The Tome of Syyx

The Fateful Force

Young Adult - Fantasy - Epic
410 Pages
Reviewed on 02/18/2023
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Author Biography

Stavros Saristavros is a Greek-Australian world-building extraordinaire who creates elaborate fantasy realms based on his vast experience as a Dungeons and Dragons Dungeon Master. When he’s not enthralling his readers and D&D party members with his twisting plots and surprising character development, he shares free role-playing game (RPG) battle maps and resources on his website for tabletop gamers.

As an avid MMA fan, he trains extensively in boxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and is a Black Belt in karate – all of which helps him write realistic fight sequences in his action-packed novels. Don’t miss The Tome of Syyx, the first novel in The Fateful Force series today!

    Book Review

Reviewed by K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite

The Tome of Syyx (The Fateful Force) is a work of fiction in the fantasy, sword and sorcery subgenres, and forms the first novel of the series. The work is intended for young adult readers and does contain some moderate fantasy violence. Penned by Stavros Saristavros, this epic work takes us deep into a world where the Free Cities of the frontier are about to discover dark threats creeping ever closer to their safe little homesteads. In a town called Sanctuary, four young heroes are sent forth with a mission to defend the weird creatures that inhabit their town, but their actions will set off a chain of events that will change the world around them forever.

Stavros Saristavros turns a lot of common fantasy concepts on their heads in this engaging novel, and it makes for a thrilling read because the plot events are so unexpected. In terms of its audience appeal, the work will certainly catch the eyes of teen readers looking for a darker and more uniquely developed fantasy. For older, more varied fantasy readers, it will provide a balance between the classic sword and sorcery concepts and settings, but told with a modern eye and a focus on subverting the conventions of the genre. The pacing was superb, with new dangers lurking around every corner, and the character development of Osho, Ailuros, Zom, and Akke saw them evolve from being youngsters with a fairly limited scope into brave would-be adults who are already being shaped into bolder people by their experiences. I would certainly recommend The Tome of Syyx (The Fateful Force), and I can’t wait to see where the series takes us next.