For some time now, I have wanted to add book reviews to this blog. The reason for the delay is the same one that has caused me increasing frustration and mistrust when considering the next book to read. I haven’t been able to find good books. I didn’t realize how bad the problem was until I started listening to Robert A. Walker’s debut novel, Six Moons, Seven Gods. My sense of engrossed anticipation felt like a long-lost friend. It’s back, a book to lose sleep over.

Classic and Contemporary

This book came out in 2023 and is the first title of the Legends of Baelon series. I didn’t see its subtitle, “An Arthurian Fantasy Medieval Adventure.” until I finished the book. Knowing that, I recognize the classical, medieval fantasy elements of embattled kings, noble knights, fair maidens, treacherous villains, and the epic struggle between good and evil. These features harken back to the timeless tales that I’ve loved from the genre. Too often, however, modern authors borrow the medieval fantasy ambiance and fluff it up with improbable plots and cookie-cutter characters to deliver lackluster stories or worse.

Not so with Six Moons, Seven Gods. The cast members are full-bodied, brushed with distinctions and quirks which make them feel irresistibly real. From the unrelenting hero to the brooding girl, onto the cunning scoundrels, I relate to their drives and dilemmas, caring too much for friend and foe alike. Hints of quaintness recall the flavor of olden narratives, but they coexist with contemporary sensibilities in the characters.

A formidable female longs to be a warrior, and mystical spinsters decry the futility of war. Yet the women carry out their protests respectfully without being “spirited” and superior. Savvy crooks spew vice and humanity in conflicting measures, yet the gallant champions command our allegiance, no matter how outmatched or battered they appear. Although we are privy to the internal musings of the shifting point of view, the thoughts do not degenerate into emotional diarrhea or claustrophobic navel-gazing. Just as well, since the reader needs useful information to navigate the complicated plot.

Mystery and Mastery

And that is another bonus—a plot that does not insult our intelligence.

As someone who delights in deciphering details and puzzles, I chafe at writing that spells out everything, several times and in different ways, including cuing us on how to feel. Stephen King says in his book, On Writing, that authors shouldn’t worry about readers, meaning don’t over-explain to them. Yet that is what I’m frequently reading and even told by other authors to do. I recently heard an explanation for this: our schools no longer adequately teach reading comprehension. So, readers cannot process or retain information. Even if that is true, it seems more important than ever that books fill in this educational gap, not cater to it. And shouldn’t we always leave room for the imagination?

Six Moons, Seven Gods doesn’t shy away from intricate plot points, robust vocabulary words, a multiplicity of characters, and dashes of mystery culminating in unexpected twists.

In a nutshell, the story is about an organized guild of thieves attempting to assassinate the two kings of Baelon so that they can bring in self-government, an environment much more conducive to their debauchery. How about that for a modern plot? Within this broad structure, subplots and apparent tangents branch out, following carefully laid-out paths to a coherent conclusion. I appreciate the mastery it took to complete this delicate weave.

A note about romance. It exists, tastefully and intriguingly, never overwhelming the narrative. Rather, familial relationships, fealty, and friendships take on deeper significance.

Kudos to Robert A. Walker for penning such a quality narrative, but another feat is even more impressive. He narrated the audiobook himself and performed it admirably. A polymath indeed.

Caveats and Conundrum

As I’ve said, I haven’t enjoyed a book so much in a long time. I’m surprised, not only because I’d been putting up with mediocre stories and didn’t know it, but by all rights, I shouldn’t like Six Moons, Seven Gods.

For all the captivating storytelling elements, it is a grim tale. While not despairing enough to be grimdark, there is plenty of violence, capably described and visceral. And the ribald situations were too colorful for my comfort. Nothing was gratuitous or graphic, and foul language consisted only of made-up story words. But be warned; it is certainly not clean fiction. I rarely finish these stories and am loath to continue in the series, if I do. Here, I’ve already started the second book, more hooked than ever.

I struggle to understand why this is so. Is it the skillful plotting, adept characterizations, or appealing relationships? No doubt all these, but I’ve been wondering about something that Thomas Umstattd, host of the Novel Marketing Podcast, talks about often. Could it be the cultural zeitgeist? According to this theory, history goes through four turnings in a cycle, and cultural preferences are determined by the current turning. Supposedly, we are now in the fourth turning, where hard times create strong men. In terms of novels, readers want heroes that are unequivocally good, who will brutally destroy evil to bring about the good times of the first turning again. (You can read more about this theory by going to the episode in the link above.)

I find the theory interesting but hadn’t thought that it affected my reading habits until coming across Six Moons, Seven Gods. The book’s primary protagonist is a giant of a man who fits the fourth-turning hero, and the conflict is shaping up to be a sharp line between paladins and monsters. There is something satisfying about such moral clarity and its victory. Hm … fascinating.

Verisimilitude and Verdict

Well, I have given my opinion. Now it’s up to you to decide if there’s any truth to it. If you want to take a chance on an intelligent, well-developed story that just might steal your heart and hours, check it out here or click the cover image. If you do, please tell me what you think.