Review: The Child of the Greenwood by Joshua Walker
Blurb:
Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn meets Tarzan in this epic fantasy, coming of age tale.
WHAT BEGINS WITH WATER WILL FINISH IN FLAMES.
On the day the river destroyed his people, Jilo took up his father’s spear. Years later, when the heirloom is taken from him, he vows to do anything to get it back.
The river is sick and putrid.
The magic is in the wrong hands.
The spear is the answer to it all.
The Child of the Greenwood is the second novella that supports The Song of the Sleepers series, an epic new fantasy from Joshua Walker.
Review:
Be ready to step into a captivating and emotional coming of age tale. The Child of the Greenwood takes us deeper into the land of Q’ara as Jilo, a young Kathani boy, watches in horror as his people are decimated by a sickness carried in the River Tomei. Reeling from the loss, he finds his father’s spear in the aftermath of the destruction. The spear glows with ancient magics and is all that Jilo had left of his family and tribe. But when the spear is taken by those intent on bringing Q’ara to its knees, Jilo makes a vow to stop at nothing to retrieve it and finds help from the most unexpected creatures along the way.
“This Sickness was not just a poison. It was a parasite.”
The world of Q’ara has gotten a little bit bigger. In this novella readers are now transported to places we have seen briefly mentioned in previous books of The Song of the Sleepers series. From the wildlands of the Kathani people, to the lush forests of the Greenwood, readers will be ensnared in Walker’s famously rich and descriptive writing.
In Greenwood we have a similar POV style to the novella prior, where we jump between the past and the present. The past focuses on Jilo's grief and survival in the aftermath of the devastating loss of his people, while the present focuses on his vow to recover his father’s spear. Throughout the story, the characters we meet leave a lasting impact. Through the trials and struggles they go through; Walker has crafted these experiences that can be related to on a deep and personal level.
This novella introduces characters that readers have long been anticipating. Among the most exciting are the Hidden Ones, a secretive anthropomorphic species of weasels, who aid Jilo in his quest and become a second family. The Hidden Ones consist of two groups; Nestlers who reside above ground in the forests of the Greenwood, and Burrowers who live in complex tunnels underground. Both Nestlers and Burrowers are formidable in weapons craft and are fierce in battle.
Depending on which book readers have used as an introduction to the series, Greenwood gives some in depth backstory on characters briefly mentioned in An Exile of Water and Gold, while hinting at what is yet to come in The Rest to the Gods. While I personally recommend reading Greenwood after Exile, this book can easily be an intense yet deeply moving starting point to the series.
In conclusion, I greatly enjoyed this novella. Out of all the books Walker has put out for the series, I believe that Greenwood is my most favorite thus far. The raw emotion I felt pouring off the pages is unparalleled with any other book I have read. Additionally, and I could be slightly biased here, seeing the Hidden Ones in action and learning more about their lore, customs, and culture was something I have wanted for quite some time. Ever since reading about Sergent Cavtil of the Hidden Ones in Walker’s first book, I have been itching for more and Greenwood delivered while also knocking it out of the park. I am super happy that I kicked off my New Year with this novella and I cannot wait for the next installment of the series coming near the end of 2025.
