Review: A New Fantasy World
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 11, 2014
This  fantasy seemed to me like a YA work -- not that it isn't rich and interesting enough to be read by adults, but because one (or two?) of the main characters is a teen, which is usually a hallmark of YA books, and because it is not noir with a lot of gratuitous gory violence, which suits me just fine, having the delicate sensibilities that I do.  (cough cough).It opens with two brothers, 12 and 15, finding a dead body in the woods, dead a long time, basically a skeleton with  clothes.  So I am figuring this definitely has promise.  And it does.The dead guy turns out to be a mage, and mages have been outlawed since the last war.  And anyone who associates with mages is also suspect, and hunted down by the Seekers, a fanatical cult out to make the world safe for decent people to live in peace, as they have been able to do for the last 20 years.  But remember that game "You Touched Him Last!!"?  Yeah, those brothers are in deep doodoo, because they handled the amulet clutched in the dead guy's hand.  That means they will have to beat feet to some hidden location to ride out the storm of the advancing Seekers.Meanwhile, with the Seekers is a well-intentioned man looking for spiritual knowledge, who becomes disenchanted -- VERY disenchanted with the actions of the Seekers, and makes the decision to save and friend and leave the group along with his young page who is determined to accompany him.This is an introduction to the sweeping story that will follow, as the author has planned a series based on the world of Orinthia.So, final diagnosis?  Good story, well written,  lots and lots of characters, likeable folks, and all indications of some cool world building coming up.