.png)
Unlikely allies from divergent cultures are thrust together to catch the murderer of these children and solve the mystery of how they were killed. Each character carries enough baggage and backstory to make them unique, interesting, and cared about by the reader. Their strengths and weaknesses come into play to save the day. My favorite characters include the giant Fomor ex-sorcerer/prince, Waylaid, his orphaned Bolg apprentice who lost his family to the sea when very young, and the widowed Daen Judge and warrior, Brea, equipped with her sword Answerer.
Farmers want something done about the death of their children Some report seeing a ghost or evil spirit known as Shadow Man. Legends say sorcerers have sent out such spirits to kill their enemies. When a handful of children witness the headless Shadow Man, and little Ella is killed, her mother believes the ex-sorcerer, Waylaid, is the monster who killed her baby. When he is brought in to help solve the mystery of the girl’s death, it ratchets up the conflict and breeds a multitude of questions.
Austin’s characters are complex and flawed making them believable and relatable. He does a great job making me care about each one. While an unlikely hero, I found myself cheering for the physically and emotionally broken Fomor giant, Waylaid.
This fantasy/mystery is well crafted and I’m happy to give it five stars. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys fantasy with a who-dun-it feel. I wasn’t able to figure it out until the last details unfolded. The end is totally satisfying and answers all the questions and leaves things wide open for the continued growth of the characters on their next adventure. The one word of caution I offer is that the book does have some violent scenes and the Shadow Man may be a little too scary for
younger readers. I recommend parents read the book first if they have any questions in this regard.
About Author Hawkings Austin
Hawk’s
current supervillain title is “Director of Radiation Effects.” In his quest to
take over the world, Hawk has landed a series of jobs with NASA, DoD, and
Missile Defense. Currently, he’s testing spacecraft for the rigors of the
natural (and unnatural) environments that only he can conquer. The recent loss
of his sidekick, Vlad (to a paying job) has been painful, but he’s managed to
work through the loss to conquer large swaths of Colorado.
Hawk has a
number of professional publications in engineering, science, history, and
fantasy. He has been performing as a Mad Scientist for many years and is very
close, at this point, to taking over (or destroying) the Earth. He can be found
blogging on Urban-Fantasy.com, Madsci.us, and tweeting as @Sablehawk. He loves
to speak at Science Fiction Conventions, such as Dragon Con, and will be happy
– over a beer - to talk about any of these things for hours.
Hawk currently lives in Denver CO and is enjoying the heck out of spoiling his wife and current baby girl with all of his ill-gotten gains.