S.W. Kent's THE STORYTELLER FROM BALINCIA: Book One of The Driftstone Series is a dark fantasy novel that draws on a philosophical battle between order and chaos. Created and birthed by magic, Birk is given a book that shows him his early life is a lie; so he leaves Balincia on a quest for truth. In the process, he learns the power of magic, chaos, and violence—collecting friends and family along the way. At each stage, he learns that the magic might both reveal and disguise more about others (including his friend and protector, Grey).
The text is evocative, and each section is dense: “He destroyed some of her most talented work with a mere wave. He extinguished and suffocated every aberration offensive to his sense of sequence. She blenched at the sight of her carefully curated monsters torn apart by his light.” It takes a while to read this, but the prose cleverly uses violent words to describe helpful moves (showing how balance and chaos intertwine).
Many sections explore philosophy with regards to justice, social equality, belonging, freedom of choice, and how these might contrast with social harmony. There are times when exploring certain concepts (such as social equality or autonomy versus balance) more deeply would have been intriguing, but the text moves on almost too quickly. Still, for readers who enjoy new ideas and a brief glimpse at social injustice, there are some fascinating discussions.
Much of the plot is shared through character interaction and dialogue, yet there are moments when the inner life of a character shines through with insightful psychology. Zara’s insistence, for example, that her mother must have unconsciously valued the benefits of a spell despite disliking it on a more intentional level is captivating. It also enables the reader to notice the distrust within Birk's friendship with Grey later on, though Birk doesn't challenge Grey directly.
Moving readers through complex arguments and realizations with poetic flair, THE STORYTELLER FROM BALINCIA maintains its tension from beginning to end. Dark fantasy lovers who want to explore boundaries and relationships will find this a strong beginning to a new series.
S.W. Kent's THE STORYTELLER FROM BALINCIA: Book One of The Driftstone Series is a dense fantasy novel that masterfully uses language to weave tension between good and evil. The character development is extremely well done, and Kent asks some very significant questions regarding equality.
~ Nicci Attfield for IndieReader