| Title | : | Ash: A Mythos Novel |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1990759033 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781990759031 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 330 |
| Publication | : | Published January 21, 2022 |
He fled rather than continue playing the game he had been taught since childhood. Only to find himself in the arms of a Calais, Maine teacher. And in the shadow of the illness that had always plagued his family, as much as the power did.
Ash: A Mythos Novel Reviews
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This book by Mr. Runte is an impressive foray, combining fantasy, myth and magic seamlessly!
Read full review in the
2022 Summer issue of InD'tale Magazine. -
I received an advance reader copy of Ash for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Fantasy is a wonderful genre that allows its authors to tell a range of different stories with a variety of focuses, enabling them to explore the themes that matter to them. While Ash is an urban fantasy filled with occult elements, mythological figures and supernatural beings, it is also a human story, and these elements shine the brightest throughout this novel.
That isn't to say Ash's fantasy elements are lacking. As the first in the author's Mythos series, this novel presents a deep world filled with mysticism, Greek gogs, witches and shapeshifters. These elements run deep and come together beautifully, creating a world that feels perfectly lived in by those who populate this fascinating mythology. As it hits the ground running from the outset, it's a world ripe for further exploration.
As rich as these elements are, the book's true highlight is in its family drama. As it tells the story of protagonist Daniel and his brother Jocelyn as they rush to escape their father, it immediately kicks into high gear. The book crafts a story about brotherly love, romance, and fears about a family member’s rapidly declining health.
If Ash had no fantasy elements, this story would be great; here, the personal story is a throughline accentuated by its fantasy elements. It is a story about its characters juggling the stresses of mortality in a world populated by immortals; it is a story that juxtaposes its protagonist's Christian beliefs with with his interactions with Greek Gods.
Daniel's younger brother Jocelyn is transmasculine: the author, who also identifies as transmasculine, has created a wonderfully realised character who must navigate the difficulties this brings to his life, including the opinions of those who surround him. Yet this identity doesn’t define Jocelyn; it is merely one facet of a nuanced human being.
While this novel includes a fair amount of drama, it never falls into melodrama; instead, it all feels entirely relatable. While this drama elevates the story, the plot remains strong, maintaining the reader's interest as it moves forward.
While the prose is clean and clear, the author's language throughout is rather matter-of-fact, without much flourish. It conveys the story being told, but doesn't flow as well as it could. The book is also fairly dialogue-heavy, and while the characters all sound natural, their voices aren't particularly distinct.
An extra round of edits would have benefitted the book and helped the prose and dialogue flow more naturally. At a number of points, I found this took me out of the book and prevented me from getting lost in the world. Further edits would have also helped with the various typos in the book, ranging from dialogue ending with a comma without anything following it, single words left at the end of sentences, and some occasional spelling errors and missing punctuation.
This book tells an intriguing story interspersed with some wonderful characterisation and drama. The author has crafted a rich urban fantasy which he explores in wonderful depth. This is a story that not just entertains, but feels honest. Further editing would have benefitted the prose and dialogue, as well as resolved the technical issues. While this drew me out of the story, it remains a deep, engaging fantasy tale.
My full review will be available on my website from 10 August, 2022. To read my full thoughts (and thoughts about a ton of other books), click
here. -
Originally published at
http://amorinacarlton.com
If you like fantasy that makes you question the world around you, Mark Johnathan Runte’s “Ash,” the start of his Mythos series, is just the book for you. His slightly gritty, urban fantasy is a fantastic read. With everything from family drama and romance to shapeshifters and Greek mythology come to life, this book has a little bit of something for everyone.
Action-packed from the opening scene, brother’s Daniel and Jocelyn LaLaurie are a fast-paced race against time to get away from their father, an upstanding member of New Orleans society who is way more than meets the eye. They settle far home in the small town of Calais, Maine, in a small bed-and-breakfast, which poses problems at first for the trans-masculine Jocelyn.
The brothers maneuver through their issues with a fantasy-lover’s delight of a menu of a cast of characters. From the Wiccan innkeeper family to the shapeshifters and ancient Greek gods, one never knows who might pop up next in Runte’s story. Considering he’s called it the “Mythos” series, that makes sense.
Throughout, the story has a gritty, noir feel, perpetuated by the plot. Runte’s ability to portray that something – and in this case several things – were leering in the background out to get our beloved main characters was weaved beautifully into the narrative. Drama, romance, brotherly love, and magic were weaved throughout the tale in a way that did not challenge suspension of disbelief like some fantasy can. The world was extensive and felt ripe for exploration. Eerily similar enough to our own, it made you wonder if there were witches and Greek gods hidden nearby in your own neighborhood. Perhaps doubly so, since I do, in fact, live in New Orleans.
The whirlwind romance at the center of much of the story felt a bit rushed, but it made sense in the narrative and worked within the story. The stories and characters were rich, and well thought out. The brother’s struck an interesting balance between siblings and parents, which also made sense within the story. Jocelyn is as loveable in his late adolescent optimism, as Daniel is in his slightly older practicality. A good balance and foil. Because of the whirlwind nature of the romance, I didn’t get to know the female character as well as I’d like. Though perhaps this was a big of underdevelopment of her. A common issue in fantasy novels.
Overall, the story was a great read. I enjoyed the blend of different elements – drama, romance, fantasy, family. The story was multi-dimensional and provided a great exploration of the human condition as experienced by these two exceptional brothers. It also left me wanting to know more about the characters, which is always the mark of a great book.
I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek of the next novel, as a beta reader. But I’m confident when you read “Ash,” you’ll be waiting for the next installment to drop.
Content Warning: A few characters have murderous psychopathic tendencies and will gaslight or manipulate other characters to their will. This story also mentions the serial killer Delphine LaLaurie. -
Probably would consider this either a contemporary fantasy or an urban fantasy. Modern era premise, more emphasis on the contemporary/urban life struggles, though they are framed as a penance for not using blood magic, it's not really elaborated on. The fantasy element is more around the mythical entities that fade in and out of the story.
I suspect my reception of the novel is more in lines of "not my genre" than mostly anything else. A literal long decline towards the end that made me note it was a thing that happened, and the "gotcha" of one character's motivations didn't seem like a payoff for me. Plot wise is very bait and switch, to the point where almost anything I say is spoilers. What one would expect of the blurb isn't the prevailing theme. It's different in that regard, and at least it isn't predictable.
The primary POVs of the story are the LaLaurie family; Daniel, Jocelyn, and some Jared, with a few side characters mixed in. It's always interesting to see what part of the author shows up in which character. Jocelyn was very real and reflective of the LGBT experience, and if the POV was just attached to them the whole way through, I would have found this story to be exceptional. Unfortunately, it was mostly centered on Daniel. Daniel is victim uno of the story, thankfully not a "woe is me character," but he didn't generate enough interaction nor connection with the other characters (including the love interest) for not only me to be invested in him, but it also made me wonder why anyone bothered. At some point a character threw their life away for a man who essentially disregarded them as a myth, and continued to do so after the sacrifice was made. Thus my general issue with the novel was a lack of human connection and real human relationships in relation to Daniel. People sacrificed for a man who was uncompromising. Which is weird, because Jocelyn (up until the second half, when it was all about Daniel) was a true person, with moods and alliances and tentative romance and overshare.
My criticisms probably tie in with the genre of New Adult and anything sub-fantasy in regards to how relationships are portrayed. If you're into this genre, this is probably expected and even normal. If not, you'll be wondering why most of the characters are so invested in a person who does next to nothing to ingratiate himself to other people. But then we have people reading 50 Shades of Grey, so... I think you'll probably enjoy this more if it is your genre.
