The story is set in the world of Anaria- a world crumbling, and plagued by devastation. All that remains of technology are the mysterious, and illegal ancient relics, which emit great powers. The only hope for this world is Galen- a member of the old Order, and a Keeper of Relics, as well as his 16-year-old apprentice, Raffi. They embark on a perilous quest to retrieve a secret and powerful relic that has been hidden for centuries, but they are not alone. There are others who seek this relic, and they will stop at nothing to get it.
First of all, I have to say I loved the design. I don't know what the original UK editions looked like, but these are amazing. The covers are visually stunning, and each book contains one piece of a map of Anaria on the reverse of the jacket. Each chapter begins with a quote either from the Watch who rule this world, or The Book of Moons, (which contains Anaria's history) and reveal a great deal about the world as it was and the world as it is. While Anaria is somewhat of a dystopia, I wouldn't go so far as to label this dystopian. Instead, I'd call it a quest fantasy, more along the lines of Lord of the Rings.
The pacing of the story is excellent, and it will immediately grab readers. The plot is not nearly as sophisticated as Incarceron, but the world building is solid, and the relationships between the characters are complex. At the start of the book, Galen is magically impotent. Injured in an accident that caused him to lose his powers, he relies on Raffi to keep others from finding out. Raffi has some ability, but is naive and trusting, and isn't really a leader. Then there is Carys, who is probably the most interesting and complicated character of all. A member of The Watch, her private journal entries reveal herself as a spy, but the more time she spends with Galen and Raffi, the less certain readers will be of her purpose.
Having read and loved Incarceron and Sapphique, I was hoping this would be equally as brilliant, which it isn't, but it's good, and worth the read.
2 comments:
I just started reading this, and so far I'm REALLY enjoying it. Your review just made me even more excited to pick it back up when I get home!
I've been craving a good quest fantasy for a while now too!
And I agree with the design - it's absolutely brilliant! The idea that each book contains a piece of the map is fantastic (I for one ADORE maps in books, and love looking at them). They did a great job with that.
It's fun! I'll have to score a copy of the next books.
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