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Reviewed by Christian Sia for Readers' Favorite
The Calling of Cusps: The Marcher and the Valence Lord by I.B. Dirdenfey is an epic fantasy that transports readers into a world filled with magic and dark forces, a world on the brink of chaos. This first book follows Caasizah of the Rim, a strong and fierce Marcher of the Woild who sets out to locate her mother, enslaved in the Valence region, a corrupted, desecrated frontier. Guided by visions, signs, and the sacred teachings of Artus-Rah, Caasizah faces all kinds of dangers, including her encounters with the Dreglings, Pure Thralls, and other demonic creatures. She must rely on her faith and the call of her destiny. Her quest is linked to encounters with wise old Sho seers, feral animates, and remnants of ancient civilizations, and each of these encounters reveals the spiritual and material scars of a Woild under siege. Can she find her mother and bring the tribes under the shadow of Artus-Rah?
I.B. Dirdenfey delivers on all aspects of fantasy with strong elements of science fiction. I loved the world-building, fractured by war and conflict, and the author makes the suffering of the tribes poignant and compelling. Characterization is one of the elements that gripped me. Caasizah of the Rim, a strong woman of faith, and her journey, characterized by faith, kept me reading. Themes of faith, sacrifice, divine purpose, and the struggle for balance underpin her odyssey in a world filled with magic and chaos. The prose is a delight in itself, and the author uses paragraph breaks well to create a dramatic effect. The Calling of Cusps blends mythic storytelling with allegory, such as the Owl as divine guidance, and the Woild’s signs giving spiritual insight. The frequent use of internal voices and visions engaged me fully. From the exquisite prose and the complex characterization to the meticulous world-building and the spiritual undercurrents of the story, this tale is a page-turner.
