Before I begin my review of this novel, I must note a couple things of importance. First, P. F. Davids, the author of this series is a close friend and friendly rival in the world of writing. Second, in case the first point did not make it obvious, I potentially carry some bias in my review here due to the already mentioned points. As a fellow writer of science fiction and fantasy, it is my hope that despite these inherent biases that this review is still helpful. Anyway, back to the review:
Lesser Evil is the first novel in the Lesser Evil Trilogy and focuses on a fantastic world ravaged by war. The opening segments draw a reader in quickly thanks to a form of writing that I like to see employed. A mission that not only does not go as planned, but ends in tragedy. The witty dialogue in the first couple pages properly sets the tone for the rest of the novel.
The central theme of this novel is that there is a hierarchy of ethics that can and will be broken based on the level of need, hence the name of the series. To that end, in a beautiful averted trope that is normal in fantasy, the church within this universe is the closest thing to a protagonist so far. Meanwhile the villain, Serpentine is an Evil Overlord who will not suffer any Gods besides himself to exist.
I must take a moment to talk about Serpentine as I got a specific type of vibe from him. A video game that I grew up playing called Fire Emblem Path of Radiance has a similar character to this antagonist in the form of Mad King Ashnard. This is hardly a bad thing since Ashnard is one of my personal favorite evil emperors in fiction. The fact that Serpentine reminds me of this well constructed villain is a compliment to Davids. I am eager to see if later books in the series will paint Serpentine as a Social Darwinist or if the story will take this evil overlord a totally different direction.
As for the protagonists, which in my opinion is (are) the strongest aspect (s) of this novel, we have two. The Lawful Good aligned Kester is the main protagonist. A member of the Church, this man has always lived in his brother's shadow. Through Lesser Evil, Kester constantly reflects on how his brother would have acted contrary to his own decisions. A tough burden to bare as the man he constantly tries to measure up to is one of the most legendary warriors in the story.
The second of the two is my favorite character in the story. Reis is Neutral Evil, meaning a selfish and pragmatic man who would rather just be left alone for the sake of scientific research. However, Serpentine wants the man dead or captured and the Church decides to make use of his services to defeat the Empire. The central point of conflict within the series does not come from Serpentine. No, the major conflict here is whether Kester and Reis can get along long enough to finish their job.
With every good story come at least a couple of problems. This review is my attempt to be as unbiased as possible while still reminding any who read this that the author and I are in a friendly rivalry. To that end, I find two things that I think can be improved upon within the next book. First, sometimes the pacing can go from a good flow to a slow crawl. The most notable example involves a very deadly forest where I feel the story goes a little too slow. My second point of contention is that I feel there needs to be a map of some sort to serve as a guide for the geography of this series. Many locations are referenced in the story, but I was confused about the general shape and flow of the land that Lesser Evil takes place in. Perhaps I am being nit picky, but I prefer to write honest reviews to the best of my ability.
With that out of the way, lets focus on the good. As already mentioned, Serpentine is a fantastic antagonist. Another strong point is the slow trickle that the magic that makes the world so fantastic is introduced. I am most excited of all to see where Davids takes this idea as the next book begins. Another strong point is that Lesser Evil does a better job than many other novels I have read in showcasing and properly using real life military tactics. Research into these methods helps create a world that is more fleshed out and seems more fantastically realistic if that makes sense. The strongest point in my opinion is the new way of exploring old themes that are common in fantasy. Notable examples include an assassin that uses unconventional methods of killing, the importance of alchemy, a massive deconstruction on the black knight archetype, and most importantly, dealing with some very vital real world issues. I cannot say which ones without spoiling a few surprises.
All in all, I feel that this was a great debut novel for P. F. Davids and a look forward to reading the next book in the series. I am eager to see how the rest of this series is developed, with the characters that I like most, notably Reis, hopefully leading the way.
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