Amiant Soul | Kindred of the Sea | Darkness Below | The Mesozoic |
I wanted to see more of two books from todays batch: a lovecraft university story and an opening that focused on two forlorn soldiers forced to march on an elven wood, reminding me more than a little of The Lord of the Rings, but in a very different light.
(from Captured In Words)
156. Deborah Makarios, Amiant Soul
This book seems to have been unpublished as well. I can’t preview it anywhere and only previously printed paperbacks are available on Amazon, etc. that’s too bad because it’s limited reviews are so positive…
157. Raina Nightingale, Kindred of the Sea
Two soldiers camp at the border of an elven forest shrouded in myth and legend preparing to invade. But the old powers of the elves have faded. Surely this will not be a death sentence.
This is a totally competent and immediately engaging fantasy opening that focuses on two lowly soldiers just following orders. They go where they’re ordered, and now they’re at the frontier of a war of aggression they little understand the need for.
The 3rd person close prose is easy to read, not because it is simplistic, but because it feels natural. The descriptions are measured and direct. The character voices come easily through the page.
This opening does a particularly good job of grounding the reader in the MCs present circumstances while also sketching in a good sense of the world at large: the Valor Alliance, border skirmishes, pirates, small fighting really, but now this – invasion.
How do our MCs feel? In a word from the opening sentence “trepidation.” After all, why not when the elves are cunning in their forest and each is said to be as strong as 10 men.
While not morally gray, this is an interesting inversion of the Hero trope. Our soldier MCs don’t seem to be “the good guys,” at least because of their allegiance to some kind of expansionist empire. But what can they do?
They signed up to protect the borders of their land from aggression, and now … the forest, the elves of legend, and certain death. Certainly it will be their death, won’t it?
Even the rumor of the power of the elves fading is uncertain. It’s said all their magic swords are gone, and those were only for hunting orcs anyway.
I feel in this opening I have stepped into a different kind of Middle Earth; one in which the Men of the Gondor have decided it is time to march on the woods of Galadriel.
It’s a terrific start. Here’s a passage of particularly good writing I’d like to highlight.
Glancing back to the forward, I see the story promises to be one of a deep and lasting friendship. Many of these details make me think of The Lord of the Rings. Since that is a personal favorite, and for many other reasons I’ve stated, I’m in!
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/185988051-kindred-of-the-sea
All the books in my read through deserve attention, even the ones I haven’t been as gripped by. With only 5 ratings on GR, Kindred of the Sea seems under-read to me based on the strength of this opening. Take a look, why don’t you?
158. Barbara Cottrell, Darkness Below
Madness boils beneath the surface of a university dedicated to investigating the supernatural. A freshman psychic investigates a suspicious suicide.
I’m imagining the investigation. At this point our female psychic mc has only just discovered the police-taped aftermath of the suicide and seen a ghostly flash of it taking place.
Chapter one is a short snippet of that suicide from the 1st person pov of the student who ultimately meets her demise, her mind boiling with madness and visions in quintessential cosmic horror fashion.
Chapter two transitions to what I suspect will be the bulk of the novel, following our young psychic in 3rd person close as she gets drawn into the mystery of this suicide and what spawned it – what lurks beneath the university.
The storytelling is focused and effective. It doesn’t waist any time, nor does it spare any important setting details. The university and its city, Arkham (as in from the Cthulhu mythos), are a third protagonist in these early chapters.
The overt and subtle gothic details are a lot of fun. For the moment, the setting reminds me a lot of that Wednesday show, if you saw it, in its tone especially.
So far, that tone carries the narrative alongside the mystery and horror of the cold open – how did this happen? What is going on?
This seems fun, well written, and well paced. If you like a paranormal mystery, and Cthulhu in general, this seems like an entertaining read! Check it out. Its more than passed my humble opening assessment. I’m in!
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/115720722-darkness-below
159. Demetria Meltinos Dreams, The Mesozoic: Creatures of the Malignant Thicket
From the author:
As of December 31st, 2025 the Mesozoic will be taken temporary offline due to life circumstances. Fara and the others WILL return hopefully late 2026.
If you’re interested in reading the book during this time, shoot Demi an email 🙂
I’ve written the author to let me know when the book is available again so I can write about the opening. I’m sure I’ll still be reading openings by then. Here’s hoping.
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Tom Mock 
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