The Lost War

It jumps out of the gate with a strong opening and an interesting premise and finishes with a flourish, but I found the intervening chapters to be fairly standard high/epic fantasy fare that never blew me out of the water.

Justin Lee Anderson does a beautiful job introducing the characters, the stakes, and the world at large, but I just wasn't as invested in the subsequent proceedings as I hoped to be. It's surprisingly light and funny and I found myself reminded of Michael J. Sullivan's Riyria books with a splash of Mike Shel's Iconoclasts trilogy (sans its darker impulses). If you loved either of those series, I think you'll enjoy this too.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

See this review and others at The Speculative Shelf and follow @specshelf on Twitter.

Two things:
1) I was not prepared, at all, for the wild ride this was, and
2) Holy Hell! It exceeded my expectations at a level I'm not sure I'm able to explain, so forgive me for this mess of a review.

What is this sorcery? You know those RPG games where you start a main quest planning to go from A to B, but then you find yourself emerged in side quest after side quest and A to B becomes A to C to D to...?

That's what it felt like reading this book. And I loved it. The world building, the characters (I promise you you'll love them, even the idiots), the PLOT TWISTS... All of it. I am most fond of the female knight of the White Thorn Order, Samily. She's such a gem.

More people should read this. That's my conclusion.

(And kudos to the author for making me miss one of my favourite places in the world: Edinburgh)

//
r/fantasy Bingo Card 2021: Self-published.
Also fits: Cat Squasher, Mystery Plot, Genre Mashup.

This review was originally written when The Lost War was self published. I've since reread The Lost War when it published through Orbit.

The war for Eidyn may be over, but the horrors that follow are just beginning.

Locked away in his prison of a castle, Mynygogg is a looming threat to the countryside. The King’s council has been sent to rescue a hidden queen to protect what territory they have stolen from Mynygogg. Among them is the king’s advisor Aranok, who also happens to be a magic casting draoidh. As they venture towards the queen, Aranok learns that his hometown has been taken over by the blackened. Horrific creatures able to spread disease and death by a simple touch. Aranok has the choice to follow his king’s orders, or find his family. Heart wins over duty, and Aranok plunges into a journey that will lead him down a dark road. As the party divides, they will each encounter horrors leftover from the war and none will be the same as they were by the time their journeys end.

By stepping into the world of The Lost War, readers will be enveloped in a rich high fantasy filled with magic, demons, and fantastic storytelling. Despite the amount of main characters in the traveling party, Justin Lee Anderson gives everyone their time to shine. As the characters struggle to understand the war-torn country, the reader will delve into the mistakes and horror the aftermath of war brings. The past for each character will be split wide open to show what they’ve experienced while fighting for their country, or simply trying to survive.

As I immersed myself in this book, I felt nostalgia at how much the novel felt like the Dragonlance Chronicles. A well-balanced party venturing out to do what they think is right, and never giving up even if there are difficult choices to make. And while there might not be dragons, there are plenty of demons and mutations the characters must face.

I want more of this world. I tore through this novel. Every spare moment I had, I read. There was never a dull moment, never a part where I felt the need to skim. Every word sinks you deeper into Eidyn and its heroes. You laugh, you cry, and you hold your breath as they battle for their belief in a better world.