Duplicity of Power (Wild Heritance, #1) in Self-Published Only Club

Sep 15, 2023 Jeff Chapman rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy

Duplicity of Power is the second of S. Lynn Helton's books centered on the character of Namid that I've read. As with the first, Trial Run, I was not disappointed. Namid is a well-developed character with a complicated past that she doesn't like to share. She's content to be considered an orphan who has risen to a privileged position in an organization of thieves. As the novel begins, Namid appears to be in a comfortable and trusted position among the Shadowers.

A chance encounter puts her in to ...more

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Jul 04, 2022 Rik Ty rated it it was amazing

MILD SPOILERS AHEAD.

Well, this book offers a pretty cool deal – you can pay $4.99, read for a half hour a night, and go on a two-week adventure with an expanding cast of enjoyable characters. Let’s go!

The pace of DUPLICITY OF POWER is steady and quick. The book starts out one night in a public part of town – a tavern. We meet a young woman, Namid, who is seated in her usual spot, with her back safely tucked against the wall, watching calmly whatever there is to watch. She observes a minor scuffl MILD SPOILERS AHEAD.

Well, this book offers a pretty cool deal – you can pay $4.99, read for a half hour a night, and go on a two-week adventure with an expanding cast of enjoyable characters. Let’s go!

The pace of DUPLICITY OF POWER is steady and quick. The book starts out one night in a public part of town – a tavern. We meet a young woman, Namid, who is seated in her usual spot, with her back safely tucked against the wall, watching calmly whatever there is to watch. She observes a minor scuffle between two patrons at the tavern’s entrance, and this interests her because Namid is sensitive to “power” (magic), and there is something “powerful” about one of the weapons the smaller of the patrons carries.

Namid interrupts the fight before it escalates too far, not truly out of altruism, but in order to learn a little more about the weapon if she can. Events play out naturally, and the characters we meet first, all begin the story as adversaries. The opening few scenes are very smart, giving us plenty of action and insights in very few pages – and before this little cluster of antagonists can completely go their separate ways, Helton puts the city under an attack – an attack that is very unusual, and very spectacular (I absolutely loved it). The attack leaves all characters running for their lives, trying to get to the city gates before the gates are closed (thrilling!).

After the gates are closed, life is instantly altered for most of the characters we’ve met. They are completely cut off from everything they are accustomed to, spilled out into the woods, trying to figure out how to survive, and what to do next. The character with the power-filled sword is on a mission in the local area (the same area where any survivors of the attack are likely to be). This person with the power-laden sword also has money that might buy food and provisions, so the adversaries put aside their differences and agree to help, laughing that they are now on a “quest”.

The quest targets areas in the local vicinity – expanded to include several neighboring lands. It involves a few cities, constant travel, and hardship. The author keeps the action steady. As the group of travelers grows, they scoff at the idea of prophecies, but live through enough coincidences to suggest the prophecy connected to their story might actually be true. The author structures the idea of quest and prophecy as something like a detective story – as every piece of the puzzle is uncovered, it comes with a price – either conflict with the group holding the puzzle piece, or with the groups whose territories the questors must travel through – something is always happening in this story, and the book is short. Helton doesn’t linger on any scene very long, even when the scene is spectacular. (There are four major cities in this story – two are normal (though one is overrun spectacularly), and two are outrageous (I just deleted my descriptions of them) – fantastic concepts! But again, not lingered on.) Let’s see if I can give some opinions without spoiling anything: I thought the Sy’shythys was great. I thought the scenes in Nazextas were amazing – fun to visualize, and fun to read. I thought the idea of how Corentris was constructed was a welcome surprise, and a perfect physical match for the character of the city – and I enjoyed all the twists and turns that happened between Namid and Aahems. There. Commentary without actual spoilers.

As the book neared its end, pacing suggested the story might conclude with a cliff-hanger. But it doesn’t. This is a valid stand-alone book. The ending, in fact, surprised me (always welcome). There is one thread left dangling at the conclusion, but it doesn’t have anything to do with the original mission. The story is complete. The band of survivors disperse. But…

…we’d like to know what happens next.

So yes, get this book! Take the adventure. The author never wastes your time and rewards it with plenty of great ideas. I’d mention them, but they’d be SPOILERS. I already gave some of the great ideas away, but there are plenty more. Enjoy!
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Apr 24, 2023 Seth Hobbs rated it really liked it

If you enjoy a good thriller or fantasy, you will likely get what you came for with Helton's books. In this installment, we meet Namid, who is a local thief that gets more than she bargained for, upon intervening in someone else's business. There is a nice touch with magic in this world, and while the world isn't as big as some I have encountered, it is interesting enough to keep the reader involved, with plenty of action and suspense. Pieces of a complex puzzle start to come together, as we con ...more

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Dec 19, 2021 Gary Stringer rated it really liked it

Let me begin with my usual disclaimer: Although I read this as part of the Self Published Only group, this was a verified Amazon purchase, not an ARC.

The main strength of Duplicity of Power, for me, lies with the characters. They are diverse, distinct and entertaining. Each with their own reasons for doing what they’re doing and growing together as a team, a group of friends and perhaps more as they travel together.

There’s a strong RPG feel to this book, which appeals to me enormously. The way t ...more

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