General Review:
First things first, a general summary of my rating: I liked it!
The Rest to the Gods by Joshua Walker is an engaging novella that, while filled with mysterious powers and dangerous excursions, is simple enough to follow yet demands personal reflection.
It tells the story of two events that could stand to be connected a little bit more but, as it is right now, it is enough to show the main character’s present time in the midst of a battle for a contested “checkpoint” of sorts and her history of learning her powers and developing herself as a user of these powers.
I received my copy for free, but to my understanding, it will be free to all who sign up using Walker’s link once it releases.
Here’s that link: https://www.joshuawalkerauthor.com
It took me a while to make the connection, but while certainly not the same in most respects, I almost got the feeling of some connection to an anime called “Shin Sekai Yori” which I also enjoyed. But trust me, if you have seen that, you won’t know why I made that connection either, but somehow it feels right. And you’ll probably agree.
The Rest to the Gods is an illuminating story of tradition, self-worth, and the purpose of power.
I’d say fans of Redwall and Narnia will like this book.
Characters:
These characters are really well formed and the world they live in feels, well, lived in. They have connections with one another, traditions and mannerisms that are unique to them.
Our main character, Nischia, is a magical user with some mysterious light-based powers that revolve around an orb. She struggles with her perception of herself as unworthy of her powers and unwanted by her family and when things start to go wrong on a quest she’s leading, she feels worse. But she is able to come through thanks to her history that we learn about in the “Then” chapters. Walker does a decent job of revealing why she feels that lack of self-worth but also how she is able to fight it.
Garv and Koln are my favorite side characters (Garv takes a slightly higher position because I am fond of Reepicheep-like creatures fighting. “If their adorableness doesn’t kill you, they will” is one of my favorite fantasy tropes.)
I’d give the characters a solid 9.5/10. Believable for the most part and their motivations pretty clear. There were just a couple of moments where maybe some more clarity would be needed.
Plot:
The plot was engaging as it flips between the past and present and really, we get a two-for-one in terms of plot. Neither one is really the “B” plot, so it never feels like a delay.
Like I said, however, it stands that the two plot lines could feel a little more connected, so in light of that, I would give the plot probably a 9/10. I think I want a more distinct ending, too.
Writing:
It is really well written… for Australian English! … just kidding, it’s totally fine. I thought Walker had excellent word choice and I found the characters easy to consistently imagine thanks to his writing.
The dialogue and wisdom that is strewn throughout the book was wonderful to read and was well placed and paced. He uses a good mixture of short and long paragraphs, though he definitely favors longer ones.
My favorite quote: “Before you question me, question yourself. It is the only way.” – Koln
Second favorite: “Tradition holds with it certain dangers, as it does parameters for celebration of a culture. It is everything you are, and everything you might not want to be.” – King of Adria, the Sea Kingdom.
My one major criticism (and this is really small if you think about it) is that he just thrusts us into the new world with a lot of new terms, but after a while, you get used to them and understand what he is talking about, but that is common for fantasy these days.
Really well written, Walker. I’d also probably give it a 9.5/10, but that’s almost because I don’t like the idea of giving a perfect score.
David J. Neumaier 