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by Seth Hobbs
Millennium of the Ocean Serpent, by its description, is a dark metaphysical fantasy novel. It is part one of the Ocean Serpent Trilogy, and the prequel to the Original Sendyne Empire Series Trilogy. In full disclosure, I have not read any of the original trilogy, and although I admire the author's tenacity, I was immediately left soured by the request for reviews at both the beginning and end of the book.
That being said, as a player of the dice version of D & D back in the day I was excited about what could take place within these pages based on the setup of the prologue and for that, I was not disappointed. The author portrays the story, in great detail, right down to a set of laws that are inscribed upon a statue. It is told as if handed down from generation to generation.
There are many storylines to follow, and so many uniquely named characters to keep straight that I had to keep going back and taking notes to try to keep everything straight, which I was able to do. . . mostly. I should have known by the 22-page glossary at the end of the book that this would not be a quick or easy read. I did truly appreciate some of the author's witty play on common expressions though I am not sure if they were intentional or not as the overall layout, formatting, and possible incorrect spellings only served to add to my challenges.
As with most stories that are written with the intent of sequels, the end kind of just happens and it does leave you hanging. I was taken a bit back at something at the very "end" which I found interesting as for the author's thought process. It isn't huge by any means, but I will not share as not to spoil it.
I am admittedly more of a fan of fantasy in the Game of Thrones arena than I am in the Lord of the Rings or Star Wars so I'm not sure whether I would want to read more of this series. As I worked my way through this story, I found myself embodying a knot in the center of a rope whose ends were being pulled in opposite directions. In one direction I felt like I was studying for an exam, and on the other, I was around a fire being warmed by stories of long past. All that to say, millions live and breathe this type of fantasy and may very well enjoy this book more than I did.
Millennium of the Ocean Serpent Review:
