Lantern

by Burgundy Athena Pendragon

In this dark high fantasy adventure, a grumpy middle-aged mage is asked by an old friend to take on an Impossible Task for her: finding a cure for her son’s curse when all else have given up. Aiding Devyn on zir quest to cure Lio of his horrifying curse that he acquired by stealing a lindworm’s treasure, is the teenager himself, a family of werewolves, and a mysterious demonic lantern forever bound to zir soul. But as the clock waxes and wanes and Lio’s curse worsens, so do the dangers lurking in the shadows for them. And all of them human.

Genres: Fantasy

64 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 17, 2023

Reviews

[Jamedi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lantern is a high fantasy novelette, the debut book of Burgundy Athena Pendragon, which features several fresh ideas (like a non-binary character using neo-pronouns, the consequence of curses), in a classical fantasy story style. I think there's potential in this book, but it could have benefited from having more pages.

Devyn (zie/zir) is an exorcist who travels with a lantern that contains a powerful spirit (quite quirky to be fair); a friend from zir past life comes asking for zir help to stop a curse that has taken over her son. Reluntantly, Devyn accepts to take the young as zir company and help him undo the curse.
With this simple premise, a fast story is woven; and while I think there's potential, I feel the characters could have been more explored, especially zir past in the world that Pendragon has created.

As said, there are elements that are quite well blent, especially that exploration made between the Lantern and Devyn, and how it is a different way to write about non-binarism. However, especially in the second half, the encounter with the dragon and the curse felt rushed, it could have been better developed.

If you want to have a quick read with classic vibes but which at the same time has some new ideas, Lantern can be a good read for you.

[Josh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for sending me an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

Lantern is a short fantasy story that is about curses, regret and the people who carry them. There was some interesting ideas here but it felt like there wasn't enough time to explore most of them unfortunately. I think it would really benefit from a increased page count to give us a chance to explore these interesting themes more, along with giving the character more of a chance to develop connection / show the history they have.

While this was not for me, if you are looking for a short fantasy story then you might enjoy this.

[thatswhatimtolkienabout · Rating 3 out of 5]

I originally DNFd this book, but I figured I’d take another crack at it. Personally, Lantern just wasn’t for me. It felt like the book started in the middle of a story and I felt like I was missing something. I checked to see if I was only sent an excerpt and not the full story, but it looks like this is everything. I prefer more of a slower paced plot, so maybe I just wasn’t ready to jump straight into this one. However, if you’re interested in a fantasy with some pretty good diversity, then this is worth checking out.

[Mateo Dk · Rating 2 out of 5]

third book for trr and it read more like a word dump zero draft outline for a full length novel rather than a completed novella. i really appreciated the queernormativity and exploration of topics like MAID, but this was sparse and awkwardly written with fight scenes that were Factually just two word magic phrases that weren't explained said back and forth between magic users with no description or anything.

[Alyssa (HeartwyldsLibrary) · Rating 2 out of 5]

While Lantern is a short read it unfortunately didn't work out for me. I was excited to read this as the MC was said to be grumpy and non-binary and I have been wanting to read more books with non-binary representation. Devyn was indeed non-binary but I will be honest I struggled with the pronouns that were chosen for Devyn as I am not familiar with them, Pendragon went with Zie/Zir instead of the usual They/Them that I am familiar with so this was a new experience for me and it made me go and educate myself which I appreciated.

Now in terms of Devyn being grumpy, unfortunately that didn't register at all in the story. To be honest none of the characters really exuded any kind of personality, a lot of the characterization was flat or non-existent and its an extremely small cast so it was very disappointing.

The story is mainly told through dialogue but even the dialogue was flat, there was many times where it felt like we were only getting vague moments of the conversation, a lot of times it felt like the conversations weren't fully planned out. Due to this approach the worldbuilding suffered, there were no paragraphs explaining what this place was suppose to look like, what any characters looked like, minus Lio's monster form, or the general idea of this world. So one would think the conversations would help build the world but it didn't. Even after reading the authors note and them stating they purposely did this to allow the reader to envision what they wish I don't think it worked as intended. I can visually see what I read vividly and all I saw was blurry characters against a white background. If there had been some worldbuilding I think this approach might have worked.

Another issue I had was the writing style, its very short, crisp, straight to the point sentences that it comes off as monotone. There was no emotion present at all because of this style, even the big emotional scenes at the end felt void of emotion, but I do attribute a lot of that to the lack of characterization, character depth and sentence structure. There was also many times where the scenes would just abruptly change with no indication, the time line through the story felt rushed. And since honesty is what I strive for, it felt like there was a lack of creative effort into naming certain elements of this world, example being the Werewolves, Type A, Type B and so fourth, this felt lazy, and uncreative and I really didn't like it. Any time there was an attempt to build the world or build lore so to speak it felt like an instruction manual.

The overall plot was very vague, or possibly too simplistic, I thought the main idea was trying to save Lio, but after while it felt like the author wanted it to be more about Devyn's past. This would have been fine if the info on his past hadn't been given at such random times because it resulted in causing confusion, for the longest time I thought Kinai and the Lantern where the same character, they are in fact not. A lot of the depth that could have been put into Lio's story wasn't present so it made it very hard to feel any kind of way for him. There is this central theme around him that involves being treated horribly by others because he is different but the lack of depth around this made the theme fall short, and held very little impact. This same issue pops up with Devyn and dealing with zir past, it lacks depth so when the big pivotal moment at the end comes up and zie makes the final decision it wasn't impactful. I honestly hated the end. I don't understand how Lio's situation ties into his fathers and Devyn's past, and why what happened was the only answer.

The last bit I want to talk about is the magic, I honestly do not understand it and the big climax scene that involved using magic in the fight was highly confusing. Had this been a visual novel the style of throwing out a spell name would have worked but in a book that lacks detailed descriptions it failed to make any sense.

While Lantern didn't work out for me, its possible it will work for someone else. I do honestly think had this been longer and a more fleshed out story I would have liked it better, but an idea was attempted and unfortunately I wasn't the target audience.

Many Thanks to the author for reaching out and sending me a copy.

[Marie K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Devyn (zie/zir) is an exorcist traveling with a talking lantern containing an extremely powerful spirit. Zie gets asked by zir best friend, Akacia, that zie helps her son, Lio, to get rid of a curse he picked up when he stole a golden necklace from the lair of a powerful beast. Every half-moon, Lio painfully transforms into a were-beast and doesn’t know how long he’ll be able to handle this curse.

This book has great representation, I liked the idea of a talking lantern and a non-binary powerful mage/exorcist, and yet I couldn’t help but be a little disappointed at the end of the reading. I felt like I was being rushed towards the end of the story, like the author couldn’t wait to tell me the end and ended up skipping over some stuff to get there quicker. It felt like an overview, almost a quick recap, which was disappointing because I could absolutely feel how much the author LOVES zir characters and is attached to them. How much it clearly meant to tell this story of not fitting in and suffering without knowing if or how it will end.

The author’s note at the end of the book explains zir decision to go for a minimalist approach, to let every reader have their own mental representation of the story. I love that ! I do like being able to let my mind wander and completely imagine what the characters look like. This note gave me a new perspective on the whole text, I felt like I understood what the author tried to do a little better.

I liked the way poetry was worked into the story in a way that absolutely made sense. I liked the sassiness of the lantern. I will gladly give this author’s writing another chance, I liked the ideas and was intrigued, I guess it just wasn’t what I was expecting at this moment.

Thanks to NetGalley, Bull & Dragon Press and the author for the ARC !

[AME · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook by the author themself, an almost audio drama-like production with sound effects and music. Very entertaining, more audiobooks should include sound effects, in my humble opinion.

A very interesting story, both heart warming and heart wrenching, and humorous. Loved the inclusion of poetry and the worldbuilding with the different types of exorcism. The author brought so much emotion to the characters; sorrow, anger and hurt, but also humor and love. All neatly packaged into a 1h 40m audio book.

My only criticism is that it's too short. I would have loved to spend more time with these characters. And also the magic battles where people were shouting words (spells) at each other were a bit confusing and non-descript. I mean, you understand what "Fire ball" (not an actual spell used) does, but a little more description wouldn't have hurt, I think.

All in all, a short read - or listen - that is well worth your time, with interesting characters, engaging plot, some humor to light the dark themes and some nice poetry. Give it a read, you won't regret it.

[KiraoftheWind · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm honestly flabbergasted by some of these reviews. Like, yes, it's a short story. Of course it's not going to go super in depth with worldbuilding or character histories. What it DOES do, is pack one hell of an emotional punch in a story that only takes 90 minutes to read. 90 minutes. That's all the time it took from start to the time I started bawling because this story tackled themes of being unable to save a friend, regret for past mistakes, and suicide. 5/5 would cry and trauma dump at the author again.

I listened to this book on audiobook performed by the author and I am impressed with the effort they put into creating it. It's closer to an audio drama with foleys and musical interludes between chapters. The author brought a ton of emotion into the characters' voices. Anger. Sorrow. Pain. I highly recommend this to anyone interested in the high fantasy genre who understands that it is a short story, with all the limitations and benefits that entails.

[Margarita · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5

Devyn, the main character, goes to great lengths to save zir old friend's son's life, but is confronted with a tough decision as zir witness Lio struggling to cope with the sudden changes. The book's ending leaves you wondering if Lio could have been saved and if things could have been done differently.

Definitely, would have wanted to see more about the lantern and how Devyn came to acquire it. The lantern carries a powerful backstory that has disrupted Devyn's inner peace, making it difficult to reconcile with their past. Devyn is dealing with zir own problems while grappling with the loss of zir friend, Kinai, and starting to doubt their own capabilities to help others.

It is a beautifully written piece for a debut author. I am glad to have been able to read it. Well done.

[Ori Nephtali · Rating 4 out of 5]

A strong debut, and I'm sad about the ending. Poignant, but I didn't quite expect a tragedy from how the beginning was written. Overall I enjoyed the book immensely despite the sad ending, as the journey was enjoyable. I'm happy to have a physical copy on my shelf. It deals with difficult questions in a deft, interesting, compassionate way.

Pros: Interesting magic system and characterization. Loved the idea of the evil lantern spirit.

Cons: The writing felt a bit minimalistic in a way that didn't always work for me. I wanted to envision more of the world.

[Lucas James · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great potential, poor execution. I regret to say that 'Lantern' fell short of my expectations. The writing lacked depth and the characters felt underdeveloped, making it difficult for me to fully engage with the story. I was hoping for a more immersive fantasy experience, but unfortunately, this book did not deliver. The style was extremely basic and the dialogue was childish. Again, great potential in the characters and plot but the writing style really let this work down.

[Armanis Ar-Feinial · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, the premise itself is interesting, but there was a b-rating attempt I think. There were times in the book where it went to be gritty, which is more my cup of tea, and then switch to some absurdist, which is not my cup of tea, but I don't mind a good b rated horror film, like Army of Darkness, but this is where it seemed to me, the story didn't feel like it wanted to commit to straight grit or comedy.

[Kai · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was defenetly not my cup of tea, it reads like a childrens book but the story itslef doesnt feel that way. Lantern has an intresting story but the execution itslef isnt the best. It might have turned out better if there were more pages of content as the story felt rushed.
The characters felt unrealistic with to many traits that made the characters fell in-human.

[Priscila Vera Schmidt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the plot but it was kind of all over the place. I would love to read more of your books tough, I really like your way of writing.