R.A. Denny. Seekers (Mud, Rocks, and Trees, Book 2). Amazon Digital Services LLC, 2017. See here to buy the book.
Seekers is the second book of R.A. Denny’s “Mud, Rocks, and Trees” series. Zoltov is the evil ruler of Tzoladia, and the heroic refugees of the first book are continuing their quest to that region.
Seekers was interesting particularly because of its religious element. I critiqued the first book of the series by saying that I did not recall it clarifying what was at stake in terms of the characters’ religious beliefs. The second book explored that territory a lot more. The heroic characters explicitly rely on the high God Adon. A new syncretist cult is set up in a region, as it merges deities and promotes human sacrifice. The old pagan cult is somewhat romanticized in this book, while still rejected. While the new pagan cult is depicted as horrible, the book still provides a rationale for its positions.
There were compelling aspects of the story. The lormonkeys were continually looming in the background, adding a sense of tension. The end of the story, “Welcome to Tzoladia,” was dramatic. Characters also surprised other characters, who stereotyped them in reference to their specie or group. There were some elements of the story that I did not understand: the people who were hibernating, and the people who wanted to kill the people who were hibernating. The lack of understanding may be due to my inattentiveness, but perhaps some recap would have made that aspect of the story clearer.
The pictures of the main protagonists at the beginning of the book were definitely helpful, as they laid out the type of species they are and assisted me in having a mental picture of them as I read. The pictures provided a comfortable lead into the story.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. My review is honest.
Seekers is the second book of R.A. Denny’s “Mud, Rocks, and Trees” series. Zoltov is the evil ruler of Tzoladia, and the heroic refugees of the first book are continuing their quest to that region.
Seekers was interesting particularly because of its religious element. I critiqued the first book of the series by saying that I did not recall it clarifying what was at stake in terms of the characters’ religious beliefs. The second book explored that territory a lot more. The heroic characters explicitly rely on the high God Adon. A new syncretist cult is set up in a region, as it merges deities and promotes human sacrifice. The old pagan cult is somewhat romanticized in this book, while still rejected. While the new pagan cult is depicted as horrible, the book still provides a rationale for its positions.
There were compelling aspects of the story. The lormonkeys were continually looming in the background, adding a sense of tension. The end of the story, “Welcome to Tzoladia,” was dramatic. Characters also surprised other characters, who stereotyped them in reference to their specie or group. There were some elements of the story that I did not understand: the people who were hibernating, and the people who wanted to kill the people who were hibernating. The lack of understanding may be due to my inattentiveness, but perhaps some recap would have made that aspect of the story clearer.
The pictures of the main protagonists at the beginning of the book were definitely helpful, as they laid out the type of species they are and assisted me in having a mental picture of them as I read. The pictures provided a comfortable lead into the story.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. My review is honest.