimension and gravity is different on each one. A person who is considered thin in one place can be weighed down by the gravity in another one.

One of those places is Ophidia, a misandrist society in which women are considered superior and men, intersex, neuter, and non-binary species are looked down upon. Calinthe hates the place and has to hide her intersex qualities whenever they visit (including a newly growing appendage which is synonymous with a penis). 

Their arrival attracts two sisters, The Ryuugas: Requiem, a white skinned purple haired biped-bibranch and  Sayuri,a reptilian Orochijan, with thin vertical pupils and a forked tongue. Oh yeah and they travel with horses who can change their shapes into bipedal forms. The Ryuugas  want to leave Ophidia even though they are members of the ruling class because it's a "f$#@d up country that treats men like mud and sludge." So they tag along with and befriend Calinthe and Zakuro.

The strangeness in character and setting is only augmented by the Pentagonal Dominion's pantheon of demons and gods. While most Earth pantheons acknowledge their deities' offbeat qualities (like Zeus' womanizing, Loki's tricks, or The Morrigan's association with death), the gods in these worlds come right out and admit their infallibility with their titles. They are rich with names like Lord Selfishness and the Lord of Ignorance. 

Lord Williford, the Lord of Ignorance, is a particularly memorable deity in that he acts less like a god and more like the lovable storytelling drunk at the bar. He uses Welsh slang terms like "ditty" for little and "tidy" for nice. He also uses profanity and is more interested in carnal pleasures and being sarcastic than in being a positive vessel for his mortal followers. He is hilarious and fits right in with the rest of the Pentagonal Dominions' weirdness. 

Despite or maybe because of the strange world building embedded in Merchants of Knowledge and Magic, the book surprisingly has a lot of emotions and heart.

In one chapter while they are in Ophidia, Zakuro and Paivi try to end slavery by killing slavers and slaves much to Calinthe's chagrin. The decisions that the three are faced with are ethical ones in which the characters debate whether they should put their personal experiences and safety over the greater good and whether using violence to prevent injustice causes more problems than helps.

Zakuro and Calinthe also show strong love and devotion towards each other particularly when they encounter their families. After a heartbreaking conversation with her abusive mother, Zakuro is cut off, feeling like she doesn't have a family. Calinthe takes her on a detour from their current assignment to visit Calinthe's loving parents so Zakuro could feel loved and accepted and they could adopt her as a second daughter.

In one of the most traumatic sections, Calinthe is forced into slavery for several chapters. Her narration reveals the pain and anguish, particularly when she goes from referring to her masters by name to the title of "Master" in her narration. She goes from a free spirited, independent, intelligent, intersex Merchant of Knowledge with lovers and friends to a passive, dependent, traumatized victim who isn't sure if she ever had anyone love her. It is a striking heart wrenching transformation that suggests that it will take some time in the next volume for her to recover, if she ever does.

Merchants of Knowledge and Magic is a masterful novel of world building which offers unique characters and settings that are strange but also believable. Because of that, this is one of the Best Books of 2022.

New Book Alert: Vorodin's Lair (Book Two of the Warminster Saga) by J.V. Hilliard; All Quested Up But Too Many Places to Go

 New Book Alert: Vorodin's Lair (Book Two of the Warminster Saga) by J.V. Hilliard; All Quested Up But Too Many Places to Go 

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: The Last Keeper was a memorable first volume in the Warminster Saga in that it depicted a dark fantasy world becoming darker. A wizard sold his soul to demons for knowledge and wealth and became a monster. Daemus Alaric, a Keeper of knowledge, has prophetic dreams about the potential end of the world. Addilyn Elspeth, a noblewoman also has dreams of tetrine, a herd of black unicorns that herald impending doom. They team up with various characters like Sir Ritter, a half-elf knight, Prince Montgomery, a seafaring Prince, and a team of outlaws including Faux, who had a grudge against many of the royal family, to fight this Apocalypse. Meanwhile many characters, like Addilyn's father get killed, seemingly good character's evil intentions are revealed, and war is afoot. It's a great introduction.

Unfortunately, the follow up, Vorodin's Lair is not nearly as compelling. There is a lot of meandering with characters going places and not getting much accomplished.

Princess Addilyn, Daemus, Ritter and the others are recruited to seek safety in the land of Abacus and request assistance from the Athabasica, a post and important leader. Meanwhile, Prince Montgomery takes part in a massacre of a Naval battle. We are also introduced to various characters and subplots that become hard to keep up with after a while. 

There are some interesting moments, unfortunately they are few and far in between. Zamiel, one of the antagonists, has a very terrifying opening when he bonds and controls the tetrine.

We also see the further dissolution of society. The Keepers, the group Daemus was once a proud member of, use corruption and intimidating means to claim new leadership. Prince Montgomery's father is another of the long list of snobbish parents who reject their children in this series.

In this book one of the most intriguing characters is the Athabasica. She is worth the build up and shows to be a wise leader and poet. She is one of those types of characters who dispenses guidance and advice through cryptic means, leading the characters to figure things out for themselves. In the ensemble cast, she is the lone stand out.

Unfortunately, Vorodin's Lair has plenty of problems that outweigh its virtues. Vorodin's Lair suffers through what I call "Second Book Syndrome." The first book introduces us to the setting, characters, and plots that carry over in the series. The third (if it's the final book) usually has the climactic battle, the resolution of the quest, and the point where the protagonists meet their eventual fates and destinies. 

If done right, the second book can lead to some interesting character development and some intriguing side quests that strengthen or weaken the bonds that the protagonists share.

If done wrong, it's just an excuse to pad out 300 pages into extensively long sections that fill plots and characters that are unnecessary. Vorodin's Lair is the latter.

In every other chapter, the Reader is introduced to a character that either is new to the book or is a holdover from the previous book that it takes a struggle to remember. Daemus, Addilyn et al are detained not by important plot points leading to self discoveries. Instead they are held back by mere contrivances. 

It's one of those books where you could flip through the pages wondering "What did I miss?" Then you realize the answer is, "Not much."

Oddly enough, one of the biggest weaknesses in Vorodin's Lair is one of the best parts of The Last Keeper. Because The Last Keeper started out in a dark somber horror tone and continued to stay that way, there really is nowhere for Vorodin's Lair to go but darker yet. The tone falls into the "Too Bleak, Stopped Caring" territory somewhere around the tenth or so chapter. The series tries to top itself with bleakness to the point that it becomes boring. 

Even the characters become boring because the bleakness dictates that they can never actually win or achieve any sort of victory. The somberness takes away their agency or ability to take action to change their circumstances. After a while, it becomes hard to give a damn about anything that the characters do.

If there is to be a third volume of The Warminster Saga, let's hope it's better than Vorodin's Lair. This one features characters that are ready to quest but nowhere to go. Book Three can't get any worse.

New Book Alert: Where the Witches Dwell (Everlan Book One) by Conor Jest; Effective Epic Fantasy with Great Characters, Intriguing Plot, and a New Imaginative World

 

New Book Alert: Where the Witches Dwell (Everlan Book One) by Conor Jest; Effective Epic Fantasy with Great Characters, Intriguing Plot, and a New Imaginative World

 

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: Conor Jest's Where The Witches Dwell is an effective and enchanting epic fantasy with many brilliant characters, intriguing plot angles, and enough unique angles to create an excellent imaginative world.

Roulic is part of a race called the Ancient Ones. Roulic is on a mission to look for his missing family and to help residents of the Kingdom of Doth to prepare for war against the neighboring kingdom of Dandoorthose. While helping some old friends, Roulic is drawn to a mysterious forest where a family of witches dwell who offer their assistance if he will help them.

Where the Witches Dwell has some memorable characters and events that pay tribute to epic fantasy tropes but also are able to make the book its own instead of relying on cliches. The very concept of Roulic and the Witches belonging to a group called the Ancient Ones is brilliant. They aren't completely human, but not elven either. Instead, they are long lived and eternally youthful in appearance. They also seem to be intuitive and are skilled in sorcery. They are separate from humans dubbed, "Mortalkind." The witches for example live apart from Mortalkind in the woods and most fear and avoid them.

Other Ancient Ones adapt. Because Roulic is youthful in appearance, he has voluntarily lived with different families over the years as an unofficial adopted son and worker. After a few years, when Roulic's family ages and he doesn't, he moves on. He doesn't have any long term living arrangements but because of this nomadic lifestyle had plenty of surrogate family members.

Many of the tasks that Roulic faces are well written. Roulic first meets witch and future love interest, Ravenna when he rescues her from a curse in which her hair is intertwined with the ropes of a bridge, thereby becoming a part of the bridge herself.

Another task involves Roulic visiting a kingdom of gnomes. It is nice to see gnomes take an active role in this fantasy series, when they are often nonexistent in other works unlike elves and dwarves who are everywhere in fantasy.

Characterization is strong particularly with Roulic and the Witches. Roulic is the type of hero that we expect from the genre: brave, honest, courageous, and empathetic towards others. He has many mortal friends and tries to help them with their struggles while dealing with his own. He has some great moments, particularly with Ravenna when they fall in love. He also has a dark past in which he has to face up to.

In contrast to the affable and empathetic Roulic, the witch siblings live apart from Mortalkind and mostly interact with each other. They clearly care about each other as when some are put in danger, the others will aid them. They also recognize the larger picture of what will affect everyone else, eventually will affect them. So they offer as much magical assistance as they can to Roulic, but in a standoffish way.

Because of their mostly isolated nature, the moments where the Witches interact with other characters outside of their family are made even more heartfelt. The Mortalkind outside the woods originally were distrustful towards them and now are welcoming because of their assistance. A slow burning romance develops between Jillian, a witch and Callian, a mortal showing how both sides accept and adapt to each other. 

Where the Witches Dwell is an enchanting beginning to a hopefully magical series.

Weekly Reader: Griffin's Perch by Ian Conner; Fantasy World With That Conner Touch

 

Weekly Reader: Griffin's Perch by Ian Conner; Fantasy World With That Conner Touch

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Ian Conner appears to be the author's equivalent of throwing everything to the wall to see what sticks. I have a notion that he wants to write at least one book in every genre, just because he can. So far he has done Folkloric Ghost Stories/Horror (Dark Maiden ), Political Thrillers/Mystery (The Long Game: An Amy Radigan Mystery), Vampire Dark Fantasy/Horror (Cardinals), Science Fiction (Cooper's Ridge). Now he's taking on Epic Fantasy with his book, Griffin's Perch. I don't have one favorite specific author, but because of his versatility and willingness to write so many genres and do them so well, Conner has become one of them.

Denrael of Gesthamin, the last of the current order of wizards, has some big plans to make. His world is being ravaged by five dangerous dragons led by their leader, the diabolical Fury. This confrontation has been predicted for a long time and Denrael knows what he needs. 

Some objects that he needs to defeat the dragons include a golden cluster and a silver scroll. He also needs to create an army that will fight against the dragons. He and his associates come upon some small griffins, created by a former colleague of Denrael's. 

When they grow bigger, Griffin's can become large, strong, and formidable even against dragons. So he recruits the Delphens, a fox-like species, to ride, work with, and fight alongside these powerful creatures. He also has to broker peace between the feuding pixies, elves, and merpeople because the prophecy specifically required these species to work together to fight their same foes. All of these different species, creatures, and characters must find some common ground so they can cooperate and fight the destructive dragons.

This epic fantasy is like all good epic fantasies where the world building is impressive. The only completely original species created are the Delphens and Conner does a great job of creating their biology, social structure, and characteristics while making them individuals. The Delphens were once a mostly farming community but the arrival of dragons and griffins transformed some into a corps of warriors. The Griffin Corps are able to use their physical strength, hardiness, and closeness to nature to bond with and ride the griffins. They treat the griffins like more than just dumb steeds. They share consciousness, mind links, and emotions. The Delphens' relationships with their griffins are that of friends, companions, and siblings in arms.

Two of the best Delphens are Shala and Flinch. Flinch is a quick witted sometimes comic relief who has a running gag of dismounting badly. However, he also has inherited precognitive abilities which requires him to have some dark visions. For him, this quest is one of maturity as he has to shed his childlike impetuosity.

Shala is a much more serious character. She embodies both a hardened worrier and loving nurturer. The warrior aspects occur in her aerial battles. She earns the distinction of being one of the best in the Griffin Corps for her strategic thinking and quick stealth. 

Her nurturing side is revealed when she is one of the character who sets up a nursery to care for and feed the griffins until they age and bond with a rider. This quest is one of independence in which she has to counter many of the requirements expected of her and bring out the best in her people and herself.

Even with characters that are common in other fantasies, Conner does different things with them. Pixies are present with their mischievous and naughtiness. One of the more humorous characters is Glow, a sweet energetic pixy who will give any information if you provide enough sugary snacks for a bribe. But however what we see is that their sense of mischief has harmful long term implications plus they, Glow in particular, suffered tremendous loss in the past. 

The Merpeople are described here as they often are in legends: attractive, but stand offish and prone to emotion. However, they are capable of assisting others and looking at the big picture that what affects everyone else will affect them.

What makes the war between the pixies and merpeople so heartbreaking is that those specific personality traits that made them stand out were controlled and manipulated by outside forces that took advantage of those characteristics to create the conflict and the tremendous intergenerational loss that resulted.

The dragons are the characters with the most interesting backstory. The book even begins at the moment that Fury is awakened for the first time, filled with anger and, well, fury. It's a rich story on how he and his fellow dragons, Rage, Rampage, Wrath, and Scorn were created. I don't want to get into it, but let's just say there was a lot of greed, ambition, jealousy, anger, and complacency that led to their presence. Many of the same emotions that were found in the Pixy-Merpeople Conflict. 

Of course there are the various romances, interspecies friendships and allyships, and tremendous loss that develops during these struggles. Naturally, their world is the site of much death and destruction.

In fact, probably the strongest theme in this book is the interconnectivity of the different species and how they are affected together. They benefit from mutual cooperation and when one species suffers, eventually they all do and their world suffers. Only in coming together can they defeat the darkness and evil around them.

New Book Alert: Hag of the Hills (Bronze Sword Cycles Book 1) by J.T.T. Ryder; Epic Fantasy With Misleading Title Shows The Graphic Making of a Warrior

 New Book Alert: Hag of the Hills (Bronze Sword Cycles Book 1) by J.T.T. Ryder; Epic Fantasy With Misleading Title Shows The Graphic Making of a Warrior

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

A thousand apologies for my lateness, the end of May and beginning of June have brought troubles. My heel hurt and I couldn't concentrate on anything but pain. Then I had a migraine from an approaching cold front and our WiFi messed up.

It's all good now but I am playing catch up.

Spoilers: I can't fault J.T.T. Ryder's Epic Fantasy, Hag of the Hills for much. The book is set during the La Tene period between 400-200 BCE in the Isle of Skye and captures the setting and especially the Celtic mythology rather well. The Reader sees various legendary figures like fairies, goddesses, and selkies, and many human characters who invoke the gods for success, healing, revenge, and other things. It has a strong lead character and the suspenseful plot shows the graphic violence that can change one from a naive nervous kid into a strong warrior and leader. 

I can't fault it for much except for one thing. The title.

The title the Hag of the Hills refers to a mysterious woman, possibly a goddess named Chailleach Bhear, who is portrayed as a hag who delivers winter. She appears before the protagonist and gives him his call to adventure. The protagonist leaves and occasionally he sees visions of her, but only a few times.

 For a title character, Chailleach Bhear is barely in it. While she serves an important part and her presence is strongly felt throughout the book, she really doesn't appear very much. The book could have easily been called Warriors of the Hills or even The Bronze Sword (the latter is the name of the series) and it would make more sense. The supernatural divine aspects are present throughout the book. The main focus is how a young man is strengthened by his loss to become a violent man thirsting for revenge and embracing the warrior code in which he had previously paid little attention.

Brenn is the youngest in a family that boasts of warrior blood. His parents are dead and he is currently in the care of his older brothers, Bodvic and Fennigus. He knows his place in this clan and is soon to marry Clodagh, the neighbor's daughter in an arranged marriage. He also fancies Myrna, the chief druid's daughter though she is above his station. His sexuality may be more complex than we are led to believe.

The entire novel is a giant epistolary to someone named Luceo. We have yet to physically meet Luceo in person, but Brenn keeps referring to him in endearments like "my dear" and "beloved." The book is almost a confessional to this person who is clearly important to Brenn's future. He tells all about his past so there are no secrets between them.  

Even though Luceo has yet to appear, it's clear that Brenn is close to him on a physical and emotional level, possibly a soulmate. It will be interesting to read when Luceo is introduced, why he deserves to know so much about Brenn's past.

Anyway, returning to the main plot, Brenn hears voices to go up the Slighan Hills. When Brenn goes, he meets Cailleach Bhear taking the form of an eccentric old woman named Cally. In one of the strangest but also beautiful chapters in the book, Cally invites Brenn to come and have tea with her  and her companions.  Her companions are sidhe, or the faire folk. They seem to come from thin air or out of the ground. They blend into their natural surroundings. It's a moving tribute to the Celtic pagan pantheon and the close connection that spirits have with nature. It also shows the concept of fate and destiny. After his encounter with Cailleach Bhear, Brenn has the power of seeing sidhe. This comes in handy when he and his companions are attacked by such creatures, including a selkie.

Cailleach Bhear leaves such a memorable impression that I wish she was in the book more, especially, since she is the title character. She only appears here and there in other scenes, but her presence and motives are unclear. After he leaves Slighan Hill, Brenn's village is attacked by enemies from the hill. At this point, Cailleach Bhear seems to switch alliances and dances with glee at the violence. Is she on the side of the Hills, but why  does she give such an awesome power to Brenn to give him a distinct advantage? If she is on Brenn's side why is she dancing with delight at their defeat? Or is she more than likely the living embodiment of death and darkness, the winter of life? She knows that humans will do what they do, fight and kill just as she foresees? She is on her own side, the side that knows death and loss is on its way.

Brenn's village is attacked and his friends, family, and neighbors are either killed, wounded, or kidnapped. Brenn finds himself kidnapped by a group of raiders. He eventually fights his way into joining and then ultimately leading them. He was once very young, naive, and accepting of the warrior life, though not really a part of it. Through the book, he gains physical strength and begins to develop the lust for blood and fighting that other warriors have. He is stripped of his earlier naivete, coddled life, and boyish ideals. He is even stripped of his name and is called Vidav by the warriors.

There are many times with Vidav's new more weathered angrier outlook at the world, his morals become more questionable and less cut and dry. He sees the shades of gray that his youth never allowed. In one heart wrenching passage, an elderly druid begs Vidav to kill him. Later his wish is granted in the most violent way possible.

Vidav also considers selling a female companion to a monarch for a stronger army and safe passage. With Vidav ascending into adulthood and becoming a hardened warrior, he has to be awakened to tough decisions and actions that he would have never done before or once considered repellant if he had.. Right or wrong, it is a part of adulthood to make choices that could be immoral for a chance to survive. It's certain that Vidav's character will get darker the more the plot continues.

The Hag, Chailleach Bhear, may leave an unforgettable presence and had the  title but the truth is, this is the kid, Brenn's story as he becomes the warrior, Vidav.