Child of the Daystar by Bruce O’Conner, ebook, Lulu Publishing, 11-16-2015, 280 pages, fantasy, Wings of War series, book 1 of 4.
In the mood for fantasy, which you may recall I said in this blog in January that I planned to read more of, I turned to this, the first of a four volume fantasy series in ebook format.
Raz I’Syul Arro is a male atherian, a sort of giant humanoid lizard, but of the rarest variety because he has wings. As an infant, he is rescued from slavers by a nomadic clan living in the Cienbal desert. The clan adopts and raises him as human, teaching him human language and in particular to keep his savagery in check.
However, following the death of his adopted “parents” he vows revenge, becoming a ruthlessly efficient killer for hire, bent on vengeance and murderous retribution against all slavers that he can lay his hands on. He is known as the Monster of Karth (one of the Fringe Cities of the desert) and is stronger, faster, more ferocious and more agile than humans, adding his tail, claws and teeth to his sword, dagger and armor.
While there are battles, sometimes somewhat gory, the best aspect here is Raz I’Syul Arro’s personality. Also the world building, the mostly desolate desert and rock world, is well done.
There is a secondary plot, which will no doubt meld with the first in the next books, involving a peace-centric cult, one of whose members Raz saved in a battle.
I enjoyed this quite a bit, and intend to get back to the series soon.
When Perry Mason meets Mrs. Carl Newberry on a vacation cruise, she is a woman desperately interested in saving face. For she and her husband are newcomers to the ranks of the rich, and they’re sparing no expense at helping their daughter, Belle, make a successful splash in the right social circles.
