TL;DR Review:
Batman meets Moon Knight, but much grittier and darker. A loyal assassins learns truths that will make him question everything.
Synopsis:
He was the king’s silent justice. Now he’s the throne’s greatest threat.
Risens is the King’s Rightmaker, the silent justice of Halthome, whose word is law and whose blade ensures absolute obedience. Operating in a kingdom built on the raw power of Brands, Risens, despite his deadly skill, is an anomaly: a Brandless assassin whose only loyalty is to the Crown.
His orders are simple: None must survive.
A routine execution of a treacherous noble, Duke Karieas, goes horribly wrong when a singular act of mercy compromises his identity to the city guard. Now hunted by his former colleagues, everything changes when Risen stumbles upon the Raven’s Court, a forbidden shrine hidden in the city’s slums.
There, he receives the first of the Forbidden Brands, granting him access to a mysterious temple known as The Roost and its grueling trials that will unlock twelve forbidden powers.
Trapped between a vengeful tyrant and a mysterious ancient power, Risens must master his new Brands or be reduced to ash by the very throne he was sworn to protect.
Don’t miss the start of this action-packed Progression Fantasy series by Jaime Castle, bestselling author of Jeff the GM and Black Badge, together with CJ Aaron. It’s perfect for fans of Brent Weeks, Andy Peloquin, and Anthony Ryan!
Full Review:
Get ready for a dark fantasy adventure!
Risens is the royal Rightmaker, the king’s personal assassin (one of many, but the highest-ranked) who goes around this dark, gritty fantasy kingdom making sure the king’s enemies get what’s coming to them. Though it’s clear from the jump that the king isn’t the nicest monarch, Risens (and, by extension, we) trust that his commands are at least doing what’s best for the kingdom.
But as the story goes on, we get to see that there are cracks in this particular kingdom’s foundation. Our perception of the king shifts—and as it does, Risens begins to question, “Are we serving the bad guy?” This was honestly one of my favorite parts of the story. Because it happens slowly, subtly, and though the signs could all be clearly seen from the beginning, it’s only as the tale wends on that we find ourselves confronted with the real evidence and forced to question the character’s morality.
All of this is brought about because Risens, who is unmarked in a world where everyone has at least one magical brand, finds himself suddenly bearing a symbol that doesn’t exist in any records. The mysterious brand leads him to a magical world that feels very much like a dark fantasy murder dungeon from anime series (like the one from Frieren or Made in Abyss). Except here, everything he faces is to test him and show him how to use his magical abilities.
And this is where the progression fantasy element shines through. We watch Risens gain skills and abilities one at a time, with the promise of so much more to be discovered through the rest of the series. Each new ability is put to the test, forcing him to fight harder and think cleverer with every new enemy he faces.
Make no mistake: the enemies get bigger, badder, and harder to kill. Risens is a capable fighter, but even he’ll be pushed to the limits when he goes up against foes trained specifically to take him down, or his own fellow assassins.
This is dark fantasy with a clear progression element, and it had me turning and burning page after page. It’s got a hint of Batman and Moon Knight about it, which I absolutely adored, but with the “royal assassin” flavor that made it grittier and more violent than the average anti-hero. I’m definitely sucked into the series and am excited to find out what comes next for Risens the Rightmaker.
Leave a Reply