Review: A pseudo-historical fantasy novel
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 15, 2012
The Blood Gate by David Ross Erickson was also another book which the author hadn't approached us for, but again the blurb and excerpt worked in its favor. The story begins by introducing several characters in a land which is similar to Egypt and is called Tygetia. The author begins the story by introducing us to the two main characters Xanthippus and Hurrus, who are the main focus of the story.Xanthippus is a warrior who travels to Tygetia with his blood brother Nydeon for a specific cause as some one is looking to hire them for a job of sorts. Hurrus is a prince of a far away land who is looking to return as a conquering victor. They however will have to contend with a lot more issues than they think are present. Also in the midst of things is the titular object which can grant mystical powers but also granting madness at the same time. There are many more characters and thus there is a lot more drama. The story is a myriad one wherein there are multiple plot threads and the author slowly introduces each and every one of them, slowly and surely building a tapestry for the reader to view. The story then spiral to its fantastic conclusion and has an epic ending of sorts.What I liked about the book was its understated epicness, whilst the characterization was a strong point. The main draw of the story is the plot twists, the author has thoroughly planned the story and made sure that the reader who closely follows it will be thoroughly rewarded. Another excellent point about the story is its standalone nature, nowadays with huge series with more than 5/6 books, its very heartening to see an author pitch out an epic story and then contain it within the confines of a single book. This move helps as nowadays a lot of readers are left waiting to read the next chapter/book in their favorite series and so a standalone book will definitely be appreciable.Lastly what is a focal drawback for the story is its tepid pace, through out the first half of the book, the pace of a story is a major deterrent. With the author structuring the story the way he has. I believe the narrative pace of the story was destabilized and that can cause certain readers to be disenfranchised with the story as the major plot points are being built up. However I would advise such readers to not lose their way and read through to thoroughly enjoy this book which reads partially like historical fiction. Recommended for readers who enjoy well developed stories with good characterization akin to stories by Kate Elliot and J.V. Jones.