Epic fantasy often revolves around epic wars. War, one of the harshest realities of our humanity, makes for interesting stories while letting our character shine through. Rarely, do fantasy readers get to see what happens after the war. The aftermath is sort of waved off like they all lived happily ever after. But peace is a process, not a destination. And really what would happen if instead of war, two differing societies chose peaceful coexistence? In The Black Coast, Mike Brooks’ has an answer. Tjakorshan raiders turn up outside the walls of the Black Keep in Narida. Instead of fighting, the Naridans take in these refugees in order to avoid being slaughtered. If the leaders can keep the peace, they may just survive.
Disclaimer: I received an advanced reader’s copy from the publisher for free in exchange for an honest review. All opinions that follow are my own.
TL;DR
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From the Publisher
War Dragons. Fearsome Raiders. A Daemonic Warlord on the Rise.
When the citizens of Black Keep see ships on the horizon, terror takes them because they know who is coming: for generations, the keep has been raided by the fearsome clanspeople of Tjakorsha. Saddling their war dragons, Black Keep’s warriors rush to defend their home only to discover that the clanspeople have not come to pillage at all. Driven from their own land by a daemonic despot who prophesises the end of the world, the raiders come in search of a new home . . .
Meanwhile the wider continent of Narida is lurching toward war. Black Keep is about to be caught in the crossfire – if only its new mismatched society can survive.
The start of an unmissable fantasy series.
Review: The Black Coast
The main storyline for the The Black Coast focuses on two civilizations integrating. It felt a bit like the Vikings encounter feudal Japan, and I loved it. Tjakorshan raiders land outside the Black Keep in Narida. In the past, these raiders brought violence to Naridan shores, but this time, they bring the white flag of peace. The Tjakorsha raiders are seeking a new home, one far from the violent warlord back home. Oh and the warlord is a draug, incapable of being killed. The Black Coast asks whether these two cultures can meld into a working society. This storyline features the Tjakorshan chief, Saana, and the new Naridan lord, Daimon, navigating the best way to keep their two societies together. Daimon worries that as word gets out to the next up in the hierarchy, he and the whole village will be wiped out for housing raiders. It’s refreshing that the focus is societal integration rather than societal clashes. Peace can seem boring, but in reality it requires a lot of hard work to stay boring. Brooks does a good job of keeping the peace without losing the tension. There’s a million ways for their delicate experiment in unification to go wrong. Daimon and Saana maintain that peace against attempts on their lives, their constituents lives, and from ambitious assholes who seek to undermine them as opportunity to gain favor.
Additional storylines feature the sister of the God-King doing everything in her power to protect the throne, even if that means a little assassination. In Middle-Eastern adjacent Alaba, a street urchin picks the wrong pocket and winds up involved in schemes much greater than she could believe. The additional storylines set up a lot more action for the coming books. I liked what I saw here, but I wanted more. I wanted more from the urchin storyline, and I liked how the God-King’s sister has a secret life while trying to run the country for her brother. I don’t know how many books there will be in this series, but this world gives Brooks plenty to explore.
Excellent World Building
The Black Coast doesn’t roam too much around its world, but that doesn’t mean it lacks depth. The book focuses mainly on the Naridan locale of Black Keep. But we do get to Tjakorsha and other tribes there. We see clan fighting and how Tjakorshan society is being restructured. We get bits about their seafaring prowess. We get to see Alaba from its fighting pits to its religious ceremonies to the rich neighborhood and even the old palace. There is depth to each society, and I look forward to learning more about these places in future installments.
The Black Keep is a good choice to start this series off at. It becomes more than just a feudal Japanese-adjacent society. The reader learns about the farmers and the mountain folk that come down to trade. We learn about family structures, political structures, and gender norms. Daimon and Saana are two very different leaders. Daimon has transgressed important traditions to save his village. Saana risked her people on the hope of peace. Yet some traditions are too deeply ingrained for them to notice without being called out by the other. These two make a good pair to introduce us to the world of the God-King Chronicles.
Language Differentiates Societies
Fantasy has come a long way in representation, but often people from different societies sound the same. In The Black Coast, how a person talks often indicates to which society they belong. The Naridans are very rank oriented and refer to themselves in relation to the other person’s rank. The Tjakorshans are looser, and rank has little meaning. A Tjakorshan is as likely to cuss out the tribal chief as anyone. So when the Tjakorshans speak Naridan, the little signs of a non-native speaker show up. I really liked this because even though the whole book is written in English, these small touches indicated people speaking different languages.
But the coolest language is that of the Alabans. They have either five or six genders, and the genders are differentiated by the tonal inflection. Brooks represents this with diacritical marks to indicate the different representations. It took a while to adjust to it, but these markings give a lot of depth to the Alaban society. The reader gets to see a little of how Naridan culture clashes with this use of language. It’s yet another reminder that Brooks has taken time to build realistic, three dimensional societies, not just the good people versus the bad ones.
Learning from Each Other
Refugees and Immigrants
While reading, I couldn’t help but think of the anti-immigrant sentiment among a certain population of the U.K. (Mr. Brooks lives in the U.K. I live in the U.S., and part of our population fears immigrants so much they even fear made up caravans of them.) Brooks has written a book showing that refugees from a violent warlord can not only add to society but improve it as well. Now, the way I said it makes it seem like a didactic book, but Brooks is much more subtle than I. A book that is not about endless warring and killing of the other is a breath of fresh air in the genre. Not that he makes cultural integration look easy. There are pitfalls, and it takes work on the part of both sides. But I like to think that work will be worth it in the end, and from reading this book, I think Mr. Brooks believes that, too.
Conclusion
Mike Brooks’ The Black Coast introduces the reader to the world of the God-King. This epic fantasy brings raiders, dragons, a draug, and societal change. I loved it. Brooks has created a world full of nuanced politics and cool dragons. The best part is that this book’s only the introduction. Someone, please, bring me book two of the God-King Chronicles.
The Black Coast by Mike Brooks is available from Rebellion Publishing on February 16th, 2021.
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