Hammer of Fate

Excellent start to a new trilogy!

Gudgion creates a world based on the medieval era, drawing from Norse mythology and the tradition of the Knights Templar to craft his characters and setting. This made it very easy for me to sink into the book and enjoy the story without having to also focus on the logistics of how things worked.

And what a story! We've got a novice nun longing for home, political machinations, religious persecution, conflict between faiths old and new, action, magic, even a touch of romance. The story is told from three points of view: Adelais; Guy, the son of the prisoner rescued from torture; and Pateras Malory, one of the king's anakritim, responsible for torturing those who don't follow what the king deems to be the true faith.

When Adelais helps rescue a former Guardian from torture by the anakritim, she finds herself fleeing with the last few of that holy order. The anakritim seek the treasure the Guardians supposedly hold, and they have no qualms about obliterating the Guardians to get their hands on it.

The characters are relatable. Adelais longs for home, for the faith of her people. She questions whether she should use the rune song she was learning from Yrsa, as she is untrained. Will she bring down ruin on her companions, or will she be their salvation? Guy wants vengeance for his father's death, and exercising patience is hard for him to do. Malory tries to do his job well, but he wrestles with the question of whether he is truly on the side of right in the matter. Malory is a refreshing foil to chief torturer Ghislain Barthram. Barthram is almost a caricature, so single-minded in pursuit and so devoted to his craft is he. It's good to see that becoming a torturer for the king doesn't relieve Malory of all his human decency.

The description compares this book to the work of Andrzej Sapkowski, author of The Witcher books. I haven't read any of his Witcher stories, but I have read The Tower of Fools. I see some of the same epic fantasy elements here, but The Tower of Fools had a satirical, comic thread that this story does not. Reynevan, the main character in that book, was an idiot, and this often led to some very humorous moments. Adelais is not (and this is a good thing! I like Adelais!). Before the story ends, there is a question of whether she is a heretic or one touched by the hand of God, whether she has practiced magic that deserves death or whether a miracle has been wrought. She is smart enough to make use of the tools she has at hand and work them to her benefit.

The story took a minute to really pull me in, but once it got going, I had a hard time putting it down. I'm anxious to read the next in the series to see if Adelais makes it home!