A unique and refreshing fusion of fantasy and science fiction, "Raidships" is a hidden gem waiting to be discovered.
A unique and refreshing fusion of fantasy and science fiction, Raidships is a hidden gem waiting to be discovered. Aidan Wynterhawk is a natural at world-building and centers his story around two young boys who are thrown together by fate. Whit an Alesian is captured after his village is ransacked by raiders. Aboard the raidship he meets Arne, a Valkran boy who refused to take part in his culture's violent right of passage.
Separated at the slave auction block, Whit becomes a smith's apprentice, and Arne becomes a monk's assistant. Arne's sister Liv embarks on a desperate mission to find her brother along with her family's slave Bear, but quickly becomes distracted by Uther, a raider turned officer of the king's watch with unclear motives. After a year of servitude, Arne is flourishing in his duties and finds a world-shattering revelation in an ancient and forgotten journal deep in the monks' library. reunited Arne and Whit use this information to change their lives and the lives of all those forced into servitude.
Raidships is a novel that doesn't hold back with anything. Rich with detail and raw in its depictions of a violent and cruel society, it intricately weaves the different plot-lines of Whit, Arne, Liv, and Uther together effortlessly. Just as intriguing is its setting, Thelos, an old and advanced society thrust backward because of lost knowledge. The Valkrans are left with old and deteriorating technology they no longer know how to build, and information the monks have been searching for ever since.
By the end, it feels like you've been on an epic journey, but one that is only just beginning. Wynterhawk's Raidships could exist as a standalone novel, but it is full of overflowing potential just waiting to be unlocked. A phenomenal story of loss, survival, friendship, and love, Aidan Wynterhawk's debut is not one to miss.
Review by Sarah Hinrichs
Originally posted on Reedsy Discovery here.
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