Well, it’s that time of year again for the writing community. Nerves are jangling, coffee pots are on overdrive, and imposter syndromes have become full-on imposter supernovas. SPFBO 7 is in full swing. This year I’ve decided to dip my toes into the water as an entrant. At some point, I may write a little piece about my experience.

For now, I’m turning my attention to some of the other competitors, presumably currently biting their nails down to jagged splinters. The last two or three books I’ve read are all entrants in this year’s competition, and I have to say, given my ongoing struggle with starting and stopping books, I’m happy to report not a single DNF hath graced my TBR in recent months.

The latest of said reads is A Drowned Kingdom by PL Stuart – an epic fantasy story that tells the tale of a second prince, his people, his lands, and his faith. Before I get on to the review, I want it known that A Drowned Kingdom is so far out of my usual wheelhouse that I’m almost struggling to write a review.

I’m a fan of the short, the sharp, and the quippy book. I don’t have much experience reading epic or high fantasy. So the conclusions I have drawn about this book are based solely on my understanding of the genre. In short, I have minimal knowledge of these sorts of books and, therefore, no frame of reference. Disclaimer made, on with the review –

A Drowned Kingdom by PL Stuart

Within the first few pages of this story, PL Stuart had my attention. This book starts with such a sense of gravitas that I was immediately drawn into the main character’s thoughts, making the opening pages feel almost like a soliloquy as Othrun, Second Prince, pulls us into his mind. This was fascinating as from the outset, you’re not discovering Othrun’s world as it is – you’re discovering Othrun’s world the way that he sees it. 

Othrun’s story splits into three parts and, to be honest, the first part was my favourite. A Drowned Kingdom is a book so hard to define but so cleverly executed. As I was drawn deeper into Othrun’s character, his narration turned from saga to sonnet to sermon at various points, depending on what he was doing or experiencing at the time.

Stuart plays with repetition, sentence structures, and phrasing, and his writing is, at times, more like poetry than prose. The first few chapters of the book have very little dialogue, but it still feels like someone is speaking to you. And do you know what? A lot of it is rather beautiful.

‘I wept because no one lived that might cut off my head anymore.’

What is even more impressive is that Othrun is a totally detestable character. As previous reviews have mentioned, this is not a nice guy. After a life of privilege in the royal family, Othrun’s views are about as toxic as they come. He’s a misogynist, sexist, racist, classist zealot bordering on fundamentalism.

It is difficult to present a character of this nature in the right way – and even more difficult to combine such an abhorrent worldview with such eloquent and beautiful prose. Here is where PL Stuart shows his intelligence and ability as a writer. Othrun, though deeply unpleasant, is presented as a guy with a superiority complex, delusions of his self-importance, and a dangerous naivety about the world and people around him.

He has lived in a bubble of opulence, prince of his tiny world, and quite frankly, at times feels almost like a brain-washed fanatic. What I really loved was the sense of creeping corruption as Othrun became increasingly more powerful and more fanatical. 

‘Grandfather added that Father should take his time wanting the responsibility of kingship, and he, Grandfather would accordingly take his time dying,’

I could wax lyrical about this book for hours; even now my thoughts about it are running wild. Compelling, difficult, clever, dark – it is certainly rare for me to pick up and finish anything that serves such a gamut of emotions and reactions. I will say that for anyone looking for a lighter read, this is anything but that. Woven into Othrun’s interpretations of the world around him is some heavy subject matter. What impressed me was the sensitivity with which PL Stuart tackles these subjects while having the reader experience them through the eyes of someone so utterly insensitive.

‘With funerals and baptisms for ladies and infants of royal lineage, one often followed the other. The first question asked when a child of the blood was born was not, “what shall it be named?” It was not “how much does it weigh?”Rather, it was “does the mother live?”

Truthfully, I don’t think that this book will be for everyone. Female readers, in particular, may struggle. It reads like a tribute to old-school fantasy epics, so don’t expect any empowering female representation. The women in Othrun’s world are reduced to the roles of whores or Madonna’s, and in either case, are little more than walking uteri. That being said I wish to make it abundantly clear that this book never felt offensive to me as a woman. Rather, Stuart makes it clear that Othrun and the society around him devalue, belittle, and vilify women (and many others) through bigotry and ignorance. 

On the whole, I found this to be, more than anything, a fascinating character study. I did find that towards the middle I was skimming parts of the story – this is heavy prose and the addition of multiple new characters in the latter third of the book did make my head spin a little. Is it an enjoyable read? I honestly don’t know how to answer that question. All I can say is that I didn’t want to stop reading – I had to dig deeper. I wanted to find something redeemable about Othrun, or for him to get his comeuppance. 

I would give this story a 4-star rating based on Stuart’s approach, voice, skill, and intricacy. There were elements of the prose I felt worthy of a 5-star rating. But the introduction of too many characters at once in the final third and some of the story being a little overwrought did detract from the journey a little for me. That being said, in the first two sections the secondary characters were well crafted, likeable and reliable. The world building is vast, artful and extensive and reflects the overall tone of the writing – ambitious and uncompromising.

I’ll certainly be picking up PL Stuart’s next book, and look forward to seeing the future of Othrun and his people unfolding.