Review: Selfhood is more than what people say you are.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 20, 2011
Davi is an intriguing fantasy with a nicely created world of dwarves and humans, elves and other creatures waiting in the eaves. It's the first in a fantasy series Tales of Suruale by multiply-published scriptwriter Roy C. Booth and twice-published poet Brian Woods.In this world, humans and dwarves are long-time enemies, but greed and trade are worth more than animosity, and the human metal-worker Davi, an outcast among his own people, is sent to the dwarves to reopen communications. Davi finds work and respect among the dwarves, a long-lived people with a curious mix of immediacy and circumspection in their talk. Gradually he finds more than he ever knew he was looking for. But a man among dwarves is still alone.Sword tears through shield. Trust tears through prejudice. And love tears through loneliness. The story is told in epic-style language, with fine dialog and a convincing tone. Some odd word choices are distracting, but the plot carries the reader on, and a fine epilogue opens doors for more stories to come while proving the world, while ever-changing, is ever-unchanged.Davi's a fairly short read, a fun novella with interesting characters and situations, well-drawn mythology, and pleasing plot, and the setting amongst the dwarven people adds an interesting twist.Disclosure: I received an ecopy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review