It was the character of Calthus, as described in the blurb,
that caused me to request POWER’S WRATH from Netgalley. There were some strong elements of Arthurian
myth in this character and some of the others from the story. However, Shortall’s
writing style made the first few chapters a bit dull and had a wordy and
plodding style throughout the book.
The overall scope and direction of the book is broader and
more original than I had expected and the better qualities of the work became
apparent with each chapter. While
echoing some of the familiar tropes of high fantasy, overall the complexity and
aesthetic of the world building is unusual in its quality. The story has some
echoes of Tolkien in setting up cycles of existence with the schemes of very
long lived beings intersecting at
critical moments with the heroics of mortal champions and the women they love.
Ultimately, I felt that my sympathy for the characters was
limited and the “type” of fantasy heroes set up by this opening volume do not
interest me to continue with the story.
Readers more fond of male fantasy archetypes and taking a leisurely pace
through even the most incidental of scenes may feel differently.
4/10
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