Originally drawn to this because of the beautiful cover, I continually put of reading Reaper of Stone by Mark Gelineau and Joe King because I thought there is no way this can be as good as the cover. Finally, I decided I needed to just read it and see and I was completely wrong! This was such an enjoyable story that I was upset at how short it is (only about a hundred pages.)
The authors create such a salivating peek at their new fantasy world in introducing us to protagonist Elinor and friend Conbert as they take on their mission to tear down a stone fortress. Elinor is the Reaper of Stone and everyone knows what that seems to mean, save the reader. We see how this world works on a feudal system of Kings and Lords and fealty earned. We see that magic exists and corruption. A school for youth and wild creatures. What we don’t see is is the how or why, which was why I was upset at the length of the novella.
We are teased with things that don’t ever materialize. We are given enough to sate our palette but not enough to truly understand. This ends up feeling like a small scene of a much larger novel that the authors released solely to build interest. I thought at first this was solely a teaser novella, but it isn’t. The entire series, which to their credit was rapidly released, consists of novellas. I haven’t picked up any follow-ups, but i’m interested if only to see if we ever get the payoff I really wanted to see.
A Reaper of Stone by Mark Gelineau and Joe King feels solid and promises a great story, only, we never get to see it. It’s almost like a story we’re told after the fact instead of living it, experiencing it ourselves. This fault lies mainly with the short length of the novella.
