Birthmark Powers, Zombie-like Disease, and Inter-Family Killing.
Fatemarked is fun epic fantasy that hits all the genre-expected points: Prophecy, bloody coups, war, magic, a touch of romance, and it plays with gender stereotypes and same-sex attraction. While not revolutionary, the author creates a believable world, with real characters and blends a strong story.
In the spirit of fantasy epics like Throne of Glass and The Lord of the Rings, enter a world of magic and dragons, kings and queens, and victory and defeat, during a time when honor and valor still meant something.
No one knows why the fatemarked are born with godlike powers. Until kings start dying…
An ancient prophecy foretold their coming, the chosen few who will bring peace to a land embroiled in a century of mistrust and war. They are the fatemarked. Misunderstood. Worshipped. Hated. Imprisoned. Their time to step into the light has come.
In the icy North there is a prophecy about a child and his fate to bring death and bloodshed to the rulers of the Four Kingdoms. This child is Bane, and the enigmatic Bear Blackboots should have killed him as a babe, but he stayed his hand, becoming his guardian instead. But in typical epic fantasy fashion, the cast is much larger and the story quickly expands to show a would-be warrior princess who is convinced she is ugly, a healer convinced he must hide his powers, an unrepentant thief that would change all his ways to keep his sister safe, and a spoiled royal that has everything that defined her ripped away. It is a story of what-if’s; people put into strange situations and what they do as a result.
Fatemarked is secondary world medieval epic fantasy with multiple kingdoms in a single continent with climates that vary from extreme cold to extreme heat, and from the tropics to more conventional evergreen countryside. The author, David Estes, does a good job of moving the story along and keeping the interest up as we jump from different character viewpoints. While some of the actions of the characters could be called into question, the story gave little time to contemplate and seek holes.
There weren’t many, but one hole that stood out was a BIG plot point: Two kingdoms moving to make war upon each other, one out of old, personal grievance, and the other for no apparent reason. Yes, they have a history of doing the same (and protecting their land), but in a story where the real antagonists are elsewhere and our heroine needs to grow strong to fight them, it makes little sense to waste meager forces upon the battlefield against an outside aggressor when the heart of their land is held by an evil usurper. The novel could have totally failed, but this is a character story and Estes manages a pretty song and dance to distract.
Both sides know there has been change and seem like they should be able to find some common ground and a common enemy, but this facet never comes to light. Perhaps I nitpick here, but maybe I grow tired of warring nations (both fictional and real) that persist in their blood feud, even when change happens, even when there could be a chance to turn it around. But then, who am I to judge when Fatemarked’s conflict is little more than a reflection of the real world and how often old grudges are hard to let go, becoming habit and rote, though they may twist us foully in the process.
Anywho.
The story focuses on the characters, so the minutiae of politics is limited in relevance. This is not a book of political machinations.
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Magic comes from special, hidden birthmarks, revealed only by flame and granting the person unique abilities. Little is known, the gift is rare, and in some countries it is reviled, while others cherish. But then there are also the Orians. Nearly human they possess a power over metal and its craft, and live in harmony with the strange living metal plants and animals of Ironwood forest—a stretch of “wood” that acts as a living wall to protect the king’s city of Ferria. The forest seems to cover a lot of land and yet I didn’t see the residents eating metal apples or carving metal mutton, so I have to presume they import much of their food and daily staples from elsewhere. The cost to maintain the castle staff, the garrison, and the townsfolk would seem to be cost-prohibitive exorbitant.
But this is also not a book of economics (and for all I know the king does spend terrible sums on imports), it is a story of characters. And with Estes’ strong focus, we see some loving, and some dastardly changes. The human condition, when pressed to improve, to become better despite terrible odds, is a wondrous thing, and yet darkly intriguing to see the reverse.
(Grab the popcorn, because there is some good stuff here.)
Prophecy is often overdone in fantasy and here is where Estes smartly kept it on the backburner. Bane may be the most actively involved character in the story, most responsible for the ensuing chaos, but he is only a side note when compared to the rest of the large cast of characters. And though he has some great powers, they are not his to control and he is as much a victim as any of those that fall under his dark powers.
Blood and gore were nominal, certainly not the graphic nature of Martin’s Game of Thrones, or Abercrombie’s The First Law, or for that matter The Demon Cycle by Brett, but neither does Estes shy away; striking a comfortable balance of detail without excess.
I was not a fan of the original book cover, and while the new one works better, for much of the series they look like they were ripped out of the 90’s and hard to compare to some of the flashier stuff of today. Just the same, they may be perfect for classically-styled epic fantasy, and he does have a nice map.
I would have liked more questions to be answered, but as book 1, the stage is well set, and I expect following books to deliver on those promises. Fatemarked is the beginning of the Fatemarked Epic series and with a strong first outing (and the first book of his I’ve read) I am excited to see what else Estes has in store.
(And, oh boy, does David Estes have a lot. Just check his backlist!)
© 2017 Clifton Hill – Author of the Fantastical and sometimes reviewer.
www.cliftonh.com
Published: March 2017| Author David Estes website
