Blurb:

Will a beast hunter continue his work now that he can hear the cries of his victims?

Organ transplants are used to grant people with unforseen power, changing politics and humankind forever. The continent is split, as its people are on the brink of war over this controversial new practice.

Runith, a beast bounty hunter, must decide his stance on this disturbing practice as he is chosen to gain such power for his most deadly target yet. Will he become a hero in the eyes of the Zhaesmen or a demon worse than those he faces?

Set four years before the events of Elegy of a Fragmented Vineyard, Beastcall is sure to thrill readers both old and new.

Review:

Beastcall is a prequel novella within the Paladins of the Harvest series, set 4 years before Love’s debut novel: Elegy of a Fragmented Vineyard. Having not read Elegy of a Fragmented Vineyard, this was my first exposure into Love’s extensive world and magical system. If this is also your entry point into the series, Love does a good job of bringing the reader up to speed with the political underpinnings and magical system within the novella. There is a helpful map and glossary that I referenced multiple times while reading.

At the time of this story, harvesting—the removal of an additional, magic-granting intestine from unique babies resulting in their death for the opportunity to graft the organ into an adult, ultimately granting them “god-sent abilities”—has recently become legal in four of the six fiefdoms on the continent of Facet. This legal ruling has caused chaos and rebellion in those fiefdoms which oppose legalized harvesting. While there are many different abilities granted to Endowed members of society (people who have obtained this organ transplant), this story follows a beast bounty hunter—Runith—who is gifted with the ability to speak with animals. As a Beastling, he can communicate with and influence beasts. While developing this gift, he is faced with an ethical dilemma, where the beasts that he has relentlessly hunted and used for labor are now able to communicate with him and express their wishes and feelings. 

The magical system is unique and interesting. Personally, I enjoy magical systems which exert a cost when used, so this concept of needing to sacrifice a baby to obtain the power works for me. I like that it is making the reader and society ask difficult ethical questions. While the novella only briefly touches on these themes, I expect that they are more fully explored and fleshed out in the novel.

Given the length of this novella, Love does a nice job of quickly bringing the reader up to speed while also telling the story of Runith and his development as a Beastling. There were a few parts of the story that felt rushed and rather circumstantial, but pacing can be difficult in a novella that is also working to serve as an entry point into a larger fantasy world. Beastcall left a lot of questions open for me, but in a way that makes me excited to read further books from Love to continue learning about the political machinations and repercussions of harvesting.

Love has crafted a fast-paced novella that thrusts the reader into the world of Facet while simultaneously introducing an interesting, organ transplant based magic system which is Sanderson-esque in its uniqueness. While not overstaying its welcome, Beastcall hints at the complex political gameplay and difficult ethical questions that will come in future Paladins of the Harvest novels. I’m certainly intrigued enough to keep reading!