AUTHOR: E. Glover
PUBLISHER: Egsa Press
AVAILABILITY: Amazon US (paperback), Egsa Outfitters (paperback)
APPROXIMATE LENGTH: 228 Pages
PUBLISHER: Egsa Press
AVAILABILITY: Amazon US (paperback), Egsa Outfitters (paperback)
APPROXIMATE LENGTH: 228 Pages
Recommended for
readers seeking dark magic and plot-based adventures.
GENRE
Fantasy—Contemporary/Urban
Nomicon Saga is an anthology of eleven short
stories that take place in the same world and feature the same characters. It’s
like a TV show, with each story being a different episode in the same series.
The stories mostly take place in an urban setting, with the main characters
running into all kinds of supernatural dangers. It focuses on the dark side of
magic and is akin to horror.
PACE
Each story within Nomicon
Saga is densely written—that is, the stories move from plot point to plot
point with not much in between.
PERSPECTIVE
Third person
omniscient. The narrative rotates between the points of view of several
different characters, often within the same scene.
CONTENT REVIEW
Nomicon Saga is a series of eleven dark short
stories depicting the adventures of Jake West and Cody Durant, keepers of an
urban pawnshop who stumble upon artifacts containing supernatural powers. After
an ancient and enigmatic box falls into Jake and Cody’s hands, they find
themselves at the center of a mysterious game, played by unknown forces lurking
beneath the surface of everyday life.
Jake and Cody were
childhood friends, and several passages flash back to their pasts. Their
relationship becomes strained at times as they embark on their adventures, with
the stressful circumstances fostering distrust. Both are tough, fearless men
who are not intimidated by the strange circumstances they encounter. They’re
not afraid to be the bad guys where necessary, threatening their foes and
taking crap from no one. Basically, they’re badasses.
Nomicon Saga is based on the world of
ShatterCaster: New Kingdom, a tabletop game. The book contains a game-like
atmosphere, focusing on external conflict and dangerous atmospheres. The
characters are like chess pieces moving across a board composed of supernatural
mysteries.
Like episodes of a TV
show, the stories are self-contained tales with common arcs stringing them
together. Each story begins with a short prologue and is divided into three
Acts, then concludes with an epilogue. The stories are written in a focused,
rather dense style, moving from plot point to plot point at a relatively quick
pace. The vivid descriptions bring images to life, highlighting the fantastical
elements.
It’s these elements
of magic and mystery that make each story intriguing. The omniscient narrator
depicts circumstances in a cinematic fashion, showing scenes that occur outside
the main characters’ points of view. Several forces are at work, and it’s up to
the reader to figure out how they are connected. Reality becomes twisted, and
Jake and Cody find themselves dealing with situations beyond their
understanding. Each new discovery seems to lead to more questions, which
further drives their desire to solve the puzzle. As Cody says in frustration,
“We can’t keep chasing shadows in the dark. I want some answers.”
The book doesn’t
offer all of these answers, leaving room for more stories to come. Nomicon
Saga offers glimpses into an expansive world of adventure, suspense, and
dark magic, exciting and at times frightening.
THE NITPICKY STUFF
I found some typos
and small errors, but nothing distracting.
This book contains
some frightening scenes, but nothing gruesome or graphic.
PUBLISHER INFO
Egsa Press is a
Chicago-based publisher. Together with Egsa WoftWorks, Egsa Press released the
tabletop game ShatterCaster: New Kingdom. Nomicon Saga is based on the
world of this game.
Visit their website
Visit their website
This sounds captivating for lovers of more traditional, sweeping fantasy... with 3rd person omniscient in place of today's popular 1st person. I also have the greatest respect for authors who can achieve so much in the narrow space of a short story.
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