Across the kingdom of Octar, a catastrophic drought has withered the crops. The angry rain god demands ultimate sacrifice or all must abandon the city. Social order is crumbling. Desperate, High Priest Ickletor is sacrificing Octar’s precious children high atop the Great Pyramid as the silent, despondent people watch from the grand plaza below. Ickletor alone holds the fate of the kingdom. Then, … kingdom. Then, a nightmare accident shatters the priest’s faith. The aftermath threatens to undermine his position, even survival. His last hope is a pact with Death himself, but Death demands release from the Underworld? What can the most unlikely of heroes do to return Death to the Underworld?
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This is a book that I’m struggling to write a review for, mostly because I don’t think any review I write will do it justice. On the surface it is a historical fantasy set in pre-Colombian Mesoamerica, which on its own is quite intriguing since that isn’t a setting I’ve commonly seen in the fantasy genre. But The Grim Conspiracy is so much more than your run of the mill novel, and it’s not a fluffy read to while away the time and then forget. It’s a drama full of political maneuvering and scheming, mostly by the despicable High Priest Ickletor, who is determined to get all the power and prestige he can, and he has no morals to hold him back. But this book also showcases some unlikely friendships, and shows that there is still good to be found in humanity even when the corrupt leadership brings out the worst in the masses. I enjoyed the characters who are all well developed and each have their own strengths and weaknesses. I also enjoyed the moments of humour scattered throughout what otherwise is a fairly dark tale. This story is well written and intriguing and it easily kept me reading. It’s deeper than a lot of the other books I’ve read this summer so I purposely took my time with it even though I also just wanted to see what was going to happen next. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good epic fantasy read!
The Grim Conspiracy
C. Craig Coleman
I have just completed C. Craig Coleman’s newest offering, The Grim Conspiracy. This book is in the genre of his epic Neuyokkasinian Arc of Empire Series which was an amazing dive into fantasy fiction. Although this stand-alone book occurs in a distant place and time, the characters are reminiscent of people we see in the news daily. This is a book about the corrosive effect of power on people of ambiguous character and the willingness of others to go along to preserve or enhance their positions. It is a book demonstrating the willingness of the masses to cede control to powerful people who promise deliverance. It is also a book about the emergence of heroes from unexpected quarters during times of trial. It is a compelling story that builds steadily from its gruesome beginning throughout the book to the final climax. As in other books by this author, it is difficult to predict where the story is going, nor can you always be assured of a neat and happy ending.
It is a good book that is easy to follow with well-developed and interesting characters I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys fantasy fiction!
If you are thinking that this is another fantasy book featuring the same clichés associated with the genre then this book by C. Craig Coleman will surprise you! It is not easy to be original with so many books in the market but the author did a superb job and this is so fresh.
Regarding the characters they are well rounded and their emotions reached me very easily; the author has a mastery of what’s to be human with all its virtues and defects.
It was hard to put the book down in the evenings, especially when the climax of the story started to build up. I wish the book was longer, I hope the author will write more stories taking place in this world; I want to know more about Nokmay, she is so mysterious and interesting…(Sandro of Circle of Books)
The Grim Conspiracy, 2019 by C. Craig Coleman.
This is Craig Coleman’s tenth book and is arguably his best yet! The setting somewhere in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica would indicate a historical fiction, but the tale smacks of pure fantasy, action-filled, and with all the intrigue of a political drama. Pinning down the genre of this excitingly complex work is difficult, but ultimately it is a treatise on the threat of a failing economy and the peoples’ clinging faith in the false gods to save them. In this book, primitive faith exposes a society to manipulation and mastery by a single unscrupulous, soulless leader. When drought and failing crops persist despite repeated sacrifices to their god, the cleric leader, a high priest, assumes control and deflects blame to the neighboring nation-states, rallying the angry masses to the brink of war with himself, as their god’s representative, the ruler. But there is much more to the story!
This is an action book, a gory tale of sacrifice, deceit, manipulation, and distrust. The reading of it hums along at a rapid pace as three storylines diverge, run in parallel, and converge with a chilling climax. Symbolism abounds in this thriller as exemplified by a harmless pet Iguana’s surging transformation, by the high priest’s incompetent spell, into a roaring beast of death. Two kings, a royal daughter, a royal son, a seductress, a host of sub-priests, and a powerful witch of the forest intertwine, clash, and fall prey to the subterranean realm of a hungry, world-ending force of evil, replete with unworldly and ravenous creatures. The distrust, lust, and naïveté of this cast, and their unabashed adherence to the power of the high priest, threaten to dislodge them all and bring civilization crashing down.
The cast of characters, a strength of all of Coleman’s books, is ironically a delightful blend of innocence, cleverness, heroism, bravery, temerity, and idiocy. At times the dialog is amusing in a Laurel and Hardy sort of way and the plights and scrapes of the heroes are reminiscent of “The Man of La Mancha”. The good guys are truly good, and the bad guys are truly bad, but that is not always evident until the end. It is difficult to not empathize with the strange witch of the forest who, despite her own supernatural powers and her own selfish aims, scrambles to prevent the evil that could be unleashed by the ineptitude of the high priest.
With each twist and turn, each improbable peril, Coleman’s vivid imagination slithers throughout The Grim Conspiracy. Fantasy fans especially, but also readers of drama as well as those following the current course of world events, will want to read this book from cover to cover in one sitting.