Master of Sorrows: The Silent Gods Book 1
The stunning coming-of-age adventure of fantasy’s most compelling anti-hero . . .
You have heard the story before. Of a young boy, orphaned through tragic circumstances. Then raised by a wise old man. Who comes to a fuller knowledge of his magic. And uses it to fight the great evil that threatens his world.
But what if the boy hero and the malevolent, threatening taint were one and the same?
What if the boy slowly came to realize he was the reincarnation of an evil god? Would he save the world . . . or destroy it?
Among the Academy’s warrior-thieves, Annev de Breth is an outlier. Unlike his classmates who were stolen as infants from the capital city. Annev was born in the small village of Chaenbalu. He was believed to be executed, and then unknowingly raised by his parents’ killers.
Seventeen years later, Annev struggles with the burdens of a forbidden magic, a forgotten heritage, and a secret deformity. When he is subsequently caught between the warring ideologies of his priestly mentor and the Academy’s masters, he must choose between forfeiting his promising future at the Academy or betraying his closest friends. Each decision leads to a deeper dilemma, until Annev finds himself pressed into a quest he does not wish to fulfil.
Will he finally embrace the doctrine of his tutors, murder a stranger, and abandon his mentor? Or will he accept the more difficult truth of who he is . . . and the darker truth of what he may become . . .
Reviewer’s feedback
Master of Sorrows by Justin Travis Call is the first book in the Silent Gods series, and I’m pleased to say it was an admirable start. This book was very reminiscent of the earlier classic fantasy books that I used to read from such authors as David Eddings. The Belgariad by Eddings was one of my favourite series and I can certainly see many influences from that in this book such as; a prophecy, warring gods and a young unlikely hero. However, Call managed to put a modern twist to the narrative, which I was glad to see. I’d been craving to read something that was nostalgic and charming and this book did the trick.
Destiny and dark magic, a fresh take on time-honoured tropes, a world brimming with history, belief and ideals, action sequences that dare to be different, and a plot filled with secrets and surprises.
Master of Sorrows – The whole concept of a hero destined to become the villain, and the struggle of fighting against that “destiny”… that’s the sort of thing that speaks to me.
My only negative was a bit of a slow burner at the start, and some of the early dialogues felt a bit like exposition (albeit necessary when covering this much world-building), but both are worth the pay off.
Author bio:
Justin Call graduated from Harvard University in 2012 with a Master’s in Literature and Creative Writing. He has studied fantasy literature for over a decade and is co-designer of the board games Imperial Harvest and Royal Strawberries. Justin currently lives in Utah with his wife, two sons, and Great Dane.
Learn more by following @Justin_T_Call
