Library books by Shadrack Antwi

In a world of magic and dreams, where capable fighters wield swords and very creatively interesting forms of magic to duel with each other in the age-old battle between good versus evil, darkness versus a mere normal reality, this novel manages to present adults and young adults torn between duty, love, betrayal, and bravery, and of course, the political strategies involved when upstarts decide to grow their power, take over whatever world they live in and subject it to their aesthetic tastes and moral or amoral forms of living or dying. An aspect of this novel reminds me, in a good way, of Demon Slayer, that superb Netflix Anime about fighters who push back against demons plaguing humans. It also reminds me of quite a number of anime series or movies where young fighters command ridiculously large swords and other wild weapons and fight each other in ways that only magic or fantasy would allow.

When the story starts we meet Derexen, a quite grumpy boy who lives with his mother in a very bad apartment. Derexen is nineteen, and seems smart and mature beyond his years, probably because he has been on his own very much of his life, his mother over-worked and probably effectively absent. The story soon moves to another town where we meet Greyshio, Brad, Demeseus, Lex, and Sophia. Lex is a poor boy who only wants to be respected and be accepted in the group made of Greyshio, Brad, Demeseus and Greyshio’s girlfriend Sophia. However, Demeseus only bullies Lex mercilessly, forcing him to make wooden swords with which the three friends would compete in an upcoming sword fighting contest.

The boys make it to the sword fighting contest, where they meet Derexen, who is also there for the sword fighting competition. Derexen badly injures Brad badly in a legal but brutal manner to win a fight. Greyshio and Demeseus are mad at Derexen for that, and swear revenge. There are other happenings, but it’s after the sword fighting that the magic or dreams start. Greyshio, Brad, Demeseus all have these vivid dreams and gradually get teleported into a magical world where there is a raging battle of the World Guardians who protect the world from bad actors such as the Righteous Kiras. Meanwhile, Derexen also appears in the magic world after reading a dark book at the library, and so does Lex. Fast forward, and Derexen has grown in power, able to command magic to fight his opponents, who also happen to include Greyshio, Brad, and Demeseus.

I had some misgivings because the magical world seemed to occur all of a sudden, while the boys “real” life receded with little fanfare. However, I liked it as it progressed. The fights are interesting, and serve to move the story forward and reveal the magic world in vivid ways. The writing is skillful, and handles the complexities of impulsive young characters and the complex world of magic or dreams they have been thrown into quite well. My only issue, a technicality, is that in some cases where the characters were in public spaces such as streets or market, there was nothing said about other people in the scene or not, so it seems to leave out the atmosphere in some scenes.

Character building is good. I seemed to identify and understand the characters; even the mean or destructive characters seemed to have some logical sense supporting their roles. Settings are descriptive, with towns and locations well sketched out. There are hints of the modern day and romantic pasts in the settings and styles, which all add to the rich fantasy and fluidity of this novel. There is a lot to like in this book, and I would recommend it to lovers of magic and fantasy novels, as well as other readers who just want to enjoy a good book with snarky characters and some genuinely funny lines. I would expect the subsequent books of this series to further explore the world and magic system of this series, while giving a good look at humanity and our entanglements with love, friendship, power, loyalty, and competition.