A while back, I swore never to start an incomplete fantasy series. Well, here I am, swallowing my own vomit. But this time, there's no regret. Daniel T. Jackson pummels, stuns, and enthralls in a debut so good it could've come from the most seasoned pros and legends of Epic Fantasy.
If you want a book that thrills from start to finish, this is it. If you like your characters well done, tender to the taste, and delightfully delicious, you have a banquet here. And, if you want a plotline that combines all of the best elements in fantasy and serves up a brilliant combo, Illborn is the real deal.
The story is a coming-of-age adventure of four protagonists destined for greatness. They are powerful, yes. But even power comes at a cost. In exercising their powers and discovering the limits of their own strengths, they cross the lines of propriety, trying to combine good intentions with great ambition.
The four protagonists are so flawed that they almost pass for actual antiheroes.
Alanna is the daughter of a dead whore. Blessed with magical powers and a beautiful form, her powers manifest accordingly, with the ability to bewitch all who look upon her with lust. Her quest for survival soon turns into one of ambition when she realizes just how powerful she is. From there, it's a question of how high she can rise, how low she can fall, and how well she can delude herself that all her erratic actions are an absolute necessity.
On the other hand, Arion is the third son of a major Duke, learning the warrior trade in an elite military training school. His loyalties and duties stand in the way of his guilt, even as he rises in the world, making a name for himself and his family.
Will his passions delude him or be his salvation?
Corin, the Runt, is the clan outcast. Exiled in the aftermath of a disaster-causing major act of cowardice, he is forced to go into the wildlands. And there, in the company of his afflicted lover Agbeth, he discovers arcane powers, powers that transform him overnight from nonentity to tyrant.
What will he do to those who cast him away unfairly, delivering him and his woman to suffering and exile?
And then, there is Leanna. The pious priestess. A kind-hearted prude, but a brave one nonetheless. I don't want to say much about her because she's my favorite character....
I've said this before, and I'll say it again- Daniel T.Jackson writes like Feist. They both give the same "enjoy-your-read" effect.
The author writes with an easy, natural ability that is sure to keep the reader perpetually hypnotized.
But one thing is certain. The imminent convergence promises to be insane.
World-class.
