Nathan Chandler’s WARRIOR OF THE WAY is an ambitious undertaking that is reminiscent of another monumental tale with a deep backstory – Game of Thrones. Chandler takes readers on a slow build through the decades and years. However, once the action begins, it moves non-stop towards its climactic finish.
Attempting to build a mythology is no easy undertaking, and while some stories instantly resonate, others slug it out to attach to the psyche; WARRIOR OF THE WAY is the latter. While Chandler takes the time to build his story, the fictional setting can leave readers heads swimming with all the foreign names of cities and people littered throughout.
Jumping decades at a time, the first several chapters move at a blinding pace as if Chandler is eager to get to the main journey of his protagonist, Padsha. In fact, it is only upon meeting Padsha does the story begin to get interesting as the reader finally has a character to relate and engage.
Sadly, while Padsha’s fate and destiny seemed to be interlocked with a decades-old feud among the lands he was raised, he has suffered his fair share of misfortune. Although, typically, this type of trope places the character in a “nothing to lose” place as Padsha rebels and finally attempts to assume his destiny.
Reconnecting with a childhood friend, who just happens to be the malik or ruler of Padsha’s homeland, Juktan leaves his compadre with compelling words about fate and destiny, “… my mentors taught me to control every situation and not let fate dictate the terms of my life.” As it turns out, no one is truly in control of their destiny when it comes to WARRIOR OF THE WAY.
While it may be difficult to keep track of all the characters and allegiances, especially in the early going, fascinatingly enough, the story takes on an even more legendary status when listening to Hans Zimmer’s Gladiator score, which becomes a terrific complement to Chandler’s words.
WARRIOR OF THE WAY is an action-packed saga.
~IndieReader