Official Review: The Void Revealed by Stephen J. Ethier
Posted: 21 Apr 2020, 09:06
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Void Revealed" by Stephen J. Ethier.]
The Void Revealed, the first book in the Origo Essentia epic fantasy series written by Stephen J. Ethier, has at its center a split world. Windhold is sitting atop of the Spire, and the Void, the world below, has been abandoned by those above after a cataclysm wiped out most of it. Since then, the Brotherhood of the Silent Flame, the leading force in Windhold, has done everything in its power to erase the Void from anyone’s memory; everything that told its original history has been destroyed.
Now the people living in Windhold only know the myths surrounding the Void, and even those rumors are told in hushed voices. When Elise, an Aspirant who is destined to replace the Sentinel, enters the Void, she discovers that things are not quite as they seem. But what secrets is the Void hiding, and can Elise and her friend, Brand, learn the truth before it’s too late?
The premise of the book was one that pulled me in right away. I am a big epic fantasy lover, and The Void Revealed reminded me of Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn trilogy with its strong world-building. The contrast between Windhold and the world below in the basin area is stark; you get a real sense that once you leave Windhold and enter the Void, you are really somewhere else. It is a mysterious place that holds a lot of danger.
While a lot is happening in the story, it is heavily character-driven, which I enjoy in high fantasy novels. Elise, Brand, his intelligent bird Kree, and the rest of the team are real people with feelings, goals, and ideals. All gestures, actions, and decisions are meaningful, and they all lead to increasing the anticipation of what comes next. Although the book has close to 500 pages, there is no fluff included.
The love story is elegantly done, and it has its natural place in the tale without overshadowing other aspects. There are no gratuitous scenes, and everything that happens is dynamically interwoven with the plot. As usual with epic fantasy stories, intrigue and political machinations are present, although once the action gets going, the adventure takes the front seat and doesn’t let go until the end.
There is an additional aspect of the book I was drawn to: the book cover, which was created by the author himself. The cover art is on point, and it reveals enough about the two worlds to make you curious without giving you any spoilers. It has nice visuals with a refreshing image that strongly contrasts with the usual stock photos many book covers are using.
The Void Revealed is a must-read for any epic fantasy fan, so I give it 4 out of 4 stars. The grammatical errors are minor in scope, mostly dealing with punctuation issues. If you enjoy reading books by Brandon Sanderson, J. R. R. Tolkien, Robert Jordan, and Patrick Rothfuss, you will also find this novel to your liking. My only complaint is that despite the almost 500 pages, the story ended too soon.
******
The Void Revealed
View: on Bookshelves
The Void Revealed, the first book in the Origo Essentia epic fantasy series written by Stephen J. Ethier, has at its center a split world. Windhold is sitting atop of the Spire, and the Void, the world below, has been abandoned by those above after a cataclysm wiped out most of it. Since then, the Brotherhood of the Silent Flame, the leading force in Windhold, has done everything in its power to erase the Void from anyone’s memory; everything that told its original history has been destroyed.
Now the people living in Windhold only know the myths surrounding the Void, and even those rumors are told in hushed voices. When Elise, an Aspirant who is destined to replace the Sentinel, enters the Void, she discovers that things are not quite as they seem. But what secrets is the Void hiding, and can Elise and her friend, Brand, learn the truth before it’s too late?
The premise of the book was one that pulled me in right away. I am a big epic fantasy lover, and The Void Revealed reminded me of Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn trilogy with its strong world-building. The contrast between Windhold and the world below in the basin area is stark; you get a real sense that once you leave Windhold and enter the Void, you are really somewhere else. It is a mysterious place that holds a lot of danger.
While a lot is happening in the story, it is heavily character-driven, which I enjoy in high fantasy novels. Elise, Brand, his intelligent bird Kree, and the rest of the team are real people with feelings, goals, and ideals. All gestures, actions, and decisions are meaningful, and they all lead to increasing the anticipation of what comes next. Although the book has close to 500 pages, there is no fluff included.
The love story is elegantly done, and it has its natural place in the tale without overshadowing other aspects. There are no gratuitous scenes, and everything that happens is dynamically interwoven with the plot. As usual with epic fantasy stories, intrigue and political machinations are present, although once the action gets going, the adventure takes the front seat and doesn’t let go until the end.
There is an additional aspect of the book I was drawn to: the book cover, which was created by the author himself. The cover art is on point, and it reveals enough about the two worlds to make you curious without giving you any spoilers. It has nice visuals with a refreshing image that strongly contrasts with the usual stock photos many book covers are using.
The Void Revealed is a must-read for any epic fantasy fan, so I give it 4 out of 4 stars. The grammatical errors are minor in scope, mostly dealing with punctuation issues. If you enjoy reading books by Brandon Sanderson, J. R. R. Tolkien, Robert Jordan, and Patrick Rothfuss, you will also find this novel to your liking. My only complaint is that despite the almost 500 pages, the story ended too soon.
******
The Void Revealed
View: on Bookshelves
Well I'm an epic fantasy fan and will add this to my reading list! For me, before even reading the summary, it's the cover art that draws me to a book and it was certainly the amazing cover that brought me here!