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cathuluu 's review for:
The Vagrant
by Peter Newman
In a dangerous war-torn world, a mute knight travels to the Shining City to deliver a weapon of great power. Also, he's got a baby and a goat in tow.
This story is an intriguing and successful blend of fantasy and science fiction, particularly of the post-apocalyptic variety. The various settings may, on the surface, seem familiar to those who read both genres, but there are more than enough surprising (and sometimes macabre) details to set them apart as places that are altogether different. The characterization of our titular protagonist is superbly done, especially considering the fact that he never speaks, and we're not given access to his thoughts either. He interacts with others throughout his journey through a series of facial expressions and gestures. One of the highlights of his interactions with other characters is his relationship with the infant he carries along on his journey. It must be challenging to an author to convey love and trust between two non-verbal characters, but Newman pulls it off here spectacularly. The goat receives special mention here as well, being yet another non-verbal character who expresses her opinion about the world and makes her mark upon it in an endearing way. I'll not focus too much on the plot, because I can't seem to write about it without venturing into spoiler territory. I will say that it held my interest throughout, and I felt it was very innovative and original, even when the "character travels the land to deliver an item of power" trope is somewhat of a mainstay in fantasy.
I'm very much looking forward to reading the next book in the series, [book:The Malice|26160162].
This story is an intriguing and successful blend of fantasy and science fiction, particularly of the post-apocalyptic variety. The various settings may, on the surface, seem familiar to those who read both genres, but there are more than enough surprising (and sometimes macabre) details to set them apart as places that are altogether different. The characterization of our titular protagonist is superbly done, especially considering the fact that he never speaks, and we're not given access to his thoughts either. He interacts with others throughout his journey through a series of facial expressions and gestures. One of the highlights of his interactions with other characters is his relationship with the infant he carries along on his journey. It must be challenging to an author to convey love and trust between two non-verbal characters, but Newman pulls it off here spectacularly. The goat receives special mention here as well, being yet another non-verbal character who expresses her opinion about the world and makes her mark upon it in an endearing way. I'll not focus too much on the plot, because I can't seem to write about it without venturing into spoiler territory. I will say that it held my interest throughout, and I felt it was very innovative and original, even when the "character travels the land to deliver an item of power" trope is somewhat of a mainstay in fantasy.
I'm very much looking forward to reading the next book in the series, [book:The Malice|26160162].