Review: Unfortunate by Ayrton Silva
Blurb:
Wealth, power, and an easy life. Vaz had it all, but nothing could satisfy him. He always wanted more.
When one of his plans makes his boss finally decide he is a threat, Vaz finds himself with only two options: to roll over and die, or to roll the dice. Literally. Due to an ancient pact between his people and a god of chaos, Vaz, like all citizens of his country, has a special die that grants wishes... if you get a 20. Anything else results in a grisly death.
Vaz knew there would be a price to pay, but he didn't expect that, instead of getting his wish right away, he'd have to work for his own safety. Worse: that he'd have to work for the sake of another person.
Now a fugitive forced to prevent a young woman's death, Vaz is confronted not just by the ugliness of his world, but by his own part in it.
Review:
The opening paragraph of this dark urban fantasy novella grabbed my attention immediately. You meet Vaz, the main character, as he is walking into his bathroom, naked, and finds a man sitting in the bathtub with a shotgun pointed at him. I was flabbergasted! How the hell does one find themselves in this situation?!?!
From the beginning, Vaz is truly in a life-or-death situation. Knowing his incredibly low chances, Vaz decides to roll his 20-sided die in the hope a wish can put him in a better circumstance. If he doesn't roll a 20, he'll end up dead in some grisly manner anyway, so why not try with those odds? Unfortunately, Vaz’s one wish will lead him out of the frying pan into the fire.
The amount of world-building Silva creates in this short novella is astounding. His magic system is intricate, yet he seamlessly drops the reader fully into the story and makes it easily digestible without slowing the pace. It's all about chance. Coin flips and dice rolls can either bring you fortune or misfortune. This resulted in some dynamic and chaotic fight scenes, which were fun to read. You had no idea if Vaz’s action would occur like he wanted or if it would backfire.
Another important aspect of this world is the greed-fueled society Vaz lives in. He is just another cog in the capitalist machine. Through alternating flashbacks, we see that Vaz is a cutthroat and ambitious banker who has everything going for him. He knows the decisions he is making will hurt many, but he doesn't see them as human enough to care. Even worse, he blames them for their life decisions, which have led them to need money from the bank. Vaz is not an evil guy, but his callous attitude has made him someone who does more harm than good for society. With his backstory, I like how this novella demonstrates a critical moment in Vaz’s life. He goes on an unexpected, deadly journey to reflect on his values and role in society.
Overall, I highly enjoyed this dark urban fantasy novella and would recommend it. The complex magic system was seamlessly written within the story. It made the fight scenes unique and difficult to anticipate. Plus, it's shocking to know how much lore was included without feeling like an info dump. I liked this added depth since it made me understand Vaz more as a person. It also was a great commentary on how we can lose our humanity as we become more focused on money, power, and material things. However, it wasn’t entirely grim since we encounter some characters who go against society and try to help in any way they can. Lastly, I appreciated how Vaz’s character developed, and the way it left off made me think he still has a long way to go, but there’s hope.
