Sordaneon (The Triempery Revelations #1) by L.L. Stephens

Sordaneon was a timely reminder of why few pleasures genuinely compare to reading, and why the fantasy genre remains my first literary love.

My first read of 2026 is one I started last December. It’s also the first book I’ve finished since last September. I couldn’t even bring myself to look at my GR Reading Challenge for 2025 until only a few days ago, when I found that I fell a little short of completing my rather pathetic goal of 20 books for 2025.

My reading slump late last year can be attributed to a host of life-changing events, both good and bad. And, while work and life’s cares have vastly reduced my capacity for devouring books, Sordaneon was a timely reminder of why few pleasures genuinely compare to reading, and why the fantasy genre remains my first literary love.

Synopsis

In a world with magical machines at its heart, races of god-descended humans and lesser mortals politick and vie for control of the most important artefact in their world: The Rill.

For Dorillian Sordaneon, restoring his lineage to its rightful place comes first. While his ambition, fuelled by a burning hatred of the usurpers, remains the same, the gradual revealing of secrets and unravelling of truths mean that he must set aside this grudge and ally with those who brought his kingdom to its knees.

Characters

I thought that Dorillian was one of the most annoying fantasy MCs ever. In the first few chapters of Sordaneon, his petulance was quite frustrating, reminiscent of certain YA fantasy characters I shan’t name. Whiny, pathetic, blaming everyone and everything for his problems.

However, what came afterwards was one of the most deliberate bits of character-building that I’ve ever read in fiction. Dorillian evolved along with the plot in the most natural way, and it was a great pleasure to see him come into his own at the end.

Marc Frederick’s patience needs to be studied by world leaders today, especially by a certain 47th President. His foresight, strategy and pure humanity are a template for men and women in positions of great power. From the very start, I liked the way he was portrayed: wise, understanding and infinitely patient. I’ve long thought that of the many virtues of mankind, patience ranked the highest. Marc Frederick reinforces that idea.

Stefan, on the other hand… what to say? He’s the one main character in the book who failed to evolve in any sense. He was just as annoying as Dorillian at the start, but lacked the nous to see his grandfather’s vision.

Looking forward to seeing how he develops in The Kheld King.

Writing style

L.L. Stephens is a brilliant writer, and there’s no doubt about it. The author weaves words in the unique way that only the best wordsmiths, such as Steven Erikson, know how.

It’s not the easiest writing style to follow, but for wannabe authors like me, it’s basically an opportunity to enjoy a great story and learn some writing craft in the process. Really impressive, it is.

Sordaneon is written from different character POVs that often switch up within chapters. We get a bit of an omniscient overview, but it’s still immersive enough to make it a very character-driven story.

Worldbuilding

I won’t deny that I still don’t understand everything about the world. Information about The Wall, Rill, World, Time, and the many magical artefacts and god-descended races is dumped on readers without any warning, which can be a bit jarring for readers who prefer to be eased into complex worlds.

However, as soon as you find your footing, you realise it’s a very intriguing world. It’s a bit reminiscent of Robert Jackson Bennett’s The Divine Cities, but with more fantasy than sci-fi elements.

Verdict

In previous years, I’d have finished the entire series in the time it took me to finish just this one book. Unfortunately, I can only afford to trudge along with literature at this phase of my life.

Still, Sordaneon is an excellent start to another reading year, and it’s only going to get better from here.