The Wrekening
By Jayel Gibson
Synergy Books
ISBN: 1-933538-30-9
427 pages
When I was younger and first became an avid fantasy
reader, I came up with a system for detecting good epic fantasy. I called
it "Tom's Epic Fantasy Detection Test." No, I didn't need to read the first
thirty pages nor did I have to read the little blurp on the back cover. All
I felt I had to do was look at the front of the book for maps and at the
back for a glossary of terms. My thinking back then was: if a book has both
of these, then I'm in business.
What I didn't realize was that I was really making a
judgment on the depth of the world the author had created. I wanted
something as real as my world—a place that I could see so clearly that I
wished I could get aboard a plane and go visit it. The world Jayel Gibson
has created in The Wrekening certainly passed this test. It is one
that is complex, startling, and a true work of the highest imagination.
The Wrekening focuses most of its action around
a trio of characters. Cwen is the leader of the group. Though she is
stubborn and hot-headed on the outside, she harbors much inner pain and has
more than her share of demons to exorcise. Talin, her best friend, is the
perfect complement to Cwen. He is the voice of calm guidance throughout the
novel and pretty good with a battle-axe too. And, of course, there is the
rogue, Caen, who is a walking enigma: sometimes you hate him, sometimes you
love him.
Together these three (plus their tag-along companion
Brengven) must complete a quest to keep a powerful army of stones warriors,
frozen since the creation of their world, from falling into the hands of
evil. To do so they must overcome obstacles with not only the sharpness of
their swords, but a sharpness of their wits as well. Each puzzle piece they
find pushes them farther and farther toward their goal and ever closer to
danger. In accepting this mission they will achieve one of two things: the
status of immortal heroes if they succeed or the destruction of the world if
they fail.
It is these high stakes, placed in a wonderfully
created world filled with life-like characters, which makes The Wrekening
a great book. With each turn of the page the reader is asking, "What will
happen next?"
For me, the part I loved the most was the way the
characters unfolded as the novel progressed. Every time I thought I'd made
up my mind about Cwen, Caen, or Talin some new development or slight twist
pulled the rug out from under me, making me think a little more about them.
What did happen to Cwen in the past? Is Caen truly this way? Is Talin
as calm as he seems? Jayel Gibson creates these characters so well one
can't help but fall for them.
Another great aspect is that The Wrekening can
have a very large range of readers, both young adult and adult. Due to the
creativity of the world, the depth of the characters, and the quality of the
writing any adult reader would be more than happy with this book. Yet,
because of Jayel Gibson's ability to write about love without getting into
sex, and since the fight scenes are filled with action and suspense without
gory violence, a younger reader would find this book just as appealing.
Truly The Wrekening is a book for all ages.
For these reasons and many others I highly recommend
The Wrekening to anyone who loves a good fantasy story.
Thomas Bolme, Jr.
Independent Professional Book Reviewers
09/17/06
