This book floated past on my feed – I found the cover intriguing (I dug the vibe, don’t judge me), and the attached review was glowing, so I jumped in without much knowledge of what to expect.

What to Expect

Expect a surrealist story, full of wonder and awe and a few nightmares. Set in a complex world that blends mid-20th century-like technology with elements of ‘weird’ supernatural.

Plot-wise, it’s a journey story of an odd collection of characters, along a river that’s also the kinda-physical-ghost of an ancient dragon. Told from the point of view of the crotchety old captain, they go through the various parts of the river that feel like. As the journey progresses, more is revealed both of the world and the reasons of the crew in taking it.

What I liked

Loved the weird-fantasy setting, the sense of wonder (as in, wonderland-on-a-bad-acid-trip). I loved the history built into the world, that blends sci-fi and fantasy like older novels before those became such distinct categories — it keeps you curious and wondering. There is clearly a lot of fascinating lore and depth, that is slowly revealed as the story unfolds.

What to be aware of

There can be too much of a good thing. While there’s action – far more than feels right for a mere day of sailing – there’s also a lot of very descriptive prose, that can get overwhelming at times. One of those overly-literary windows that stand in the way of looking out at the wonderful view.

Also note that the antagonist is of the ‘ancient evil’ types (I prefer humans clashing), and that it has a big of a cliff hanger (at least clearly a sequel or three).

Felix’s and Jack’s Reviews

Felix likened it more to Lucian’s ‘A True Story’ than Homer’s Odyssey — both have wild, over-the-top adventures along the journey, but one of them is a bit more fantastical than the other, what with other-worldly aliens and all. He enjoyed it, but he generally tends to enjoy more complex prose than Jack or me.

Speaking of whom, Jack found it a bit of a bore. While he’s classically trained and has read plenty of literary masterpieces, he does prefer a bit more action and resolution to his stories (comes from having to solve crimes and close cases).

Summary

It’s an interesting read, if you like weird, emotional, gritty fiction, and have a general fondness of more literary than high fantasy (and in the mood for at least a duology).

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Enjoying the reviews, but wondering who the heck are those Felix and Jack fellow? Glad you asked! Felix is the protagonist of the Togas, Daggers, and Magic series, an historical-fantasy blend of a paranormal detective on the background of ancient Rome, and Jack is the police detective running the Unusual Crimes Squad, dealing in occult crimes in modern-day Australia.

Come meet Felix and his world on the free short stories and novels!