A book I picked up solely based on the cover from the author’s posts on Threads. And boy, does Grant Pierce deliver! I am pleased to report that this epic tale is every bit as action-packed as the cover promises.
The premise? Farm boy discovers he has a role to play in saving the world. Before you dismiss the story too soon, no - it is not yet another rehash of the age-old trope. While it starts off from the familiar premise, we are soon thrust into a dark, chaotic world where nothing is as it seems.
Considerations such as justice, fairness, honor, rules of engagement, and restraint are the mad ravings of philosophers who have never seen war.
The author has something of a talent for bursting tropes. At each point where I expected the story or characters to go in a certain direction, the plot took strange turns that kept me on my toes. The plot drives the show throughout and keeps you turning those pages.
You’ve grown on me… like the nasty fungus at the bottom of my chamber pot.
For what I expected to be a YA novel initially, the story turned out to be surprisingly dark.
Trauma, deception, dismemberment, personality disassociation, body takeover, gore-laden action, abyssal creatures, demonic beings, the list goes on…
In many ways, the story was reminiscent of sword and sorcery books of old. In my mind, it was played by the cast of Legend of the Seeker. The world is vast and vivid, the twists many, and the action sequences gruesome. And this is just the first book of six - we are only beginning to scratch the surface of the expansive world the author has conjured. And bloody hell, that cliffhanger of an ending!
If you enjoy dark, twisted plots, fast-paced action, and tight pacing that leaves no room for meandering - this is the book for you. But be warned, by the time the story ends, you may find yourself unable to trust even the ones closest to you.
Your suffering will be legendary