A review by thestainlesssteelrat
The Song of the Sycamore by Edward Cox

adventurous dark mysterious sad slow-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

A strange tale of a returning soldier possessed by an entity that communes with the dead (ghouls) releasing those trapped by wreaking vengeance on their killers . The soldier's return to his city finds him caught between bickering factions of magicians and scientists each trying to use the entity possessing him for their own ends, whatever they might be. The soldier himself has found his wife is dead, at her own hand, his goal is to find her spirit and be reunited. The world building is good and intriguing but I felt the characters were hard to like and there seems to be a lot of repeated exposition rather than pushing the story along I felt as trapped by this slow style, as the ghouls seeking release in the city. Having had a very slow burn throughout, of course I found the ending abrupt and less than satisfying. Overall it is an interesting world with potential for much more to come from it, if that is what the author wishes. I was unfortunately left underwhelmed by this particular story.