Geist (A Book Of The Order #1) by Philippa Ballantine
Fantasy
October 26, 2010
Paperback, 304 Pages
Ace

Reviewed by Tori

Favorite Quote: “Keep sailing Young Pretender…you know where to find me, have you a need.”

When Deacon Sorcha Faris’s husband and partner Koyla is critically injured during an violent geist attack, she gains a new and untried partner; Deacon Merrick Chambers. Rumors have been whispered that the geist are attacking throughout the land so Sorcha and Merrick are sent to the remote island of Ulrich to aid the Priory there. Along the way they meet Raed Rossin, Pretender to the Throne and the bearer of a terrible curse. When they arrive, what greets them is a horror unlike they have ever seen. Sorcha, Merrick, and Raed soon find themselves at the mercy of a terrible conspiracy that questions everything they have ever been taught.

Phillippa Ballentine’s Geist is a convoluted mixture of sci fi and urban fantasy that opens up a new world begging to be explored. Lush world building combined with highly complex and multi layered characters give us a dark and rich mytho-religious based quest driven by the characters. The first 100 pages bear down you hard as you try to find your place in the story. While not an over load of information, it reads like an over stimulated child trying to tell you about everything all at once. Once you pass through this, the story unfolds before you like an illuminated road-only showing so far as you walk the twisted and dark paths with our protagonists. The smooth writing and descriptive detailing (after our little stumbling block in the beginning) drew me in and I found myself becoming heavily vested in the characters outcomes. I was pleased by the time and effort Ms. Ballantine takes in developing her characters and their connections to the world and one another.

There are three main characters the story revolves around. Deacon Sorcha Faris, Deacon Merrick Chambers, and Raed Rossin. Our lead female is Deacon Sorcha Faris. An Active Deacon for the Order. A bold and unapologetic warrior who’s magical ability is used as a weapon against the geists. Raised and trained by the order from childhood, she is hard and unbending; coming across in an unsympathetic manner. As her personality fleshes out in direct proportion to the happenings in the story we see a different woman behind the mask. Many depend on her for their safety and she takes her job very seriously. Also, certain aspects of her personal life have her at a cross road in her life where the decisions she makes could adversely affect her and others.

Deacon Merrick Chambers is a newly ordained Sensitive who is partnered with Sorcha after her husband Koyla (also a Sensitive) is violently injured during a Geist attack. If Sorcha is the weapon, then Merrick is the one who pulls the trigger. Merrick’s magical ability is to see and enter the Otherside (where the geists are from) and guide their Active partners to the targets.Merrick is far easier to connect to when your first introduced. Though young and unsure, he exhibits a quiet strength and doesn’t let Sorcha walk all over him. His idealistic thoughts and theories are sorely tested as he deals with Sorcha and their mission. As he develops within the parameters of the story, he take on a much larger stance and becomes a central player to the over all arc.

Our third main character is Raed Rossin. Called the young pretender, his family, once powerful rulers, have been exiled and now he sails the seas avoiding capture and biding his time to retake the throne. Raed also bears a terrible secret that strains his already precarious situation. When Raed appears the story really starts to pick up speed and develop. I found his personality and caustic humor a nice balance against the seriousness of Sorcha and the plot. I wish we could have gotten more background into Raed and his family’s fall from grace; but I expect that will reveal slowly through out the series.

The romance(s) of the story are slowly introduced and run parallel to the main storyline. Ms. Ballantine doesn’t pit the romance against the plot but rather uses one to play up the other. Neither are sacrificed, but your reminded during certain scenes that the romance(s) are a bonus and not a given.

As we venture deeper into this world I found the mystery and horror to be very appealing; dripping with action and suspense. While the world Ms. Ballantine built is definitely interesting and has the potential to become much more then revealed so far-I found her characters to be the focal point of this drama.

As I raced towards the ending, I felt like I was on a roller coaster, my stomach pitching and rolling as each new clue and dramatic scene unfolded. I like how everything isn’t explained and some decisions made, though I don’t agree with them, are really the only decisions that could be made. We aren’t promised rainbows and sunshine. The ending is a climatic finish that satisfies the story wholeheartedly but leaves enough open to assure me that the next in this series, Spectyr (Book of the Order, #2),which releases is June 28, 2011, will be the book to get.

If you looking for a unique character driven fantasy that delivers on all levels, then I recommend getting Phillipe Ballantine’s Geist.

Rating: B

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Goodreads

This Series Includes
Geist
Spectyr – June 28, 2011

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