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Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers' Favorite
In Story of Distortion by X.E. Anomaly, Dash is a young Forest Villager on Deluuvius who has the Variant, a condition held back by a powerful Bracer that cannot cure him. After he seals the alien First inside a prison called a Vault, the Celestial Guardian Pandromedus tells him that two beings from the same force still threaten the world. The next danger points toward the Forest Village, where the Second is preparing an attack through diseased creatures called Withered Ones. Dash leaves the Burnt Fortress with Torix, whose lost memory hides a link to the enemy, while Yulobris must face the collapse of his Desert Tribe. As quakes split the land, Dash’s search for survival turns into a mission to stop Deluuvius from being remade.
Story of Distortion by X.E. Anomaly is a totally complex and deeply intellectual second book in The System of Substance series, a title that leans into distortion treated as bent truth, since a stolen name can fracture identity while reality turns hostile. Dash is easy to champion because he is immediately humble, refusing sole credit after defeating the First. The author makes the Third a great antagonist, using the Core Orb against Deluuvius itself and ripping open Mountain City’s barricades by hand. It's terrifying, and brilliant. The world-building and settings are beautifully depicted, from the Sheer Frost dome in the Frigid Area that freezes a weapon through touch, to the Jungle Realm as a fungal wilderness where massive Nonsentients once moved beneath towering growth. The author uses a lot of philosophy and backstory, which is necessary given the massive scope of this series. It's detailed and well-written, and readers who enjoy comprehensive science fantasy will adore this.
