Beeker is trying to find his way in life, no longer a kid, but not yet an adult, when his single mother decides it is time for a change. He and his little brother, Dak, leave the comfort of their home in the Plains to go and live in the Mountains with their beloved Uncle Dobo, a founder of the Militia and renowned war hero. The rapidly growing population of Anoroc leaves their species, Chigidies, scrambling for sparse resources, particularly the most valuable commodity of all-- Painite. Beeker, Dak, and their generation can no longer plead ignorance to the tumult overtaking Anoroc. But, at what cost will it come?
Plot
While there are some exciting, high-intensity moments, most scenes focused on more intimate details of the character’s lives. However, the author writes these quite scenes in such a way that I did find myself engaged and pulled along through the story, which is a difficult thing to accomplish. So while the pacing of the book was not what I expected, the plot itself was intriguing and easy to read.
Characters
The main character, Beeker, is primarily the lens through which the reader sees the story, but the author does occasionally jump to other perspectives. I found this charring, especially in the opening chapters, and would have preferred to stick with the main character throughout. Additionally, I struggled to connect to Beeker’s voice, as it mixed casual, modern language with more stiff, formal language that you might see in classic fantasy novels.
Setting
The world author Bryan M. Kuderna created in this book is rich with details and lore. It’s clear the author put a lot of effort into creating this setting and that shines through in his writing. I did struggle to center myself in the story, though, as the world was at a strange point between familiar and new, so when new elements were introduced, I often found myself second-guessing assumptions I’d made previously about how this society looks and functions.
My Recommendation
Anoroc is great read for fans of Dune and other metaphorical fantasy stories. Fans of more typical young adult fantasy novels may find the plot a bit slow and struggle to connect with the main character or setting, but the author’s engaging writing style makes it worth the read.
