Dark Shores

Dark Shores is the first book in an original fantasy trilogy with echoes of ancient Rome and an intriguing take on conquering the New World.

Marcus is a soldier in the aggressive Celendor Empire; Teriana is daughter of a Maarin sea captain. The Maarin keep a dangerous secret: there is a whole other continent on the other side of the ocean, and only the Maarin know the magic way to cross the sea.

When Teriana reveals the Maarin secret in an attempt to help her Celendor friend, she inadvertently betrays her people and the whole continent they are sworn to protect. Once Celendor learns of the Dark Shores’ existence, they immediately capture Maarin ships and torture and kill the sailors until Teriana agrees to show them how to cross the Endless Seas. The Cel don’t believe in gods or magic, however, and Marcus has to invoke a sea goddess to open the way through a crystal pathway across the world.

Teriana counts on the nations of the West being able to defeat Marcus’s army, but when they land in Arinoquia, the Arinoquians accept Marcus’ offer of alliance against a troublesome local warlord. When Marcus’ best friend betrays him, he and Teriana have to join together to prevent a terrible slaughter.

Dark Shores alternates narration between Marcus and Teriana, developing the conflict in each of them as their loyalties are tested and they learn to trust each other. Marcus is the more interesting character, trying to be a good leader to his men and to obey his orders while attempting to avoid unnecessary killing. His friendships with the other soldiers are the most enjoyable part of the book.

Teriana’s culture is more interesting, with a cosmology of gods and “marked” people with magical powers, but Teriana, herself, seems to have only a shallow understanding of her religion. The gods have occasional roles in the plot but are otherwise irrelevant. Teriana tries to work against Marcus, but her efforts are ineffectual, and she spends much of her narration feeling guilty and hating Marcus, hating him, that is, until she starts wishing she wasn't so attracted to Marcus.

The romance between Teriana and Marcus feels contrived and unnecessary. More time could have been spent developing the cosmology and magic rather than repeatedly dwelling on the innumerable obstacles to their relationship. Otherwise, the politicking, scheming and military strategy make for a fast-paced exciting read.

Dark Shores will be enjoyed by readers who like military fantasy and sailing adventures. There are no actual pirates, despite the back copy, but there is a sea monster.