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Strayed
“Listen carefully to me now, son. Tate wants to kill you. That’s why we’re here.”
When soldiers from the Phentinite empire came to attack his village, Jad the shepherd boy discovered a power within himself, and the village was saved.
Since then, nothing has been the same. Jad only wishes to help, but nobody looks at him the same way. Even his father, who used to be respected and sensible, has changed completely.
The merchant in town, when they visit to trade, has a name for children like him.
Abomination.
When soldiers from the Phentinite empire came to attack his village, Jad the shepherd boy discovered a power within himself, and the village was saved.
Since then, nothing has been the same. Jad only wishes to help, but nobody looks at him the same way. Even his father, who used to be respected and sensible, has changed completely.
The merchant in town, when they visit to trade, has a name for children like him.
Abomination.
191 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 26, 2024
3 people want to read
About the author
Lee Burton
12 books21 followersLee Burton is a Percy Janes First Novel Award winner, and a finalist in The Writers of the Future contest. In 2023, he'll be publishing the first of his Speaker Series stories.
He lives in St. John's, Newfoundland, where for the past ten years he has worked as an author and freelance editor. Though his stories are diverse, they all revel in the music of words and celebrate imagination.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 30, 2024
Have you read
The Lion
? No? Then shoo, go there first. If you've already read the first portion of the tale, you already have a good idea of what you're about to read here.
Just like The Lion, Strayed was swift and satisfying to read, with prose that is enjoyable even when it creeps into the grotesque. Burton is somewhat more wandering in his writing with this second installment, but certainly not to a detrimental degree and generally for good reason. Despite Strayed being a continuation of the same story, the tone of the two books diverges rather dramatically, and that directly contributes to the more lingering writing. The Lion is a coming-of-age adventure gone awry, full of loneliness and longing, and hurried through tight pacing by the village's impending doom. Strayed continues the same tale with a much heavier and more claustrophobic atmosphere. Elements of horror are sprinkled into Jad's acts of unknowing magic, and the writing is allowed to hang onto the scenery a little more intimately throughout.
Despite the slower pacing, the story never feels like it drags, and when the action kicks in, it is believable and engaging. The choices in pacing are also used to highlight the Zuan community's attitudes and culture as a reflection of their anvil-eyed, slow-to-act god, a decision which Burton utilises well to show just how much more Jad is being isolated from his community (and also to separate Tate from the rest of the villagers as an outsider himself). As the story progresses, their fears and Jad's father's shepherding push him out of the metaphorical and often literal circle of light that the village inhabits. He is pursued by nightmares and guilt, by Tez's vengeful, grieving father, and by the villagers' growing suspicions.
I very much enjoyed this second part of Jad's story. My only disappointment in Strayed is the fact that I don't know how long I'll be waiting for its continuation in part three. I am eager to see where Jad's journey continues.
Just like The Lion, Strayed was swift and satisfying to read, with prose that is enjoyable even when it creeps into the grotesque. Burton is somewhat more wandering in his writing with this second installment, but certainly not to a detrimental degree and generally for good reason. Despite Strayed being a continuation of the same story, the tone of the two books diverges rather dramatically, and that directly contributes to the more lingering writing. The Lion is a coming-of-age adventure gone awry, full of loneliness and longing, and hurried through tight pacing by the village's impending doom. Strayed continues the same tale with a much heavier and more claustrophobic atmosphere. Elements of horror are sprinkled into Jad's acts of unknowing magic, and the writing is allowed to hang onto the scenery a little more intimately throughout.
Despite the slower pacing, the story never feels like it drags, and when the action kicks in, it is believable and engaging. The choices in pacing are also used to highlight the Zuan community's attitudes and culture as a reflection of their anvil-eyed, slow-to-act god, a decision which Burton utilises well to show just how much more Jad is being isolated from his community (and also to separate Tate from the rest of the villagers as an outsider himself). As the story progresses, their fears and Jad's father's shepherding push him out of the metaphorical and often literal circle of light that the village inhabits. He is pursued by nightmares and guilt, by Tez's vengeful, grieving father, and by the villagers' growing suspicions.
I very much enjoyed this second part of Jad's story. My only disappointment in Strayed is the fact that I don't know how long I'll be waiting for its continuation in part three. I am eager to see where Jad's journey continues.
November 25, 2024
Strayed continues an ancient, magical realism story that began with The Lion. In a fashion very fitting to the fictional culture, Strayed feels like an oral history. I think this series would make a lovely audiobook collection someday.
To enjoy this book, I highly recommend starting with The Last Speaker. Speaker Origins tells the history behind the world of The Last Speaker. I loved the latter and think this new series is a neat opportunity for readers to immerse themselves in Burton's world.
I'm grateful for the chance to check out this book for free. I'm leaving this review of my own.
Read and reviewed November 2024.
To enjoy this book, I highly recommend starting with The Last Speaker. Speaker Origins tells the history behind the world of The Last Speaker. I loved the latter and think this new series is a neat opportunity for readers to immerse themselves in Burton's world.
I'm grateful for the chance to check out this book for free. I'm leaving this review of my own.
Read and reviewed November 2024.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews