This debut novel from W. James Chan is an impressive start to what looks to be a promising series in the making. This is not your typical fantasy novel, and I find its depth quite refreshing. My review will have no real spoilers, but rather my interpretation of the plot as laid out by the book's synopsis.

The world of Kaef’re is both familiar and alien, with the story set in a land similar to ancient China. The province of Chunko has its own cultural distinctions, however. At the very start, we encounter the Night’s Own, terrifying entities not unlike vampires, who rule over and are revered by the humans of Kaef’re. We also learn of the “Talents” that the people of Kaef’re develop when they reach puberty: weak elemental abilities, or (more rarely) healing or telepathic skills.

The story of Blackcloak is an in-depth study of the main character, divided into two halves that create a third entity, just as the narrator is a similar combination of parts to create a new whole. Two separate histories are drawn from the narrator’s locked memories by Dhiana, the Mindwarp, a powerful telepath with the ability to open wide and interrogate the mind of any subject. Her interrogation allows him to return to what he really is. Both stories that the Mindwarp reveals are covered in the fingerprints of Vachaelle, the Nightsong, rival to Dhiana, and a powerful entity whose true face stays hidden throughout both tales. Both women want to shape and claim the Scourge, the Blackcloak, the man that formed as a result of two separate lives.

As the Mindwarp delves into the memories of her captive, it is up to the reader to figure out what is true, what is false, and whether knowing the truth ultimately matters when it comes to one’s self identity. Can dreams shape your life? Or do they cease to matter when you awaken?

In reading this novel, I was most impressed with the author’s ability to maintain the thread of the flow of time in a very twisting narration. Great care has been given to the timeline, in order to intertwine the two personalities’ histories at several levels. Great care has also been given to the language of the writing. While the book is “a killing romp” as advertised, it is written in elegant, often almost lyrical prose. One of my favourite lines (which doesn’t spoil anything) is “The moon was no longer just the crescent of cracked eggshell I remembered from a week ago”.

I very much enjoyed this first novel, as well as the included sample of the next, and hope that the author is able to publish on time, because I can’t wait to see what happens next!