cover image Stranger of Tempest: The God Fragments, Book 1

Stranger of Tempest: The God Fragments, Book 1

Tom Lloyd. Gollancz, $24.99 (480p) ISBN 978-1-4732-1317-3

Dark humor and mayhem are the order of the day in Lloyd’s enjoyable epic fantasy series launch. Interwoven multiple point-of-view characters and timelines immerse the reader immediately in the action, while allowing for gradual revelations about the world and greater context. Soldier and occasional mercenary Lynx brings both muscle and strategic skills to the Cards, a merc team led by commanders Anatin and Payl. The book opens with a rescue gone awry that gets the Cards in trouble with the religious Knights-Charnel, and soon the mercenaries are fleeing a number of dangerous enemies. Lynx was an increasingly reluctant participant in the wars of conquest of his native nation, So Han, and this history lends depth to his character. Lloyd (the Twilight Reign series) makes good use of limited magic, mostly in the form of creatively deadly weapons, and the detailed battle scenes will keep readers engaged, even when the pace falters a little in the final third of the book. Agent: Simon Kavanagh, Mic Cheetham Literary (U.K.). (Sept.)