I can still hear Tanbuary’s “step, clank, step, clank” as he moved down the dungeon corridor in this novel. The atmospherics in 'Mist Falcon' work very well, which is good news for a fantasy story. I can’t recall a novel of this genre that invests the magical elements with such believable and diverse detail.
I also liked how well-developed the antagonist’s camp is (i.e. Dal Tek, Ren Tako, and the Swaar) while not allowing them to overwhelm the story. The story’s multiple plot-lines in Acts 1 and 2 are intricately interwoven, and unfold the story’s narrative arc with a richness and contrast that never loses momentum. It deftly balances action with atmosphere, and character intensity with an always-moving plot.
Early on in the story the gladiatorial section ends with a regrettable 'deus ex machina', a scene that also introduces Thun, Jumper, and the Elementals. If that one scene were modified so their escape from the combat occurs differently, before the power of the Elementals is revealed, the novel’s one weakness would be corrected.
That aside, 'Mist Falcon' is an excellent addition to the growing canon of fantasy fiction, and I look forward the next book in this series, ‘The Warrior Poet Archives’. I especially enjoyed the action-packed 3rd Act, the action never lets up. Last note, the book’s cover is quite good, depicting a swirling Elemental with a Mist Falcon standing in the foreground.
From the Book Description:
“I write this now, chiseled in stone and wrapped in wind with the hope that you may yet be saved from my folly. Avoid my errors and do not follow in my footsteps, save in greater preparation and wisdom than I have shown. Do not be fooled by the appearance of things. They are so rarely as they seem in this.”
In a kingdom shattered by war and never properly healed, Aiden is whirled out of his ordinary life scraping-by, scavenging the outskirts of Oustenbasch, one of the Nine Cities. Through total loss and driven by revenge, Aiden finds himself fretfully navigating a world of political mayhem while floundering through power in a magic he never dreamed to control.
Willem is a traveling musical prodigy, his voice and talent drawing crowds and filling taverns along with his troupe’s coffers. All the golden eagles in the realm can’t protect him, though, when the Swaar raiders attack the town of Bellcross, sending him scurrying into a life he would never have chosen, questioning the meaning of his existence while wrestling with a music that may be more powerful than he had ever imagined.
Known amongst all the Swaar as “Wolf Rider”, Ren Tako lives and dies by his axe and the strength of his arm. Tako finds himself blown into a situation where he must choose between loyalty to his Dal, the famed Rock Giant, and following a new destiny that could cost him everything he has ever believed or gain him everything he has ever dreamed.
Welcome to the Nine Cities and the Waste beyond to the East. Come ride with me. Soar above a broken land in search of a glimmer of hope, an uncut gem hidden to all but the most perceiving eyes. Come fly with me to the towers of Holmsguard and beyond, and see what it is to be MIST FALCON.
