Of Rooks & Ravens (Razorgirl Press, 2017) by MSJ alum Nathan Crowder is the story of a reawakened god and the havoc she wreaks on a town of necromancers and their undead hordes. It involves political intrigue, navigating unknown cultures, and plenty of fights against the undead.
Preston, the main character, is the estranged daughter of the chief necromancer of the city of Ravensgate. Her studies at the college in Ravensgate have focused on the natural world, particularly birds, and she has little interest in necromancy or the undead. But when the believed dead god awakens, shifting the balance of power in Ravensgate, Preston attempts to escape the town with some of her acquaintances. Though she is ultimately successful, she winds up thrown together with Yuri Vostov, the college’ professor of strategy, as they navigate through the labyrinthine corridors of power in the Caliphate of Dust and plan the best way to liberate Ravensgate.
The story is filled with twists and turns, all embedded within an atmospherically dark setting. The story is told from Preston’s perspective, but even the secondary characters are well developed. And the locations are richly detailed, filled with the sort of features that make you feel like they could be a real place.
If you’re a fan of George R. R. Martin’s Song of Fire and Ice series, you owe it to yourself to check out Crowder’s Of Rooks & Ravens for another tale of political machinations. Of Rooks & Ravens is available at Amazon.
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