Review of Imperial Hostage, by Phil Cantrill

[Dale]

This is an epic fantasy, spanning the life of Prince Erech from age 12 through 25 while he serves as a hostage in Poseida. In the world that the author has created, Poseida is the capital of the Empire. The vasal states of the empire are required to send hostages to Poseida in order to teach them their ways and their religion. Poseida has competing temples, each struggling for power. When 12 year-old Erech reaches the Temple of Bel, he is identified by an old crone, a seer, as the doom of the high priest of Bel, Al-Jinn. The priests of Bel spend the next week torturing and degrading Erech and then try to sacrifice Erech on the alter. He is saved by the high priest of the Temple of One, where he is taken in and cared for. Thus starts a series of events over the next 13 years of numerous failed assissination attempts on Erech's life, instigated by Al-Jinn.

The author has done an incredible job of building a fantasy world with a complex society, differing religions, and deep depth in detail. The story immediately sucks you in with tension without being graphic as to the treatment of 12 year-old Erech...the author gives you just enough information for your imagination to fill in the blanks. The characters are well-developed and three dimensional. The author spends a great deal of time showing Erech's growth throughout the years through trials, tribulation, love, and death until, finally, Erech reaches age 25.

My only complaint about this story is that there is no true story arc. While there are many scenes that show conflict and resolution, the story as a whole is a series of scenes without a true "critical choice" for the main character to make and therefore no "resolution" to the story. There are numerous references to Erech's ability to be a great leader, and hints of a cataclysmic event that is never achieved in this story. I believe that the author is setting up for a sequel, however, it leaves the ending to this story a little flat for me and leaves it no ability to stand on its own.

Overall, a nice read and the story still rates a 4 in its wonderfully graphic writing and attention to detail in its world-building.

[Amy Eye]

I am greatly looking forward to book 2 of this series. :)

[Phil]

Dale wrote: "This is an epic fantasy, spanning the life of Prince Erech from age 12 through 25 while he serves as a hostage in Poseida. In the world that the author has created, Poseida is the capital of the Em..."

Thanks for your comments, Dale. I appreciate them. Having read your and others' comments I have to agree the ending left something to be desired. Don't think I agree entirely with your comment that there "is no true story arc", but accept that, in the sense of this being only part of the whole trilogy, it left a lot of things in the air.

I also accept your comment that the story leaves no ability to stand on its own, though I don't completely agree with it -- at least, that wasn't how it was intended. Sometimes a reader sees what the author is too close to view.

I hope you're encouraged enough to read the next two books to complete the arc.

[Dale]

Hi Phil. It's great we can agree to disagree! Though I shouldn't say that it has no ability to stand on its own...maybe that was a wrong choice of words (hunh, and I call myself an author?) It *can* stand on its own, but to me I felt that there was no true resolution...well, except for the fact that Erech managed to survive his time in Poseida. I almost looked at that as the goal of the book, the event that Erech had to achieve, but it just didn't quite work for me as a critical choice for Erech in order for the story to reach its resolution, but that's just my personal opinion. I'm sure there are others besides you who disagree with that opinion.

With that being said, you have a great writing style that is so easy to read. I remember on another thread somewhere that one reader couldn't read it because of the religious bend to it. I must say that the differing religions gave so much flavor to the book...just like in the world we live in today. So for someone to say they can't read a fantasy because of the depiction of non-traditional religion is a little narrow-minded.

With that being said, I too am looking forward to the next installment!

[Phil]

Dale wrote: "Hi Phil. It's great we can agree to disagree! Though I shouldn't say that it has no ability to stand on its own...maybe that was a wrong choice of words (hunh, and I call myself an author?) It *can..."

Thanks again, Dale for the comments. You're right about there being no complete resolution. But that was never the purpose of Book 1 -- it was intended to set up the denouement that (I hope) comes in the succeeding books.

Thanks about the religious comment, too. I never intended to lampoon any religion, just to point out the differences there can be in religious faiths, particularly when they become dogmatic. It is a matter of regret to me that anyone would take a fantasy story to heart like that.

[Dale]

If that's how you intended book one, then you were spot on, because that's exactly how it read! To me it was the essence of world-building and character-creation...both rich in detail and very well done. You have a world that's believable, and characters that are imaginable.