Book Review: Free the Darkness by Kel Kade
Hey Space Cadets; I hope this review finds you well! I have another review for you of a new book, instead of me cleaning up recommendations previously shared on my website. I found this book when my friend Garret gave me this book as a gift. He wanted to start a book club with a friend of his and I needed to read this novel to join the cool kids. I was originally going to do this as a favor, but I ended up getting hooked on this literary crack.
Seriously, I was supposed to read book one and just write this review. Somehow, I ended up on book three and realized that I hadn’t taken notes. It was a slow start, but once it starts, it hits hard and fast. I’m talking emotions and all of the feels as this man, Rezkin, finds himself. In doing so, he sets upon a path to save the kingdom of Ashai, his home.
I’ve never read her books, but Kel Kade is a fan favorite of some of my friends. She writes epic fantasy novels and is sometimes a college professor doing smart people things. While I normally read science fiction, I am not anti-fantasy, so I gave it a shot. First, I loved the gritty and awesome artwork on the covers. It was too cool not to pick up this book.
What is this book about? It’s a fantasy novel about a young man’s coming-of-age story, but cooler... because assassin super soldier. We learn about his harsh Spartan upbringing. It was Spartan in the truest sense of the word, with the agōgē levels of hardcore, multiplied by a factor of an undisclosed multiples of infinity. This epic fantasy adventure has plenty of action to keep you on the edge of your seat. So, grab your coffee and prepare for the thrill ride of a lifetime!
The Story
This is one heck of an adventure about a young man who was raised and trained in seclusion at a secret fortress on the edge of the northern wilds in the Kingdom of Ashai. That young warrior was named Rezkin, an orphan raised by weapon masters. When we open the novel, he gets into a fight with his trainers, and it forces him to leave his home. He is thus thrust into the outworld, which was any region beyond the confines of the castle that was his world.
The main character, Reznik, now must contend with the real world with no understanding of the reason he was trained from infancy to become a lethal weapon. He takes a virtual armory with him when he leaves, as he chases the lone survivor from the slaughter that disrupted his life. He hunts Striker Farson, the only person who could tell him of his original mission and who had pulled his puppet strings.
With nothing else to guide him, Rezkin adheres to the rules created to train him. He follows his last order from his master, Master Jaiardun, because it was all he knew and all that he had to work with. Along the way, he collects friends who he honors and respects. His new party of traveling companions added to the fantastic feel that we expect from this genre post-Tolkien.
As if pursuing an elite warrior across a kingdom wasn’t enough, he’s chasing a woman he wants to court. Well, he thinks the powers that be who selected his friends wants him to court her? It gets all jumbled up in Reznik’s mind, but in a fun way. The only problem is that her uncle and guardian doesn’t approve of this match. His proposal for an official courting and engagement is rejected by General Markum, but he hasn’t given up yet. There is a romantic element, but this is not a romance novel. And to muck up the waters, this all happens against the backdrop of a kingdom in turmoil. There is a brewing rebellion as civil war is on the horizon.
Now that we’ve sold you on the novel’s premise let’s dive in deeper. First, the prose from Kel Kade was conversationally poetic, made even more incredible when you listen to Nick Podehl of Podium Audio narrate the story. I listened to some sections several times to hear the amusing female accents by Nick. His smooth dulcet tones, as he reads the story, were relaxing. I think I could listen to this cat read the phone book. Wait, do kids know what that is? Like, books before the internet?
I could keep going about the quality of these prose, but let’s move on to the other aspects of this story. This storyteller comes off as a seasoned professional, but this was her first novel. She knew how to expertly pace the story so that it flowed efficiently from one plot point to another. The story kept my attention, once I got over the slow burn start of this novel. Even cooler, it gave me room to breathe and process the various parts of this epic adventure. Kel did that with witty one liners, which were sometimes at the expense of the main character. This novel felt like it was setting up book two to kick the action up a notch, and I’m here for it. In fact, I’m already on book three and I can’t wait for more!
Another aspect of this story that is worth evaluating is the audiobook quality. It was published by Podium Entertainment, formerly Podium Publishing. This is a class act company and puts out quality audiobooks. In an effort for transparency, they have published my Sleeping Legion Series. That said, I went with them BECAUSE they made amazing audiobooks. They hit the ball out of the park, telling me a story that I couldn’t put down and kept me going when I should’ve been doing other things.
Speaking of audio, the most important part of the production is the narrator and Nick Podehl. He read an amazing story and brought his world alive for me as I went on my daily walks. I could ignore the cold and the wind, because I was hooked on this epic fantasy world. He nailed the various character accents, keeping my ears engaged from start to finish. I predict this series will be one that stands the test of time, and I don’t say that lightly.
But don’t take my word for it, read it yourself and share your thoughts!
The Characters
This novel follows one main character, the mysterious man named Rezkin. We see his growth arch from infancy to adulthood pretty quickly as we watch him go through his in-world agōgē. When the story really gets going, he is a 19-year-old young man who trained to become the ultimate weapon. Like anybody who has done combative sports or military training knows, in a fight it is the person and not the tool that’s the real weapon and Rezkin knows and lives this truth. More importantly, he lives by his rules for life, a list that was longer than any normal person could manage. He was forged through training and the crucible of pain to become that, to become the ultimate warrior.
However, while this sounds like the character might be overpowered, he has limitations put on him by the author. She got creative, his limitations were his lack of normality and socialization. He was raised in such a way that he didn’t recognize what everyone else would see as customary human bonding methods. He didn’t recognize friendship, and he couldn’t understand his own emotions. He was the quintessential robotic warrior. This lack of understanding constantly gets in his way. He doesn’t know what to make of the civilians he interacts with and that often leads to a chuckle from the readers.
What I liked the most about this character was that he wasn’t a raft, floating along the waters of life in this book. Instead, Reznik was both affected by and affected the world around him. This symbiotic interaction added to the superb world-building that made Ashia a fun world to experience. It showed the reader his role in the world and added together to create a three-dimensional experience.
Reznik, the main character, will make you chuckle at his initial inability to fathom what people raised outside of his weird fortress think. At first, he may make you want to shake him for his stupidity for missing the obvious while intellectually you know he just has no frame for reference. As he misses what was so obviously right in front of him, you see his innate goodness. He truly cares about people, even if he doesn’t quite understand those emotions. He was written as a medieval John Wick meets Jason Bourne with a dash of Alex Rider. Maybe throw in shades of James Bond, except, he’s too humble to consider himself as important as 007.
The World
What’s not to love about the world-building in this novel? It was expertly handled by Kel Kade, in the tradition of Tolkien and The Terry’s (Goodkind, Pratchett and Brooks). She knew how to tell a compelling story, one set in a beautiful world that she created. Everything was extremely fleshed out, giving this setting a very lived-in feel. I could almost smell the farming funk from Rezkin’s jaunt through rural Ashia. Unlike some authors, she didn’t info dump her world-building up front. Instead, she fed it to us in drips and drabs. Seriously, Kel was the perfect drug dealer, and I ended up dropping funds to buy the next four books in this series. I was left wanting more, all we can ask for in our literary crack. I know that drug metaphor sounds toxic, but trust me, this story was anything but. It was an exciting thrill ride from start to finish. What’s not to like about their already expansive world? This novel was definitely a Tolkien-Esq Master Class in creating fictional universes.
Politics
This novel was apolitical in the sense that it didn't deal with any real-world politics. However, we did see some imperial struggles from the political parties in this world. It was a background struggle in this novel, though there were not so subtle hints of more to come in future books. We know that a military detail called the Strikers trained Rezkin via inhumane methods so he could be forged into a weapon. From the political side of these events, we see the characters, and more broadly the plot, grappling with the idea of state sponsored killing. We get to consider whether or not it is justified, as each character is forced to confront the reality of Rezkin’s past.
The kingdom of Ashai, where the story takes place, is a medieval second world fantasy setting. This proto-Europe backdrop is par for the course of a modern fantasy novel. In addition to the world that’s trying to kill them, the main characters must fight the existential evil of greed, the pursuit of power, and an unthinking quest for answers about one’s very genetic identity. Predictably, it ends badly for everyone involved. Like in the real world, there are no real winners in war. You’ve probably heard that before; it’s a tale as old as time.
Content Warning
This novel would be appropriate for anyone mature enough to watch R rated movies. Free the Darkness had cursing, fighting and death. We see the brutality of medieval combat and discover horrors upon horrors in this dark empire that rule the Kingdom of Ashai. To be clear, this all happened on screen, which feels worth mentioning. There was on screen torture, followed by gritty combat, but there was no sex. Just the hint that it happened and sexual innuendos to keep you on your toes. I know these can be issues for some of our more sensitive readers, so caveat emptor and all that jazz. The fighting didn’t feel overly gory, but it was there. And full disclosure, my scales are skewed by my time in the infantry so your mileage may vary!
Who is it for?
This book is for people who enjoyed reading epic fantasy stories about dismantling evil empires. It has it all; the spreading of rebellion, mages and cool magic, weapons and cool fae and demons! This novel, by Kel Kade, has an interesting mix of the conversational prose of Terry Goodkind with a Tolkien-esq grandiosity. Seriously, this series is gonna be a story for the ages, so give it a read!
Why buy it.
Why wouldn’t you buy this book? Seriously, who doesn’t love a story of a self-made man? In this case, the main character was raised harshly and becomes the most skilled fighter in the world. He thrives, despite the harshness of his youth and achieves greatness. Plus, he does it with pizzazz that he’s blissfully unaware of. Reznik, the main character, is the ultimate power fantasy that all of us want to attain. But what’s the old saying, ‘everyone wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die.’ That applies to the feats that Reznik achieved; we want his power, but not the hours of work to get there. I like donuts and lattes too much for that level of bad assery. What else can I say? If you love a thrill ride through a second world medieval setting that would make Genghis Kahn proud, this is the novel for you!
Seriously, why haven’t you clicked the link and bought this book already? If this tale doesn't make you a superfan of Kel Kade and her King’s Dark Tidings Series, then you didn’t read the same book I did! Once you buy and read this series, come back and share your thoughts! Oh, and be sure to leave a review!