The Shapeshifter's Gambit

 The Shapeshifter's Gambit is an exciting, epic fantasy. Kalen and his friends, Logan and Jadica, live in a rural farming community.

Logan and Kalen join a tournament of sorts with a traveling mercenary group. Kalen doesn’t want to join, but the mayor steals his betrothal bracelet for Jadica and tells him he needs to fight. After the tournament, Logan’s father confronts Logan about his participation, and they have a heated argument. This results in Logan storming off, abandoning the town, and joining the mercenary group.

Jadica and Kalen decide to follow after him. They stumble across a pair of adventurers who are also looking for Logan, whom they believe to be the son of a demon, or the “Seed of Astaroth” as they call him.

The world has a number of fantasy creatures, like the reapers, which are half-man, half-beast, or perhaps half-fiends. There is also a shapeshifter, Valko, which shouldn’t be a surprise given the title of the book. The protagonists are tormented by Valko, as he abducts Kalen and threatens to take what he holds most dear. The story is written in omniscience. This works to great effect when Valko is nearby, as the interactions between the characters can be carefully scrutinized as they might be impersonated. 

The story uses a bit of a telling style with both large exposition dumps as well as dialogue that serves as exposition. On one occasion, Jadica is asked, “What do you know of our world over the past two millennia?” Which honestly is kind of a crazy question to begin with; how do you summarize 2,000 years of history? Well, Jadica is prepared evidently, and replies with something resembling a 3-paragraph essay on the topic. The dialogue in these circumstances can feel a little mechanical, but these are mostly exceptions, as most of the dialogue is quite good. 

 

The slightly slower start and straightforward approach to exposition are well forgiven in the second half of the book, where the pacing accelerates. The twists and turns of the narrative take the reader on a wild ride. The once character-centric narrative makes way for a deep and intriguing plot. The ending is a bit sudden, but understandable, as there is a sequel.

For those who enjoy high fantasy, particularly complex plots, I highly recommend this book. Give it a little grace, and you will be glad in the end.

Length: 454 pages

Perspective: 3rd Omni

Tense: Past  

Kindle Unlimited: No

https://www.amazon.com/Shapeshifters-Gambit-Faceless-Chronicles-Book-ebook/dp/B0GJTCX8XV