 A fun read, plenty of action and intriguing, growing, characters.
The plot is a classic of fantasy where one god leads his minions to try to take over the mortal lands of the followers of the other gods. They, in turn, rally their minions and there is an epic battle. However, the twist is in what happens to our main character, Owen. He starts on the “good” side, is captured, placed in a kind of neutral servitude, then forced to join the “evil” side, before finally being rescued, but forever changed. We are carried through this story with Owen and a fascinating array of secondary characters, some sympathetic and some hostile. Foremost is Aj’ana, a Murkor (amazing society – well done!) who takes Owen under her wing while he’s in servitude and, through their interactions, teaches him things about himself and others. Tessamir is not only Owen’s love interest but a powerful multi-dimensional character on her own. She brings an interesting backstory and is a strong foil against which to play Owen’s growth as well as his weaknesses and strengths. There are others, including battle leaders and people who are unhinged by the changes and challenges they are forced to undergo. Each character presents Owen opportunities and difficulties which he (and Tess) must work through, presenting a fresh retelling of the good versus evil war trope. Oh, and there is a lot of action! Serpentus is a stand-alone novel in the Relics of War universe. Highly recommended!
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 I loved this book.
It has so much that is fresh and different which the author uses consistently as driving forces in the novel. Knyadrea is a moon world, part of a two-moon system with a complex “seasonal” structure between the moons, planet (uninhabited), and the sun. The author never forgets to place us in the right season and all the pros and cons, to the characters, of that season. The Knyads (the sentient species) have a unique multi-part life cycle. This affects their individual outlooks and gives each of them depth as they share their stories. They are also both familiarly human and sharply distinguished. Their skin is multi-hued, for example and they lack hair but have colorful tendrils. Society is also unique. Knyadrea is divided into clans. These clans are then stratified into Orta, Praemor, and Erud. The five Erud clans rule Knyadrea with a despotic, paranoid fist. There is also a large group of knyads who are unclassified, the lowest of the low. Our main characters, Oklas and Prismer, are multi-dimensional and each carry their struggles, successes, and failures to us, the readers, in a way which pulls us deeper into the story and finds us hoping for their success. Secondary characters also have depth. They are deftly used to give us more information – about the culture, the life cycle, the politics, the seasons, the history, and the main characters themselves. In short, Far Removed is a well-done, unique, intriguing, and engaging story. I cannot wait for its companion volume, the conclusion to the Apideccan Duology! |
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September 2024
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