The Desecration of the World
In the sprawling fantasy novel The Desecration of the World, a dark land is pushed toward a moral quagmire, blurring the lines between good and evil.
In Armanis Ar-feinial’s fantasy novel The Desecration of the World, a magical land shudders under the unrelenting attack of a demonic army.
The continent of Alkathos has seen better days. Even its more prosperous cities feature more squalor than comfort. Then Kinasa—one of Alkathos’s oldest, most robust cities—falls to an army of darkness that’s led by the mysterious Decrepantaur. Zinasa is in danger, too, as Decrepantaur marches south to seize its elven lands.
As Decrepantaur’s terror spreads, the continent struggles to amass a defense force, leading to some unlikely alliances. These would-be warriors race to discover a means of overpowering, or at least stopping, Decrepantaur. Humans, elves, and dwarves struggle to maintain their morality and sanity in the face of the unrelenting death and destruction.
Alkathos is a gritty, dark setting; even its verdant elven lands are run-down. Elsewhere, Grento and its Kenderhell stronghold features renowned warriors, though its people also live in abject squalor, their home developed with mentions of rampant illness and terrible violence. But Decrepantaur and his legion are a force before which such troubles pale: his cabal of demons expresses undying adoration of all that is evil.
The book’s cast is staggering in number; a condensed index is provided to help the audience keep track of the characters. However, many characters have similar sounding names, and few are described in individualized or physical terms; those who fight against Decrepantaur blur together. Decrepantaur and his demonic allies are the most distinct, and most vibrant, characters in the story; their voices are colorful, and their individual motivations are explored, even beyond their goals of subjugating Alkathos.
The book’s paragraphs are formatted in a distracting way that impedes their flow. Malapropisms arise, and sections break at strange times. Conversations between characters are rough and inconsistent. Individual speakers are most often indistinguishable, though one demon, who has a lisping voice and who is eager to please his master, stands out in the mix. Few details are included to set scenes, with the exception of some horrific smells, and many of the book’s events are static as a result.
Within the epic, the human warriors of Kenderhell, the demonic army, and the elves who grapple to maintain sanity are the most anchoring forces. Their story lines come together in the book’s conclusion, which also leaves room for future series development.
In the sprawling fantasy novel The Desecration of the World, a dark land is pushed toward a moral quagmire, blurring the lines between good and evil.
Reviewed by
John M. Murray
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