View from Valhalla

Title: Oblivion
Author: Andy Blinston
Genre: Fantasy
Published: 2020
Located: Amazon
Formats Available: Audiobook, dead tree and ebook
Rating: PG for disturbing scenes of violence with several involving children

It’s been a while since I’ve added a review to the blog. It isn’t that I haven’t been reading, it’s just that I haven’t been reviewing. To be honest, many of the books that have existed on my iPad in the last year are from big name authors that have budgets for advertising and much had all ready been said about them. I mean, who really needs another Dresden review? (But seriously, if you do, let me know.. I guess I can write them up too.)

What I haven’t done lately is follow through on my inclination to read more indy published or self published authors. I believe Mr. Blinston falls into this category and I am aware that he is currently publishing on Amazon through their KDP program.

So, on to the review.

Synopsis:

Once a god.

Now a target.

They stole the greatest part of him, and he damn well wants it back. 

Waking confused on a still battlefield, Darius knows he must be a great fighter, because all around are the bodies of lesser warriors. As he gathers himself up, he has but a singular memory that haunts him. 

There’s only one more thing he knows. 

He wasn’t just a god… 

…but an assassin of gods. 

In the midst of a centuries-old war between the human empire and savage invaders, Darius finds his name uttered with terror and curses by both sides. 

How do you fight when you don’t know on which side you belong? 

Follow Darius, his loyal panther, and the secretive Alexandra in this dark fantasy series as they’re hunted by a sinister enemy who wants to finish what he started. (Stolen from the Amazon listing for the book.)

Review: I am a subscriber to the BookBub listserve. Once a day, I get an email from BookBub with book titles that are currently on sale, free or drastically reduced. The recommendations are based on my preferred reading types on their site. I was made aware of BookBub by my favorite author, (who also happens to be self published) Nathan Lowell. Mr. Blinston’s novel was suggested to me and, I admit, the cover immediately grabbed my attention. A good cover is hard to deny, and Mr. Blinston’s novels do indeed have extremely professional covers. Once I read the above synopsis, I figured it was worth the loose change in my pocket to give it a shot. I’m glad I did.

Characters: Darius is hard to peg. Without spoilers, it is safe to say, that Darius quest for identity initially makes him a bit of a blank slate. He has no passions and yet is easily angered. Initially, he’s not a sympathetic character, but regardless, I found him intriguing. Lyra, his panther, needs to have a larger role in forthcoming books, and I’ll leave it at that. Lex (Alexandra) has many secrets making it something of a chore to know whose side she is really on.

Suffice it to say, that singularly, I don’t know if any of the characters from Oblivion would rank highly with me, but as a cast, taken as a whole, I became very interested in where the story was going, and found myself routing for Darius as the novel unfolded.

Plot: I’d characterize Oblivion to be a quest driven book. However, it isn’t your normal quest, and it isn’t your normal questing party. As you travel with Darius, you’re unsure who is the hero, and whom is the villain. I truly dislike anti-heroes, so I admit to being a bit concerned at different points along the way. Darius’ quest is to find himself. The part of himself he woke up missing. I will state that I was a bit surprised with how Mr. Blinston found an ending to this first book in this series.

Recommendation: I really enjoyed Oblivion and found it read very quickly and left me wanting more. Let me speak just a bit about the “more”.

There are many storylines introduced in Oblivion that are not tied up by the final page. I sincerely hope that they are addressed by the end of the series. However, since only the first two books (Oblivion and Viridian Legion as well as a prequel short story) currently exist, I have a feeling that it might be awhile until I find out. (Yes, Viridian Legion is currently on my iPad.)

There is a feeling of the Roman Legionnaires being dropped into a fantasy world with this novel, though there is not a lot of world building. I do hope for more character study in future novels in the series, but am comfortable giving Oblivion a two out of two raven recommendation. Both Huginn and Muninn enjoyed it, though Muninn was a bit more pensive.

You can find out more about the author of Oblivion, Andy Blinston at https://andyblinston.com

~ by odin1eye on 12 January, 2021.

Posted in books, Reviews