Master of Sorrows

Game designer Call inverts fantasy tropes in this sprawling, slow-moving debut, the first in the Silent Gods series. At the Academy of Chaenbalu, magic is feared and tightly controlled. Academy acolyte Ainnevog “Annev” de Breth was born with no left hand, which is widely considered to mark him as a son of the dark god Keos. Ancient Priest Sodar saved Annev from being killed as a baby and has helped him to conceal his difference during his childhood at the academy. As Annev prepares for the Test of Judgment, which will determine his ability to become a master avatar, or warrior thief, tasked with stealing magical artifacts to place them under the Academy’s protection, he contends with threats from his fellow students; his attraction to the headmaster’s daughter, priestess Myjun; and his dark magical impulses. Call’s worldbuilding is impressive, but often bogs down in minutiae. A late-stage reveal and violent climax nicely set up book two, but the dense storytelling and plodding beginning will lose impatient readers before they get there. Agent: Danny Baror, Baror International. (Feb.)