After growing up in the isolated Western Mountains, Aylon finally ventures out to explore the unfamiliar lowlands in search of her missing aunt and uncle, who vanished when she was just a child. Despite her initial insistence on going alone, she finds unexpected support in "The Traveler," who volunteers to guide her through the perilous territories inhabited by diverse lowland Peoples.
Little does Aylon know that her search will soon transform into a quest to rescue her kidnapped cousins, embroiling all the lands in the tumultuous events of the era. As tensions escalate, even Aylon's own people are compelled to choose sides, forcing her to reexamine all that she believes about her purpose in life.
Join Aylon on her journey as she discovers her true place in the Land, navigating the complexities of different cultures and grappling with the undeniable unity that binds all peoples together.
Sweeping, painterly descriptions give color to Schütz’s new world, and, though he hints at some intriguing backstory—a mention of meteoric destruction and human experiments after the fall of man—it serves as more of a teaser than a fully developed narrative arc. The worldbuilding is ambitious, exploring different folk practices between cultures, and the characters will be familiar to seasoned fantasy readers. Wide-eyed innocents Georg and Hollin face cruelty at the hands of their captors, while Aylon serves as a somewhat impressionable, curious woman whose inner monologue delivers revelation about Schütz’s mystifying world. Aylon’s stone-faced traveling companion Goonta beats a steady, if inscrutable, rhythm in the story’s background, a quietly powerful presence who proves invaluable to Aylon’s mission, but the spritely Bahree and enigmatic tracker Sheela are perhaps the strongest of the ensemble.
Some stiffness in the prose and long passages of dialogue at times slow the story’s flow. Schütz’s talent truly shines when he explores the inner workings of this imagined future and how this catastrophic event—known to all characters as the Destruction—has made its mark on the landscape. That, combined with a cracking cliffhanger ending, sets this series off to a hopeful start.
Takeaway: Ambitious fantasy series starter boosted by vivid worldbuilding.
Comparable Titles: Evan Winter, Tyler Whitesides.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B+
Marketing copy: B-
