The Record of the Saints Caliber

White’s rough debut opens a deeply grim epic fantasy series. White has a knack for imagery, which he uses with some skill to establish a world dominated not just by angelic and demonic magic but by the grey-shaded political squabbling of mortals. A young boy’s faith in the goddess Aeoria is shaken when his parents die of starvation under a corrupt king, and he turns to a demon for help. Meanwhile, Saint Nuriel of the titular order of magical knights realizes that her fellows have long been corrupted into child-killers and sellswords. White’s biggest stumbling block is finding the right tone for this tale of betrayal, madness, and despair. The sparse comic relief comes only in the form of wildly inconsistent dialogue, which vacillates between casual modern vernacular and traditional fantasy prose. The machinations of the Saints’ world might still hold intrigue, but readers will struggle to slog past the constant and horrific depictions of sexual violence toward women and children. [em](BookLife) [/em]