Kogiopsis's Reviews > Heart of the Current

This book doesn't know what it is. Is it a story about a woman dealing with the idea that her entire family, and indeed her entire society, has been wiped out by a nuclear holocaust? Is it a story about a man trying to make up for past misdeeds and right wrongs against him? Is it about the two of them coming together? Or is it just the opening sally to a larger series spanning multiple planets?

WHO EVEN KNOWS?

The biggest absence I felt in this book was, distinctly, Annie's reaction to the idea of everything she knew having been destroyed. Oh, sure, she cried herself to sleep sometimes (a lot, to the point where the phrase got annoying - and while I'm at it, so did the word 'sneer'), but there was never really any investigation of her emotions. The deepest insight we got into her reaction was at the beginning of the book, when she's still on Earth and packing to leave the city; but once she reaches Tahldia, she seems to throw herself into her new world and its conflicts without much thought for what she's just gone through. It doesn't even read like denial, either, because she does think of it briefly from time to time, but never in a way that conveys pain, shock, disbelief, or really any emotional response.

As for Tahldia, which quickly overtook everything reminiscent of Earth: all I can really say is 'meh'. It's framed as something Annie adapts for an RPG, and it pretty much reads like standard RPG fare. There's elves, dwarves, dragons, gryphons, demons, mages, and human kingdoms - even magic crystals! The only concept that felt more creative was the idea of warlocks, which a) wasn't explored very thoroughly, likely because this was obviously set up for a sequel and b) wound up, when more information was revealed, being extremely overpowered.

What I will say in this book's favor is this: it's an easy read, and fairly engaging. I made it through the whole thing, and if it had been longer (and it probably would have been more satisfying if so) I'd have certainly read more. However, since finishing it I've had a chance to look back, and I don't think I care enough to pick up a sequel. This was a one-time-only thing.