A forlorn, dark fantasy that begs readers to get lost in its pages.
Ever since the breaking, the world has suffered one cataclysm after another. And though the next cataclysm is always around the corner, it is the job of a Vigil Hunter to delay such an inevitability as long as possible. Scyllus is one such Hunter, a man working to purge his soul as much as the land and that which stains it. Another side of the same coin is Vali, a soldier with everything to prove. His choices show that envy can move a man to greatness, but can also be crippling. Another face in the ongoing conflict can be found among the Thousand Tribes. There, Darya is forced to make terrible decisions, living a life she never wanted for herself and her brother. But brutal times call for brutal choices, and when it comes to fight or freeze, Darya chooses fight every time, though it haunts her. And behind every military maneuver and every desperate skirmish are the threat or lure of the Stained, those “too weak to resist the stain of those souls reaching out from the Riftgate.” The Stained and their influence are a plague on the land, depending on which side of the empire you fall. Separatists and sympathizers are getting restless, and nobody wants to live in a desolate world of ice and ash. So everyone does the only thing they know how to do. They fight. And time is of the essence because a Riftgate has emerged. Darya, Vali, and Syl may not share the same worldview, but they can all see that the end of a cycle is at hand.
For a debut, Splinters of Heaven makes it hard to imagine the heights Theo Tsirgotis might reach with his golden pen! There are ruins, relics, airships, artifacts, militarized magic, and an aegis with the power to reshape everything. Impressive worldbuilding is eclipsed only by deep lorebuilding, a quality that makes this astonishing grimdark fantasy one readers won’t easily forget. The prose is marked by a calming eloquence, showing off the author’s finesse while reminding readers just how dreary the setting is. One remarkable example comes early in the book, an escape sequence featuring Darya and fellow fighters. The dramatic scene helps establish her inner turmoil while highlighting sensory elements from her surroundings. The squelching sound of the marsh underfoot, the danger of even the slightest sound, the sickening contrast of warm mud in a perpetually cold environment. These vivid descriptions help audiences feel like they’re right there, wading through the fetid waters of a world that is dangerous, abused, rundown, and on the brink. Each chapter advances the story arc of a main character, creating a refined narrative tension where you’re reluctant to leave one viewpoint behind, yet eager to catch up with the unrest and action of the others. The ruined‑world dynamic, complex character development, and a steady pulse of action practically turn this epic into a geopolitical thriller. A forlorn, dark fantasy that begs readers to get lost in its pages, Splinters of Heaven is impressively sharp and deeply engaging.
