Thank you so much Jeff Reid for this amazing review of Falhorne: Dark Dawn!
"Falhorne Book 2: Dark Dawn by Tristan Dineen
[Full disclosure, I read this book and wrote this review last year, but have been strategically holding onto it until the book's official release. Enjoy this blast from the past!]
Earlier this year, I read a draft of Tristan Dineen’s first entry into his Falhorne series, The World Is Burning. Now that the first book is set for publication in Winter 2022 (check out Tristan’s blog for more info), it feels timely to review the follow-up novel: Dark Dawn.
The book begins with a prelude that serves as a nice re-integration into the story. Forgetful readers like myself are given some time to re-immerse ourselves in the world and grow accustomed to the expectations and norms of the milieu. As a result, I felt invested from the start.
It likely helps that the novel starts in media res, beginning with action that follows the closing of the first book. The novel progresses through its storyline at a great pace. There are waves of action followed by character, plot development, and world-building. In some ways, the story reads as episodic, but in the best of ways. More so than in Falhorne Book I, its follow-up feels like the story gets to linger for longer stretches of time in different locations in different phases of the journey. For instance, several of the chapters take place in a prison cell, while another takes place exploring the depths of an ominous pyramid, and later there are several chapters that take place at camp as the heroes plan an assault. The first book passed by at quite a clip; the second allows more space for the scenes to breathe and it’s quite refreshing. The story still feels like it’s moving forward, but the phases of the story feel more secure. Even the scenes that might present as a ‘drag’ in other novels (e.g. the heroes hatching their plan) are balanced by moments of character development or thematic insights.
I feel that in this volume there are more memorable moments that leap out at me. I will try to avoid spoiling too much, but Tagus (our central character) is placed in a variety of situations that I found to be ethically and emotionally compelling. For instance, in one moment he must fight against slaves for the entertainment of their collective owner. It’s a moment where the combatants are there through no fault of their own yet nonetheless are required to be ruthless to one another. In another moment, Tagus must sacrifice his friend – or at least pretend to – and it’s a compelling dilemma. This book sees the culmination of several storylines hinted at in its precursor; Tagus encounters several people from his past and to avoid spoiling things I can’t mention the outcomes, but each one has an emotive power that makes the moment stand out. We also see a profound transformation, but again I cannot jump too far ahead with spoilers.
In terms of character, I think the second volume paints a much more full portrait of the central heroes and establishes a more well-rounded vision of them. This is particularly true for the central character, Tagus, who is given more depth and nuance than in the initial volume. He still retains the core of himself, but the events he faces force him into some introspection and cause some shifts in his beliefs that pay off nicely, particularly against his rigidity in Book I. My favourite character, Corrie, is a bit more absent from this volume, but other characters fill the void of her absence. The central ‘sidekick’ figures, while perhaps less emotionally-developed, are compelling additions to Tagus’ quest. There’s Suthis, a mysterious and conspiratorial lizardman with magic powers and Shaku, the minotaur, with shapeshifting tattoos along his face. These characters were welcome additions to the regular cast of characters and offered a nice counterpoint to Tagus’ proficiencies. [Incidentally, as a fan of classic JRPGs, the novel presents itself as a great template for a potential video game. There’s a clearly established quest that has to go onto various tangents as it becomes more complex, the party members have contrasting abilities and drift in and out of the team, and so on. It’s a novel ripe for adaptation.]
There’s another element in Falhorne Book II that I think makes it successful as a narrative and helps it to offer something different from the first book. In Book I, the world is established and the audience is aligned with Tagus, who already understands how things are. We are thrown into the situation and expected to pick up on what’s happening. In Book II, there are a series of events that render Tagus a “fish out of water” and the audience experiences that alongside him. It’s a nice shift in the focalization and it also gives Dineen more opportunity to develop Tagus’ character as well-rounded. As he becomes more unstable in his own world, the audience enhances our connection to him.
When it comes to the action scenes of the book, there are a few that stand out, especially when there are ethical consequences (cf. the moment where Tagus fights against slaves). Some of the bigger ‘set pieces’ are Dineen at his best. I found myself engrossed in the chapters where the heroes descend into the pyramid and the various battles that happen along the way. Adding to the drama of the battle is that the setting is established with such rich description, which is characteristic of Dineen’s work.
The end result is a really nice reflection of the years of work he’s put into this book. The story is well-constructed, the setting and imagery are compelling, and the balance of character development, theme, and action makes the follow-up Falhorne book an even stronger book than its predecessor.
For all of you fantasy fans: dive in. Happy reading!"
