The Last Ritual
The Last Ritual, by Dragos Gaszpar, is a truly dark novel. Set in a world where humanity has slain its incompetent god and gained immortality, it follows Melaan, a human warrior, as he fights a seemingly unending horde of monsters alongside his companions.
While the book's unspoken understanding between characters may make it hard to read at times, I found myself entirely enraptured by its story. The major plot points or key historical facts are rarely laid out for the reader, and they are often left to figure it out for themselves. I can think of only one precise instance in which I thought “Oh hey, this is exposition.” This was not the only detail that may have made The Last Ritual hard to read, but characters often have deep, personal conversations with each other, whose deeper meaning I often failed to grasp without reading it over a couple of times. Characters at times seem to ignore the previous statement to say something touching on an unsaid subject. While this use of subtext may prove frustrating to some, I found it intriguing and a minor inconvenience on my way to witness the next chapter in their story.
Due to the setting, the characters often seemed to move from one crisis or mystery to the next, making the book compelling to read. While most chapters were lengthy, they often had section breaks that served as convenient stopping points.
If I had to say anything more, it would be that this story has a moral, but to tell you would risk spoiling the ending. Suffice it to say that this book did not take a traditional route that I would have expected, and indeed took quite a turn about halfway through.
If you enjoy dark fantasy with a plot that doesn’t handhold you, I would highly recommend this book.
Length: 296 pages
Perspective: limited third person
Tense: past
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Where to buy:
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