Farlander: Col Buchanan’s Hypnotic Debut Novel is an Epic Fantasy Classic in the Making
Although I’ve written in
length over the last decade about how we’re in the midst of a glorious Golden
Age of paranormal fantasy, the same could be said for epic fantasy. In the last few
years, we’ve been blessed with some extraordinary fantasy sagas that will
undoubtedly go down as towering classics – namely The Kingkiller Chronicle (The Name of the Wind, The Wise Man's Fear) by Patrick Rothfuss and The Psalms of
Isaak (Lamentation, Canticle, Antiphon) by Ken Scholes. And there are several
more series that have the potential to become classics – it’s just too early to
tell: Brandon
Sanderson’s Stormlight Archives (The Way of Kings), N.K. Jemisin’s Inheritance
trilogy (The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, The Broken Kingdoms), the Lightbringer
saga (The Black Prism) from Brent Weeks, and Col Buchanan’s Heart of the World
saga (Farlander).
Haven’t heard of Col Buchanan yet? Trust me: you will.
The Northern Ireland native’s recently released debut novel Farlander – the first installment of his Heart of the World saga – is a deceptively deep read. At first, I thought I had immersed myself in yet another assassin-powered fantasy (Lian Hearn’s Tales of the Otori, Robin Hobb’s Farseer trilogy, the Night Angel trilogy from Brent Weeks, etc.) – and while Farlander certainly is powered by characters who are assassins, that’s just the first layer of this multi-tapestried novel. It’s a richly described, adrenaline-fueled, emotionally super-charged story about duty, accountability, love, friendship, honor, and, yes, unholy vengeance.
It’s the
story of a “black-skinned old man” named Ash, a legendary 62-year old member of
the Roshun (an almost mythical sect of assassins that offers protection to
clients through the threat of vendetta) who finds himself at the end of his
life, slowly dying from the same affliction that took his father and his
grandfather. Honor-bound to take an apprentice before he passes, he chooses
Nico, a half-starved runaway living in the streets of the besieged city of
Bar-Khos who is caught breaking into Ash’s room. Given the option to be flogged
and then branded as a thief or accept Ash’s offer, Nico begrudgingly agrees and
together the unlikely duo travel to the Roshun’s secret monastery on the isle
of Cheem where he begins his education…
Meanwhile, the Holy Empire of Mann is systematically conquering every nation in the Mideres. Ruled by the ruthless Holy Matriarch and her spoiled son Kirkus, the empire is fueled by an extremist religion that embraces excesses of the flesh (sex, drugs, etc.), sadism, slavery, and essentially dehumanizes everyone not in a privileged hierarchy.
But when
Kirkus recklessly kills a girl wearing one of the Roshun’s seals (a symbol of
their protection), he becomes the target of the Roshun’s vengeance. But can one
assassin travel to the Holy Empire’s capital of Q’os – “the largest city in the
known world” – gain entrance into a heavily guarded temple, defeat hundreds of
soldiers, and kill arguably the most important man in the empire? And, more
importantly, will killing the Matriarch’s only child doom the small sect of
assassins?
There’s no other way to say it: Buchanan’s writing style is hypnotic. Without even realizing it, I found myself totally immersed in this story – blissfully lost within the pages for hours on end – it was like slipping into a dream.
Fittingly, a sequence in the novel – where Nico experiences the hallucinogenic effects of a berry in the mountains of Cheem before traveling to the hidden monastery – describes my reading experience perfectly:
“The dreams came upon him like black tar oozing up through the ground. They enveloped him, slowly but inevitably, squeezing into his pores and up into his head until his mind was oozing like tar as well… It was a dream… unlike any he had ever experienced.”
This story
will sneak up on you – yes, like an assassin – and before you realize it, it’ll
be early in the morning, your eyes will be bloodshot, and tears will be running
down your face. I absolutely adored the unconventional hero Ash and the cast of
brilliantly developed, multi-faceted characters (Serese, Baracha, Aleas, etc.).
I relished the way that Buchanan cleverly used symbolism and imagery to create
a storyline that worked on numerous levels. And I loved the ending. Talk about
perfect…
“Do not judge a man for the path that he follows. Unless you have walked each and every step in the same direction, you cannot tell another where he is headed, nor what he leaves behind.”
Although it’s too early to tell, Col Buchanan’s debut novel certainly could be the beginning of a classic epic fantasy saga. I for one will be anxiously awaiting the sequel, entitled Stands a Shadow, which – according to Buchanan’s website – will be released this summer.
Remember the name: Col Buchanan.
Paul Goat Allen has been a full-time book reviewer specializing in genre fiction for almost the last two decades and has written more than 6,000 reviews for companies like Publishers Weekly, The Chicago Tribune, and BarnesandNoble.com. In his free time, he reads.
