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Seiokana J B Rockwell 9781937365967 Books

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Seiokana J B Rockwell 9781937365967 Books

Seiokana picks up where J.B. Rockwell’s previous novel, Breakshield, left off. Faced with no other choice, Morgan Quendalen has brought the Jamie Aster and his unknown Talent into the Between, and Jamie is becoming accustomed to life with Quendalen’s group in the village of Boradmoor. Still, Jamie remains both a hope and a threat in equal measure as long as his Talent remains concealed and Typhon continues to pursue him—and this remains the primary source of suspense throughout the novel.

Rockwell engages in some serious world-building as we travel between many different settlements in the Between—from a land of perpetual winter, to a treehouse village of eternal fall, to a stone castle/ fort, to a lake that houses a deeply sinister relative of the Loch Ness Monster. The details are vivid without being overwhelming, and the device of magical gateways between the settlements keeps the reader from getting too bogged down in the details of geography.

As with most series, though, the bigger draw is the characters, and Quendalen’s merry band of allies at his home village of Broadmoor delivers an appealing stock of personalities. The gentle but powerful Watcher Hallea watches over the troop like a mother bird over her nest, and she wins us over right away with her protectiveness toward Jamie in particular, as he seems charmingly befuddled by the situation he has fallen into. The banter between the tricky thief Tussle and the Viking warrior Hakkon provides comic relief and familial warmth, with the cerebral Kurou bringing balance to the group. It’s easy to identify with these characters, to like them, to fear for them.

The strength of this novel lies in its accessibility. I actually came to this book before having read the first volume of the series, but I never felt that I was missing any key information; I found I could ease right into the story. The plotting is crisp and Rockwell provides just enough background to get a new reader into the loop or refresh the memory of a devotee, but the backstory is presented with maximum efficiency to allow this installment to expand and stand on its own. This installment is light on battle sequences, but there’s plenty of intrigue and the sense throughout that pieces are moving into place for a big finish.


Tags : Seiokana [J. B. Rockwell] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. “Don’t ever underestimate Typhon. He’s ruthless, pitiless, crueler than you can ever know. Crueler than you can ever possibly imagine. But most of all he’s smart. And driven. Someone to be feared,J. B. Rockwell,Seiokana,Zharmae,1937365964,Fantasy - Dark Fantasy,Fiction - Fantasy,Fiction Fantasy Dark Fantasy

Seiokana J B Rockwell 9781937365967 Books Reviews

When reading I find there are authors that are good at writing the ‘big’ story (i.e. save the world), and some—fewer—who can write the ‘small’ story, the character story. It’s rare when they can write both.
Rockwell’s characters are well drawn and interesting. I care about bit characters like Tussle and Harkon, and each are distinct. Sometimes I wish a certain leviathan might get its tentacles on Jamie, but the tenderness between Morgan and Hallea feels very real and all the more poignant when ... okay, I won’t write that spoiler. But wrapped in all of the character development is a very unique premise of an afterlife and magic, and Crossings, and old Talents that I really feel we’re just starting to get into, which is pretty amazing considering I’ve just read two books worth of it.
If I have one critique it’s that there is one hell of a big cliffhanger at the end of this and I encourage the publication of the next installment forthwith.
Oh—and more Kitsune, please. Particularly the throat ripping out Kitsune.
Seiokana by J.B. Rockwell is a delightful romp through a series of imaginary worlds—real to the people who inhabit them, but made of pure energy and shaped by the minds of their inhabitants. The various settings in this book are so well described that they almost become characters in their own right, and the tone of each place sets the stage for the types of interactions that occur there. Places that become lonely and feel empty once they are no longer inhabited is such an intriguing concept—it really speaks to the talents of this author that she could take such a fantastical idea and make it real.

The Shining Lands exist between the mortal realm and Dark Waste, which is ruled by the dark lord Typhon. A war has raged between the Shining Lands and the Dark Waste for thousands of years, a war that could shake the very foundations of reality. Even the mortal world is not safe, as more and more Talents (people with special abilities) from the mortal world are killed and claimed by the otherworldly combatants.

This book falls squarely in the center of the hero’s journey. Jamie, our hero, has begun his quest but has not fully discovered his purpose. With the help of his newfound friends, Jamie moves closer to discovering his elusive Talent, but danger lurks at every turn. The inhabitants of the other settlements are splintering as they seek to combat to the dark lord. Typhon himself has not been beaten, and has picked up new allies in his quest to capture Jamie and gain dominion over the Shining Lands. He sets in motion a plan that could devastate the Shining Lands if it is not stopped in time.

Will Jamie discover the nature of his Talent in time to help save the Shining Lands, or is he destined to become another one of Typhon’s pawns? Will he prove to be the Shining Lands’ salvation or the instrument of their destruction?

I really enjoyed this book. My only criticism is that it ended too soon—I wanted to know more about the final confrontation the end, but I suppose that’s what the third book is for. The world is really too complex to be explained in only one book, so a series makes sense.

The characters are quite well-developed. Even the minor characters felt like fully flushed-out people, which I appreciated. You also get a glimpse of the motives of the antagonists, which is helpful in developing the story. You can feel Jamie’s bumbling and uncertainty while he tries to discover the nature of his Talent, as well as Morgan’s protectiveness for his people and the surliness that comes from having lost so many of them.

They are a people at war, and yet they still remember to have fun. Because of this, the book doesn’t feel overly dark, even though the stakes are high and the characters experience very real suffering.

I eagerly await the next installment of this series.
Seiokana picks up where J.B. Rockwell’s previous novel, Breakshield, left off. Faced with no other choice, Morgan Quendalen has brought the Jamie Aster and his unknown Talent into the Between, and Jamie is becoming accustomed to life with Quendalen’s group in the village of Boradmoor. Still, Jamie remains both a hope and a threat in equal measure as long as his Talent remains concealed and Typhon continues to pursue him—and this remains the primary source of suspense throughout the novel.

Rockwell engages in some serious world-building as we travel between many different settlements in the Between—from a land of perpetual winter, to a treehouse village of eternal fall, to a stone castle/ fort, to a lake that houses a deeply sinister relative of the Loch Ness Monster. The details are vivid without being overwhelming, and the device of magical gateways between the settlements keeps the reader from getting too bogged down in the details of geography.

As with most series, though, the bigger draw is the characters, and Quendalen’s merry band of allies at his home village of Broadmoor delivers an appealing stock of personalities. The gentle but powerful Watcher Hallea watches over the troop like a mother bird over her nest, and she wins us over right away with her protectiveness toward Jamie in particular, as he seems charmingly befuddled by the situation he has fallen into. The banter between the tricky thief Tussle and the Viking warrior Hakkon provides comic relief and familial warmth, with the cerebral Kurou bringing balance to the group. It’s easy to identify with these characters, to like them, to fear for them.

The strength of this novel lies in its accessibility. I actually came to this book before having read the first volume of the series, but I never felt that I was missing any key information; I found I could ease right into the story. The plotting is crisp and Rockwell provides just enough background to get a new reader into the loop or refresh the memory of a devotee, but the backstory is presented with maximum efficiency to allow this installment to expand and stand on its own. This installment is light on battle sequences, but there’s plenty of intrigue and the sense throughout that pieces are moving into place for a big finish.