The thieves of the Takers Guild plot to overthrow the kingdoms of Baelon but are thwarted by a woman with a strange gift for seeing the future. Meanwhile, retired royal guard Rolft Aerns returns to the palace of King Axil with an old score to settle. What follows is part mystery, part thriller, part fantasy piece that is an enticing setup for the future series.
Six Moons, Seven Gods by Robert Walker takes place in three main locations, though the novel largely centres itself in the village of Forestead. The story is a bit of a slow burn and takes its time for all the various point of views and plotlines to coalesce into the climax. Personally, I appreciate that, and given the complex narrative, I don’t think it could work any other way. We absolutely need the extra time for the developments to seem natural – and for the characters to chew the screen.
And speaking of those characters, Walker does a nice job here, investing extra time into making even the tertiary seem realistic. Which is great, because there are a lot of them. Of these the two primary antagonists, at least in terms of screen time, Reynard and Spiro have the most satisfying development. Their friendship, and the devious nature of their interactions, almost had me rooting for the villains at times. Luckily, Rolf and Fereliss are still worthwhile contrasts, so as the story does not feel one sided.
In a sort of Tolkieneque move, the setting itself has a lot of characterisation. Even though the imagery, and the writing favours succinct and effective over flowery, when Walker really wants to set a mood, he can bring a deft and glorious hand with his prose. Dark alleys can feel menacing. A drip of rain, miserable. And a tavern? Deceptively safe. It is a solid lynchpin to his writing style, helping keep the story grounded and believable.
However, like a double-edged sword, having a plethora of characters can lead to other problems. Namely, point of view exhaustion, and Six Moons Seven Gods, isn’t immune to this. Thankfully Walker begins each chapter with the name of the POV character. Yet, even so, I found myself lost at times, and/or jarred out of my immersion. This would have to be the one major negative.
Another issue is, again, due to the necessity of this being on the longer side of novels, the plot becomes a little bit frayed towards the end. Most novels tend to lull in the middle, and Six Moons Seven Gods hits this mark right towards the last third. Walker does however weave things back together quickly enough not to detract majorly. This is of course a difficult thing to balance, something even famous writers struggle with (Robert Jordan and your endless descriptions, I am looking at you).
Six Moons Seven Gods sums up to be a rare piece – a solid slow burn fantasy novel, in a world of fast pace/quick resolution narratives. I for one and more than thankful for the opportunity to have read Robert Walkers’s introduction to the world of Baelon. I fully believe, given enough time, readers of all ages will have equal praise.
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