TL;DR Review: A stunning complex, thoroughly fleshed-out world and a terribly grim premise heralding from a talented new voice in fantasy.
Synopsis:
Forced to appease the policies of a foreign fiefdom, Phenmir must do the unthinkable: harvest organs from infants.
Ten years ago, a new generation of children began to manifest abilities from the gods. Now, nearly half of the continent has chosen to graft the organs granting the abilities into adults. These gifted children are no longer the only ones with divine power.
Phenmir will no longer participate, but can he repent his sin before all morality is lost?
Meanwhile, Aerhee will give all to preserve the process of harvesting, silencing those who oppose her people.
Will this land of peace resort to the barbaric practice of war? In a battle of preservation and progression, there can only be one victor.
Full Review:
I’ve been looking forward to this book for a long time, ever since I first saw the cover and blurb floating around the book-verse.
The premise is SOOOO deliciously dark: surgeons are harvesting the “third intestine” from infants born with this aberrant organ, then implanting the organs into adults to convey upon them superpowers (the Endowed, each with abilities like super-strength, mind-reading, shape-shifting, etc.).
Elegy examines what happens when a world begins to divide, when half the world supports the process of “Endowing” while the other half decides to take a stand against it. Proponents of the practice (those who benefit from it, inevitably) are willing to wield all their considerable clout to maintain it, forcing those who oppose it to rise up in rebellion. The result: civil war, with even formerly peaceful cultures and cities (called “Courts”) forced to choose between what is accepted and what is acceptable.
This story reflects a great deal of the power dynamics in place in modern life, and how those who are marginalized, oppressed, or simply believe differently from the “norm” have to fight tooth and nail for their place in society. It’s an interesting look at classism, racism, and elitism through a fantasy lens, a story that will resonate deeply with many people who find themselves in the minority.
The characters were fascinating:
Phenmir the surgeon, who opens the book with the literal blood of infants on his hands. The surgery is a step too far for him, prompting him to renounce his prestigious position and to return home—there to become a leader in the rebellion against Endowing.
Aerhee the bureaucrat, once an immigrant, now hiding her true heritage from everyone, even her own husband. Her story is a compelling study of just how much immigrants have to sacrifice to blend in and be accepted in new countries.
Yetrik the financial advisor, whose journeys to understand the world around him give us amazing insight into the world of Facet and the many cultures.
Where Elegy truly shines is in its worldbuilding. Throughout the book, we’re introduced to the unique peoples and the mottos that govern their lives.
Mottos like: “Care is the creed.” And “Whole is the holy.”
The amount of detail that went into crafting these disparate cultures is truly breathtaking—and, I’ll admit, occasionally mind-boggling. But the deeper I read, the more I came to appreciate the thought and imagination behind their creation. The end-result is a world that feels rich, stunningly complex, and lived in. A world I wanted to see more of through the eyes of all the different peoples so I could experience it completely.
Final Thoughts:
With Elegy of a Fragmented Vineyard, Kaden Love has come out of the gates swinging and proven himself an author definitely worth watching. Between the scope of his imagination and the depth of the story he has begun in this Paladins of the Harvest series, he’s established himself as an up-and-coming talent in the fantasy fiction world.
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