The Wrack By John Bierce

Storytellers On Tour Book Tour – Day 2

Storytellers On Tour – The Wrack- Tour Page…go check out the Roadies also on tour!

Official Blurb

Plague has come to the continent of Teringia.
As the Wrack makes its slow, relentless march southwards, it will humble kings and
healers, seers and merchants, priests and warriors. Behind, it leaves only screams and
suffering, and before it, spreads only fear.
Lothain, the birthplace of the Wrack, desperately tries to hold itself together as the
plague burns across it and its neighbors circle like vultures. The Moonsworn healers
would fight the Wrack, but must navigate distrust and violence from the peoples of Teringia. Proud Galicanta readies itself for war, as the Sunsworn Empire watches and waits
for the Wrack to bring its rival low.
And the Wrack advances, utterly unconcerned with the plans of men.

BOOK INFO

Genre: Epidemiological Fantasy
Published: April 23rd, 2020
Pages: 232
Age Group: Adult

For Purchase and Author Links

Review

What a read! I would like to say how impressed I was with the style and layout of the book. As you probably already know, this book involves a mysterious pandemic called “The Wrack” , a name the derives from a sort of seaweed that washes up on the shore in this fantasy world, according to a few characters who were wondering why it was called that. It is a monster of a book for just over 230 pages. The worldbuilding was masterful and complete, which I’m sure is a hard task when the story shifts from new characters, and storylines throughout.

“Those thousands, and the loves they must have had, and the labors they must have toiled at, and the places they must have seen, and of even their fears they must have had, and for the first time in a long time, his world expanded past his tower, past his beautiful little patch of desert …”
Chapter 16 was my favorite.

Some of the magic, for me started with the idea that a person, seer, has one eye removed and in turn uses different “spinels,” or gemstones carved to fit in the eye socket, in order to see the currents of the spiritual realm. And an instrument used to communicate vast distances by sending messages thru that realm were oh-so fascinating. The ability to “see” was changed, or altered depending on the type of gem, or mineral was being used. With emerald, the most powerful, and only 3 in known existence.

The types of healers are split, and have a bit of a history. The differences between Moonsworn and Sunsworn might be the only things I feel like I didn’t fully grasp as I was reading. It’s a small critique, but being honest, I wanted to mention.

“Ladreis had completely changed in a matter of days. From a boisterous, argumentative, bustling city, it had turned into a quiet, determined, and industrious one. Every order the Moonsworn gave was obeyed without question, and she’d even heard that duels had halted nearly entirely, which she’d never expected to happen.”

Although there are a couple of important, recurring characters, for the most part, each chapter drops us in to a new perspective, and allows us to see how this plague is impacting differing people, around the world. That to me was a real source of enjoyment and novelty, as each chapter was new and fresh. I enjoyed getting to see how different philosophies, social castes, sailors, madmen, and criminals experienced the Wrack.

A few of the chapters were so memorable for me, the captain’s daughter, who takes it upon herself to scale an impossible cliff, being hammered by enormous waves, had me laughing, and a huge smile on my face. Her character was one that I would love to read an entire book on.

Another that really hit me emotionally was about a man sent to the desert, as a new seer, and to translate, and send messages using the Semaphore, the device that pokes I to the spirit realm, and pass along information to a similar device down, or upstream. The emotion’s he felt, I felt. I think our current circumstances, being isolated and lonely at times had a crossover moment that led me to really imagine myself in that tower, trying to copy those names…Tears, yes, tears.

I was at times wrecked by The Wrack, but in a good and memorable way, easily 4 stars!!

I will wrap up by saying I am grateful to Storytellers On Tour for including me, and The Author, John Bierce, for writing such a great book, at a time that shows an uncanny knack for sending the future, or at least has his pulse on humanity’s current situation.

Author Information:
John Bierce is a history buff, fantasy and science fiction lover, and fan of talking about
himself in the third person. He also has a background in the earth sciences, and has
been caught licking rocks before. For science.