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SALVATION TAVERNS by E.M. Goldsmith

SALVATION TAVERNS

A Rooke's Tale

by E.M. Goldsmith

Pub Date: Jan. 30th, 2024
ISBN: 9798988155508
Publisher: Kpm Books

In Goldsmith’s debut fantasy series starter, a storyteller must prevent catastrophe by keeping the land’s now-forbidden mythology alive.

The world of Aerda has enjoyed peace and harmony for centuries, maintained by nameless storytellers called rookes. Then an imperial takeover brings new technologies, the suppression of religion, and the systematic assassination of rookes to destroy Aerda’s old mythology. Fifty-seven years later, an ancient spiritual order, the Seven Aspects of the Relic, delivers a distressing message to the last remaining rooke: The dragons of Aerda are coming out of hibernation, and the only way to prevent them from destroying everything in their path is for the rooke to tell the forbidden stories to everyone who’ll listen: “Dragons slumber to the tune of their tales. When their stories cease, when the magic of creation is extinguished in the people of Aerda, they awake.” The rooke sets off on his journey, accompanied by a bevy of assistants, followers, and protectors, including the scrivener and guardian knight Kentigern Dagan Leesh, master puzzle solver Ghita Mist, imperial defector Tavares Flaco, and the rooke’s two adopted sons, 15-year-old Thiago and 11-year-old Kostas. In city after city, the rooke recounts mythical tales of the enigmatic sorceress Phaedra and the lost land of Alleysiande to tavern audiences, encouraging them to break free from the oppressive regime of the Three Empires. But spies aim to crush the growing rebellion. Over the course of the novel, Goldsmith presents an intricately crafted fantasy tale about oral storytelling tradition, oppression, and the existential threat that technology can present to creativity: “I used to paint,” says one character. “I don’t know why I gave it up. I guess it seemed useless once technology learned how to do it.” In addition to the primary arc, the rooke’s tales are effectively interwoven throughout, further immersing readers into the fictional world of Aerda. However, although the overall story is intriguing, some readers may find it difficult to follow at times, due to an overcrowded cast of characters, all of whom seem to come with their own side plots.

An imaginative, if somewhat dense, epic with meticulous worldbuilding.