Thiago Abdalla

This is an incredible debut full of intriguing worldbuilding and protagonists who are very different from one another. One of the dangers of this type of story is that often I’ll connect more to one character or not at all to another, or one of the storylines will drag. That didn’t happen at all for me here. I did have some trouble keeping track of all the political machinations going on, especially as I tried to translate that to what it would look like from Nasha’s point of view, but I understood things reasonably well I think. The religious layer worked really well for me—it’s not just a disguised Christianity even though they talk of “the Seraph”. It felt fleshed out and new and interesting, and it meshed in with the politics well I thought.

Adrian is super sympathetic as he tries desperately to be worthy in his father’s eyes like his older brother was, even as he arranges deals his father would never approve of in a bid to save his wife. His journey is heart-wrenching and I couldn’t wait for his plot line to tie in with the others.

Nasha is a hard character, a hunter who keeps away from others in her community partly because she’s worried they’ll look down on her for her slum-like background and partly because she’s hiding magic from them— magic that would get her killed if they found out. Her journey is incredible and awe-inspiring.

Then there’s Lynn, who’s trying desperately to save as many good people as she can find in a prison filled with corruption. But her actions are constrained in large part by the risk of her past coming back to haunt her if her old companions find out she’s still alive. The evil that nearly killed her rises again, though, and her hand is forced, pushing her to confront her past and oh my goodness, what a past it is! I loved Lynn’s storyline.

The world is a fairly typical medieval-fantasy-type world, with griffons and griffon riders. The magic is a softer magic system but there are definitely rules there, and it was super cool to see it from multiple sides. And the evil that Adrian and Lynn run up against was compelling and definitely kept me engaged. There’s huge battles, risk, sacrifice, loss, betrayal, all the wonderful epic fantasy stuff. Nasha’s line is more separate from the other two but it was still very cool trying to see how it and the other two plot lines impacted each other.

In short, it’s a remarkable epic fantasy that I fully expect to take off. I highly recommend it!… (meer)

Review of eBook

With the death of Kahlia and her father, the Xakhar of Azur, Adrian’s claim as the new Xakhar meets with some opposition even though it seemed as if they’d completed the marriage ceremony. Now he must wait for the ruling of the consuls.

With the Yltigg at the city gates, Nasha, a hunter for the Ronar, continues her struggles with the curse as she continues her fight for the clans. What she doesn’t see coming is Leku’s betrayal.

Riding her griffin, Vedyr, Lynn continues the fight but Ildred remains convinced she is a traitor. As the Sentinels concoct a plan, The Madness continues to wreak havoc as its victims fall, the skin around their eyes tainted black. But Lynn knows the Domain is coming; making peace with the Yltigg will strengthen their position before that occurs. Seeking the Questioning, she hopes to remove the shadow of the Church’s doubt.

Will Adrian assume the mantle of Xakhar? Can Nasha convince the others to stop the fighting and prepare for the arrival of the Domain? What will happen to Lynn in the Questioning? What is the future for Avarin?

And what is happening to the trees?

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Beginning with a much-appreciated “the story so far,” the author reminds readers of events that have taken place and sets the stage for the continuing saga of the Ashes of Avarin. Picking up where “A Touch of Light” ended, the story continues without interruption. Adrian, Lynn, and Nasha continue to provide readers with their points of view; Kadmus brings a new perspective . . . and another secret.

Well-drawn characters convey their fears and hopes as they face the turmoil surrounding them; their backstories give depth to the telling of the tale. The world-building remains exquisite, the atmosphere charged and filled with tension.

The unfolding story grabs the reader from the outset and keeps the pages turning. There is much to appreciate in this installment of Avarin’s story . . . and much to anticipate as the story continues.

Highly recommended.… (meer)

Late last year I read the first book in the Avarin series, A Touch of Light, after it became a finalist in the SPFBO 8 competition. This was before I started reviewing books, but my quick thoughts were that it was a really solid epic fantasy read. There were definitely some issues I had with the book (mostly that the learning curve for the worldbuilding was a bit too steep, and that I didn't enjoy all of the POV character's story arcs equally), but it definitely made me excited to keep reading!

Since the second book in the series (A Shade of Madness) is about to be published soon, I thought that this was the perfect time to dip my toes back in the water and read A Prelude to Ashes, a short novella that explores one of the POV characters from A Touch of Light (Adrian) about 100 years before the events of that book.

I have read again and again that many readers thought that A Prelude to Ashes was a better introduction to Thiago Abdalla's world than A Touch of Light. While I can see where they are coming from (because as I mentioned earlier, the learning curve of A Touch of Light is pretty harsh, albeit rewarding), I actually disagree and would encourage readers to read the series in publication order. There are a few reasons for why I think this:

First, the worldbuilding in A Prelude to Ashes isn't really any easier. While it is a bit less overwhelming because you are only following one major storyline instead of three, there are still a bunch of different names, places, nations, and factions thrown at you all at once. And, because of the limited page number here, they aren't nearly as well developed as they are in A Touch of Light. This isn't' a criticism of Abdalla's writing here; the world in this novella comes alive through its politics, histories, ideologies, cosmologies, and depth - but might feel a bit more dim without the context of the first volume in the series.

Second, if you read Prelude first than you don't have the complex interactions that make the actions of Adrian and Myrra so powerful and profound here. Starting here, without knowing the tragic outcome and how it fuels Adrian's actions in A Touch of Light diminishes this novella. I was so happy to finally get to really meet Myrra in this novella and really get a chance to experience the star-crossed romance of characters that I have already gotten to know. I can only imagine that reading this without that context only steals some of the energy of their arc in this novella.

And finally, and perhaps most importantly to me as a reader, is that this novella as it stands alone falls into the trap that a lot of epic fantasies do - that of naturalizing and creating the "Other", particularly of brown-skinned peoples and characters. I want to make it clear that I am not criticizing Abdall here. He does a great job in A Touch of Light of showing all sides of the conflict and really humanizing the peoples and cultures that populate the world he has created. However, as A Prelude is more contained and only follows one perspective, this intense Othering occurs without the context given to the reader in A Touch of Light. Alone, A Prelude to Ashes turns the non-western coded southern clan peoples into uncivilized, war-mongering, and brutal political and military pawns in the fight of the European-coded nations. We know from A Touch of Light that the history, culture, and worldviews of these clans is much more nuanced than this, but we just don't get this perspective in A Prelude to Ashes. So, again, reading this prequel novella second really provides the necessary context to not fall into the epic fantasy "Othering" trap.

While I have given reasons here for not starting with A Prelude to Ashes, you really cannot go wrong with Abdalla's world and writing. This novella continues Abdalla's real knack for imbuing a fictional world with so much depth that you forget its fictional. If you just want a little taste of what Avarin has to offer, start here. But if you are an epic fantasy lover ready for the plunge, go buy a copy of A Touch of Light first and then come back here to get some more backstory on Adrian and Myrra.

Concluding Thoughts: Abdalla has written a wonderful and short backstory for two great characters from A Touch of Light. Abdalla expertly weaves complex politics, emotional character stakes, and epic battles, while also giving little twists and tastes of what is to come later in the series, in a short, compact package. A Touch of Light fans and newbies both shouldn't skip this one!… (meer)