Review: An Engaging Ride
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 3, 2014
'The Unknown Man'  appears to be J. G. Gatewood's first novel and it's a pretty impressive debut. Gatewood has managed to create a believable and fleshed-out fantasy universe. While it incorporates many familiar staples of the genre (minotaurs, orcs, elves) they are treated in a fresh manner.The story begins in an almost comic vein when two goblins find an unconscious knight, Tirene, and take him into the nearby town of Havenbrook, expecting to be paid a handsome reward. What they get, is far nastier.The knight has amnesia and can remember very little about his identity and past. 'Tirene' is actually the name given to him by beautiful warrior-magician Liniiana. So begins a journey to find answers, as the two set off up north, accompanied by Tirene's apprentice-in-arms, Jaeden.Tirene is an appealing protagonist. His sense of honour, and his almost fuddy-duddy adherence to ethics, makes him endearing in an avuncular sort of way. Liniiana is an appropriately feisty female foil, and the blossoming love between them is well handled.Gatewood has worked out an interesting background of magic and oaths that underlie the story. It is quite often an exciting tale, and also unexpectedly violent in places.It is mostly well edited but there are a few mistakes such as 'puss' where in context the author means 'pus.'I suppose the biggest challenge with fantasy and science fiction is getting across your world without resorting to long screeds of exposition. I felt Gatewood was mostly unobtrusive in this, but occassionally the novel felt weighed down with scene-setting. There was quite a bit of repetition of information, though. For instance, there is one scene where Tirene communicates with a telepath, Milenthia. He then tells Jaeden and next Liniiana what Milenthia said, even though we, as readers, were privy to the conversation the first time.There are other tautological examples. We are told that Jaeden "walked over and sat down on a log by the fire ...' A sentence later, we are told that he 'sat there for a moment ...' Technically okay, but it does give the impression of him sitting twice in close succession.My strong feeling is that 'The Unknown Man' could really rollick along with a good trim. It's already pacey, but it could be pacier still. With future instalments, I'm sure Gatewood will become more streamlined in his writing, and dole out more exciting tales of adventure and fantasy.