Synopsis:
Forty years ago in the midst of war, an Anagovian soldier discovered the incredible ability to manipulate the very fabric of reality. Without thought of the consequences, man-kind used it to every advantage, winning the war and sending Anagovia into an age of peace and prosperity. Weavers grabbed hold of the Threads of reality and shaped them to their will. They are considered by most to be a blessing from the gods themselves. But a darkness is seeping in through the Fabric that none of them anticipated. Scores of men and women are going missing and beasts that normally keep to the dark corners of the world are moving in growing numbers.
Li’or is a mercenary. She takes any job that pays well and keeps her moving- no matter how dangerous. One night while she’s setting up camp, a young Weaver named Hashkan stumbles in and throws her careful plans off course. Before they realize it, they find themselves tangling with armies of monsters and madmen as they try to unravel the schemes of a tyrant. But will their small band of hired swords be enough to save Anagovia?
Review:
This is a special review for me as author Sam Parrish is one of my oldest writing friends and critique partners. I’ve seen this series grow from its infancy, and as of Tuesday, October 29th, she will be releasing the final book in this series. So, I wanted to share this fun, classic epic fantasy series with the masses in the lead up!
There is just a sense of nostalgia within When the World Starts to Fray, one that reminds many readers why they got into the fantasy genre to begin with. That sense of wonder, that sense of a quest, of a journey. That’s what makes this story work so well for me, and I hope hope hope, many others.
For me, I enjoy nearly all sub-genres of Fantasy – grimdark, steampunk, fairy-tale retellings, etc. – but that classic epic fantasy is where I was raised. Many authors shy away from the genre these days, or try to invert/subvert the classic tropes. Try to make everything too realistic like the real world, too many shades of grey. And that’s all great.
When the World Starts to Fray doesn’t do this, it adheres to those tropes of classic epic fantasy. You know the ones: inherently good heroes with trials to overcome, elves and wizards, an evil over/dark lord, a simple, yet very effective magic system, and of course, a journey/quest. I enjoy a good story about a small group of people – whether they are warriors, wizards, or orphans – who come together for a heroic quest and grow along the way.
The cast of WtWStF is quite small. We have Li’or (of the tropey apostrophe in a name for elves, because you know, elves like apostrophes), who is a half-elf mercenary. She dislikes her elf side and she’s very aloof, doesn’t want attachments, and just likes to do her job and get gone. Li’or also has a smidgen of untapped magical ability that plays a nice part in this story. Unfortunately, she meets young, up-and-coming Weaver, Hashkan, who is fresh out of Weaver school. Hashkan is definitely uppity and thinks Weavers are the bees knees. Boy does he get a comeuppance. And along the way this merry duo of forced companions meets Emond, the lovable oaf who swings a good weapon and gets all the ladies while exclaiming ‘ack’ left and right. This cast has all your needs. They are funny, they are snobbish, they are broken, they are goofy, they are fully able to grow and learn as they travel together while they solve the issues surrounding the Threads (oh yes, there is tapestry magic afoot here and I am all for it!). There is so much growth between Li’or and Hashkan, it’s probably the best part of the story.
That isn’t to say the plot is not great either, far from it! And while there are ‘entire world is gonna go to pot’ type plotting here, the story rightfully keeps it grounded with our three heroes and their immediate concerns. Yes, it’s a little unbelievable that three nobodies like them are meant to save the world, but isn’t that the whole point of classic epic fantasy??? The plot revolves around some mysterious people being manipulated by an unnamed entity, one guy in particular is recruited to create an army of wolf-like beasties to rebuild an ancient fortress. People are turning up missing all over Anagovia and it is upon our heroes to uncover why (there may or may not be a small link to Li’or’s past, but let’s not spoil that shall we?). I think this was smart because all too often, authors tend to do massive world stakes far too quickly, thus bogging down the story. Instead, by keeping this plot concise, it allows the heroes to solve a task while also slow-dripping the world lore. It’s great and simplistic. It also helps that this story ends with, not a cliffhanger per se, but definitely hints at a much bigger problem.
The magic of this book reminds me a lot of Wheel of Time in that this world is a tapestry full of Threads, and the magic is about manipulating each Thread to do a spell. It’s a very simple concept, but I really enjoyed the many uses Ms. Parrish employs here. Weavers are your standard mages, but their schools and their hierarchy is a neat little twist on the trope. The fact that using Threads, called Altering, causes damage to the tapestry is something I found very interesting (and plays a massive role in the rest of the series) as most of the time there are little consequences to using magic. And without spoiling anything, the Seamstress, the goddess discovered by Weavers, is such a cool bit of worldbuilding.
For the action needy readers out there, there is plenty to go around. Not only are there beastie attacks aplenty, there are many bouts of Altering. Can’t go wrong with sword stabbing and magic lobbing. The climax is chock full of both, plus with some twists along the way.
When the World Starts to Fray is a quick read with a fun, relatable cast of characters in a world that is only scratching at the surface. No shade meant, but this book isn’t going to break new ground in the Fantasy genre, but that’s not the point of this story. Instead, this is meant to be pure dumb Fantasy fun. The best thing I could say about this story is that it transports you into another world and lets you enjoy the ride. This is definitely a story for fans of DnD, classic epic fantasy, and quest stories with lots of heart. Read up now before the epic trilogy conclusion!
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