Fantasy For The Win This Go 'Round!

Let's get this party started!

Beneath a Brass Sky by independent author, Eli Steele, is a fantasy adventure tale told from the third-person omniscient POV which follows Ulfric Halehorn and his band of sellswords as they embark on a dangerous mission across the Brasslands. From the beginning readers are dropped into an unfamiliar terrain with often confusing yet compelling power structures. Still, Halehorn, former Lord of Wyrmwatch from Prydia, has made his way to the lieutenancy of a sellsword company. He’s turned his back on his rightful place in the nobility for a life on the road, securing contracts, and working in the company of men whose demons are as familiar as his own. When his company, the Fives, secures a contract to deliver “something” valuable to the coastal city of Kush, his survival and drive for justice are put to the test.

Set upon by brigands in the Brasslands, a vast sprawling desert which divides the continent, Ulfric is knocked unconscious and awakens to find that only he and one other, Spero the Banker, have survived the attack. Halehorn is promoted to Captain by default and the two join forces with a mummer’s troupe for security in numbers. Determined to meet the terms of the contract and make the delivery to Kush, Halehorn’s contingent of misfits encounters a band of men led by The Huntsman, a charismatic, enigma who draws followers to him and leaves a destructive, killing trail in his wake across the Brasslands. Following a trail of crucified men, scalped corpses, and defiled children, it isn’t long before Halehorn and Spero realize The Huntsman is also headed for Kush. This realization redoubles their urgent push to the city and their desire to put an end to The Huntsman's murderous path.

With a mind-bending cast of characters (GoT fans will be thrilled), and a dizzying landscape which demands a map which is, sadly, not included, Steele delivers world building prose which borders on purple at times.

“A gust moaned in from the east, carrying with it thick smoke that reeked of scorched stone, and charred timber, and seared manflesh, and half a hundred other odors acrid and unknown. A bouquet of slaughter…His eyes burned.”

Occasionally, it is difficult to keep track of who’s speaking, why they're important, where they are, or where they’re going. But, it really doesn't matter. The blistering plot moves inexorably forward as quickly as Halehorn’s quest across the Brasslands; racing across endless dunes, winding through slot canyons, clambering over towering mountains, always on the lookout for dangers both real and imagined. Rife with misunderstood magics, creatures both familiar and strange, friendships forged and lost, Beneath a Brass Sky is worth the read and Ulfric Halehorn is a compelling, complicated hero. “And if rage was this sweet, it’s all I’d ever eat…”

Understand this before you venture into the Brasslands, “This is a hollow country – never forget that – all it does is swallow things up.”

The Wrack by John Bierce is an eerily relevant and timely work of fantasy about a plague which ravages the continent of Tyringia. Told from multiple points of view and with varying perspectives, The Wrack provides readers with fascinating insight into how a seemingly unstoppable, infectious disease affects everyone from kings to paupers. 

When a northern prince is suddenly struck with a crippling, immensely painful ailment, poison is immediately suspected and healers are called to assist. When healers are unable to find an antidote, they turn to a seer for aid. In Tyringia, seers tap into the spiritual flow and vibrations of all the elements which make up and surround the physical world. Seers spend years training in their art and of necessity, pluck out at least one of their eyes in order to use gemstones to help them navigate the aethers. This is where the magic happens.

"Having one's eye put out as a youth to gain the ability to see the spirit flows was also a rather challenging aspect of learning magic, of course."

The seer can see the illness in the prince and understands there is no poison but a new, virulent disease instead. 

Known as the Wrack, the disease ravages across the continent, killing and crippling thousands. Each new case signaled by the sudden screams of its new victim as they convulse in wild, excruciating muscle spasms. Many resort to filling their ears with wax in an attempt to drown out the sound. Insultingly, if the Wrack doesn't kill it's victims, it leaves their fingers and toes scorched and useless. 

News of the disease, its course, its suspected causes is spread across the world through semaphore. A network of lines, placed in the spirit currents surrounding the world in the rare places where the currents dipped low to the ground. As villages, towns, cities, and countries are brought to their knees by the Wrack, the semaphore lines of communication are brought to a near-stand still. Survivors are left to fend for themselves and often descend into rumor and superstition to protect themselves. 

The Wrack is an engaging and well-written work of fantasy which manages to avoid comparison to the current pandemic while still respecting the fear modern readers face in the face of uncertainty. 

I just started reading The Tomb - The Watchers Book 1 by Carl Novakovich, a tale of demons, both good and bad, roaming the Windy City of Chicago. Novakovich reached me on Twitter and asked if I'd consider reading his work. When he pitched the story, I have to admit, I was immediately hooked by the idea of demons in Chicago, one of my favorite cities in the US. I'm only a few pages in and have to admit, so far, it's very good. I'll have a complete review for you next time!

Thanks for reading!

W