{"id":5798,"date":"2026-03-12T12:51:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T12:51:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/?p=5798"},"modified":"2026-03-12T12:51:00","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T12:51:00","slug":"talismans-by-craig-p-miller","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/?p=5798","title":{"rendered":"Talismans by Craig P. Miller"},"content":{"rendered":"

A sweeping fantasy where power and survival collide in a vast, engrossing world<\/strong><\/h3>\n

You might think of Brandon Sanderson\u2019s sprawling universe and intricate logical magical systems for your fantasy doorstoppers, but lately, I\u2019ve been diving deeper into William Jackson Bennet\u2019s Foundryside<\/em>, where magic is almost like computer code but with a dark and twisted secret.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Now, I\u2019ll be adding author Craig P. Miller and Talismans <\/em>to my list of great worldbuilders\u2014<\/em>but not just for its layered realization of magic forces or scientific view of magic. Like those other excitingly original works, Talismans <\/em>stands out for the philosophical questions it poses through richly imagined worlds: namely, what happens when power exceeds understanding? And when those systems of power were built to help oppressive powers last, what happens when they collide with a person\u2019s ironclad will to survive?\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

Those ideas constantly swirl in the story of Borman, whose worldview feels formed almost entirely by obtaining power to survive. After all, he was mutated in body and ability to become a True Lord and escape slavery.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As a True Lord, he is gifted with expanded talents to sense environmental threats, command obedience from other Bound people, and more. Those abilities have limits, though, and that\u2019s when he and others use tools called Talismans, magical constructs designed to manipulate and stabilize fundamental\u2014even elemental\u2014forces in the world.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When Borman physically joins himself to a rare Talisman to save himself from dying, he comes into direct conflict with the world\u2019s most powerful forces, and might be capable of unraveling them completely.<\/p>\n

While Borman\u2019s is the storyline that anchors and moves so much of this world\u2019s events, Talismans<\/em> is every bit the wonderfully dense, high fantasy ensembles its inspirations are.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Throughout, readers will meet figures like Oro, invested in keeping the ancient systems alive, and Ross, a counterweight to Borman who seems to understand power should not be sought (or, at least, that sometimes limitations exist for a reason). Together, they inhabit the Antipodes, and the book breathlessly immerses readers there as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n

From the earliest pages, Talismans<\/em> makes the world feel big, full, and bewildering by refusing to orient readers. During an early hunt, for example, authority and violence are presented as normal, atmospheric events of the world, rather than plot points: \u201cIf it\u2019s honor you seek\u2026 There is no honor in eradicating vermin, just an obligation.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> The line arrives without offering context, with the underlying intent that readers should understand they are not in a kind, forgiving land. That reliance on audiences to study the language and flesh out the world with what they\u2019re given applies throughout, on Talismans, on Bindings, on Quathiels. Attention to interaction with, use of, and consequence from the world are rewarded, making Miller\u2019s book an active and engaging experience in the process.<\/p>\n

What attracts me most to the book, however, is its treatment of magic. It is, for me, Talismans\u2019<\/em> biggest strength. Miller isn\u2019t interested in magic as spectacle. He treats it as a working system, with layered steps, sequencing, and interlocking components that have to be held in the mind correctly to function at all. When the book gets specific about how talisman craft actually works, it does so in a way that foregrounds process rather than an etherial, esoteric atmosphere: \u201cThe syntax was now clear. It operated like a coda in a written piece of music. Ross cycled the water through the initial Pukana until it was pure, and then the coda passed him through to the next passage.\u201d <\/em><\/strong>That is the book at its best, because it shows magic as something with big internal logic that makes it feel possible, while also tying back to the story\u2019s overarching themes.<\/p>\n

Miller\u2019s creative choices and ambitious scope make Talismans: Quathiel\u2019s Dance <\/em>an engrossing and thoughtful read that should hold audiences rapt and eager for the next installment.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The post Talismans by Craig P. Miller<\/a> appeared first on Independent Book Review<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A sweeping fantasy where power and survival collide in a vast, engrossing world You might think of Brandon Sanderson\u2019s sprawling universe and intricate logical magical systems for your fantasy doorstoppers, but lately, I\u2019ve been diving deeper into William Jackson Bennet\u2019s Foundryside, where magic is almost like computer code but with a dark and twisted secret.\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5798","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bookreviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5798"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5798"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5798\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5798"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5798"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5798"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}