by Zammar Ahmer, The Book of Astea #1
Summary:
The world has stopped turning.
Burned by a blazing sun. Thrust into eternal winter.
Life survives only in the Sunset Forest.
For untold millennia, mankind lived subservient to the dryads, forced into worship of the Earth-Mother, Astea. Then one man ventured into the Scorched Desert and returned with the secret of fire. His rebellion brought the dryad empire to ash. In its place, he founded the Kingdom of Heartsong.
Twelve years later, the new king is missing. The earth trembles. Famine ravages the land, and a mysterious illness creeps through the capital.
Plots of treason and revenge abound, but as the mistakes of the past bear fruit, men will reap what they have sown.
Open now the Book of Astea and learn what has been forgotten.
Riven Earth is the story of a king who has lost his nerve, of his advisor tempted by the throne, of a politician plotting revolt, and of a dying soldier who finds new reasons to live. It is a character-focused epic fantasy adventure perfect for fans of Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive and Joe Abercrombie’s First Law.
Review:
Riven Earth— a title as thematic as it is enticing. I can’t think of a better inaugural review to be my first than this grim fantasy novel. Zammar Ahmer crafted a story with compelling characters, an interesting world, and a plot rife with treachery, schemes but most importantly— hope.
At its core Riven Earth is a story about loss. Each and every POV character— of which there are plenty, all unique: Raia, Otto, Kaido being who I consider the main three, though there are more interspersed granting a breadth to the world balanced by the tight character-driven motivations.— has suffered some form of loss. Some losses are more ethereal, honor and respect, but tangible through the prose all the same.
For the average reader, it might sound overly grim. A world on the brink of the end, rulers stumbling to find salvation for their people. And yes, it is a grim setting, but hope shines through the shit and piss in the way imagery and motivation persists throughout the text.
The chronicling of King Isaiah tucked at the end of every chapter in the first part did make me wonder if I’d continue the novel. To me, it stole the pacing of the current affairs without bartering much in return. A dash here and there of world-building, most of which was already sprinkled throughout the novel, just not from King Isaiah himself. However, I’m thankful I continued because those little asides only make up a small amount of the first 20% and for those who really love expanded world-buildings like that, they’ll enjoy the look into King Isaiah’s journey told from his own pen
Riven Earth is book one of the Book of Astea, and while there are some smaller arcs concluded within, it is clear that the main plot is continued without much resolution in this installment.
Thankfully book two, Sundered Moon, is already out and readily available.
I greatly enjoyed my time in Astea and am looking forward to continuing the series. A great recommend for fans of unique worlds, believable characters, and a grim setting.
Find out more about Riven Earth!
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