Whenever I pick up a book from a new ‘untried’ author there is always the element of risk: the experiment has not always come out well. It can be a ‘hit’ but often is a ‘miss’
In this case I have to say it has been a hit– the book is well written, the characters likeable and the overall story moves along at a good pace. Elí has started this series in a traditional manner, the young heroine (Katja) dreaming of adventure becomes the student paired to an older and more experienced warrior. She must quickly learn the skills necessary to survive her ‘Call’ against the monsters and demons that threaten the world. In this respect it is safe and oft-trodden ground (think Luke Skywalker from Star Wars or any number of other ‘hero coming of age’ stories) but then there is a reason this scenario is so often used – it works, bringing the reader along as if we too are learning about the big wide world beyond our village and gaining the skills necessary to overcome the threats around us.
Such plots are never intended to stretch the reader in themselves. In this case it does the same job as Serdra’s horse Hnut, carrying the characters forward in a very dependable fashion without ever overshadowing them, keeping them tightly knit on its back as the journey progresses. The story very much centres on the student/teacher relationship and mostly engages well. This might be because having two female leads is a little more unusual in the genre, at least in my experience. Whatever the reason, I found myself genuinely caring for the characters – yes, even Hnut the horse. That said there is still plenty of room for character development – there’s got to be more to life than slicing up monsters. As yet Katja has little of value in her young life to truly loose and the series will need some romance and more complicated relationships to fill that void.
The story is clearly influenced by computer gaming. There’s an early training period to get use to game concepts and skills. After that Katja and Serdra travel between towns, experience psychic ‘cut-scenes’’, shop for supplies, and meet monsters of increasing strength and capability. Even the rather clever ‘silent language’ is akin to the prompts used by remote players in co-operative games. But again it all works surprising well so I won’t knock it.
I also enjoyed the fight scenes. These can be incredibly hard to get right but I found myself following the technical ideas and imagination, the characters’ movements, the use of weapons…it all seemed nicely real to me. Yes, I felt that strangle hold stopping the blood getting to my brain!
So the acid test – will I be reading the next book in the series when it comes out?
Answer: YES. Elí is not yet on my very select ‘favourite author list’ but I think this work well deserves it’s above average mark. I went as high as 4 simply because I enjoyed it. I am looking forward to seeing how both the series and the author develop from this competent and solid start.
