I love fantasy reads. Loved them since I was a kid, dragons, magic, swords, the dueling, everything fascinates me. As I got older, I stopped it so much because I wanted the characters to look like me. They never did, not even a little bit. Last year, my brother praised the work of Evan Winter. My brother and I have two things in common, video games and fantasy. His recommendation of a good read carries A LOT of weight and he excitedly explained, “BRO. The author is BLACK and the people are all BLACK too. Dawg… That mug is straight ACTION. I loved it and you will too.”
Black fantasy author? I immediately started Googling and came away impressed. The guy was from Cananda, self-published via Amazon (like da lil handicapped home) and gave up his 9-5p to pursue pushing his dream as a writer. OMG. You know I had to check him out after that.
Wow. I mean really, WOW! The story tells the tale of a people facing extinction yet clinging to traditions that divide them. The young hero, Tau, faces otherworldly obstacles in his quest for vengeance.
What makes this story different and pushes it to another level is the single focus on individual revenge. The author does an exceptional job of developing a character that readers love or hate but all respect. His attention to detail illustrates this new world of Black-skinned people in bright colors and vivid emotions. I felt myself pondering the connection between the people in the story and the people of now. Was the author sending a message? Asking a question? Was he aiming to inspire self-reflection in people of color? All these thoughts were background chatter to his strength and the backbone of the entire novel. The method and manner that Evan Winter goes to draw the ACTION SCENES. *whistles* Y’all… Tau, the protagonist, was literally sewn in my imagination through his action scenes. Whether training or real, the action scenes are extended and POP off the pages. My heart would race. My pride would swell. I felt attached to Tau and thumped my chest at his dedications! Anytime a story brings me to feel emotions WITH the character’s, it gains my 5-star rating!
