The Day’s Wake

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We last left the world of Matteo’s Lands with the arrival of a prophecy, the Day of Ascendancy, when the world makes a full circle, and all those on its surface are turned on their heads, and then, eventually, turned back to a normal setting where the sky is up and the ground is below. The first book in the trilogy, A Tale of Infidels, brought us to a wonderful cliffhanger, and now in the sequel, The Day’s Wake, we get to see if this prophecy is the real deal or just some superstitious nonsense and if people have been literally chaining their homes to the ground for no apparent reason.

Under the skillful penmanship of Erik A. Otto, the world begins to do exactly that, and readers get a series of characters and viewpoints as those in Matteo’s Lands face the consequences of this fateful day. The description is on the nose and perfect, as the reader follows along, still wondering if this is really going to happen. But it does. The world turns and turns until the sky is below and the ground is above, and everyone is literally holding on for dear life. There are many who plunge into the sky to join the great god Matteo and are never seen again: “Matteo will welcome only those with piety into his embrace, while others shall be purged.” And just when it seems like this might be the way the world is going to be from now on, it continues to turn and eventually gravity begins to assert itself once more and the ground is down; the sky is up. The homes of the wealthy that had been dangling like chandeliers a few moments ago have come back to earth, as have the people who were tied down and holding on for their very lives.

The three character viewpoints that are shared in this second book are the Good Son, the Jailor, and the Naustic. While these three are new characters to the story, they are joined by characters we are already familiar with from the first book, which is a clever device to have readers continue to follow the ongoing story from A Tale of Infidels. Our Good Son is Baldric, who is helping Darian along and continuing the good fight. Our Jailor is Zahir, who has saved Hella’s life and is trying to get her out of Jawhar alive. The Naustic is Nala, branded as such for her associations with the infidel Sebastian who must go on her own journey, fighting to survive.

The Day’s Wake is a harsher, darker, and less forgiving story than A Tale of Infidels, which definitely prevents it from becoming a weak sequel. The world is a different place after the Day of Ascendancy, and so are its people. They are less forgiving at the very least, especially when it comes to those who do not believe. Otto also has fun revealing more of the world and its complex mythology and lore to the readers. This second book in the trilogy is an enjoyable read after the wild ride of the first book and sets thing up for the Third Internecion, the next prophecy to possibly come true, and the title of the final book in the trilogy.


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Author
Star Count 4/5
Format eBook
Page Count 198 pages
Publisher Sagis Press
Publish Date 2019-04-15
ISBN 9781732136120
Bookshop.org Buy this Book
Issue May 2019
Category Science Fiction & Fantasy
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