Hyksos Rising

Author: T.M. Williams
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Echo finds himself protecting a young man named Tollen during the Hyksos invasion of Kemet. Though his subject is not a major player in the war, his tribal ties to the east could potentially leave him in a politically expedient position.
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However, unbeknownst to Echo, a massive war is brewing in the Ouranic Realm as well. Two Exiled Cherubim are simultaneously planning to set up their dominion in Kemet. Echo and his team of Heavenlies must again unite to fend off their exiled brethren who have newly developed skills to afflict humans and guard themselves against the dreaded Agents of Perdition.

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Reviewer: Camille Murray

I really liked the concept of this novel. It was interesting to see the author’s spin on things, and the “food for thought” moments were intriguing. I was pretty impressed with the “world-building” as well. The author is inventive, and describes a world that feels large, like the real world, with various different customs and complicated politics.
 
However, I feel that there is a lot of room for improvement in the story mechanics. The main characters lack personal motives, and often get lost in the narrative, with side characters at times crowding them out. There was a lot of action and drama that didn’t add to the plot, while areas that were more important to the plot were neglected. The dialogue had a tendancy to feel forced, and had random modern phrases mixed in to the fantasy/old world style. Also, the edit job was not very good, which seemed unprofessional to me.
 
Overall, it was fun to see the author’s imagination, but the story itself didn’t draw me in.

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