Review: Fogbound by N.J. Alexander

Blurb:

Brave the Fog. Embrace Another Self.

The nation of Entervia is on the brink of annihilation. But amidst the chaos in the capital city, one man stands as the key to Entervia's fate—Zercien Volnaire, a young history teacher with no love of war, haunted by the specter of a long-dead legendary hero who once saved the land.

Zercien's peaceful life is shattered as he is possessed by the hero, and thrust into the trenches of a battle far more sinister—one waged within his own mind. His newfound abilities earn him renown, but at a great cost: his own identity.

Accompanied by a ragtag band, Zercien is tasked with a desperate mission for reinforcements. But as the drums of war beat ever closer, he must make a choice. Embrace the power of the hero and save Entervia, or reject it and cling to his humanity, dooming his home to a bloody fate.

For fans of John Gwynne’s “The Faithful and the Fallen” and Nicholas Eames’ “Kings of the Wyld,” this epic fantasy adventure will captivate and thrill. Don't wait - brave the fog today and join Zercien on his journey.

Review:

Fogbound has everything you could ever want in a book: feckless professors, grumpy ghosts who possess said feckless professors, big oafs who are great with weapons but terrible at tests, plucky heroines, and one of the creepier villains I’ve read in a while.  There’s action, romance, tons of humor, moments of emotional depth, and just a whole lot of fun. 

So what’s the book about? I’d like to say I don’t have the foggiest idea, but I’ll put the puns aside: This is a classic quest adventure fantasy with lovable characters, high stakes, nasty villains, and tongue-in-cheek wit. One of my favorite reads of the year. Let’s get into it. 

Characters: 

Zercian: History professor turned nation’s last hope. A good main character, especially if you, like me, are a fan of reluctant heroes.  He grows and changes quite a bit in the story and I enjoyed his character ARC.

Euvard: A big lug. Lovable, hilarious, not very smart. Tall dwarf vibes. Gets some emotional complexity as the story goes on.

Saena: The voice of reason. Probably too good for Zercian, but she’s in love with the boy. 

Ardian: One of my favorites! I’d hoped to get more time with him, and I felt like his part of the story was a bit rushed through and that we left him for too long. Looking forward to more of him in later books!

Lloyd: The most badass soldier in the kingdom. Almost everything he said made me smile, mostly because he was so serious all the time, even when everyone else was joking. Great foil for the other characters.

Worldbuilding/Magic System:  

Fogbound has a well-realized world. There were definitely times where I had to look at the map because I’d completely forgotten where different nations were, and a few moments where I wouldn’t have minded a touch more information, especially regarding one group, the Denon-Hein, who I was intrigued by. I also struggled with differentiating between Ankarth and Ariglioth, just because the names both started with A.  The magic system was well-explained and a lot of fun; the Pariah Arts is just a fantastic name for magic. 

Story:

The story is fast paced and keeps the reader entertained and invested. I enjoyed the friendship between Zercian and Euvard, and side characters like Ardian and Lloyd brought a lot to the story. The bad guys were your traditional very bad, nasty, evil guys without any shred of decency, and they wanted what all nasty bad guys want: to destroy the good guys and take over. I’d like to learn a little bit more about the antagonists in future books to give me a better idea of why they’re so dead set on domination. The boil-faced man, however, is one of the creepiest characters I’ve ever read and I absolutely loved it. I am so excited to see what further problems he causes for our heroes in later novels, and I absolutely need his backstory. Give me a novella just about him!  I would say the pacing was much slower at the beginning, but once the story picked up steam, it was a rollercoaster of awesomeness. 

Writing:

There were some typos and awkward sentences in the novel, but it’s a first novel and I know NJ Alexander will get better and better with each book. Alexander does enough with description to set the scene and has a fantastic ear for dialogue. 

Overall: 

I recommend this one to anyone who enjoys classic fantasy, fantasy adventures, and anyone who wants to have some fun with a book. It’s witty, it’s action-packed, and it’ll leave you wanting to embrace the fog, grab a sword yourself and go off to save the world. Highly recommended. Give this one a try