Genre

FANTASY, ACTION, WAR

Brief

A fantasy epic following a number of different parties as they fend off rogue adversaries, encounter fantastic creatures, and brace for the imminent emergence of a shadowy and formidable foe— Gifted with prophetic sight, Daemus Alaric must outrace pursuant enemies en route to a fortified kingdom, while troll-human hybrid ranger Ritter Valkeneer must must brave bandit warriors and later survive a treacherous sea voyage with elvish princess Addilyn Elspeth. Ultimately, the two groups come together to corroborate the looming rise of a dark lord and the certain conflict to come.

Overall Rating

GOOD

Point of View

THIRD PERSON

Narrative Elements

Authors Writing Style: FAIR

Characterization: FAIR

Commerciality: GOOD

Franchise Potential: FAIR

Pace: GOOD

Premise: FAIR

Structure: FAIR

Theme: FAIR

Accuracy of Book Profile

It is accurate.

Draw of Story

What drew me into the story immediately was how fervently the author relies on in media res storytelling. This is a challenging read— The author asks a lot of the audience in keeping track of the countless people, places, and concepts— And arguably to a fault. In essence, the author dares you to keep up and is not afraid to leave you behind. In fact, many chapters leapfrog to a different setting, cast, and context altogether. It serves the story well, though, at least in that it imbues it with a breakneck pace. Most simply put, what draws you into the story is that it demands your full attention and effort and nothing less— If you don’t invest everything, you will be left behind.

Possible Drawbacks

While the very fast pace and the smart applications of in media res storytelling devices throughout certainly have their virtues, there is an argument to be made that how demanding the writing style is—and how much the author asks of the audience in keeping up—will prove alienating to a wider audience. The pace and intent are respectable, but there is a sense that the author is just asking too much in terms of names, places, and concepts— Looking back, it feels like upwards of 150 characters or more are introduced, while their introductions are sparse and fleeting, and while sometimes upwards of a dozen are mentioned in the span of mere pages. All in all, the work required to keep up should not outweigh the pleasure from the entertainment. Right now, this imbalance can tempt one to want to put the book down.

Use of Special Effects

THE STORY RELIES HEAVILY ON SPECIAL EFFECTS

Primary Hook of Story

The hook is that this book features a number of inventive creatures and that it introduces a handful of novel concepts in what can feel like a tired, worn-thin genre space. While it certainly does borrow a lion’s share from Tolkien, using the iconic author’s works as a sort of template as is common to do in this space, the original creature designs and thrills paired with a fair share of spectacle in the form of a climactic sea battle break enough new ground to make the investment well worth it.

Fanbase Potential

It is certainly possible— With Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones. The fanbase of these kinds of works and this kind of genre space has proven its loyalty and enthusiasm time and time again. This is certainly a key appeal in considering this work for adaptation, especially given the steadily growing demand for fantasy epics among the streamers.

Awards Potential

Given Lord of the Rings’ massive awards season successes, not to mention those of Game of Thrones in the TV world, who’s to say that this work couldn’t one day earn the same praise? However, we are a long ways away from this conversation, and it would depend largely on its execution and, frankly, its network.

Envisioned Budget

LARGE BUDGET

Similar Films/TV Series

LORD OF THE RINGS, GAME OF THRONES

What’s New About the Story

There are a couple of things that stand out as original in this story. For one, consider the creatures— from the horse hounds to the Antlered Man, among others, the author has a keen eye for interesting, appealing, and novel creature design. It’s not just your run of the mill dragons and elves. The author goes the extra mile. What also stands out as interesting is the intermixing between the different types of beings— Notably, a key character element has to do with Ritter being “trollborn,” which creates an interesting and complex dynamic, while other works might feel rigid and simplistic. Finally, the sea battle in the final 100-or-so pages strikes as particularly rousing— It’s something that is often left unexplored and un-utilized in works of this ilk, and here it feels exciting and fresh.

Lead Characters

As noted, what stands out about Ritter is the welcome nuance of his being trollborn— It creates an interesting and complex dynamic that underscores his character throughout and complicates his relationship with Addilyn in an additive and dramatic fashion. What stands out about Daemus, though, is his inexperience. It feels high stakes and honest that he has physical shortcomings, and it is a joy to watch him progress and ultimately avenge his uncle by taking down a fearsome enemy. This arc of his will be fun to follow as the story continues beyond this first entry.

Uniqueness of Story

The fact that this work uses Tolkien’s art as a template to the extent that it does would seemingly disqualify this work from a “rare gem” designation. This is stated with the full understanding of the genre’s traditions and archetypes that are in some ways essential. However, what is virtuous and productive about this work is the number of additions it makes and the amount of new ground it breaks, as noted, in the form of its creatures, clan complexity, and its sea battle. These elements alone warrant lending this book another look.

Possible Formats

Film: Studio, Streaming TV Series: Network, Limited Run / Mini-Series, Streaming

Analyst Recommendation

WORK IN PROGRESS

Justification

This is a work in progress in that it is exceedingly difficult to follow— While the fast pace and in media res devices being implemented regularly are clearly a deliberate choice on account of the author, there is a nagging feeling that he may have gone too far. With the sheer number of people in this work and the sometimes sparse descriptions and in-worldlingo, the author cements this work as rather esoteric and risks alienation a large portion of his audience. For example, while this reader kept up okay, it would be difficult to imagine a high school level reader comprehending as much as would be ideal. At least in terms of its adaptation potential, it would behoove the author to ensure this work is at its most efficient and palatable state of Being.

Tips for Improvement

Simply put, another pass to ensure utmost palatability and efficiency would serve this work quite well. As it stands, there seem to be a number of extraneous details, people, and plot points that could be cut, condensed, or, ideally, simplified. Especially in terms of considering a work for adaptation clarity and efficiency are paramount.