Review – Dawn of the Exile by Mitchell Hogan

I read and reviewed Shadow of the Exile a while back, and really enjoyed it, giving it a strong 4.5 out of stars. It’s rapid pace, engaging plot and likeable hero in Tarrick ensured I’d be checking out part two when it came out. Of course, then the problem becomes, can the author maintain his standards?

Well, in short – yes. The story maintains not only the formula from book one, but also many of the original cast. This time around, set about ten years later,  we get to see some of Tarrick’s life in Shimrax, and meet the demon lords, who call Tarrick before them to explain his actions in Shadow. We also meet Shekrie, a fellow demon exile, who displays something of an interest in our hero. However, Tarrick gets summoned to the human world yet again, much to his surprise, as Ren died imprisoning Salam at the end of the previous episode. This time it’s Lienriel, who you may remember was the girl Ren and Tarrick “rescued.” However, with Ren off the scene, Lienel throws her lot in with Jawo-Linger, who survived the end of book one, and still aims to release Samal. Jawo sends Tarrick and Linerel to the land of the Orgul to find out where Ren had gained her powers. And thus it begins.

If you think this sounds like a rehash of the original plot, you’d be mistaken, as there is a lot more going on here as it sets up what should be a massive showdown in book three.The author again wastes no time throwing us into the plot, setting up scenes that initially may seem like simple plot devices, but raise a boatload of questions that remain unanswered at the end. Tarrick is ever the engaging hero, blessed with some useful skills, but finding as the stakes are raised, he relies more on his smarts than his strength. He spends much of the book in pain – the loss of Ren, his exile and seemingly constant slavery wear hard on him.

So, we’ve a plot that promises much, plenty of wit, believable characters we want to root for, epic battles and a big-ass twist a third of the way through that tosses everything on its head, but still keeps us guessing throughout. More great stuff, a touch too similar to book one to say it’s better, but still a worthy read.

4.4 out of 5 stars.