The Tablet: A Realmshift Trilogy Prequel

by S.R. Manssen

Fourteen-year-old Aleryck is good with a slingshot and at herding goats, but not much else. When the mysterious voice of ‘The Ancient’ tasks him with inscribing words of freedom on a magical tablet, he starts to believe he is important … more
important even than his elder brothers. Then the Ancient asks Aleryck to hide the tablet in Medar--beyond the perilous Chasm--for future generations, forcing Aleryck to reluctantly seek the help of his jealous siblings.

Left for dead in the treacherous Wastelands when his brother, Taran, steals the tablet, it soon becomes a race against time to recover the tablet or it will be lost forever.

If Aleryck and Taran can't settle their differences and learn to work together to fulfil the task, the people of Medar will be enslaved for all eternity.

Genres: Fantasy

164 pages, Paperback

Published May 5, 2023

Reviews

[Psyckers · Rating 4 out of 5]

An unassuming teenage goat herder gets given a task by 'The Ancient' to inscribe and activate a strange and magical tablet. But it is not as simple as transcribing on the tablet, the teenager needs to inflict a number of tasks on the tablet to instil the necessary transcriptions for freedom. The adventure tests the teenager both physically and psychologically in the firm belief that only they can finish the task for 'The Ancient'.
It is a truly riveting story that is a page turner to the end. Great characters and world building here that captures your imagination and takes you on the journey.

[Robinne Weiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Tablet is a prequel to the Realmshift Trilogy, which I have not read. It tells the tale of 14-year-old Aleryck, a boy with a ‘weak’ leg and a large number of brothers, all of whom are stronger and fitter than he is. Aleryck is out tending the family goats when he is called by The Ancient to do a task. The task involves inscribing verses on a magical tablet, then hiding the tablet for a future generation to unearth, thus saving the future generation from slavery. Aleryck must set aside his own notions of what he is and is not able to do as a person with a disability, and accept the help of his brothers in order to complete his task.

Aleryck’s quest pits him against his brothers at times, against a band of slavers, and against his own doubts and insecurities. The storyline is straightforward, and the pacing is effective, with obstacles thrown up in Aleryck’s way to keep things lively.

The Tablet is thick with moral lessons and quandaries appropriate for a middle grade reader. It has a strong Christian undertone, and the parallel between the Ten Commandments and The Tablet are obvious. It is listed as being for ages 8 to 18, and I think it would appeal more to the lower end of that age range. It is a lively little tale, and a good introduction to the background of the Realmshift Trilogy.

I received a copy of this book for review through the SpecFicNZ review programme.