Forsaken is the first novel in the Dead God Trilogy. It is a novel set in the Scarred Lands, a world produced by Sword & Sorcery. It is a fun read of an AD&D-derived world-based adventure. This review won't give away any spoilers.

The book has little internal artwork. There is a well-designed map of the Scarred Lands, but it is all in greyscale and hard to read. It was likely created in color and lost a lot in the downgrade to black and white. At the end of the book there are 3 ads for other novels, which include some artwork. These also are all in greyscale and hard to read. The cover artwork is nice, not great.

First off, let me list the problems. In the context of this novel, alone, never is the faith the Wexlanders have for That Which Abides supported. There are many flashbacks and understanding of the main character, but not for the others. While I can take it on faith , it may be harder for others to believe. The other problem is the lack of a good editor. There are typos, too many of them. And most are missing words in sentences. I’m reading along, entranced, and then the next sentence is missing a verb or a preposition, or there are too many prepositions in a row. Since most manuscripts come in computer format, and there are spelling and grammar checkers built-in, I wouldn’t expect so many typos. If there were only one or two, I wouldn’t really notice. It’s the fact that there were so many I became annoyed.

Now, the positives. The main character is a flawed hero. He’s deep, with internal conflicts. He struggles with ethical decisions and his own emotions. Too often, fantasy has heroes that are the epitome of good, or good with a foible [such as the Halfling from Salvatore’s books]. That’s not what Byers has done. His flawed hero works very well. He's neither obvious nor trite. The plot has twists and turns that will keep surprising you. The action unfolds like the rpg game itself.

The story is excellent. It kept me engrossed, turning the pages, and wouldn’t let me put the book down. It’s divided into 3 main scenarios the characters have to solve and survive. The world is predefined, but within it, the author does a good job of making it real. It’s not a happy world, so I can’t call it vibrant, but I did feel the grittiness of it.

Overall, it’s a good read. You don’t need to have played in the Scarred Lands to enjoy the novel. If you have, it’ll be more real for you.

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