cpark2005 reviewed Master of Sorrows by Justin Call
Review of 'Master of Sorrows' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
From the very first pages, it’s clear that Master of Sorrows is going to play with tropes and turn plenty of fantasy stand-bys on their heads. Justin T. Call gives us a wonderfully paced story that feels at once classic and fresh. There will be plenty that feels familiar to fans of the genre, but almost all of those familiar tropes are done in a new or unique or upside-down way that keeps you turning the pages. And there are plenty of pages to turn! Clocking in at over 600 pages, the novel manages to feel like a much quicker read.
I think Master of Sorrows reads much more quickly than you might expect for a novel of its length partially because Call does something that is all too rare in epic fantasy: he uses only one viewpoint character. This helps to keep the story tightly plotted and moving, without …
From the very first pages, it’s clear that Master of Sorrows is going to play with tropes and turn plenty of fantasy stand-bys on their heads. Justin T. Call gives us a wonderfully paced story that feels at once classic and fresh. There will be plenty that feels familiar to fans of the genre, but almost all of those familiar tropes are done in a new or unique or upside-down way that keeps you turning the pages. And there are plenty of pages to turn! Clocking in at over 600 pages, the novel manages to feel like a much quicker read.
I think Master of Sorrows reads much more quickly than you might expect for a novel of its length partially because Call does something that is all too rare in epic fantasy: he uses only one viewpoint character. This helps to keep the story tightly plotted and moving, without expanding ever outward. It also means that we come to know and love the main character, Annev, and experience his ups and downs without those being interrupted by other perspectives. Call uses all of this to wonderful effect and he deserves mountains of praise for it. In fact, Annev himself is one of the other big strengths of this novel. You care about him from the first page and that carries through to the last. In many ways Call’s story is character-driven epic fantasy, and I really enjoyed that aspect of it. There’s also some wonderful character development for the side characters. Another major strength is the magic system, which involves spells and runes, but also incredibly powerful artefacts. It all comes together in very intuitive ways that area also fairly unique. That’s good, because magic plays a big role in this story, and as a result it’s important for it to feel natural and bring something fresh to the story. There’s also the whole subverting tropes element of the story. This is absolutely a coming-of-age tale, but with a twist. It uses the village boy trope, but with a twist (instead of longing to leave the village, this village boy wants to stay!). There are elements of the magic school subgenre, but with some important twists. There’s a chosen one! But it’s not quite like any other chosen one story I’ve ever read. Call does an incredible job of twisting and subverting tropes in ways that are fun and sometimes make you sit back and just sort of shake your head when you realize what he’s doing. It’s impressive work all around and makes for an entertaining read for those new to fantasy, or the grizzled veteran who has read it all before.
There were some small things here and there that didn’t quite connect with me, but my biggest complaint about the novel has to do with one of the tropes that Call is subverting. Don’t get me wrong, I love how he’s flipping tropes on their heads. Without giving too much detail, in most instances of the village boy trope, the boy wants to leave his village and see the wider world, go off adventuring, etc, etc. In this story, Annev doesn’t want to leave his village and does everything he possibly can to avoid that fate. What I never understood was why, given the circumstances he finds himself in, he wants to remain. It makes some sense at the beginning of the novel, but as the story progresses and Annev learns more about himself and the academy he attends, it seems like the height of foolishness. His motivations in that regard never seemed quite strong enough to me, perhaps more like the story was driving the character there, rather than the other way around. This ended up being more a niggling in the back of my mind, rather than something that ruined the whole story for me.
Master of Sorrows is a wonderfully fun and inventive character-drive epic fantasy. It subverts tropes and brings fresh ideas to the genre at nearly every turn. It will appeal especially to those who are familiar with the subgenre and want something that feels familiar and yet new. It’s also sure to appeal to those new to the genre looking for an engaging read. I’m looking forward to the next installment!
8.8/10
4.4/5 stars.
5 – I loved this, couldn’t put it down, move it to the top of your TBR pile
4 – I really enjoyed this, add it to the TBR pile
3 – It was ok, depending on your preferences it may be worth your time
2 – I didn’t like this book, it has significant flaws and I can’t recommend it
1 – I loathe this book with a most loathsome loathing