Book Review: Shadow of a Dead God, A Mennik Thorn Novel Book 1, Patrick Samphire
Fantasy: Shadow of a Dead God, A Mennik Thorn Novel Book 1, Patrick Samphire
Blog Tour February 16, 2022
A mage has to eat. Unfortunately, mage powers do not seem to include conjuring food out of air, so Mennik Thorn has to work. As a freelance mage, he usually is hired to break small curses and deal with other minor magical concerns. Sometimes, he is hired to banish ghosts. It’s not glamorous, but it’s a living. Barely.
Benyon “Benny” Field makes his living through petty crime. He and Mennik have been friends since childhood and each relies upon the other. Once in a while, Benny needs magical help for a “commission” he has accepted. When someone hires him to steal a ledger from one of the three most powerful mages in Agatos, he immediately asks Mennik for help. Reluctantly, and only because of their long history together, Mennik agrees.
The two of them brazen their way into the mage’s home and find the ledger. There are wards on the ledger which Mennik is able to break. Unfortunately, there is also a curse that he missed, one that almost kills the two friends. More unfortunately, there is a macabre murder in the household almost simultaneously with the unleashing of the curse. Most unfortunately, Benny and Mennik are arrested under suspicion of committing the murder.
Patrick Samphire writes with creativity and wit. Mennik Thorn has a very sardonic view of his world. As the story unfolds, we learn more about his backstory and why he has chosen the life of a freelance mage. Thorn is loyal, sarcastic, determined, and fiercely committed to his own moral code. Shadow of a Dead God introduces the major characters whom we can assume will feature in subsequent books in the series. It is well crafted and quite funny. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would love to follow more of this unique character.
Our thanks to The Write Reads blog tours for our copy of Shadow of a Dead God, provided in exchange for our honest review as part of the celebration for the top ten choices in the Book Bloggers Novel of the Year Awards (BBNYA). The opinions here are solely those of Scintilla. For other perspectives on this novel, check out the other bloggers on this tour.
Book Review: Shadow of a Dead God, A Mennik Thorn Novel Book 1, Patrick Samphire
Great review, I look forward to reading this one!