Stormheim

Richard J. Blanco’s novel STORMHEIM is an ambitious novel mixing science fiction, fantasy, war, time travel, and generational sagas. As a young girl, Shaw is saved by Herold when her planet is destroyed by a demons that are part of a ”parasitic phenomenon.” Although some of her fellow refugees are given the opportunity to begin anew on the planet Gaia, Herold brings Shaw to his planet and puts her into a rigorous training program because of the strength of her Qi. The consequences resulting from that choice affect millions of individuals across planets and timelines. Blanco pulls inspirations from many different types of stories, mixing them into a novel filled with loyalties and betrayals. He explores the powerful thrill of destruction, the reverberations of different timelines between each other, the justifications for planet-scale genocide by the perpetrators, and the more intimate personal relationships of familial love versus intergalactic prophecy. Readers who like a mix of styles woven into an epic story will be drawn to STORMEHEIM.