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Saga Of Sinnesemota #3
Call of the Labyrinth
War ravages the world, so Rev and his fiancée Stara need magic to reestablish Sinnesemota, the long-lost empire of peace. Hunting power, they seek a mysterious Labyrinth hidden in a deadly jungle across the sea. But as soon as their ship docks, thugs kidnap their close friend. Turns out, even here their enemies are lying in wait...
300 pages, Paperback
First published August 7, 2018
1 person is currently reading
2 people want to read
About the author
P.M.F. Johnson
22 books19 followersI've always liked to mix things together that have never been put together before. So while I've aimed to make my epic fantasy novels fun and fast-paced, I also want them to have some depth, to last in the memory, maybe even to deepen the soul a little.
The best stories aren't just about facing troubles, I figure, but also admitting why we got into trouble in the first place, finding the courage to change, and getting back out again, somehow.
This work has resulted first in my Saga of Sinnesemota series: Disk of Dragons, Trollen Rose, Call of the Labyrinth, and most recently Dark Alley Magic. These novels follow the challenges, failures and successes of Rev Caern, Gabryal Lansdon, and their friends as they battle the evil that threatens their world.
I'm very happy about my most recent fantasy, Dark Alley Magic, where a young mother, Yusi Capulo, battles to free her children from a corrupt world of dark magic. She is in a medieval mobster family, and struggles to get out. It's a different theme than most fantasies, but the tension keeps growing, especially when Yusi meets Gabryal, acting as a prosecutor for the king. Gabryal wants her to testify against her family. That would be almost suicidal, except that Yusi is charged with murder, so Gabryal has leverage over her. It's a fast-paced tale, and I think you will enjoy it.
In a more casual vein, I started to think: what would cowboys be like in a fantasy world, living the frontier life while battling monsters? The result was my two weird western novels, Drifter Mage and Desert Mage.
Finally, I have three books of poetry out. A Life In The Day tells of the adventures of a life's pilgrim. Adding The Subtractions details the time of my father's passing. And closest to my heart, Against The Night tells of my life-long love for my wife, the writer Sandra Rector. In it, poems tell the tale of a long love, with joys, challenges, and surprises.
I hope you enjoy all of these books.
The best stories aren't just about facing troubles, I figure, but also admitting why we got into trouble in the first place, finding the courage to change, and getting back out again, somehow.
This work has resulted first in my Saga of Sinnesemota series: Disk of Dragons, Trollen Rose, Call of the Labyrinth, and most recently Dark Alley Magic. These novels follow the challenges, failures and successes of Rev Caern, Gabryal Lansdon, and their friends as they battle the evil that threatens their world.
I'm very happy about my most recent fantasy, Dark Alley Magic, where a young mother, Yusi Capulo, battles to free her children from a corrupt world of dark magic. She is in a medieval mobster family, and struggles to get out. It's a different theme than most fantasies, but the tension keeps growing, especially when Yusi meets Gabryal, acting as a prosecutor for the king. Gabryal wants her to testify against her family. That would be almost suicidal, except that Yusi is charged with murder, so Gabryal has leverage over her. It's a fast-paced tale, and I think you will enjoy it.
In a more casual vein, I started to think: what would cowboys be like in a fantasy world, living the frontier life while battling monsters? The result was my two weird western novels, Drifter Mage and Desert Mage.
Finally, I have three books of poetry out. A Life In The Day tells of the adventures of a life's pilgrim. Adding The Subtractions details the time of my father's passing. And closest to my heart, Against The Night tells of my life-long love for my wife, the writer Sandra Rector. In it, poems tell the tale of a long love, with joys, challenges, and surprises.
I hope you enjoy all of these books.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
November 20, 2018
Call of the Labyrinth, by P.M.F. Johnson, is the third novel in the fantasy series The Saga of Sinnesmota. With strong characters, fast-paced action and a well-developed world, it is intriguing and will hook fans of epic fantasy.
The novel opens in the mysterious port of Usu Ma, and quickly introduces readers to a diverse cast: Lun Ec, one of the shadowy vampyren, Xiiv Ann, a mysterious woman with a magic secret -and Bul Tarn, her human husband. The trio are disturbed by strangers - trollen - in in the city, and seek to know what skill or power it will take to escape the Labyrinth, which promises immortality.
Having set up the antagonists and the concept of a hidden place of power, the story shifts to the strangers arriving in Usu Ma. Dan Zee, an orcen, is a likeable and relatable character and friend to protagonist Rev Caern, a human. The two are part of an alliance called The Compatriots, and they are on a mission to reestablish the empire of Sinnesmota, an ancient civilization built on peace and justice. To do so, Dan, Rev and the Compatriots must gather nine magical artifacts and then complete a binding ceremony with them, and learn how to control them by walking through the Labyrinth.
Of course, such a quest will not be easy. And when Dan stumbles upon Xiiv Ann in a dark alleyway on the evening of his arrival in Usu Ma - he is both allured and confused by her mysterious magic. And when he doesn't come back to their ship that night, Rev knows something has gone awry -the search begins, and the plot thickens.
Even without having read the other books in this series, I was drawn into the Labyrinth's characters, the magic and the action of this fantasy. A book that offers adventure, diverse characters, mystery and romance - it is sure to appeal to readers of epic fantasy. I also appreciated the strength of the book's female characters - with Stara Romasi, who is half-elven, bearer of the Rose of Understanding and the love interest of Rev - being my favorite. The Saga of Sinnesmota is an epic fantasy series that will whet the appetite of readers with tales of vampyres, orcs, elves, and more - throwing in a bit of romance beside the mystery, magic and mayhem.
The novel opens in the mysterious port of Usu Ma, and quickly introduces readers to a diverse cast: Lun Ec, one of the shadowy vampyren, Xiiv Ann, a mysterious woman with a magic secret -and Bul Tarn, her human husband. The trio are disturbed by strangers - trollen - in in the city, and seek to know what skill or power it will take to escape the Labyrinth, which promises immortality.
Having set up the antagonists and the concept of a hidden place of power, the story shifts to the strangers arriving in Usu Ma. Dan Zee, an orcen, is a likeable and relatable character and friend to protagonist Rev Caern, a human. The two are part of an alliance called The Compatriots, and they are on a mission to reestablish the empire of Sinnesmota, an ancient civilization built on peace and justice. To do so, Dan, Rev and the Compatriots must gather nine magical artifacts and then complete a binding ceremony with them, and learn how to control them by walking through the Labyrinth.
Of course, such a quest will not be easy. And when Dan stumbles upon Xiiv Ann in a dark alleyway on the evening of his arrival in Usu Ma - he is both allured and confused by her mysterious magic. And when he doesn't come back to their ship that night, Rev knows something has gone awry -the search begins, and the plot thickens.
Even without having read the other books in this series, I was drawn into the Labyrinth's characters, the magic and the action of this fantasy. A book that offers adventure, diverse characters, mystery and romance - it is sure to appeal to readers of epic fantasy. I also appreciated the strength of the book's female characters - with Stara Romasi, who is half-elven, bearer of the Rose of Understanding and the love interest of Rev - being my favorite. The Saga of Sinnesmota is an epic fantasy series that will whet the appetite of readers with tales of vampyres, orcs, elves, and more - throwing in a bit of romance beside the mystery, magic and mayhem.
November 9, 2018
An interesting high-fantasy with a quest. It can be said that every story has been told, it's the execution you stick around for and this traditional fantasy was told very well. I really thought I was reading a first book where we join our heroes knee deep in their mission to bring peace to the world. I never felt lost as everything was painted well and you got all that you needed without data dumps. I was really hoping that the heroes would fail, because no one has done that before. But alas, their journey continues. I really have to say the world that the author created is rich, well formed, and engaging, and easy to get absorbed into. I don't feel like I missed out by jumping to book 3, but I do want to go back and read the first 2 books now. Overall a great book.
September 15, 2024
First off, I enjoyed this novel. It has a good story and interesting characters, and the author doesn't make it too easy on them. The characters are relatable, multi-dimensional, and flawed, they have clear motivations for their actions, and their actions are consistent with those motivations. It's the third novel in a series I haven't read the first two novels in, but it is reasonably self-contained and reasonably kind to the reader who is joining the story in the middle. The use of common fantasy tropes makes the world comprehensible, but the author seldom leans too hard on them to do the important work of world-building and storytelling. At the same time, he makes them his own, both by redefining certain characteristics of common DnD/fantasy races and by injecting Aztec mythology and symbology into the mix. It's a cool world, and it's self-consistent, which makes it better than a great deal of those in fantasy novels by little-known authors. The magical and dubiously useful map to the entrance of the Labyrinth was particularly well-handled.
On the other side of the coin, the prose is repetitive, often giving important information several times. It's not uncommon to have a new piece of information introduced appropriately in a chapter and then repeated, as though in clumsy exposition, in the next chapter; most commonly this appears as presenting the characters' motivations by way of explaining why they're making decisions for which the motivations were perfectly clear. There's at least one instance of a character's privately and internally making an important discovery about another character's background, which is immediately a topic of conversation between all the characters as though it were an object of general knowledge. Important powers and items seem to magically appear when they're most useful—Rev's father's sword (to my memory, at least) was first mentioned when a magical sword was necessary and then was used over and over again to get our heroes out of scrapes for which it was the only possible solution. Rev's use of Shi went from something tenuous and difficult to something he had completely mastered (because he used it, with great effort, to clear some brush...I think?), and he consistently developed new powers and masteries along the journey (supernatural fighting, sneaking, and character-judgment skills) as needed, which were then explained away as the result of training in his youth—granted, I could be overstating this, having not read the earlier books, but it often feels pretty convenient. My biggest complaint, though, and I know I'm complaining a bit here, is the author's use of figurative language. There are frequent similes that are often cliche, imprecise, and occasionally inappropriately anachronistic, which pulled me right out of the story, sometimes several times on a single page. My only real gripe about the story itself is that despite having a team of very capable companions, by the end, Rev has become the only useful character and the others are either people he has to protect or direct obstacles to his success.
Overall, this book was enjoyable, but wasn't for me. Honestly, I am not your standard casual reader of fantasy fiction. I read slowly (both by preference and bad habit), and this is a fast-paced book that I imagine is meant to be breezed through without my particular brand of overthinking. If you can do that, you'll likely love it. It certainly has a lot going for it.
On the other side of the coin, the prose is repetitive, often giving important information several times. It's not uncommon to have a new piece of information introduced appropriately in a chapter and then repeated, as though in clumsy exposition, in the next chapter; most commonly this appears as presenting the characters' motivations by way of explaining why they're making decisions for which the motivations were perfectly clear. There's at least one instance of a character's privately and internally making an important discovery about another character's background, which is immediately a topic of conversation between all the characters as though it were an object of general knowledge. Important powers and items seem to magically appear when they're most useful—Rev's father's sword (to my memory, at least) was first mentioned when a magical sword was necessary and then was used over and over again to get our heroes out of scrapes for which it was the only possible solution. Rev's use of Shi went from something tenuous and difficult to something he had completely mastered (because he used it, with great effort, to clear some brush...I think?), and he consistently developed new powers and masteries along the journey (supernatural fighting, sneaking, and character-judgment skills) as needed, which were then explained away as the result of training in his youth—granted, I could be overstating this, having not read the earlier books, but it often feels pretty convenient. My biggest complaint, though, and I know I'm complaining a bit here, is the author's use of figurative language. There are frequent similes that are often cliche, imprecise, and occasionally inappropriately anachronistic, which pulled me right out of the story, sometimes several times on a single page. My only real gripe about the story itself is that despite having a team of very capable companions, by the end, Rev has become the only useful character and the others are either people he has to protect or direct obstacles to his success.
Overall, this book was enjoyable, but wasn't for me. Honestly, I am not your standard casual reader of fantasy fiction. I read slowly (both by preference and bad habit), and this is a fast-paced book that I imagine is meant to be breezed through without my particular brand of overthinking. If you can do that, you'll likely love it. It certainly has a lot going for it.
January 12, 2022
In a battle between good and evil, the “Compatriots” set out to restore peace and justice by resurrecting the ancient empire of Sinnesemota. To that end, they have to harness nine magical artifacts, including a Labyrinth hidden in a perilous jungle beyond the walls of Usu Ma, harboring an “ancient evil presence.”
This fantasy action-adventure, weaved with intrigue, romance, and spirituality, contains a mind-boggling variety of characters and ideas. The evil Vampyren, the Orcen, Trollen, humans, half-humans, half-elven, characters who wield different kinds of magic, and more. As the good ones work together to save the world, we see that, beneath their outer differences, they have the same fears and desires, and how much can be accomplished if those differences can be put aside. A message very relevant to our world.
The author’s descriptions evoke vivid images and emotions. “The jungle encircled the city walls of Usu Ma like a leopard prowling around a farm.” There are allusions to Dante’s Inferno in the carvings on the labyrinth wall: “images of bodies twisted in horrible agony, tortured faces lost in damnation, hands reaching up in hopeless supplication.”
Loved the current of spirituality running throughout the story, especially in Rev’s use of “shi”, a meditative practice focusing on eliminating thoughts and being present. This is described beautifully as opening “the whole symphony of the universe…every act of the world, every birth, every small bird's death…the deepest tones were the earth itself. The highest whispers, beyond normal hearing, were the wings of insects, the breath of orchids.”
The only complaint I have is the never-ending variety of species. As the book went on, and they kept coming, I had a hard time keeping track of who was what. Other than that, fans of action-adventures like “The Mummy” or “Indiana Jones,” will love this book.
This fantasy action-adventure, weaved with intrigue, romance, and spirituality, contains a mind-boggling variety of characters and ideas. The evil Vampyren, the Orcen, Trollen, humans, half-humans, half-elven, characters who wield different kinds of magic, and more. As the good ones work together to save the world, we see that, beneath their outer differences, they have the same fears and desires, and how much can be accomplished if those differences can be put aside. A message very relevant to our world.
The author’s descriptions evoke vivid images and emotions. “The jungle encircled the city walls of Usu Ma like a leopard prowling around a farm.” There are allusions to Dante’s Inferno in the carvings on the labyrinth wall: “images of bodies twisted in horrible agony, tortured faces lost in damnation, hands reaching up in hopeless supplication.”
Loved the current of spirituality running throughout the story, especially in Rev’s use of “shi”, a meditative practice focusing on eliminating thoughts and being present. This is described beautifully as opening “the whole symphony of the universe…every act of the world, every birth, every small bird's death…the deepest tones were the earth itself. The highest whispers, beyond normal hearing, were the wings of insects, the breath of orchids.”
The only complaint I have is the never-ending variety of species. As the book went on, and they kept coming, I had a hard time keeping track of who was what. Other than that, fans of action-adventures like “The Mummy” or “Indiana Jones,” will love this book.
February 1, 2021
I should have started with book one
I didn't realize this was book three when I came across it. I was about 15% into it when the clues had me do a Goodreads check. Too bad for me. I think I lost a ton of character development. This was standard fantasy with a quest to gather artifacts and unite the world against evil. There is decent action with low stakes against the names Compatriots. I prefer my stakes a bit more dire. The rest of my review will contain spoilers.
The Good.
Rev used fish guys to start a fight with dangerous Orcen.
The information barter scene was interesting.
Lol using army ants to attack Huitzli. Using fauna is always a great improvise in combat.
The jungle dangers were unique. The flies and pink fungus were best. The body blocking the path was my favorite scene.
The Trollken are mantis-like. I enjoyed having a bug species in the crew.
The Bad.
The race names are similar to traditional fantasy but don't look the same. Even have wings. Orcen have tails. Trollken look like praying mantis. The list goes on. Why name them Elven if you want wings instead of pointy ears. It was confusing for no reason.
Rev rescued Dan after Dan had already escaped. I hate this trope. Nobody ever needs proper rescuing anymore.
Rev's jealousy of Kiln was immature and irrational. Rev was otherwise stable, so this felt against his character.
The Rev and Bul fight went hand to hand simply to prove physical toughness. This is another overused and lame trope. Use your sword, Rev!
The ending chapters felt rushed. The lurker and Vampyren were defeated in a few short pages.
The Technical.
There is violence in this book.
I didn't realize this was book three when I came across it. I was about 15% into it when the clues had me do a Goodreads check. Too bad for me. I think I lost a ton of character development. This was standard fantasy with a quest to gather artifacts and unite the world against evil. There is decent action with low stakes against the names Compatriots. I prefer my stakes a bit more dire. The rest of my review will contain spoilers.
The Good.
Rev used fish guys to start a fight with dangerous Orcen.
The information barter scene was interesting.
Lol using army ants to attack Huitzli. Using fauna is always a great improvise in combat.
The jungle dangers were unique. The flies and pink fungus were best. The body blocking the path was my favorite scene.
The Trollken are mantis-like. I enjoyed having a bug species in the crew.
The Bad.
The race names are similar to traditional fantasy but don't look the same. Even have wings. Orcen have tails. Trollken look like praying mantis. The list goes on. Why name them Elven if you want wings instead of pointy ears. It was confusing for no reason.
Rev rescued Dan after Dan had already escaped. I hate this trope. Nobody ever needs proper rescuing anymore.
Rev's jealousy of Kiln was immature and irrational. Rev was otherwise stable, so this felt against his character.
The Rev and Bul fight went hand to hand simply to prove physical toughness. This is another overused and lame trope. Use your sword, Rev!
The ending chapters felt rushed. The lurker and Vampyren were defeated in a few short pages.
The Technical.
There is violence in this book.
October 16, 2018
Call of the Labyrinth is the third book in the Saga of the Sinnesemota series. Most of the action is narrated through the eyes of Rev who holds one of the Artifacts of power. I had not read the first two books, so I found it quite difficult to come to grips with the back story and the world created. I have a lot of respect for authors who undertake high fantasy, but I felt there were some jumps of logic and philosophies which were difficult to follow. I think the biggest challenge for me was trying to understand all the magic! Everyone uses some form of magic (sometimes two) and I found that trying to keep track of all that was tiresome.
I found the opening chapters rather slow and sluggish, but the pace picked up once the Compatriots actually set off on their quest. The changes in the group dynamic were an unexpected development (in a good way). I quite enjoyed the rest of the book and was pleasantly surprised when I realised I had come to the end!
A map and notes on the different creatures / cultures would have been helpful.
I found the opening chapters rather slow and sluggish, but the pace picked up once the Compatriots actually set off on their quest. The changes in the group dynamic were an unexpected development (in a good way). I quite enjoyed the rest of the book and was pleasantly surprised when I realised I had come to the end!
A map and notes on the different creatures / cultures would have been helpful.
September 10, 2024
Time to go to the labyrinth
Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2023
Call of the Labyrinth by P.M.F Johnson was an interesting read. I am transported to a world reminiscent of a South American jungle, where different species, the elvens, trollens, orcens, wolfens, goblens, and vampyren interact. To be honest, this is my first book read by the author, and I have not read the other books in the series. It took me a while to get used to the names of Rev, Dan Zee, Stara, and others. However, I did understand the relationships between the species as they made their way from the port city into the jungle, to find the Labyrinth containing an Artifact. There were seldom uses of magic, such as Rev's uses of shi, and I treated this book as an adventurous quest, not knowing what to expect next.
Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2023
Call of the Labyrinth by P.M.F Johnson was an interesting read. I am transported to a world reminiscent of a South American jungle, where different species, the elvens, trollens, orcens, wolfens, goblens, and vampyren interact. To be honest, this is my first book read by the author, and I have not read the other books in the series. It took me a while to get used to the names of Rev, Dan Zee, Stara, and others. However, I did understand the relationships between the species as they made their way from the port city into the jungle, to find the Labyrinth containing an Artifact. There were seldom uses of magic, such as Rev's uses of shi, and I treated this book as an adventurous quest, not knowing what to expect next.
December 18, 2021
A fast-paced and interesting fantasy book about a diverse group of friends who are on a quest to bring justice and peace to the world by gathering legendary magical artifacts that will enable them to revive the Sinnesemota empire.
There's a lot of things to like in the book. For example, I particularly enjoyed reading Dan's POV chapters, especially the ones which focused on his usage of "shi." The other chapters are fine, but Dan's are the best, IMO. I became quite fond of him and was quite impatient sometimes when the next POVs weren't his.
I'm giving this a 5-star rating, with one star bumped up from my initial rating of 4 because it's very good for a self-published book, and for my favorite character, Dan.
There's a lot of things to like in the book. For example, I particularly enjoyed reading Dan's POV chapters, especially the ones which focused on his usage of "shi." The other chapters are fine, but Dan's are the best, IMO. I became quite fond of him and was quite impatient sometimes when the next POVs weren't his.
I'm giving this a 5-star rating, with one star bumped up from my initial rating of 4 because it's very good for a self-published book, and for my favorite character, Dan.
December 17, 2018
An unlikely team must unite several magical artifacts to protect and preserve the realm.
The author was very creative in the magic, races, and lands that occupied this fantasy world. There’s the Labyrinth and other secrets that must be protected, and dangerous beings with incredible power.
There’s a lot going on here with all of the magic and races, but it is fast paced and action packed, and it held my interest the whole way through. I especially liked the sentiments of unlikely comrades having to work together to achieve a common goal.
The author was very creative in the magic, races, and lands that occupied this fantasy world. There’s the Labyrinth and other secrets that must be protected, and dangerous beings with incredible power.
There’s a lot going on here with all of the magic and races, but it is fast paced and action packed, and it held my interest the whole way through. I especially liked the sentiments of unlikely comrades having to work together to achieve a common goal.
February 8, 2019
Awesome story!
This was an adventure story alright. More like a dungeons and dragons quest! It’s about a princess and her companions trying to bring peace to the land while avoiding vampires and negotiating with shady characters while traipsing through an Indiana-Jones like jungle and ruins filled with traps and more scary local fauna and flora ! The world building is quite good and character growth of Stara, Rev , Dan and even Kiln kept me wanting to know more about their back stories. I really enjoyed this book!
This was an adventure story alright. More like a dungeons and dragons quest! It’s about a princess and her companions trying to bring peace to the land while avoiding vampires and negotiating with shady characters while traipsing through an Indiana-Jones like jungle and ruins filled with traps and more scary local fauna and flora ! The world building is quite good and character growth of Stara, Rev , Dan and even Kiln kept me wanting to know more about their back stories. I really enjoyed this book!
November 30, 2018
While a very well developed and competently written story, I found the characters somewhat difficult to relate to and the prose stiff. The fantasy world is very well established, but the way it is established seems to be mainly through exposition, which is something I personally do not have a taste for. However, I did overall enjoy the book, and while I can't say it was one of the greatest I have read, it's still a decent fantasy adventure.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews