Synopsis
Raurkein has devoted his life to a single purpose—to end the reign of the Immortal Monarch who has ruled over the lands for centuries and pretends to be the embodiment of God himself. With the love of his life by his side, and faith guiding him, he has a real chance to avenge the atrocities committed against his people and his own father.
In this quest, he will have to face treachery, deceit and hideous mythical monsters. For the last ten years, he has relentlessly honed one skill—the art of killing. But will it be enough?
Quick Review
The Moribund Monarch’s Masterpiece is a quick, dark novella. What begins as a tale of vengeance and rebellion becomes a tragedy steeped in faith and betrayal.
Full Review
This novella by Paul G. Zareith thrusts us into a colosseum fight, as Raurkein fights to usurp the emperor through ritual combat. That remains the plot for the first half of The Moribund Monarch’s Masterpiece, but about halfway through there is a tonal shift. Things begin to fall apart, and it is all Raurkein can do to maintain control.
While the synopsis of this book pitches this as a revenge story—and it is—I would instead tell anyone who asked that this novella is more a tragedy. It is a tale of heroes, faith, and monsters. Each rousing success is met with catastrophe. This was a much more interesting approach to me, personally, than what I was expecting. That, plus Zareith’s often poetic writing, helped me fall in love with this book much more than I had expected.
However, I don’t think the ending quite worked for me. While I enjoyed Raurkein’s journey, the final chapters felt quite rushed. Still, for Zarieth’s asking price of 0.99 on Amazon (or free from his website) the novella was absolutely worth the time to try it out.
I recommend The Moribund Monarch’s Masterpiece. The action is awesome, and the story is much more complex here than initially meets the eye. I wish more time had been given to the conclusion, but even then there is some great imagery and worldbuilding in those final chapters.
Thank you to the author for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
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