Warrior of the Wild

This book was something of a revelation, in a very good way. It is set in an undetermined period of history, where there are no horses, wagons or other ‘modern’ technologies. The most important skill is that of a Blacksmith, who makes weapons and implements. The setting is an area with five neighbouring villages, all of whom pay tribute to a local god called Peroxolo. When 18-year-old Rasmira is exiled from her village, as the result of sabotage, she is given the task of killing the god, something that seems impossible, even for a skilful warrior. After an encounter with wild animals, she is saved by Soren and his friend Iric, both outcasts from another village. What follows is a tremendous journey, as all three have to prepare themselves to meet the challenges that they have been set. On the way they discover a lot about the world they live in and also about themselves and what they are capable of.

In many respects this is a story about jealousy, envy and friendship. There are two aspects that are highlighted; firstly, we have the conflicts between people, but also the strength of love that siblings can share and then we have the inground beliefs of the villages that the god is exactly that and they must pay tribute, even if this means handing over their daughters for his use. The depth of the treachery that Rasmira has to deal with at the beginning is tremendous, not least because it is caused by several people who are close to her, but she learns to channel that anger and hurt into something more positive. The story itself really focuses on the three main characters and we see their relationships develop as they understand what has brought them to the wilderness. Whilst this has elements of a love story, both between Rasmira and Soren and between Iric and his friend Aros, there is nothing very explicit, so that it will work for the given age group as well as those slightly older.