Synopsis:
Roland, the Keeper of the Clock, and Gwen, the former crown princess of the Lands, are separated by 46 feet of stone. After seizing the throne from her father, King Adolphus had the Prison Maximus constructed around Gwen. She lives in a cell with no door that measures eight feet on every side, and which is centered in a structure that measures a hundred feet on every side.
One day in the seventh year of Gwen’s imprisonment, Roland returns home from his duties tending the Ebony Clock to find that someone has entered his cabin and left an unsigned letter on his table. The letter reads:
Dear Roland,
Consider five statements. Three of them are true. Two of them are lies.
1. You are the last of your kind.
2. King Adolphus is an immortal being.
3. The creatures who walk the Lands after sunset serve no master.
4. Gwen’s prison was not constructed according to specifications.
5. The Ebony Clock is not connected to anything at all.
Sort the truth from the lies, and you will be free.
With the help of allies that come to include an old friend, an elderly chemist, two disgruntled members of Adolphus’ guard, and an elf, Roland tries to make use of the new information in the beginning of a new epic from Anthony Dean, author of the Voided Man series.
Favorite Lines:
“‘I’d pay a great price to find a love like that.’…’I think you will find that it does not require a great price or a small one.’”
“A man who will give comfort to a woman who has no ability to give anything in return is the kind of man who will find love easily, although such things work on their own timetable. You’ll see.”
My Opinion:
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.
This story takes place in a fantasy world with hints dropped that it may actually be our own but something has happened to change it into the version we read about (I am waiting to see how this pans out) and follows Roland, a Keeper of the Clock, who returns home after a day of work to find a mysterious note left for him. What follows is an epic fantasy adventure while Roland tries to uncover the meaning behind the note.
While I have read several of Dean’s science fiction books, this is the first fantasy book from him that I have read so I was going into this a bit unsure of what to expect but as a fan of both fantasy and Dean, I knew I wasn’t going to be disappointed and spoiler alert: I wasn’t. As always Dean’s writing tone comes off as creative and warm. He does a great job at giving you just enough information to keep you on the edge of your seat without giving everything away, leaving you wanting more and craving answers.
I thought that the pacing of this story was just right, we get enough details to understand what is happening without too much to get bogged down in. I also thought that that character writing was well done although some characters did seem a bit too straight forward and perhaps motivated a bit too much by either good or evil. I would have perhaps liked to see some more multidimensionality to them – although that might be the exact point of the story so I think I will just have to wait and see as more details come to light later in the series.
Summary:
Overall, this was a refreshing and original plot, as all of Dean’s seem to be. He took some classic fantasy themes and made them uniquely his own for this story which I really enjoyed. Only book one in this new series, this book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger and I am excited to see where Dean takes it next. If you like fantasy, mystery, action, and adventure, then this book could be for you. Happy reading!
Check out The Clock and the Candles here!