The Bookwyrm's Review of Convergence by Joe Jackson
Rating: 9.5/10 Stars
Synopsis
With her brother-in-law imprisoned behind enemy lines, Kari must mount a daring rescue to rival her previous forays to Mehr'Durillia. The problem is, the battles she's fought in recent weeks have left her in no condition to go anywhere...
Now she must lean on the tactical and fighting expertise of her former commander, Kris Jir'tana, to lead the Silver Blades in their covert mission. But she will not be idle, for there are many battles left to be fought at home. In the wake of the attack upon her home city, she must uncover a treachery decades old and buried deep to prevent DarkWind and Citaria from becoming battlegrounds.
Justice, vengeance, and retribution will collide in a convergence of fates that will change the destinies of three worlds forever...
Review
A lot of book series seem to run out of steam a bit when they hit the middle books in a larger series. Thankfully, Convergence, the seventh book in Joe Jackson's epic 11 book series, does not suffer from that problem. In fact, with Convergence, the author seems to be picking up steam, increasing the stakes dramatically, while deepening the storyline and expanding the world he has created.
The world building is solid as I have come to expect from this author. You get a deeper look into the politics in Kari's home city of DarkWind, We get a deeper look into the aftermath of the attack against the city and the consequences. There seem to be alliances and conspiracies that were not seen before, although they were hinted at, and a new force comes into town to change the status quo completely. It's really well done, and the conclusion is a total swerve to what I was expecting, but in a good way.
We also get a much deeper look into Mehr'Durillia, what was considered the world of the demons, but is really just another dimension with some very different peoples. We have seen smaller scale views of a few kingdoms there, but we get a much deeper view of the geo-political system there, with a much more intimate view of the rulers and the ruled. There are cracks in the system that are shown, and the possibility exists that their leaders may be showing unexpected weakness, giving their people hope they might finally be able to throw off their shackles. It's complex and nuanced, and the twists and turns will keep you guessing.
The characters are just so well written. Kari, the Avatar of Vengeance, the god Zalkar's chosen champion, is the main protagonist. She has grown so much, really coming into her own after her resurrection to fight in the Apocalypse against the Devil Queen Seril and her legions. She is recovering pretty well from the death of her husband Grakin, and has definitely settled into her role as leader of the Temple. After her mission in Mehr'Durillia ended with the death of five demon princes, she is now determined to get revenge for the attack on DarkWind, and is healing from the strain of that mission, but refuses to just leave things to others. Her willpower is legendary, and she is the glue that holds her family together, and you can tell she has a much greater destiny ahead.
The secondary characters are fully fleshed out as well, especially Kari's old commander and potential love interest, Kris Jir'tana. He is a strong presence who is happy to support Kari's initiatives, and is willing to put his life on the line to make sure justice is done. The fact he is willing to go the Mehr'Derillia to try and rescue Kari's brother-in-law Eric from a demon king with no hesitation shows his character, and that's a typical example of his character. The rest of the characters are given the same kind of treatment, getting their own arcs in service to the story, and it really helps engage the reader.
The villains are still the Demon Kings, although some may not be as villainous as previously thought. King Arku is the main baddie, being the reason Eric was captured and tortured, and he also played a hand in the destruction at DarkWind. He is not one of the greater Kings, but he is still a force in comparison to his subjects. The confrontation with him and his fellow kings kind of shows their hand, and shows that a confrontation is coming between the worlds, with no way to know how it will go. It really ratchets up the tension in some excellent ways.
The audiobook narration is performed by Chelsea Stephens. She does a good job bringing the characters to life, especially Kari. She gives her some real emotional resonance, and does an excellent job differentiating the various characters. Her narrative pacing is very good, and you never feel that the story lags. It's very consistent with the other book performances.
You can easily tell that the story arc is starting to work towards the final confrontations, and we are getting past setup into action. The pieces are set up on the board, and soon will be moving into battle. It is interesting to think where this story will go. It should appeal to fans of epic fantasy, and is very much outside the box in its story and execution, and I give it my highest recommendation. Check this series out today!
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