Valor doubles down on everything that worked in book one and then some. Gwynne goes darker and more epic, building out a world and mythos for his series that steps out of any lingering shadows cast by its predecessors and fully into its own identity.
Now, having recently hit pretty crazy numbers on social media, made several hundred sales, started a podcast, and made lots friends and connections along the way, I can proudly say I am part of the bookish community. And joining FanFi Addict is, to me, the next best step I can take on that journey.
This engrossing novella drops you into a world practically seeps with mystery and danger without the barest hint of an explanation or preparation. You are almost immediately thrown into a strange contest alongside a Knight and his Squire which proves to be the sort of nightmarish fever dream one might expect to find in a book by the pre-Disneyfied Brother’s Grimm or Hans Christian Anderson.
His story is part murder mystery, part conspiracy thriller, and part revolutionary story all wrapped up in the rather basic science fiction premise. Unlike many similar books however, his use of multiple and varied POV’s and consistent unexpected twists keeps the narrative feeling fresh and unexpected.
Peterson tackles many of the fundamental elements of epic fantasy with a deft hand, elevating her story with fantastic characters, emotionally resonant moments, and a richly built world that feels both ancient and alive at the same time.
Funnily enough, publishing a prequel novella was never part of my original plan for the Crucible of Legacy series. I mapped out the series as three books and planned to move on to other projects once I finished, but writing has a funny way of taking you in unexpected directions.
Perhaps it is a sign of the times that I as a reader found myself bored with reading about our central characters pillaging innocent villages and scalping people, but the fact remains the same. Violence in a story is only useful in what it accomplishes for the narrative, and in this case, it felt like it accomplished very little beyond the shock value.Â
The plot of King Sorrow is something of a Frankenstein’s monster of horror, thriller, fantasy and a decade’s spanning morality tale. The story begins with a group of hapless college students who get more than they bargained for in a classic Faustian bargain, playing heavily to the book’s horror thriller billing.
As an author in the modern age, the internet is more than just another tool. Learning to navigate its complex waters is an intrinsic part of what it means to be an author.
But when I found myself staring down the barrel of my novel’s rapidly approaching launch date with no connections, no money and no marketing plan, I knew I had to do something to get the word out there. So I turned to the avenue that was most readily available and convenient to me; social media.
