The Necromancer’s Bargain by Latilya Sivar
3 stars
(Excerpt from Amazon) Any resident of Midgar could tell you the tale of the War of the Dead. The tale tells of a monstrous necromancer that came out from the forsaken forest with an army of the dead to slaughter the world of men. It is a story of ancient villains, and young heros, and the story defines Midgar’s character as a nation.
But is the story true? As Midgar prepares to take the war to the necromancer for the first time in generations, the truth about the ancient conflict becomes even more important. But truth is a slippery thing, lost to the passage of time. Our narrator seeks to detail the conflict from a new angle, after finding some alarming information in his ancestor’s old records.
The Necromancer’s Bargain takes place in the days leading up to the War of the Dead, and follows the story of a woodcutter named Drel, who is about to find himself embroiled in events that will change the course of history.
The story begins with Thorlin’s Point. This is a little village in the forest that’s sole income comes from the wood harvested from the forest and is purchased by the neighboring kingdom of Thelryn. But the lords of Thelryn have stopped buying the wood and Thorlin’s Point is on the verge of economic failure.
Drel is on of the residents of Thorlin’s Point that has a strange encounter with some wolves that lead him to a necromancer. The necromancer tells Drel that there is an army coming to eliminate Thorlin’s Point. But, with Drel’s help, the necromancer is offering to help Thorlin’s Point.
This is the beginning of the War of the Dead series. I felt this was an okay beginning to a series. I admit that I read the synopsis and thought the story was going to be completely different than it was. I think the synopsis is the idea behind the whole series. This story is more of the beginning to the War. I say that because the necromancer seems like he is on the good side when you read this story.
I was also a little confused on the whole character traits, especially with Sveria. There is a reference to her needing blood but no explanation except what is hinted to during battle and I still don’t understand the purpose.
Over all it isn’t too bad of a beginning story. There could have been better development but it was the beginning to the series and those stories are a little rough. Have to say that it was an interesting read, but not one that I’m going to be keeping.
I received this book for free from Book Rooster in exchange for an honest review.
