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Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite
In George Cluen's Sage of the Mountains, after a trusted friend betrays him during a confrontation that leaves him with a broken ankle, Folly returns home only to have the woman he planned to marry hand back his ring. Unable to move beyond the anger and memories that follow, he seeks guidance from the village elder, who directs him into the western mountains to find a reclusive sage said to help those who reach his distant temple. Folly leaves the safety of his village and enters an unfamiliar wilderness where a seasoned traveler begins guiding him through remote forests and steep mountain passes. As the journey continues, the path grows more dangerous and uncertain. When an attack near a mountain stream sends Folly tumbling down a cliff and leaves him badly injured, the quest he began becomes a fight simply to survive.
In Sage of the Mountains, Folly, who couldn't have a more perfect name, is looking for something so relatable to a reader that it's almost impossible not to get sucked in: someone to give him answers. George Cluen does not give him an easy time. A rickety wooden pulley box over a massive gorge had both Folly and me battling anxiety; a testament to Cluen's skill as a writer that Folly's fear transcends the page. All the characters are fully fleshed out, the standouts being Nadira and Arabello, a much-needed guide who keeps Folly from spiraling. Then, there is the mountain, which is a character in its own right, given the degree of pure cinematic detail, from a narrow path carved across a granite cliff, where the drop beside Folly stretches into open air, to a high terrace where distant villages appear scattered across the valleys far below. This is an excellent read for those who love thoughtful, well-written philosophical adventure stories. Very highly recommended.
