JONATHAN

I actually had to look up the last word of this title. I’d always seen it phrased as, “forebearers,” and “forebears” made me think of bears who happened to be out in front. As it turned out, there are some gruff, talking bears in this story, so it works.

FotF concerns the kingdom of Avaron, where a rebellion is underway. The land is populated not just by humans, but centaurs, talking animals (nostkynna), evil animal spirits (saja), human sorcerers twisted by the evil source (vojak), and a host of other factions. The principles are Kura, a young woman living on the outskirts of civilized lands and who fancies herself a rebel agent/provocateur, and Triston, prince of Avaron, and son of the man who seized the land by the sword.

The best facet of the book is probably in the world-building, which is dripped out in suitable fashion. There are a lot of words (per above) introduced and it can get confusing at times, though a glossary at the back helps. The historical backstory serves as a good foundation for the multi-layered conflict here and blood-feuds seem to run pretty deep, giving the antagonism between parties a nice, visceral feel. The world feels like it has a fairly fleshed-out mythology lurking under the surface, though we’re only given glimpses of the physical aspects of it.

I should add that though there is a lot of fighting in the book and a handful of scenes with graphic violence, this is a relatively clean read, with little swearing, and no sex or what I would call “adult-oriented themes,” so this is a book that can appeal to a wide audience.

I thought the plot was coherent and logical but anyone who’s read a lot of epic fantasy will recognize the well-worn tropes employed and the major plot points were fairly predictable. There are a ton of battle sequences—too many, actually. It almost felt as if every time things slowed to allow some character development to occur, the plot panicked and threw in an action scene to speed things up again. I lost track of the number of eleventh-hour arrivals of the cavalry (or the in-world equivalent) to haul the heroes out of whatever fire they found themselves in.

My biggest struggle came with the characterization. I didn’t have any basic objections to Kura or Triston but for the most part, I felt like they were just … there. Kura shows a fair bit of poise and determination on the battlefield but between fight scenes, she often comes off as lost and unsure of herself. If she had started this way and grown, that would have been fine but I thought she was about the same come the end of the story. Triston fares a little better, though his development is brutal and felt more forced by the events of the plot than personal introspection. The primary antagonist is the original Placid Man, who displays little emotion at any point in the tale, to the point of coming off as rather flat. The supernatural antagonist has more verve but is a rarer presence. By the end of the story, I found myself not worried about what happened to any of the main characters, which made me think I just hadn’t connected with them.

FotF isn’t a bad book and the end leaves some unanswered questions for the future (which, sadly, are unlikely to be answered now). It just wasn’t one that resonated strongly with me.

LUKASZ

Fire of the Forebears is...rough. There's probably a solid story here, but sadly, in its current form, it didn't appeal to me. I enjoyed the world-building and some of the ideas but somewhat forgettable characters and a predictable plot decreased my enjoyment.

While the book offers a level of closure it leaves some questions unanswered and I think potential readers should know the series won't be finished - the author passed last year.

Now, I know my "review" sounds brutal in these circumstances and I wish I could tell you more about things I enjoyed in the story but I'm always frank. Ultimately, Fire of The Forebears has a solid story inside but in its current form, it's too rough to leave a more lasting impression.

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