Review: Entertaining and thrilling escapism for fantasy readers
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 9, 2014
Justyna Plichta-Jendzio's Cursed Children of Naor is the third Naor book published in English. The previous books are Dark Children of Naor and Evil Children of Naor. Just like the previous books, this book consists of three novellas (A Son of the Wolf Pack, Shroud of the Past and Dragon's Race).I was very impressed by Cursed Children of Naor, because it was just as good as the previous books and the stories in it were excellent. This book is one of those rare books that can be called irresistibly absorbing and enchanting, because the stories pull the reader into a magical fantasy world of Naor that is inhabited by noblemen, noblewomen, hunters and strange creatures etc.Just like the previous books, Cursed Children of Naor can be categorized as traditional and epic fantasy that contains dark fantasy elements. I love the dark fantasy elements in this book, because they add a lot of charm, style and depth to the stories.The stories in this book are epic, magical, horrifying and compelling. I'm sure that they will be of interest to readers who love good and well written fantasy stories. They will also be of interest to readers who read dark fantasy and horror, because they contain intriguing dark fantasy elements.Here's a bit of information about the contents of this book:The 1st story: A Son of the Wolf Pack- Girdion is a nobleman. He is the youngest of the duke's sons and is seeking his fortune in the harsh lands of the far north. He has become wealthy because of his expeditions to the north.- Girdion is with a group of men in the north. A werewolf attacks the hunters and causes problems to them. They're able to escape, but when they travel onward, Girdion notices that a werewolf is following them...The 2nd story: Shroud of the Past- At the beginning of the story Princess Sekanri receives bad news from the soothsayer Meiliadr.- Princess Neisame is travelling to her new home. During the journey she sees a spectrum and something bad happens.- Aneasain, a woman with elven blood in her veins, works for the queen and protects her against evil, but also travels to other areas when needed. The queens has sent her to investigate what has happened...The 3rd story: Dragon's Race- Angaru wanders in the desert. The land around Angaru is a barren and dangerous land.- Angaru meets Ouhi'Mahr who tells him of the dragon.- Soon Angaru learns more about himself and his destiny...Each of these stories is a tale about the battle between good and evil. Each story tells a different tale, but in each of them the characters come face to face with the powers of evil. These stories are loosely connected to each other, but they all take place in the world of Naor.I have to admit that I admire Justyna Plichta-Jendzio's ability to write well about the characters. Her characters have plenty of depth in them. Each of the characters is fascinating in his/hew own way, because they have their own feelings and motives that make them act in different - and at times unpredictable - ways.Justyna Plichta-Jendzio has created characters that are refreshingly different when compared to the characters found in many other fantasy stories. Although she writes about noblemen and princesses, her approach to these characters differs from mainstream fantasy approach in a noticeable yet gentle way. She writes vividly about the characters and every once in a while surprises her readers by revealing something intriguing about them.Justyna Plichta-Jendzio has her own kind of writing style and she isn't afraid of writing complex stories. She knows how to create and write stories that hook the readers from the start so that the readers have no other choice but to read the stories as fast as possible. She creates tension and excitement with an expert's touch and hooks the readers with the mysterious and dark happenings.Fantasy stories can often be a bit predictable, but there's nothing predictable in these stories. These stories are quality stories, because the author has taken care not to repeat well known clichés that plague many other stories (her stories are original and free of typical clichés).When I read this book (and the other books), I thought to myself that there's something about Justyna Plichta-Jendzio's writing that reminds of the fantasy stories written by Robert E. Howard. She has a similar kind of way of adding surprising and shocking elements to her stories as Robert E. Howard. Although these stories contain similarities to Howard's stories, they're different from them, because the author has created an original fantasy world with its own history, laws and mythology.There are so many small details in these stories that the reader can't help but be impressed by them. The author has clearly spent much time writing and polishing these stories, because they're full of details that add depth to the world and the happenings.One of the best things about this book is that the author gradually reveals secrets about her fantasy world to the readers (each story reveals something new about the world of Naor to the readers). The author also handles cultural differences amazingly well, and she writes as fluently about magic as she writes about politics. It takes lots of talent to master this kind of storytelling (there aren't many authors who are as adept at it as Justyna Plichta-Jendzio).The author writes fascinatingly about different beasts and creatures. In my opinion she writes fantastically about werewolves, dragons, harpies and spectrums. She seems to have a passion for writing about them, because it's easy to see how passionately she writes about them and their doings.I also have to mention that I enjoyed reading about how the author described what happened in the north, because her descriptions about the happenings were totally believable. She wrote realistically about the time spent in the wilds and how the men took care of themselves against dark forces.I also enjoyed reading about the scorching desert sun and the burning desert in the last story, because the author wrote vividly about the barren and harsh landscapes. She has created an exotic desert that's full of danger and harshness to travellers.Justyna Plichta-Jendzio's way of writing about the werewolf attacks in the first story was perfect. She wrote wonderfully about the frenzy of the attacks and the men's fight against the beasts. She evoked images of the men's fear and determination in the reader's mind by writing about the attacks in a descriptive and realistic way.The dialogues in these stories are surprisingly good and intriguing, and there's even a bit of humour in them every once in a while. All the dialogues feel natural and the interaction between different characters and creatures works perfectly.It's good to mention that Justyna Plichta-Jendzio writes well about sex and sexual material. She writes about sex in a sensual, passionate and explicit way. It's nice that she knows how to use sexual material in a good way.I think it's great that the author has added mythological elements to her stories. Experienced readers will easily notice that folklore and different legends have affected her writing style, because she fluently combines different mysterious and mythological elements in her stories.Before I finish writing this review I have to mention that cover art by Richard Yalowy looks beautiful. The artist has painted a beautiful and sensually erotic cover image.Justyna Plichta-Jendzio's Naor books are hidden treasures that await to be found by fantasy readers. If there's any justice in the world, Justyna Plichta-Jendzio's books will become popular and many people will read them, because they're worth reading. Her fantasy stories are impressive, because they're well written, addictive and unpredictable stories that offer plenty of entertainment to the readers.If you're looking for new and interesting fantasy books to read, please do yourself a favour and read this book and the other Naor books, because they're excellent books. These books are entertaining and thrilling escapism for fantasy readers.Excellent, fascinating and entertaining fantasy for adults!