Aka The Warded
Man in the U.S. March 2009 release date
Peter Brett
Harper Voyager
This is Peter Brett’s first published
novel, and I hope it will not be his last.
It has already gone into reprint since its September release, and
continues to sell well worldwide.
It
is pure fantasy, but Brett has broken away a little from the “bunch of
characters in a quest for the magical XXX that will save the world” so common
in the genre. Instead he describes a world where mindless killer demons rule
the world at night, and humans huddle in partial safety behind their magical
“wards”. The demons are not completely
invincible, however, and an underlying thread of the storyline is the development
and rediscovery of ways of killing them. Since the olden “Days of Science” many
of these techniques have been lost, and the land is now under the control of a
religious hierarchy which sees the demons as Man’s punishment for adopting
science over faith and belief.
The book follows the stories of a number
of people in this world, whose paths will eventually cross and whose skills may
help Mankind to rise up against the Demons.
Brett’s love of the fantasy genre shows through, with many of the common
themes appearing in the story. This use of familiar themes makes the book easy
to adjust to. In spite of this he tells a story that is left open ended, and
may or may not leave mankind victorious. Either way there is going to be a
long, bloody struggle before the world is rid of the demons.
Brett develops his characters lovingly
from their childhoods, and uses their development to acquaint us with the
characteristics of this world. As the characters grow, so does the plot. There
are few slow moments in the story. It culminates in a battle in a little
village whose people are inspired to go out at night and fight the demons
rather than hide in their homes.
I liked the story, I liked the characters.
Peter Brett has crafted a fine novel, satisfyingly different from
run-of-the-mill fantasy, and there any many ideas left undeveloped as yet. The
conflict between science and religion can be developed, and the politics of the
world’s feudal system leaves many opportunities for further novels in a series. I can only hope that he will take up the
loose ends he has left and develop further stories from this one. His contract
with Del Rey Publishing allows for two more, and I can’t wait.
Peter Brett’s website is at http://www.petervbrett.com
His Facebook page is at
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=11222092828&ref=mf