Orion, a student of the Academy, a school that trains devotees of the god Aarus, is about to have his eighteenth birthday. Trained to be a Chronicler, a historian who travels from town to town documenting important events, he is looking forward to his new life after graduation. There is only one hitch: every student of the Academy who turns eighteen is required to take a turn at attempting to pull a magical sword from an obelisk. Whoever is successful must set out on a perilous quest to find and kill the False One, a mysterious being who attempted to overthrow Aarus a millennia ago.
Much to everyone's surprise, and his own dismay, Orion is chosen as the next Quester and is soon sent out on his journey. He meets Cassi, a feisty young blacksmith, who joins him on his quest, and together they must face the killer Shadows who haunt the forest along the way. As they hunt for the False One, with danger around every corner, Orion knows only too well that no peer who set out on this quest before him has ever returned to tell the tale.
In this fantasy series opener, a student who seeks a scholarly life gets chosen for a dangerous mission.
Orion, 17, has studied at the Academy since he was a child and lost his parents. His best friend, Trey, is training to be a Kunsa, a guardian; his oldest pal, Arianna, is planning to be a priest; and Orion is preparing to be a “Chronicler,” someone who studies everything in the world. At the end of their time at the Academy, all of the students must try to pull a sword from an obelisk. A victorious student must leave on a quest for the False One. The False One tried to usurp the True God many centuries ago in an epic war and now it is up to the “Chosen One” to vanquish him. All of those selected have failed, and each time, the blade reappears in the stone, waiting for the next warrior. Everyone is surprised when Orion pulls the sword out and he is doubtful of the quest’s purpose as well as scared of dying. As he continues down the path the sword shows him, he enters a forest like the one his parents were killed in. While facing peril, he is rescued by a spirited young woman named Cassi. She’s lived in the forest her whole life but dreams of something more thrilling to fill her days. Now, she wants to join Orion, and he is happy to have the company, but his concerns about the False One make him worry for her safety. Sereda is a masterful storyteller who has crafted an exciting world with depth and complexity. The milieus of the Academy and the farms, forests, and cities beyond are captivating and create wonderful settings for Orion’s intriguing journey. Orion is a striking hero who is relatable in his self-doubt and fear of looming dangers (“He certainly did not feel honored to be chosen. He wondered if anyone else had felt like he did about being ‘the Chosen One.’ Had any of the previous Questers wished they could just put the sword back and pretend this never happened?”). This is a thoroughly enjoyable fantasy adventure with a gut-punch of an ending that will satisfy genre fans.
A fun, rousing quest tale with a compelling hero.
