"The courtyard became a forest of ravenous fire, greedily feeding on death."
 |
The Torque of Fyra by J.S. Seeger Trafford Publishing
book review by Maria A. Hughes
In the beginning, four elemental gods were banished by their creator after leaving the world of Laurasia in chaos from their quest for domination of its inhabitants. Each of the four, however, left behind an artifact of their power, one of them being the torque of Fyra.
Three hundred years later, Jarok, a young adventurer and nephew to the King of Kernia, is sent on a secret mission to deliver an important package to Lexor, a powerful wizard in service to the king. Along the way, Vedera, a beautiful elven enchantress, joins Jarok on his journey. They meet unexpected allies, and fight goblins and enemy war bands along the way. Meanwhile, the land of Kernia is held under siege and destroyed by Xorphuricx, an ancient necromancer. The fate of Kernia is now left up to Jarok and Vedera completing their mission. Lexor holds the answer on how to defeat Xorphuricx’s forces and restore balance to Laurasia.
The Torque of Fyra is an enjoyable fantasy-filled read with epic battles and a creative mythology. While the over-arching plot is filled with suspense, adventure, and twists for the story's heroes, the characters themselves are underdeveloped. There is little background or growth throughout the story that would make them memorable. As a result, they all fall into stereotypical tropes within the high fantasy genre. Seeger's debut novel will appeal to those who enjoy high fantasy reads in the vein of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy.