To challenge the gods is to invite their wrath. So it is written of Lachyla, the Blighted City, in the Codex of the Ages. But who reads codices? And who really believes the tall stories of the Taleweavers?Dagra does. If it’s a story about the gods – even a dead god – he believes every word. When his sellsword team is offered a contract to cross the Deadlands and find a burial jewel in the crypts … the crypts of the Blighted City, Dagra wants no part of it. His companions are undaunted by the legend; to them, the blurred divide between the living and the dead is superstitious nonsense. Completing the contract would earn their guild’s failing reputation a much-needed boost and secure them the bounty of a lifetime. They’re going, with or without him. Torn between the convictions of his beliefs and the importance of his friendships, Dagra reluctantly journeys into the godless region in search of the fabled city. But the Deadlands are only the first challenge.
The sellswords uncover an age-old deception when they learn that Lachyla’s foul seed is much darker than its legend, that its truth must forever remain untold or risk plunging humanity into an eternal nightmare. Snagged on the barbs of the blight, Dagra faces the toughest choice of his life … and of his death.
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An elderly woman hires a group of mercenaries to retrieve a family heirloom for her. But to earn their reward they have to travel to a city abandoned centuries ago and find the grave it was buried in.
The Blighted City is ostensibly a fantasy novel and it certainly has all the requisite trappings. But there are also a number of other aspects to it. There are elements of a bio-hazard suspense novel, the dangers of narrow thinking & knee-jerk reactions, how different people perceive religion and a thoughtful meditation on what it might truly mean to be undying.
The contract serves to set the plot in motion and it soon follows three strands. The first, and principal, plotline concerns Dagra, Oriken and Jalis; the trio of ‘freeblades’ who undertake the journey towards the cursed city of Lachyla in the hopes of finding the desired jewel. Oriken is consumed with thoughts of the reward money whereas Dagra, the more religious of the group, has concerns about the storied history of the Blighted City and what the potential consequences of their intrusion might be. Jalis, the senior of the three, often acts as a mediator between the two men. While they do reach the City fairly early in the novel, what they discover is far beyond what they could have anticipated.
The inhabitants of Lachyla are for all intents and purposes immortal but in a severely limited form. Moving too far from the environs of the city gradually weakens them and they must either return or perish. And while death doesn’t touch them within the city, neither does time. Many are stuck at the same physical state, either immature or aged, for centuries. Bound to their city and physically unchanging, many have turned away from material pursuits and pleasures, focusing instead on more philosophical and theological investigations. In some ways, this abstraction makes them even more ‘other’ when compared to the freeblades but it also makes perfect sense in the context of their existence.
The second plotline follows the inhabitants of the only remaining village in the area close to Lachyla. Alarmed to discover outsiders nearing their home and that they intend to enter the City, the village elders resolve to hunt the freeblades down. While there is a degree of logic behind their decision, as they know the potential danger of removing anything from the City, it is born equally from a desire to preserve their isolation and deny anything that might change their world view. While some of the villagers do raise concerns about the morality of this action, they are definitely in the minority.
The final group mainly involves the guild of freeblades, specifically Maros, the elder who accepted the contract in the first place. While he did offer the contract to Jalis and the others, he gradually becomes overwhelmed with misgivings and sets off after them in an attempt to bring them home. While the other two plot lines routinely shift their perspectives between the participants, this third one stays with Maros for the majority of the time. It is also the one that takes up the least amount of page time which, while understandable since it has the least impact, was a little disappointing since I really wanted to learn more about Maros and the workings of the guild.
While the novel has a relatively slow build, sticking with it is recommended and rewarding. There are hints of theologies, geography and history, all of which potentially adding up to a well-developed world. Bits and pieces of this background are doled out rather sparingly, concentrating mainly on Lachyla and how the main characters respond to it. I find myself hoping that there will be more works set in this world since there is obviously a lot more to explore.
This beautifully written, thought provoking novel has a bit of a slow start but then blazes into fresh science fantasy territory as a group of hired treasure seekers discover the true nature of a curse laid upon a forgotten land.
Fantastic Epic Fantasy!
A cursed city, a mysterious jewel and badass freeblades on a mission, what more could you want in a dark epic fantasy? I know…authentic characters living in a deeply grounded world.
Sure this is a fantasy with magical elements and zombie-like ghouls. But as I read The Blighted City, I found myself completely invested in the story and the genuine relationship between the heroes. And that’s all due to Scott Kaelen’s wonderful writing.
If you’re looking for a fantastic epic fantasy filled with action and true emotion, look no further than The Blighted City.