Classification: Novel
Genre: Portal Fantasy, Afrofantasy
Release Date: 17.May.2023
Review category: Non-spoiler
Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ – 8.2/10
To say it as neutrally as we can, everytime the team back here delves into Jude’s work, there’s a bittersweet feeling about the experience. Not that the work is a mixed bag. Far from it, dude’s a jewel, and we’ve come to greatly admire his craft. But rather, the contrast between his brilliance and the receptibility of his craft, especially in the 256 context, can be discouraging on the surface. And yet the mere fact that we’re penning this review & that we expect a whole lot of folks to dig into it, is evidence of a shifting tide in these parts. Away from the wider picture for now, let’s dig in!
Having pushed out this sequel a year & 4 months after the series opener, there’s a refinement about Jude’s delivery, a comfort in not having to build layers of the narrative from scratch. It frees him & you can feel it. On that note, though “Broken Ties” can be an enjoyable read even if it were to be one’s initial intro to the series, it’s a much richer experience to have the preceding context of book one. So what’s the gist this time round, you ask? Here goes: Friend trio Kamau, Ninuwe & Kena are on a quest to assemble the parts of a formidable weapon (dubbed the God-killer) that they plan to make use of in doing away with the story’s big bad “the Evil One”. The latter has literally taken possession of the body of one of their pals. The trio’s story arc has them crossing paths with menacing & benevolent practitioners of magic alike, temperamentally volatile gods, and vicious monsters. All the while, narrative catalysts like romance are only employed as secondary devices, with a love triangle that’s pleasantly unforced, and insinuations of eventual relational disloyalty. Neat! Love that Jude’s sense of adventure shines through it all.
Overall, the book’s a trove of thrills, though it’s probable that one may be at times slightly overwhelmed by the numerous subplots, even after tagging along from the start. Furthermore, it’s not implausible for some to take issue with how certain story arcs are resolved, especially tending towards the end of this particular installment. We kinda get it, it’s an ending on the high and creating affinity for the series’ closer typa thing. But if this were a spoiler review, we’d have delved into our personal issues for some specific arc resolutions. Heck, it’s not totally off the books that we’d revisit this in that format. ’Til then, we’re greatly inspired by Jude’s work, and it impresses upon us the great need for the aspirations we have in partnering with talented authors in this space. The harvest is plenty, and we’ll aim to do our part to make this space/vocation more receivable & worthwhile both for readers and authors. Commendable work, Jude!
