Title: The Book of Fate’s Desire
Author: Ryan S. Hampton
Publisher: Milham Books
ISBN: 979-8988552802
eBook ISBN: 978-1088221891
Genre: Fantasy, Action/Adventure,
Availability: Paperback or eBook
Language: English
Paperback: 430 pages
Item Weight: 1.39 pounds
Dimensions:
6 x 0.96 x 9 inches
REVIEW
“The most total opposite of pleasure is not pain but boredom, for we are willing to risk pain to make a boring life interesting.” – Peter Kreeft
Varz, a powerful and glorious nation, and its leader Dranus, a powerful sorcerer-king, share a problem that many spartan-like nations deal with during times of peace, and that’s stagnation. However, after a failed assassination attempt, a strange book emerges to awaken a sleeping foe in Ryan S. Hampton’s The Book of Fate’s Desire.
To preface, I am a big fan of fantasy novels. My bookshelf is filled with books and audiobooks alike in the fantasy genre, such as the classic Lord of the Rings series, A Song of Fire and Ice series, The Wheel of Time series, The Kingkiller Chronicle series, the Mistborn series, The Licanius Trilogy, and The Stormlight Archive series, so I am always hunting for a new series or new fantasy novel to read.
When The Book of Fate’s Desire was brought to my attention I was excited to sink my teeth into its new world, characters, the system of magic, and lore in this fantasy about a bored warrior-king’s quest for artifacts and power.
The story begins when the protagonist, King Dranus the VIII, inspects his soldiers for the Lunar Assessment. We learn that Dranus is tired of it all. Tired of the pomp and circumstances, tired of the dreary role he’s been dealt, tired of interacting with nameless grey faces. King Dranus and his subjects are tired of living in a sedentary loop that King Dranus, finds “In-con-se-quen-tial.” However, all of this changes when Deleron Kaxus, the son of a man Dranus executed for marrying a Lesser woman from the Shiera realm, attempts and fails to take his life with a blade he should have never gotten possession of and a shield never seen before by the king.
During the failed plot, a peculiar book falls from Deleron’s limp body. It is here where we meet the titular book and the phrase within it that arouses Dranus’ curiosity. While examining the book, Dranus discovers that the book is all-knowing and imbued with a special power that no mere sorcery book should have. Amazed by the book and its infinite possibilities, King Dranus decides to use it for war. To whom he will wage war against, he is uncertain but knows war is imminent in his bored realm. When the book is met with suspicion and uncertainty by Dranus’ inner circle, it immediately proves its worth by revealing one of the Four Ancient Relics of Power, the Staff of the South Star, as well as its location in the bowels of the Castle Beneath the Waves.
The book also proves its worth when it foresees the rising of what is needed to locate one of the ancient relics and its location, which is the Southern Star itself. We see life returning to not only King Dranus and his inner circle but to his kingdom, as they prepare to conquer once more. The Book of Fate’s Desire brings together a wealth of lore that readers of the fantasy genre will appreciate. This includes the origins of the sorcerers, their identifiers, abilities, and the source of the world’s magic and how it’s used. This includes legendary artifacts that Dranus gathers, deepening mysteries, and revelations about the prophesied Warriors of Pyrán.
We meet some amazing characters such as Queen Luna, King Vulcan, the book itself, and others straight from the history books of Varz. Here, the world-building and lore intrigues.
One special mention is the book itself. The book, at the beginning of the story seems almost overpowered with its ability to recall maps, rooms, hidden tombs, and escape paths. It also has the ability to reveal any written correspondence from the past or present. Hampton deftly balances what could appear to be an overpowered book with its share of weaknesses. The book cannot draw knowledge or information from that which has not been written. This of course, creates its share of conflict within the story. We also learn that the book can be deactivated, such as when Dranus reaches the holy ruins of Pyrán, which has the ability to negate all magic, including Dranus’ sorcery.
Dranus is such a fascinating character and protagonist. In the first chapter, he is not a likable hero or antihero. However, as the story progresses, he becomes less sedentary and bored, evolving into a resourceful, clever, powerful, caring, honorable, adventurer and leader. During one of his quests for an artifact, Dranus reflects on himself and wonders if his old and dull self would even be capable of doing half of what he’s accomplished made me appreciate the Dranus of the first chapter and his growth as a character. There are other moments where his growth is hindered by his cold, arrogant, and callous ways, which can make it difficult to root for him. But those moments are to be expected from a warrior-king. My recommendation is not to be deterred by the bored king of chapter one, or the callous and cold king of chapter two. There’s an epic journey ahead and many mysteries to reveal in this epic adventure. Overall, I was pleased with the outcome of this story.
Ryan S. Hampton does a magnificent job building a special relationship between Dranus and the titular book. I felt that it followed the trajectory of a hesitant partnership, a sincere friendship, the near shattering of friendship, and the slow reconciliation back to friendship. The author also does a wonderful job detailing battle scenes, whether they are one one-on-one or a battle between realms. These scenes are detailed, exciting, and easy to follow. The writing offers vivid descriptions without entering into purple prose territory, which is no easy feat in a fantasy novel.
The Book of Fate’s Desire offers an engaging story with two leading protagonists in Dranus and the Book, interesting secondary characters, and develops at an excellent pace for its elaborate and detailed plot. Fantasy lovers everywhere will enjoy the world-building, the action, and the story it provides. The Book of Fate’s Desire gains a solid recommendation from me. ★★★★★ – Elijah B. (Explore Authors Magazine)