Mortal Coils: The Necromancer's Apprenticeby Chris Durston

Mara is an apprentice necromancer, not by choice, but because a master necromancer decided to make her his apprentice, and if she refused, her family would pay the price for her refusal. Over time, she has gotten used to the evil nature of her existence and grown in power. They are at the last task she must complete to no longer be considered his apprentice, but will be a full necromancer in her own right, making her family finally be safe from this monster's harm. However, once the task is completed, he kills her, sending her to the realm of the dead until he can master the spell that will bind her soul to him as an undead servant; one with all her awareness and power intact. Not wanting this to be her fate, Mara is in a hurry to find a way to cross over to where her former master cannot call her back from the Sunless Crossing. But she can’t manage this on her own, and soon finds herself as part of an adventuring party for the first time.

I received and read a review copy of this book. It is a tie-in novel to the Black Ballad roleplaying campaign, and like the other Sunless Crossing novels, it is one I enjoyed reading. I enjoyed watching Mara learn to see that friends are not always a weakness. Sometimes, they are what makes life (or in this case, death) worthwhile. It’s not easy to learn to trust when for most of your life, you have had to hide your true thoughts and feelings from those closest to you.

Watching Mara grow as a person after her death made for an interesting story. It’s not often that one learns those lessons after they have died, but before then, she had no one who could show her the value of trust and friendship. And ultimately, the value of putting others’ needs and desires ahead of your own. I truly enjoyed this aspect of the story. The idea that it is never too late to learn to care about others is a very strong and important lesson.

Anyone who enjoys RPG tie-in novels, fantasy adventure stories, or character driven stories about discovering who you truly are and what you want out of life should enjoy this book. It’s a interesting story that I think many will enjoy. I did.

Amazon requires me to state that I have an Amazon Associates account that I use to generate the links to the books on their website. Purchasing something after following those links will earn a few pennies for me off the sale, though as of yet I have not earned anything from my Amazon Associate links.

To Slay a God, by Brian Fitzpatrick

When the god of pestilence and decay seeks to enter their world to continue a path of world destruction that it has successfully completed on other worlds, Severina and her companions must destroy it before it can destroy everything. But what happens once they manage that task but die in the process. And when they all arrive in the Sunless Crossing, can they help to save the realm of the dead from a dead god that wants to take over that realm before venturing on to destroy every other world?

I read a review copy of this book and, like the previous books in the Sunless Crossing series of Black Ballad tie-in novels, this was an interesting one. I liked seeing how the characters reacted to learning not only were they now dead, but that the evil they had thought defeated was now working on taking over the realm of the dead. I enjoyed the differing perspectives from the characters. You could easily see how their lives had affected the way they viewed their deaths and afterlives.as well as the surprises that were thrown at them.

I also liked how we could see their views on multiple things changing as the characters learned more about not only their new surroundings, but about themselves along the way. I truly enjoyed the obvious character growth that takes place in this story. It is one that if you aren’t paying attention, you may not notice it, but that when you are watching to see how and if the characters grow and develop along the way, it is clearly there.

If you like fantasy stories full of adventure and that have a good vs evil theme, books that are RPG tie-in novels, and the Black Ballad RPG game then I believe you will enjoy this book. Even if you haven’t played Black Ballad or play RPG games, this is still a very entertaining fantasy adventure novel that I think many will enjoy. I recommend giving this book, and this series, a try.

Amazon requires me to state that I have an Amazon Associates account that I use to generate the links to the books on their website. Purchasing something after following those links will earn a few pennies for me off the sale, though as of yet I have not earned anything from my Amazon Associate links.

The Memory Thief: Streets of Nox Valar (Chronicles of the Crossing Book 1)by CD Corrigan

Rasa fell to Ashen Fields of the Sunless Crossing with no memory of anything that had gone before. She didn’t know where she was, what her name was, or how she came to be there. She didn’t even know that she was dead. Almost immediately, she was being attacked by monstrous creature after monstrous creature, again, without knowing why. When Secan found her, she at first assumed he was another being simply determined to try and kill her and almost tried to do the same to him as she had to the other … things that had attacked her. Together, they set off to try and find a way to help her regain her memory and figure out where she belonged in the realm of those who had died. What they didn’t know was the dangerous plot that was being implemented by an Angel that endangered the balance of life/death in the Sunless Crossing.

I read an advance review copy of this book, and like the other tie-in novel to the Black Ballad RPG game, I enjoyed this one a great deal. There is a lot going on in this book, keeping the pace fast and drawing the reader of this fantasy series quickly into the story and making them want to know more about what is really happening.

Thus far, I have been enjoying this series. It is an easy read, well written, and quite entertaining. Those who enjoy role-playing games, have read any of the other Black Ballad tie-in novels, or who have played an RPG set in the Black Ballad world of the Sunless Crossing, will likely enjoy this book a great deal. It is a very entertaining story, and the realm of those who are currently dead, but aren't yet ready to enter their afterlife is a fascinating one that I believe readers will enjoy... whether they have played the RPG game itself or not.

The characters are another great source of entertainment for the reader, and I can easily imagine the difficulty in waking up with no memory only to have someone try to convince you that you are dead, even though to yourself, you feel as alive. It would be one thing to have a memory of being killed, but with no memory at all? That would be quite difficult, I would imagine, at least until something convinced you otherwise.

There are some interesting subplots in this story that I think made it a book that was quite difficult to put down, and one where I kept wanting to know what would happen next. I think that if you give this book a try, you won’t be disappointed.

Amazon requires me to state that I have an Amazon Associates account that I use to generate the links to the books on their website. Purchasing something after following those links will earn a few pennies for me off the sale, though as of yet I have not earned anything from my Amazon Associate links.