No Return

March 15, 2013

No one in the world of Jeroun doubts the existence of God. They only differ in their beliefs as to whether Adrash has people's best interests in mind or whether, as the Anadrashi faction believes, the deity intends to use his great weapon known as The Needle to destroy the world. Each year, the opposing sides engage in a grand tournament, usually consisting of martial combat to the death, to channel their rivalry away from outright war. To this tournament comes Vedas Tezul, a member of the Thirteenth Order of Black Suits, who brings instructions that, should he emerge victorious, could bring the world to the brink of religious war. Traveling with him are Churli Casta Jons, a female mercenary who is haunted by her daughter's ghost, and Berun, a man constructed of magical spheres. Meanwhile a pair of ambitious mages work their own schemes to win the attention of Adrash. VERDICT Jernigan's first novel, the opening gambit in a saga of religious war, magical science, and martial combat, is a mixture of epic and sword-and-sorcery fantasy. The author's style, with its sensuality and, often, erotic ambiance, calls to mind the novels of Tanith Lee's "Flat Earth" series as well as the eclectic imaginings of Michael Moorcock's "Eternal Champion" novels. A promising voice.

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