ABOUT THE AUTHOR: K.R. Gangi is an independent author from Minnesota who transcribes his daydreams into stories of fantasy. The Light of the New World series is his first step on his writing journey, along with a few short stories and an endless list of projects he hopes to one day complete. There is nothing that brings him more joy than his wife, Melissa, and the books neatly shelved in what's referred to as "The Reading Room." He firmly believes that there is nothing more powerful than a good story.
ESMAY
In The Oathsworn Legacy, K.R. Gangi blends all the best elements of The Witcher (short stories) and Riyria Revelations to deliver an altogether more unique fantasy adventure full of action and heart. It’s epic, it’s fun, it’s emotional, and somehow it gives off peak nostalgic traditional fantasy vibes while also being excitingly refreshing and unlike anything I have ever read.
What starts out as a sort of self-contained short story style ‘monster of the week’ adventure following Baelin and Rawley, two brothers with a hunger for vengeance and justice, slowly morphs into a truly epic dark fantasy with some light cosmic horror vibes and world(s?)-ending stakes, and somehow it just works. The Oathsworn Legacy truly turned out to be much more multi-layered than I initially gave it credit for, and I loved how Gangi wove so much rich lore and history into this action-packed narrative in such a seamless and organic way.
Now, I am not going to lie, the first half of The Oathsworn Legacy took a lot of trust and patience on my part. The action really took centre stage and all the big important character-/relationships developments that I typically thrive on as a character-driven reader seemed to happen off page, which made it hard for me to get emotionally invested. However, Gangi really cleverly wove some ominous foreshadowing into the epigraphs, which created an looming sense of dread that kept me really eager to keep turning the pages and discover the larger picture.
And I am so glad I trusted the process, because this story really crept up on me and the second half (especially the more quiet and introspective parts narrated from Simon’s first person perspective) gave me everything I was yearning for all along. I simply adored the unconventional yet strong found family that started to develop, and especially Simon, Helgatha and Danial really stole the show for me. Despite all the darkness and danger, The Oathsworn Legacy is at its core a beautifully hopeful and empowering story about brotherhood, courage, friendship, forgiveness, sacrifice, legacy, and the power of empathy and community in fighting against evil for a more safe, just and equal world; it shares important messages that are both (frustratingly) timeless and oh so painfully timely in these current days.
I do have to admit that I only ever really felt invested in the handful of key characters who make up the found family of Oathsworn, which unfortunately lowered some of the stakes and emotional impact during the big final battle because I simply hadn't gotten the time to get invested in the wider cast of characters. However, all the most important victories, losses, sacrifices, and beautifully bittersweet twists and turns hit exactly as hard as they were supposed to, and the ending was more satisfying than I could ever have hoped for.
Despite some of my quibbles due to personal tastes, this 600+ page chonker proved to be an inexplicably smooth read that I just effortlessly devoured in only a few days. And while it works perfectly as a self-contained standalone, the epilogue gives a little enticing tease about all the many unsung heroes whose stories are yet to be told, which makes me very eager to return to this world someday to explore it in all its glory. If you like the sound of an epic fantasy in the vein of John Gwynne or Michael J. Sullivan, but told in a completely unique style, then I can’t recommend The Oathsworn Legacy highly enough!
ŁUKASZ
I admit the page count of most SPFBO X’s finalists terrifies me. The Oathsworn Legacy is on the chunkier side, but it reads surprisingly fast. Why? It’s well-written and structured more like a mini-series than a typical novel with a linear progression of the plot.
It’s made of interconnected stories, so instead of a straight shot from start to finish, each “episode” builds on the previous one but focuses on different aspects of the bigger story. Chapters introduce new players (good and evil), deepen relationships and the world. This might throw some readers off, but for me, it worked well. Especially that the characters are one of the strongest parts of the story: well-rounded, memorable, and complex.
Brothers Rawley and Baelin Terricaut, start as monster hunters but quickly become something much bigger. Along the way, they meet an excellent cast of secondary characters who all add something important to the story. My favorites were Helgatha (a witch) and Simon (shapeshifter and scribe).
The world here is definitely dark and dangerous, and I loved that. Despite bleaker moments and devastating deaths, it never turns nihilistic. The focus on strong relationships between protagonists and their found family dynamics keeps the hope alive. The magic system? There is one, and it’s beautifully vague; it hints at immense, mysterious forces without trying to explain them—and it feels perfectly suited to this world.
If there’s a downside, it’s the length and unconventional structure, which may not work for everyone. But for me, the layered narrative felt right for this story. The Oathsworn Legacy isn’t for the squeamish or impatient, but if you’re up for a long, complex fantasy that makes you care, it’s worth the read.
MIHIR
The Oathsworn Legacy reminded me a lot of Michael J. Sullivan's early Riyria titles, it also takes the approach seen in the Hanuvar series by Howard Andrew Jones. The book is a collection of short stories and novellas that are listed chronologically and give us a rousing overall story.
The main story focusses on a pair of orphans; Baelin & Rawley Terricaut who by their sheer gumption, smarts and heroism strive to help those who are unfortunately wronged, harmed or been sidelined. The stories (seventeen of them) focus on their childhood going all the way till the glorious and very emotional ending. Throughout the stories, we are shown the brothers' intelligence, heroism and strength as they try to cultivate allies, build community and try to find who/what are the Seville?
Each story gives us a peek into a different geographical aspect as well as a new ally/magical race or creature and this was fun to be able to dive into each story trying to figure where the story was going. The stories are interspersed solidly with action, banter and character growth for the readers to get invested in our main characters. The world stands on a apocryphal note and there's darkness that seems to be spreading everywhere. The author follows a Gemmellian route in showcasing that darkness can be beat and needs the shoulders of good folks to be a bulwark against it. There's also certain side characters who might end up becoming beloved such as Helgatha the vegetarian witch and Simon P. the chronicler who has a very distinct pair of eyes.
Overall the writing style is an easygoing one and the prose is very much in line with sword and sorcery stories. The stories don't offer any new twists and readers can guess to a certain extent what might be happening. However this isn't to say that this is a sub-par book, it is an enjoyable one and has a solid climax that will hit in a very emotional spot. I enjoyed how the author ended the story and yet has kept the door open to further stories within the world. However the author did a little bit more telling than showing but considering that this is a debut perhaps that can be overlooked. This is also a big book and the pacing of the latter stories does help in making it not seem so big. However some folks might loose interest in the earlier stories.
The Oathsworn Legacy is a charming and conventional sword & sorcery novel that goes into epic fantasy mode as the stories unfold. It made me smile, it pulled my heart strings, and it left me wanting to read more stories by K.R Gangi set in this world. I consider that a win and I would recommend this book to all readers looking for a fun read amidst these gloomy times.
SPFBO SCORE
7:00 AM | 
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