It's been awhile since I cracked open an honest-to-goodness high fantasy tome, and unfortunately it was a mixed bag. This book's expansive, bold plot is weakened by writing that doesn't quite meet its bold vision, but there are glimmers of greatness to reward the reader who finishes it.
You can find the novel's summary, as well as links to more reviews and information, in yesterday's blog tour announcement. Forms to enter the tour's raffle giveaway are below this review.
It took me a while to really get into the story: both The Valley of Decision and its short story prequel Sunrise Windows suffer from slow starts. This quiet-before-the-storm approach might have worked if the prose was less perfunctory. Without a strong voice or style, it's weighed down by extraneous details and simplistic sentences, with a heavy reliance on telling the reader how to feel rather than organically inspiring the emotion through the text. Even in the rough patches, though, an occasional gem surprised me. I'd like to see the writer polish her work so that everything shone as brightly as those few and far between moments of wonder she sprinkled in.
Author Shannon McDermott is to be congratulated for finding just the right size for her tale. I gained an appreciation for just how big the world was as the novel progressed, even as I grew more attached to the hopes and dreams of the characters. The best story element involved the Fay, an elvish race who for once felt truly alien. She went beyond current stereotypes and really brought out the danger of these beings, even those one might count as allies. There were echoes of Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, elevating the stakes and the narrative itself.
Once this part of the story began the human characters grow more believable in word and deed. Formerly they behaved more in service to the plot, without a real foundation for their actions (especially the captive-turned-ally Jarmith). Diligent readers who can wade through the clunky exposition and weird character/action moments of the first half will be rewarded by rising tension and a rousing climax. The final battle and the events surrounding it held my attention despite a few missteps, and I was satisfied by the conclusion.
The novel's faith element is subtle but packs a powerful message, and the characters themselves eventually became people I cared about. Had I not been given this book as a review copy, though, I doubt I would have finished it. The poor writing and setup are likely to rob many readers of what might have been a grand adventure.
This review will be crossposted at Goodreads, Amazon, and the Speculative Faith library. I received an eBook copy from the Prism Book Tour website in exchange for this review. The cover was designed by Meghan McDermott at Myristica Studios. The book is currently available from SALT Christian Press as a Paperback ($11.99) or eBook ($4.99 on Amazon).
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