Spirit & Fire: Cymraeg Tales: Book I
Written by TC Marti
If TC Marti excels at one thing—and those of you who have read my previous seven reviews of his books will know, he excels at far more than that—it’s world building. His Renegades Epic, currently in its second phase, includes a number of books across a multitude of series, and that’s excluding the couple of books I still haven’t read. Throughout the Elementals of Nordica, Chronicles of Rondure, Terrain Chronicles, Sentrys of Terrene, and now Cymraeg Tales series, Marti has created a vast array of worlds and settings for his books. Spirit & Fire may buck the author’s trend of creating a new world with each series, but that’s a mere technicality. While set in the nation of Tamuria, first introduced in the Elementals of Nordica series, it’s a very different version of Tamuria than readers will remember.
The book’s setting is many years prior to the events chronicled in Elementals of Nordica. Where that series—and most of the books in the Renegades Epic—infuse science fiction and fantasy, blending the genres in entertaining ways for unique science fantasy stories, Spirit & Fire drops the science fiction to focus on fantasy. Namely dark, epic fantasy. The genre shift gives the book an identity that is far removed from the rest of the epic, yet still feels like it’s part of the broad canvas Marti is playing in.
Although a dark fantasy, Spirit & Fire isn’t unrelentingly bleak. Although darker than many epic fantasy stories, it is also a young adult book. Marti’s works are suitable for readers of most ages, and Spirit & Fire isn’t any different. Younger readers—as well as the young-at-heart fans of the young adult genre—will appreciate the darker story that never steps too far into the darkness. The book is set in a brutal world, but doesn’t dwell on it. It’s not a grimdark world; light shines through for an entertaining adventure. Young adult fans will appreciate the coming of age tale that forms the book’s centre.
At an estimated 245 pages on Kindle, Spirit & Fire is a reasonably short book, especially for an epic fantasy. It makes for an easily digestible reading experience that can be finished fairly quickly. Its length is more or less on par with Marti’s previous novels, which don’t demand too much time from the reader. This length is a boon for younger readers who find these books; however, fans of epic fantasy—dark or otherwise—will likely find themselves disappointed by such a short page count. The space doesn’t allow for the story to cover a massive landscape, nor does it allow Marti to describe the world in much depth. The story is certainly epic enough to warrant the term “epic fantasy,” but its length dampens the impact of its scope.
The author’s voice isn’t one that lends itself to massive tomes, and while Spirit & Fire doesn’t go to great lengths in describing the world, it doesn’t feel as though it’s missing the descriptions. The prose does a fantastic job of describing the events, including the action sequences that are a hallmark of much of The Renegades Epic. As is the way with Marti’s other books, Spirit & Fire’s tone is inviting as it guides the reader through the story. Throughout the epic, Marti’s prose has improved, and this latest novel continues that incline. White Spirit & Fire’s short length makes for a quick read, the amount of dialogue in the book amplifies this. The novel features a higher than average proportion of dialogue in comparison to its prose; not only for a fantasy story, but for most books. While so much dialogue can grate on the reader, Spirit & Fire’s dialogue is constantly engaging. It feels natural, and each character brings their own voice to the story.
If you don’t care about the characters, strong dialogue can only take a story so far. Thankfully, Spirit & Fire has the characters to back the dialogue up. The book’s protagonist, Mali, is a fantastic character to follow through the book. She is engaging, strong, relatable, and most importantly, entertaining. The book’s other characters don’t have the same amount of depth as Mali, but are all fully formed. And, just like Mali, they are all entertaining.
The book’s pacing is slower than some of the author’s previous works. Rather than dropping the reader into the action and taking them from set piece to set piece, it builds slowly as it familiarises the reader with the world and characters. It never feels like it’s moving too slowly, however, and allows for plenty of action. The plot works well with a few surprises for the reader, but it doesn’t cast an intricate web. It’s easy to follow in a way that caters to younger readers, but doesn’t feel like it’s pandering to them at the expense of adult readers.
There may be plenty of books in The Renegades Epic, but Spirit & Fire stands alone. While the book includes some Easter eggs for people familiar with the other books—particularly the Elementals of Nordica series—readers new to the epic’s worlds won’t be lost. Spirit & Fire is the first book in the Cymraeg Tales series, and though there are more stories to come, it feels like a standalone book that tells a cohesive story from beginning to end, rather than making the reader feel like they need to buy the next book for a resolution.
Spirit & Fire is a thoroughly engaging fantasy story. While its length may prove to be a little too short for fantasy fans, it constantly entertains. For people already reading The Renegades Epic, it has some nice additions. For those unfamiliar, it remains an entertaining story.
Favourite Passage
Always silent down that way, except on those nights when the raids were in full-swing. Crying kids would be holding hands and sticking to the shadows. Much like Mali and Renè did back in the day before they realized raiding was the best opportunity to at least sustain some level of comfort in these parts.
But hey, at least they raided without causing physical harm. At least they weren’t frightening families, or dragging them from their homes while they ransacked the shacks for commodities. Larceny? Of course. But no bloodshed, and that was one reason she could sleep at night.
Spirit & Fire: Cymraeg Tales: Book I, Chapter 22
Spirit & Fire: Cymraeg Tales: Book I was provided by the author for the purpose of an honest review.
Spirit & Fire is available on Kindle, exclusive to Amazon.
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Spirit and Fire (Cymraeg Tales Book 1)
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