The Galadine royal line has hunted mages ever since fighting a devastating war to subdue the demon Lilyth. King Bernal Galadine however, has ended that persecution. But Themun Dreys, Lore Father of a group of mages who have carried on practicing their Way on a hidden, dragon-protected isle, senses the opening of a Gate, and fears the re-emergence of Lilyth. He sends one of his adepts, Silbane, along with his apprentice Arek, who has the unusual ability to suppress all magic in his vicinity, to investigate – and possibly to close the Gate at the cost of Arek’s life. But Arek’s talent has dire potential, and attracts very dangerous attention, from multiple different factions, all of them powerful. What is Arek’s real nature, and could he pose a threat to the very fabric of his world? And who – mage, king, dragon, demon, assassin – will win the battle to control or kill the young mage?
MYTHBORN takes place in a complex, richly designed world with a substantial history behind it. The book is rich in the elements of standard fantasy – magic-users, dragons, dwarves, demons and gods, royal families and witchhunters – but takes them in different and novel directions. Characters are multi-faceted and fully realized, with none of them ever either too saintly or unbelievably villainous. Each is genuinely acting in what they feel to be their own, their country’s, or their group’s best interest. It’s not hard to sympathize with any of them, when regarded from their own perspective, and it’s easy to be drawn in to their ways of thinking, only to be startled out of it by a sudden change to another character’s viewpoint. The story is grippingly intense, with new developments on every page and a thoughtful plot that engages the mind and the heart.
The book begins rather dramatically, and switches rapidly between time periods in the beginning chapters – it can be a bit confusing and difficult to catch up with the plot at first. Occasionally, too, a few sentences lack necessary punctuation or are otherwise awkward: “Arek looked at the shade without surprise having grown accustomed to the feeling presaging its appearance,” for example.
MYTHBORN is an excellent start to a promising new fantasy series, and with luck, its sequels will live up to that promise.
Reviewed by Catherine Langrehr for IndieReader
(An updated version of MYTHBORN has been released since the writing of this review).