Lies of Descent

July 1, 2019
Bucher’s epic fantasy debut features solid prose in the service of a well-worn genre trope: the young protagonist removed from his home who learns that there are secrets concerning his lineage and that he may possess special powers. Gairen is a Draegoran, a member of the group of telepathic “demon men... killed people for their impure thoughts.” He appears at the home of 12-year-old Rian after Rian’s abusive father fails to bring the child to a required testing. When Gairen touches Rian with a crystal, Rian has a vision, leading the Draegoran to proclaim that Rian has “the blood” before killing Rian’s father. Gairen takes Rian and another special child, a girl named Nola, away from their homes for an unclear purpose. The narrative alternates between the two children’s very different subsequent experiences. There are some original touches, but the story is less than memorable, and the worldbuilding, centered on legends of gods of light and dark, is underdeveloped. Fantasy fans have seen this many, many times before and won’t find anything special in this iteration. Agent: Jennie Goloboy, Donald Maass Literary.

August 1, 2019
Bucher launches himself into epic fantasy fandom with his debut, the first book in The Fallen Gods' War series. The novel follows adolescents Riam and Nola as they discover the truth behind their ancestry?they are descended from the world's fallen gods. Descendants of the fallen gods are drafted into the Draegorans, warriors trained to enforce the laws of the covenant; fight the Esharii tribesmen who raid the borders; and serve as judge, jury, and executioner for criminals in their path. Riam's rescue from an abusive home is fortuitous, but he still has many obstacles to overcome on his path to training as a Draegoran. Nola's happy family life is destroyed by the discovery of her Draegoran blood, and then her voyage to the training island is disrupted by an Esharii raid. Riam and Nola are pulled apart by circumstances and their unique abilities, and the question becomes not whether they'll survive Draegoran training, but whether they'll even reach the training site. This coming of age story will appeal to fantasy readers of all ages.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)