Written by Sedigitus Swift
As fans of Terry Pratchett would be eager to point out, there is a fine tradition of fantasy books that find humour in their worlds and characters, and use this to imbue their stories with comedy. Author Sedigitus Swift taps into this tradition with the first book in the Tales from Onidran series, The Eye of Ksera, a breezy sword and sorcery novella presented with a dry wit that will plant a smile on the reader’s face.
At 184 pages in paperback (or an estimated 166 pages in eBook), The Eye of Ksera is a brief read that can easily be digested in a single sitting. Broken into four parts, it tells the story of protagonist Colmar, on the run from a sorceress wishing to reclaim a magical artefact, the titular Eye of Ksera. The story moves at a brisk pace as it tells an entertaining story throughout its four parts. The plot works well, building nicely as it moves towards its conclusion. While the plot isn’t intricate, it serves the novella well. It features the right amount of story for the format, without padding a shorter story out, or cramming too much in.
The light plot gives the book’s humour the space to shine. This humour is intrinsic to the book, and permeates throughout every page. It is presented dryly, whether it’s in its character moments, story beats, or its observations about the world. While humour can draw the reader’s attention away from the story, The Eye of Ksera’s accentuates it, drawing the reader into the world. The result is a book that is full of wit bubbling away, while not succumbing to broad or bawdy humour. Each part and chapter is introduced by an excerpt from a fictitious book from Ondiran, the book’s world. While not directly related to the plot, these add colour to the world Swift has created.
So ingrained is The Eye of Ksera’s humour, that it is difficult to separate it from the book’s world. Ondiran is an entertaining setting that serves the humour and story well. While it doesn’t present itself as entirely unique, it remixes familiar fantastical concepts, resulting in something that feels fresh. The book includes five different systems of magic, and fantasy fans will recognise them, but the combination intrigues as much as it entertains. The book only scratches the surface of what the world has to offer, and with this being the first book in the series, it will be interesting to see where the author takes the world next.
Every character in The Eye of Ksera entertains. By virtue of the book’s length, it doesn’t delve into any of them deeply, and nor does it need to. The characters are humorous, and given the importance comedy has to this book, they work incredibly well. Despite it being a short book and the humour they bring to it, Swift has done a wonderful job of ensuring these characters are not simply two-dimensional caricatures. As the book’s protagonist, Colmar is engaging, and those who surround him in his adventure add colour to the story. Although the reader won’t get to know these characters intimately, they will enjoy the time they spend with them.
Perhaps the most prominent character in the book is its prose. The Eye of Ksera is heavy on prose and light on dialogue, with most of the book’s humour—and indeed, its personality—stemming from it. Swift has imbued the book prose with a huge amount of personality that fits perfectly within the setting as it lures the reader into the world and story. It’s well-written, flows well, and is easy to follow, helping the book’s flow. The prose is imbued with a great amount of wit, but as it provides a holistic view, it feels aloof. It is written in a way that puts space between the reader and the world, and as a result, I didn’t connect with the story as much as I would have liked.
The dialogue is written as well as the prose. The characters all sound natural, while sounding as though they come from a fantasy setting without being beholden to cliches that often come with such settings. Even though there isn’t much dialogue in the book, the characters have distinct voices which set them apart from each other. As the book calls for it, it used fifteenth century words, and Swift has written the book in a way that readers won’t be lost. On the off-chance the reader struggles, the book’s back matter includes a handy glossary that explains some of these.
Although The Eye of Ksera is the first book in the Tales from Onidran series, it stands perfectly alone, so readers need not worry about only getting part of a story. As mentioned above, the book only scratches the surface of its world, and I look forward to seeing where future books take this. The concept and world is broad enough that subsequent books could continue Colmar’s adventures, or tell other stories set within the world. Either way would be sure to entertain.
The Eye of Ksera is a thoroughly entertaining and constantly amusing novella. If you’re a fan of Pratchett’s works, particularly Discworld, you’ll find a lot to enjoy. As difficult it is to separate the story and humour, the two elements blend together to form a great whole. It is incredibly well written, and while the prose feels distant at times, it still presents a fun story in a highly entertaining fashion.
Favourite Passage
Rendor completed his grisly work well before dawn. The former bandits were understandably surprised and more than a little aggrieved to find themselves reanimated, but they quickly discovered that there was not a great deal they could do about it. Reanimation involves a number of separate complicated spells, not the least important of which is the one compelling the potentially resentful end-product to obey the spell caster.
The Eye of Ksera: Tales from Ondiran, Book One, Part I: “Tserenets,” Chapter 3
The Eye of Ksera: Tales from Onidran, Book One was provided by the author for the purpose of an honest review.
The Eye of Ksera is available in paperback and eBook, from retailers, including—but not limited to—Amazon.
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The Eye of Ksera (Tales from Ondiran Book 1)
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