Shroud of the Avatar, Book 1
Synopsis: Fantasy great Tracy Hickman teams up with the video game legend Richard Garriott to write a new book based on the award-winning game, Shroud of the Avatar.
The thrilling prequel to Shroud of the Avatar from Portalarium!
The world died during the Fall.
Abandoned by the mighty Avatars and their Virtues, the people who remained were left defenseless in an untamed land. That is, until the Obsidians came. Through dark sorcery and overwhelming force the Obsidian Empire brought order to chaos, no matter the cost.
Aren Bendis is a Captain in the Obsidian Army who has seen enough of what a world without Virtue looks like and is willing to do whatever it takes to establish a lasting peace. But after finding a magical sword that only he can wield, a sword his trusted scout, Syenna, claims is a blade once used by the legendary Avatars, Aren is thrown into a far more unfamiliar battle. One fought with whispered words and betrayal instead of swords and arrows.
Running out of allies, Aren’s only hope for survival is to discover the true nature of the ancient weapon he wears at his side. In order to do that, Aren will have to turn to the empire’s enemies and, in doing so, he will discover what order at the hands of the Obsidians really means.
Review: I’m always quite anxious when I start a fantasy novel. I know that we can find some very good ones but I’m really complicated so I finally don’t read many of them. Still, it’s always nice to get out of my comfort zone and to discover new novels such as this one. I had the chance to discover Tracy Hickman with another of his series: unwept (which, it must be said, is quite different from this novel) and I was curious to see what this new story was going to be.
We can see in the book that the author has teamed up with Richard Garriott to write a novel based on a videogame. I admit that once again I do not know the whole game and have never heard of it but I was pleasantly surprised by the story. Indeed, we discover a young captain, Aren Bennis, who face an excessive general and must follow his orders without saying a thing. This is certainly the case until he finds out an ancient sword supposedly cursed that will open his eyes to a world he did not know about. I will not say more because ultimately we can read the novel very quickly and I do not want to reveal too much but it’s true that I let myself be easily carried by the chapters following the adventures of Aren and discovering gradually this world with different characters. I also enjoyed the few images that we find inserted in the book and that gives us a glimpse of the characters.
Unlike many fantasy novels, we do not have many points of view, which is a huge point for me and I enjoyed learning more about Aren and his actions. Besides, I was surprised several times by his decisions.
In any case, it was a great discovery. I did not know much about this world but I am curious to read more and find out what happens next.
Yay for stepping out of your comfort zone & enjoying it. It sounds like an interesting story.
yes it’s nice sometimes
Thanks for sharing this one, it is new to me!
I’m always looking for a new series, and YAY for not a ton of POVs. It throws me off so bad when there’s a ton.
yeah me too
Oh that sounds like an interesting one for sure.
right?
I kind of like the sound of the video game, it adds a unique spin. I totally agree too about limited view points.
yes it was fun, I wonder of the video game is
I never played the game but love the look and sound of this. It’s always great to try something new and step out of your comfort zone. I’m glad this one worked out so well for you, Melliane 🙂
thanks
Same here….I always get anxious around this genre. I like it! But it worries me.
exactly
Oh nice. I think I feel the same about fantasy. It seems to either be a hit or miss with me as well… and I like fantasy! 🙂 This one sounds good and I haven’t heard of it before. Brilly review!
it was a good one so it was nice
I have not read a Hickman in aaages
Glad to hear you enjoyed! I was very curious when I saw that you had read this one, since I was wondering how it would be for a reader who is not familiar with the game’s world. It’s great that it worked so well.
It was ok for me
I enjoy fantasy stories, but I don’t read many of them. I have to be in the mood. I’ve not read one like this that involves a video game world. I can see how it makes the focus more personal with less narrators.
I’ll have to keep this one in mind. Thanks, Melliane!
I don’t read a lot either
I love video game themes in book. The most recent one I read was Armada by Ernest Cline. Love, love. But it’s tricky. Some books tend to use too much jargon that non-gamers (like me) can’t understand.
Glad you loved this one!
yeah, I didn’t feel it here
I love that there aren’t many perspectives. I will keep this in mind
right?
I get what you mean by being anxious when starting a fantasy novel, I’m kinda like that but I can’t really resist them! Glad you ended up loving this one, it sounds like one I might try myself 🙂
So glad this one surprised you. My husband read this one >.< I have not yet, but I like that it doesn't have multiple pov's
Yay for getting a little outside of your comfort zone. This one looks really interesting. Glad you enjoyed it!