If you are interested in novels of the Fantasy, Science Fiction, or Historical genres, check back here once a week and I’ll try not to disappoint! If you are just a person who likes to read in general, you are a rarity in this world and therefore most welcome on here too. :)
Today’s genre is High-Fantasy (the medieval sort!) and the book I’ll be reviewing is called A Breach In The Watershed by Douglas Niles.
As you can see, the presence of a dragon and a sword makes this a rather original cover for a fantasy book!
No no, but really, when spread out, the cover is actually exceptionally colorful and captivating. Look:
In fact, what I liked about this book is how it doesn’t stray far from fantasy stereotype, yet the author always manages to put his own twists on the familiar fare. It is so familiar, yet so creative. That’s a comfortable combination. R.A. Salvatore had something similar to say in a blurb at the beginning of the book:
In A Breach In The Watershed, the landscapes are sweeping and complete, and the various races are believable… yet different enough to be new and exciting.The story is about a bloke named Rudgar Appenfell (Rudy for short) who is the sole witness to a most heinous crime. The culprit was a noble visitor to his mountain village. Yeah, this guy murders members of Rudy’s family so… Rudy sets out on a quest for vengeance. Rawr!
Along the way, he discovers that this prince is planning to unjustly invade a neighboring country, he’s managed to acquire powerful magic that will throw the world out of balance, and… he’s in service of a long forgotten dark lord. As you can imagine, the quest quickly becomes about more than just revenge. And Rudy begins to realize he may have an epic destiny involving magic powers of his own--that he’s managed to pick up quite by accident!
Now, this is the first book I’ve read by Douglas Niles. I hear that he is the author of many books in the famous Dragonlance / Forgotten Realms series. Those were written in round-table format by various authors.
But I like to be different so I picked up this obscure trilogy of Niles’s own creation that he wrote in 1996.
Niles is also a game designer and this has a big influence on his style that I will elaborate on later. The book is generally light hearted and doesn’t take itself over-seriously.
Without further ado, let us examine:
The Plot
This book isn’t exactly non-stop action, but that doesn’t mean there ever has to be a dull moment. The characters are driven and always on the road. The plot follows along, never losing a sense of purpose or direction. That is so important in a book. Makes it fun and easy to read. Fast-paced would be a good description here…
You’ll notice that about 100 pages into the book, a storyline seemingly unrelated to the one being told is introduced. We abruptly veer away from Rudy for a long while. DON’T get discouraged when you get to this part, for it is the most fascinating and creative part of the book. Niles does a great job here. You will swiftly get sucked into the new story, and for a while, it is more intriguing than the main one! And then of course, the anticipation starts to build for when the two lines will inevitably come together somehow…
The main characters of each, Rudy and Danri respectively, are both in their own way going through your obligatory fantasy “Quest”, tromping through various terrains lol. The sequence when they come together is explosive. It’s one of those epic moments.
The author does not fall into a habit, however, of repeatedly going away from characters for prolooooonged periods of time. That would be too reminiscent of Raymond E. Feist and his obnoxiously clunky pacing. Ugh. :(
As you can surmise, there are multiple third-person points of view, but there is only one main one and that is firmly Rudy’s. I was glad about that.
One character narrates in first-person, but the author pulls this unusual trick off rather well by having it be in the form of short, snappy excerpts from the character’s memoir. It is quite refreshing and lends perspective to the story.
There is a full-scale battle at the end of the book, so you military strategy aficionados out there won’t be disappointed. I certainly wasn’t. Scenes are choreographed excellently and there are many more of those glorious, epic moments that make your spine tingle.
All in all, lots and lots of stuff happening at the end. The resolution certainly leaves you feeling that things have just begun for Rudy and the rest of the characters.
There were a few holes in the plot which gave me my only qualms with it. They were not, thankfully, in the way of internal consistency. They were more in the way of unexplained “facts” in the world Niles created that didn’t make logical sense or were too convenient. You’ll probably notice them yourself.
The Characters
I liked the character of Rudy a lot.
He’s a teenager like most fantasy heroes, and acts like one. He can be boyishly impressionable. He often feels inadequate or not recognized. But that doesn’t stop him from being quietly efficient and a natural leader. He makes great decisions throughout. He’s stubbornly loyal but not stupidly stubborn. Having magic powers and responsibilities intimidates him greatly. He’s a very thoughtful sort.
Prince Garamis is an irrationally jealous and cruel man, at least when he’s not around his retarded younger brother whom he loves. He is not, however, a coward or the type of villain who stays far from danger. He is a brave and daring type right from the beginning of the book. His dark master, the dragon Nicodareus, is impressed.
Nicodareus gets his own point of view, btw. We get an inside glimpse at life in the dark lands. That’s unusual for fantasy, in which dark lords and their minions are usually faceless villains devoid of personality.
The Lady Raine would be the main female character and I thought she rocked! She is masterful at martial arts, athletic, and intelligent but doesn’t lord it over on anyone or act pretentiously tough like “warrior chick” characters so often do. She is not out to prove anything as a “girl who can hold her own”. She just DOES hold her own!
Then you have the dwarf-like Danri, comically grouchy but the best friend you could ask for! He is a major character and gets his own point-of-view.
There are a number of other characters who join the quest, including: Anjell, Rudy’s uber-smart little niece who always manages to put her uncle in his place; Prince Takian, Garamis’s older brother who is the polar opposite of his sibling; Kianna, a fairy; and I was most impressed with the Lady Bristyn. She may be the only hope for peace between two kingdoms. She appears to be just a shallow and materialistic pretty face, but is actually a strong woman with a great dry sense of wit. I really liked her.
The Setting
A Breach In The Watershed is somewhat obsessed with mountains. It is set in the lands of Dalethica, Faerine, and Duloth-Trol. These lands are divided from each other by three all-important, treacherous mountain ranges. They were set down by the respective Gods of the three lands, and they are MOST unnatural and unkind towards the stupid adventurer unfortunate enough to attempt to cross them.
Rudy is a mountain-climber in Halverica. This is a Switzerland-esque region in which all three mountain ranges MEET! The spot is like the axis of a fan. It is a hallowed and magical place.
Now did that not sound to you as epic and appealing a setup as can be? No? Well, then you’re an idiot!
Dalethica is the land where we lowly humans live. The God of man is Baracan, but the more progressive and open-minded amongst our civilizations make a point of also acknowledging Aurianth, the Goddess of Faerine. Are you progressive and open-minded?
You see, Faerine is where all the beings live who have longer lives than we do. Yes, the magical ones. There is far more variety of intelligent and not so intelligent beings making their home in Faerine, and they don’t all get along with each other. The various races will be familiar to the fantasy fan, but also different…
For example, there are Diggers, who are like Dwarves (can’t you tell from the name?) but not exactly. Diggers are afflicted by a hereditary illness called the “Madness” which often hits them at around age 80 (that’s young). This “madness” is an impediment to them but also defines their identity. It is very interesting…
Or you have Twissels, who at first introduction seem like they’re going to be Elves, but they’re actually fairies. No, not your annoying thumb-sized fairies, but human-child-sized fairies.
Gigants are like the children of vikings and trolls. These guys are a running joke, but by the end of the book, don’t deserve to be…
BTW, you elf-fans out there need not worry. Sylves are like high-elves from LOTR. We’ll probably learn more about Sylves and other inhabitants of Faerine in the next book.
There is also a wide variety of magic involved in A Breach In The Watershed. Most of it is based around the three lands having three different life-source fluids: Water for us of course, but “Aura” for Faerines, and “Darkblood” for Duloth-Trol (because Duloth-Trol is DAAARK and that’s all you need to know for now). It’s a fascinating concept isn’t it?
Doug Niles’s magic may come off as a bit crazy and random and… video-gamey for some of you.
But it is FUN! Makes you want to have the magic. It doesn’t feel like something tedious forced into the book just because it’s fantasy. It doesn’t take itself too seriously.
I think his strength as a video game designer kicks in here. He is very good about laying down rules for his magic and not letting it overwhelm the plot.
Old ideas are recycled into something fresh and innovative. Believe it or not, he manages to come up with a darkly alluring new “Magic Sword” despite the overuse of that concept in the genre. He comes up with an “Air Force” that doesn’t involve riding Dragons. And the Diggers with their affliction the “Madness” definitely introduce a new element to what it means to be a Dwarf in fantasy.
Some Other Stuff
Here are some other tidbits of information to get you intrigued (if you’re not already).
Rudy and Raine are cute together; the romance developing between them is handled with a touch that isn’t overbearing. It is still developing at the end of the book, and they haven’t even kissed yet.
Yes, there is an intelligent animal companion in this book. But it isn’t a horse. It’s a SNOW LION. AKA Sabertooth Tiger? Imagine having one as your sidekick. EXCELLEEEEENT!
As I mentioned before, it is a light hearted book, so there is plenty of humor. Much of it comes in unintentional sort of amusing moments. Sometimes, the book even seems to be gently mocking itself and fantasy clichés and such. I like that. :)
3 REASONS TO READ IT / 3 REASONS TO NOT
Read if you:
1. …feel like reading classic high-fantasy fare that isn’t too different, but revolutionizes old concepts into something new and exciting.
2. …like a fast paced story where some crazy fantastic thing is happening all the time and characters are on the run.
3. …are into Dwarves. Period. Sorry, that one was weird, but Diggers were basically Dwarves and after reading this book, I’d wanna be a Digger!
Don’t read if you:
1. …aren’t amused by the good old rollicking adventure and its recognizable clichés and prefer modern “gritty” fantasy such as George R. R. Martin.
2. …can’t stand a diverse world of so many races and creatures in one fast-paced book perhaps not long enough to spend adequate time on all of them.
3. …don’t like bombastic and colorful sort of magic that would fit well in a Michael Bay movie!
Oooooh, look how I cunningly used the “Don’t Read” section to actually add some more compliments! Hah! ;)
Select Excerpt From Book
“You are here at the appointed hour,” Nicodareus observed. “You are wise.”
His voice rumbled deeply, like the creaking of heavy stone hinges that had long been unturned. Though he spoke softly, the words carried clearly to the human’s ears.
“I made my vow to my—to OUR—master,” the man replied simply. He wore a travel-stained cloak and muddy boots; an air of confidence swirled about him as if he were a master of men who, nevertheless, understood that he was now in the presence of a higher power. Yet it did not escape the minion’s notice that this human had dared to remind him that they both served one who stood even greater.
“Dassadec gave to me a dream; in that dream I knew that I was to come here on the night of the next new moon.” The human gestured toward the clear night sky, where a dazzling array of stars, untroubled by competing moonlight, began to sparkle into view. “Was there doubt but that I would obey?”
The man was tall, his narrow face tapering into a pointed beard. The chiseled features, Nicodareus suspected, would appear handsome to a human female.
Mmmm, delicious contempt for humans. We likes it.
Final Star Rating
4.5 out of 5 = Exceptional Book!
Safe into my shelf of honor. Standing up.
It’s actually one of my top books ever. I really had fun. I’m sure you’ve figured that out already… :)
Till next week then, over and out!
