Erekos

Science Fiction & Fantasy

By A.M. Tuomala

Publisher : Candlemark & Gleam

ABOUT A.M. Tuomala

A.M. Tuomala
A.M. Tuomala grew up in the wilds of West Virginia, and now cares for four affectionate and energetic plants.

Description

For three hundred years, Erekos and Weigenland have fought to hold the borderland between the two nations. As the first storms of the flood season scour Erekos from the swamplands to the feet of the mountains, the Erekoi king discovers a dangerous new weapon that might be able to end the war: the witch Achane, who has raised her sister from the dead.

Achane and her sister, dragged apart on the very doorstep of a temple, must work to find each other again before the magic that binds them also kills them. In the process, Achane must overcome her grief—and the temptation of the king's plans for Erekos.

Meanwhile, on the mountainous border between the two warring lands, the student Erlen finds his research interrupted by the encroaching conflict. Driven by a militant love for this neutral territory and its people, he determines to defend his newfound homeland at any cost.

In a land where gods walk the earth and myth manifests along the rivers and in the mountains, ordinary men and women must fight to make their own stories before the war unwrites them all.

Raev Gray says:
I was given the delight and honor of being an editor for Erekos--during a very busy period. I spent two weeks kicking myself because I had to read a bit each night when I wasn't working too much instead of just sitting down and blazing through it. I think the fact that I had to read it a little bit of a time made me appreciate it more, though.

This is high fantasy with zombies. If I hadn't had people raving at me about it, I probably would have passed on it, because I don't like high fantasy and I don't like zombies.

I loved Erekos. Absolutely loved it. The author has no right to be so damn good at what she does. The prose is absolutely stunning, and the story is told in such a way that the large ensemble cast with their myriad subplots weave seamlessly in and around one another. I thought the beginning was really damn good--and then it just kept getting better, right until the end.

If you want a book to savor and to think about, Erekos is definitely that book. It's got action without going overboard, an impeccably built, complex world, characters you really want to get to know, and a prose style that's absolutely beautiful. The book walks the fine line between poetic and cerebral, and it does it extremely well. I almost never give five-star reviews, but I have to give one to Erekos.