By Tobias Youngblood
© 2023
ISBN: 978-1959649014
Paperback, 196 pages
When dire wolves enter the vilskje’s idyllic valley and kill one of their youths, Siv the Seer and his apprentice lure and trap the pack, killing its leader and scattering the other wolves into the forest. The vilskje clan are ecstatic at their victory, but Siv knows it isn’t over. He’s seen the omens, and fears the worst is yet to come.
Siv is right.
This imaginative fantasy novella introduces the vilskje, an insectile race of shapeshifters who want nothing more than to live in their beautiful paradise and continue the traditions that have guided their clan for centuries. Instead, the Watcher has something else in mind for his creations. Throughout the story, the vilskje face one challenge after another. Reading their plight, I was swept along, unwilling to stop turning pages as Siv led the clan through each trial.
Tobias Youngblood has crafted a totally believable world here, and not just in the landscape. Even as seemingly alien as they are, the vilskje are entirely relatable. Youngblood deftly taps into universal emotions and fears to take us along with Siv and the vilskje on this bumpy ride. I found Siv’s conundrum—being entrusted with a deadly secret he is forbidden to disclose—intriguing, especially when he reaches a tipping point and must choose between his word and his clan. Sometimes there are no good options.
This is a short tale, fewer than 200 pages, yet it is packed with tension. If you like fantasy that leans toward the dark end of the spectrum, you’ll want to give this book a try. But be prepared to want more. Windlyn Vale is just the beginning, a prequel to the upcoming Projectionists Series. I look forward to reading Grave Covenant (book 1) when it is released.