Review: Erekos by A.M. Tuomala

Erekos by A.M. Tuomala

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Description: For three hundred years, Erekos and Weigenland have fought to hold the borderland between the two nations. As the first storms of the flood season scour Erekos from the swamplands to the feet of the mountains, the Erekoi king discovers a dangerous new weapon that might be able to end the war: the witch Achane, who has raised her sister from the dead.

Achane and her sister, dragged apart on the very doorstep of a temple, must work to find each other again before the magic that binds them also kills them. In the process, Achane must overcome her grief—and the temptation of the king’s plans for Erekos.

Meanwhile, on the mountainous border between the two warring lands, the student Erlen finds his research interrupted by the encroaching conflict. Driven by a militant love for this neutral territory and its people, he determines to defend his newfound homeland at any cost.

In a land where gods walk the earth and myth manifests along the rivers and in the mountains, ordinary men and women must fight to make their own stories before the war unwrites them all.

This review is based on a review copy received from the publisher.

TDF Pamela’s Review:

A.M. Tuomala’s epic fantasy is beautifully conceived and written, and it is a strong debut both for the author as well as its new indie e-publisher , Candlemark and Gleam.

This is one of the most original fantasies I’ve read in quite a while. The world seems to be influenced in equal parts by more traditional medieval European fantasy, Greek mythology, and African religion and folklore, and that makes for a fascinating, fresh take on the epic fantasy genre. I’m a fan of the more traditional medieval-style fantasy, but it’s definitely refreshing to read something that brings in other cultural influences. I also love the heavily earth-based spirituality and magic of Erekos; Tuomala brings it to life with very evocative imagery. It’s easy to get sucked into dark, flooded swamps where life is sustained by the blessings of the alligator palm goddess.

The plot is a bit slow-paced… perhaps deliberate would be a more accurate way to describe it. Tuomala takes her time setting up the war between Erekos and Weigenland and carefully blends in each of a large cast of characters and their seemingly unrelated storylines into a compelling read. The widely varying points of view, which change with each chapter, give the reader a nice variety of motivations–who do you sympathize with the most, the swamp witch, her zombi sister, the desperate king, the transplanted scholar? The narration is occasionally stiff and formal, which sometimes doesn’t fit with the point of view in certain chapters, but that’s a fairly minor complaint.

Erekos is a breath of fresh air in the fantasy genre, and if Candlemark and Gleam keeps publishing works of this caliber, they are definitely an e-publisher to watch.