Fogbound: An Unusual Sort of Review

The reason this will be a bit outside the box is because I didn’t do my homework, and had no idea until I received a copy of this from the author that the names and places in this book are totally invented — and this is BAD, according to my dyslexia. So, I spent a lot of my reading time coming up with replacement names for the characters and cities that I could pronounce in my head. I had this idea about writing my review applying this method, and I’ve already cleared it with the author, so, special disclaimer as we get started here: My description of the plot and themes will be accurate, but I’m not going to use the real character/place names. So, if you choose to read Fogbound (and you should, by the way), just be aware that it’s not really about Steve and Bob from Townsville.

(From here on out, the * after the introduction of a character means that’s what I’m calling them.)

Fogbound is a fantasy in the epic style — think Middle Ages/Europe-inspired setting, vast tracks of land, great war, no modern technology — focusing on the accidental soldier who’s really called Zercien, and his best friend Evuard, and they’re from the city of Entervia. Hence, why I will be referring to them for the rest of this post as Steve and Bob from Townsville. (Thank you again, Nick!)

So, anyway, in this traditional epic fantasy setting, a war has been raging, for a long time, and Townsville isn’t doing so great at winning it. Steve is a history teacher at a school for the children of the nobility, and he absolutely isn’t the person you’d expect to willingly enroll in the army — and even more so, turn out to be a star recruit. That’s because Steve is actually being influenced by the spirit of a long-dead military hero, Holunt (real name!).

Bob is a little miffed when Steve aces his entrance exams and is rushed off to basic training, as Bob is the one who’d really like to be off defending Townsville. Steve doesn’t understand how the spirit influence really works, and none of this is his idea — he’d much rather keep teaching from textbooks and hang out at home with Lila*, his beloved other half. Of course one of the hardest parts of his alter-ego-with-a-mind-of-its-own landing him in the war is the fact he might very well die and never see Lila again.

Steve and Lila’s relationship was honestly one of my favorite things about this book. They’re an established couple, so there aren’t any awkward will-they-won’t-they scenes, and the romance runs smoothly on their connection. Lila can tell when Steve’s hiding something from her; he doesn’t want to let her down, but also hates to lie to her; his driving motivation to get out of this army stint as fast as possible is coming home to her. They behave like a pair who have been together a while, and are just in love and want a peaceful and happy life together. It was refreshing to read a fictional romance without any unnecessary angst.

So, after Steve’s secret advanced skills are discovered when he arrives at the barracks, he’s immediately assigned to a special mission under the command of General Tom*, and when that goes horribly awry, the King of Townsville decides to put Steve on a particular task force, with the goal of neutralizing the unexpectedly super-extra-perilous threat they’re now facing.

Steve is allowed to choose his companions on this incredibly-secret-task-force, and naturally Bob is his first choice. Bob’s significant other, Kelly*, runs a market stall and is friends with Lila. The ladies are ready to stand up for themselves while Bob and Steve go forth for the King.

The boys also select Fin* (actually pretty close!), a local scholar raised by a priest after his father went missing; and Lloyd (REAL NAME!), who’s a totally badass mercenary known to the Townsville army. They’re joined by the Captain of the City Guard, Aiden* (again, pretty close!) — who, I have to say, was my FAVORITE character. Aiden made me think of Alucard from Castlevania, for some reason, of his desire to do the right thing and stick to his duty, even when his personal demons were threatening to overwhelm the sense of obligation. Without going into spoiler territory, there’s a part where Something Bad Happens, and the group Gets Split Up, and Aiden won’t stop not just until he’s back with everybody else, but until he’s found reinforcements to protect the people of Townsville. He even has to give this speech about heroism and what’s worth fighting for and why you keep going when it’s bleak and GAH! I love this man!

The subplot of Fin and what happened to his father and how that tied in to the Bigger Picture of the Epic/Vast Lands/War and magic system of the world added a lot of depth and excitement to the premise as well. The first half is a bit slow, and there’s a fair amount of exposition, but it sets the stage for the action that ramps way up from about 70% on. There is definitely blatant violence — think Game of Thrones-ish in terms of stabby-slicy and gore — so just be prepared for that. (That one part early on with the Boil-Faced Man almost did my sensory dysphoria in, sir!) And there are a few twists that I have a feeling some readers may be shouting at Mr. Alexander for… (It’s all about the character development. I get it. But I still gasped in shock.)

Before I close, I’d be remiss not to mention the subtle undertones of the importance of mental health that’s woven throughout this story. Since Steve isn’t really in control of the spirit of Holunt, there are many times when he’s basically forced into actions he normally wouldn’t take, and the longer he goes with his alter-ego taking the reins, the more he starts to become unsure of how much of his own life he’s in fact living. This situation does come to a head, and I can’t say anything about how that goes without dropping big spoilers, but the prevailing theme is not losing yourself when circumstances drastically change, and coming to understand what that deep, down core of YOU is, no matter the external influences. Most of my life, I was encouraged to cover up or tone down or flat out change what made me ME, and the message in the last act of Fogbound that no one but YOU gets to make the choice of who you’ll become was so very appreciated.

If you’re interested in N.J. Alexander’s debut, it is available on Amazon, paperback or digital!