Wayne, Nathaniel
About the Author:
Nathaniel Wayne (AKA Vera Wylde) is from Northern California, USA but now lives in Vermont. They host the YouTube channels Council of Geeks and Breakroom of Geeks.
AVERAGE REVIEW SCORE:
4 out of 5
(1 book)
Dreams Of Fire
Farris is a fugitive due to his nature as an elemental; humans with wild elemental powers. As he struggles to contain the fiery energies within himself, he seeks refuge in the city of Torvec, hoping to escape the hunters sent by the Science Guild to recover him. But Torvec is about to become the focal point of the tensions between humanity and the wild Fey that live in the nearby Everwood.
I've read a number of self-published first novels and usually, whilst they may have some genuinely compelling concepts, they tend to be distinctly amateurish (not that the work ethic it takes to complete a novel, even a bad one, should be sniffed at) and often a bit of a chore to get through. I'm very glad to say that this is the book that bucked that trend. I've followed the author's YouTube channel for a number of years, enjoying their insightful takes on pop culture, so it was nice to see that their obvious wit and intelligence translated into their work with this book.
A lot of thought has clearly gone into the world-building here but, unlike some authors, Wayne doesn't feel the need to lay all of that work out in-depth here. It's a much better way of making a fantasy story immersive than, for instance, giving us a detailled history of every peripheral element simply because the writer doesn't want any idea they've had about their fantasy world go unspoken. Wayne gets the balance just right, giving us enough detail to get a sense of a wider world at work around the core story, without taking the focus away from the main characters and their (mis)adventures.
A particular element which I was at first nervous of but came to really enjoy was the Fey. Often the idea of magical fairy-like creatures is mishandled by either making them too whimsical to be credible or, at the other extreme, too practical and mundane to retain a sense of wonder. Here Wayne uses them as a wild force of nature, with humans generally trying to avoid places where the Fey are strong. And although the main character Farris' journey is intrinsically linked to the goals of the Fey, he is not the focus of them in any way (the author has expressed distaste for the 'Chosen One' story motif in the past). Again, it's a fine balance but Wayne walks it generally pretty well.
So, whilst there are a few minor editorial problems here and there, this is absolutely the best self-published book I've read to date and genuinely just a very well-written and enjoyable fantasy novel. (There's also a nice little Easter Egg in the book that hints at the author's love of Doctor Who, which made me smile).
4 out of 5
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Fantasy (here)