Scott Graham
This fever dream of a grimmer tale than the fairytales of the Brothers Grimm was a delight from start to finish. I took my time(?) in the reading because there was a plethora to glean from the Middle English used throughout much of the story (see meanie, lief, pizzle, sieur, etc). Luckily I had undertaken the reading as an ebook; I had lookup capabilities at hand rather than having to constantly swivel-chair between book and dictionary. As for the story itself, this sword-and-sorcery-lite novel of a revenant boy vs evil sorceror and the battle for the future of a small village is filled with the threats that are born from the worst desires of people with power, desirous of more power at any cost, with a dark magic twist. It’s either a fast read if you glide over the Latin and French phrases, and Middle English words, or a slower one if, like me, you take interest in new words and ancient etymology. The author threw a lot into the narrative, from theology to mythology, damsals in distress, hapless villagers, a plucky protagonist and darkly evil villains, and sundry monsters in a medieval setting. I was reminded of The Legendary Black Beast of Arrrrgh in a few spots (IYKYK), but that did not detract from the pleasure in the reading. Highly recommended.
This fever dream of a grimmer tale than the fairytales of the Brothers Grimm was a delight from start to finish. I took my time(?) in the reading because there was a plethora to glean from the Middle English used throughout much of the story (see meanie, lief, pizzle, sieur, etc). Luckily I had undertaken the reading as an ebook; I had lookup capabilities at hand rather than having to constantly swivel-chair between book and dictionary. As for the story itself, this sword-and-sorcery-lite novel of a revenant boy vs evil sorceror and the battle for the future of a small village is filled with the threats that are born from the worst desires of people with power, desirous of more power at any cost, with a dark magic twist. It’s either a fast read if you glide over the Latin and French phrases, and Middle English words, or a slower one if, like me, you take interest in new words and ancient etymology. The author threw a lot into the narrative, from theology to mythology, damsals in distress, hapless villagers, a plucky protagonist and darkly evil villains, and sundry monsters in a medieval setting. I was reminded of The Legendary Black Beast of Arrrrgh in a few spots (IYKYK), but that did not detract from the pleasure in the reading. Highly recommended.