The Cry of Justice by Jason Pratt is the first book of an epic fantasy trilogy that traces events in the aftermath of a huge international war. The novel has an ensemble cast of main characters: Gaekwar, Othon, Dagon, Pooralay, and Bornas with Commander Portunista trying to keep this group of refugees together.
The novel is ambitious and emotionally charged. There are hints of a well thought out world and a good understanding of the war that comes before the book. There are cultures and languages but none of these things really come into focus the way they should.
Likewise Portunista and her crew should be vibrant characters but the dust jacket has to provide a cheat sheet listening their roles and personalities. Epic fiction comes with a large cast, it's part of the genre. The best examples of the form, for example, The Lord of the Rings, will have dozens of characters all taking their part in the adventure and they will all contribute in memorable ways. I don't need a list of characters in Tolkien's books, but I found myself constantly flipping back to keep track of the different characters in Cry of Justice.
Breaking up the core story are lengthy journal entries by a character named Seifas. While his insights are often interesting, the text is printed in about a nine point type face. It's hard on the eyes and slows down the pacing of the book. I hope in the future books these entries will be curtailed.
I think there is potential for this trilogy but the first book in the series doesn't hit the mark.
Also, I provided the character list on the jacket-flaps to give potential buyers an idea of the characters beforehand. I can see how it would be useful as a cheat sheet for remembering the characters, I guess; but I didn't provide it for that reason.
Thanks for the review anyway!--I appreciated the critical pro-and-cons.
Sorry for getting the name wrong. Thank you for the added info. I'm sure it will be of interest to readers.
Well, I for one enjoyed seeing a pro and con review together (of sorts). It sounds interesting.