• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Dial Books | Penguin
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803736738
• ISBN-13: 978-0803736733

Synopsis: Welcome to Anara, a world mysteriously crumbling to devastation, where nothing is what it seems: Ancient relics emit technologically advanced powers, members of the old Order are hunted by the governing Watch yet revered by the people, and the great energy that connects all seems to also be destroying all. The only hope for the world lies in Galen, a man of the old Order and a Keeper of relics, and his sixteen-year-old apprentice, Raffi. They know of a secret relic with great power that has been hidden for centuries. As they search for it, they will be tested beyond their limits. For there are monsters-some human, some not-that also want the relic’s power and will stop at nothing to get it.

Relic Master is the first installment of The Dark City quartet by Catherine Fisher. The young adult series (ages 12 and up), which releases one volume every month for the next four months, tells an interesting dystopian fantasy story in which the last remnants of the ancient Order are constantly hunted by the fanatical Watch whose goal is to extinguish the Order’s power and teachings from the world of Anara forever. The tone of the book is dark and gritty. It’s characters are complex and ever shifting. In short, the imaginations of future scifi fans are in great hands with this book.

Magic takes the form of scraps of technology from a time long ago called relics. The Order was once responsible for finding and maintaining the knowledge of how relics worked and to what purpose. But the Watch has all but eradicated the Order, the old ways nearly lost. Members of the Order are scattered to the winds and live in secret, with stashes of relics that each member tries desperately to keep safe and out of the Watch’s hands.

Our story picks up with a Relic Master named Galen and his apprentice Raffi on the run from one of the Watch’s assassins. Galen has suffered an accident that has cut him off from his Third Eye, which once allowed him to speak to nature and see into the hearts of men. With them on the run, Galen must rely on Raffi’s immature abilities to guide them and this often leads to a tension in their relationship that can be a little exhasting at times.

Carys is the assassin on their trail, and as a member of the Watch, we learn a little bit about what this group is all about. The Watch doesn’t believe in the power of The Order, and teaches its members that all of their supposed power is only tricks, meant to fool the ignorant. But Carys soon learns that there is more to the world than she’s been led to believe and her journey is a nice parallel to our own as readers. We have no idea what to think of this strange world Fisher has created, and the big reveal at the end of Relic Master is actually a nice surprise that switches gears, turning the book from fantasy to science fiction.

The adult reader will only have a passing appreciation for this book, but it’s not really for an adult crowd. But if you are a parent or have a little brother and sister, then this is a good yarn to let them read. The violence definitely takes a back seat to the mystery and adventure.

I give Relic Master by Catherine Fisher four out of five stars.

 

 

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