Jared,

I’ve been prowling for short fiction lately, especially intros to new series or authors, and I found this one. The cover and synopsis caught my attention and since it’s short I could give it a shot without investing too heavily.

Title: Father of Zaan
Series: Path of Zaan; Book 0
Author: C. K. Rieke
Genre: Fantasy
Audience: Adult
ROTS Setting: UU, Medieval, Magic
Synopsis: Adventure. Wonder. Fear. Danger. The first of his family to leave their hometown in generations, Janos Talabard seeks the adventure of his life. Traveling out into the open lands of Essill, he finds himself truly vulnerable for the first time. Because of unforeseen circumstances on the road, he must find a way to continue on, or chose to return home in shame.
Recommendation: Based solely on this, it is not recommended.

Not the best first impression for an indie author. Sadly the thing that this did the best was show that the author is inexperienced. What it really could have used was a good editing. I caught a spelling mistake and a couple of inconsistencies without even trying. I also thought that it was a touch too expositional and not enough of a story-telling prose.

The included map was actually a hindrance for me. The straight rivers were the most offensive. Honestly, I was tempted to draw a replacement myself if I really liked the story and I am by no means a map expert.

It was made abundantly clear that the MC for this little short story is not the MC of the main series. So honestly I didn’t really pay too much attention to him. He was flat and his experiences in the story weren’t significant.

There wasn’t a plot so much as a travelog. The guy left his home “city” that no one else has ever left in living memory and goes places. Eventually he goes home, gets married to the first girl he sees and has a kid……..Whoops! Should have put a spoiler warning in there because I just revealed the entire story.

I’m left wondering what the point of it all was. I’m curious but not hooked. This should be a massive hook and it wasn’t. I would say this is still on my list but at the bottom, however my list is so long I’ll probably never get to it.

Robert