For centuries the nations of Tierra and Uraba have not got along very well.  But it looks as though all that might be over, as a truce is signed between King Korastine and the Soldan-Shah Imir.  But the ink is barely dry when one tragic incident causes a war to flare up between the two nations.  Meanwhile, a quest to discover what lies beyond the known world has been launched.

Reading the gloss on the back of the book it is easy to imagine that this is basically going to be a book about a long sea voyage.  Storms, strange islands, sea monsters and more can be imagined and there is a little of this in here, but not actually very much.  Mainly this is the compelling tale of the war and all it entails; the atrocities on both sides, the misunderstandings, the plotting and the devastation.  But this makes it sound a gloomy tale replete with stock situations and it isn’t.  Neither ruler wants the war, and those fanning the flames of strife tend to be in the minority, but hard to spot.  Tierra is a European type of country, while Uraba is a Middle Eastern one and thus in some respects this is certainly a topical novel, adding to its appeal.  Many of the clichés are slightly sidestepped, and the short, snappy chapters flicking back from one place to another make for a fast, lively read.  If you like lots of magic in your fantasy you won’t find it, nor will you find any other sentient races apart from humans.  The sea serpents are large animals, and most of the slightly magical elements are more to do with religion or lack of advanced knowledge.  The only real exception to this is the inclusion of a magical island, which does not really fit into the rest of the book and strikes a jarring note.  This aside, anybody who has been complaining about the lack of good, traditional fantasy ought to enjoy this book and I’ll certainly be looking out for book two.  Maybe that will contain a bit more voyaging...