This story is a coming-of-age, a realisation of the brutality of war, and the brusque reality of desperation and death. It is a wild excursion into turmoil and destruction, let alone a wild abyss.
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F J Newman is a New Zealand bookseller and author. He developed a love of reading from a young age and tried his hand at his first book while in high school. Hopefully that will never see the light of day.
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About the book
Into This Wild Abyss is the first book in the Vermilion Archives.
The Vermilion Empire is in turmoil, rocked by murder, betrayal and revolt. Amid the chaos, three individuals face the brutal reality of a society collapsing around them.
Ashara is stranded in the city and desperate to return to the grassy plains of her homeland. Surrounded by strangers, she must learn the hard way who she can trust. As things go from bad to worse, she is forced to flee with nothing but her wits and courage to protect her.
Natan is a disappointment to his merchant father. He sees the civil war as an opportunity to prove himself but does not count on the bitter cost. What starts as the pursuit of adulthood ends in a quest for revenge.
Po is a novice monk in the Ba’re order. Idealistic but at times naive, he is drawn into a web of intrigue that sees him hunted by the notorious Ministry of Virtue. The information he safeguards could determine the future of the empire itself.
Loyalties are tested and human endurance finds its limits amidst the gritty and unrelenting backdrop of a world teetering on the edge of oblivion.
This is the first book in the Vermilion Archives series, a high or epic fantasy suitable for YA and older readers. The story features three main characters, and their storylines weave in and out of each other's stories, as their lives connect and intersect during the tale.
Ashara, Natan and Po share an instinct for survival and self-preservation, and they also have a strong sense of loyalty. This story is a coming-of-age, a realisation of the brutality of war, and the brusque reality of desperation and death. It is a wild excursion into turmoil and destruction, let alone a wild abyss.
Ashara finds it difficult to trust and bond with people after she is brutally ripped from her family and her familiar existence. Being forced into servitude makes her question what she was always taught to be the truth, which is the beginning of her own personal rebellion.
Natan is used to being part of a privileged existence, so when his life is turned upside down he has to find the strength to retaliate against the kind of injustice he has previously watched and is now part of.
Po is quite an interesting character, because the violence, war and the strict rules of his existence as a monk present a conundrum for him. He is asked to ignore his instincts and behave with an almost negligent attitude towards his fellow human beings.
As their kingdoms explode into a vicious, volatile and 'take no prisoners' kind of war, each one of them has to make a choice about their allegiances and how to survive in this new treacherous world. It really does show how the paths they considered to be divine, a natural progression or the normal order of the universe, can change in the blink of an eye or a single decision.
Epic fantasy is an incredibly difficult genre, perhaps because it combines a multitude of sub-genres and usually has multiple storylines taking place simultaneously. Some authors have a flair for it and others do not. Newman does.
In fact for a debut novel this is incredibly well-written, developed and the world-building has plenty of potential. I would like to see him create a more emotional link between the characters and the reader, a little more depth so those readers will come back for more. Either way, he has my recommendation and I will certainly be coming back to read more by Newman. It's
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Publisher: Atlantis Publishing (NZ)
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