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Palanshia #1
The Gift
The iridescence of Eth flickers for a second time since creation as power surges out from the core of the world. The unstoppable Beckoning has begun.
The pull on Toman's mind, the strange dreams of different worlds.... fleets of ships made of clear glass... inky black figures brandishing spears, leaping from the shadows of his bedroom. Something was amiss. And now a light that appears in the bones of his fingers!
Compelled by a deep need to leave Fahtu-Shan, his island home, he finds work on the docks of Turicum. But he desperately tries to keep his Eth power a secret.
Discovered one evening wielding his power by the Lord Protector of the noble House of Mendrensynn, Toman is taken on as his personal apprentice.
His training is cut short as the Mendrensynn Highborns embark downriver for international Summit on Trade in Barrost. The journey becomes perilous as forces of both good and evil inundate the entourage and focus on the young herdsman from Fahtu-Shan.
The pull on Toman's mind, the strange dreams of different worlds.... fleets of ships made of clear glass... inky black figures brandishing spears, leaping from the shadows of his bedroom. Something was amiss. And now a light that appears in the bones of his fingers!
Compelled by a deep need to leave Fahtu-Shan, his island home, he finds work on the docks of Turicum. But he desperately tries to keep his Eth power a secret.
Discovered one evening wielding his power by the Lord Protector of the noble House of Mendrensynn, Toman is taken on as his personal apprentice.
His training is cut short as the Mendrensynn Highborns embark downriver for international Summit on Trade in Barrost. The journey becomes perilous as forces of both good and evil inundate the entourage and focus on the young herdsman from Fahtu-Shan.
445 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 19, 2020
6 people are currently reading
2084 people want to read
About the author
William Chancellor
4 books32 followers Love the smell of tilled earth as much as a handful of freshly sharpened pencils. They both inspire. And there's something mystically theraputic about a packet of seeds, or a pencil, in hand. And a cup of espresso. Can't forget good coffee.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
July 10, 2021
I want to start by saying that I'm not much for fantasy, so my rating is more reflective of of my general preferences than of the book's overall quality.
Palanshia, Book One: The Gift is as good as you'd come to expect from a modern fantasy story, with the requisite slower pacing, character-driven narrative, religious imagery and symbolism, and medieval melodrama. Even if I can't 100% get on board with, and invest in, the overcooked politics and capital-D Drama of Chancellor's world, the obsession that the fantasy genre has with religion, specifically Christianity, will always be refreshing because it's reflective of the internal desire for a savior and the divine in all of us. In that sense, fantasy is a much more human genre than others since its focus is typically on good people accepting a spiritual gift and using it to battle evil, but it's only when these people fully lean into whatever God or Christian parallel is the center of their story that they succeed. Chancellor focuses on this aspect much more than many of his contemporaries, and it's definitely one of The Gift's strengths. We get a fully fleshed-out and realized religion and higher power for the novel's world to be subordinate to, and we get lots of discussions centering around Ber'eth and his power and legacy. We see the characters consistently pray to him as well, and you really get the sense that these people value their faith and truly need a higher power to succeed.
Chancellor's world itself, taken on its own aside from Ber'eth, is intricately designed and thoroughly constructed. One may see shades of Tolkien, and indeed The Gift could just read to some as another Tolkien-adjacent work of fiction, but you have to admire the thought and effort put into bringing Palanshia to life. It's a vast land full of species, languages, forms of magic, kingdoms and bloodlines, and history. A good part of a fantasy realm should be that, while characters may not encounter that many wild or imaginative beings or monsters in a singular tale, one should get the sense that there is a large array of things yet to be discovered or disclosed to the reader. Chancellor probably takes the world-building more seriously than any of the other aspects, and this can simultaneously be a feature and a bug. Because of the fine-tuning of the novel's backdrop, the narrative itself suffers. Pacing is rather inconsistent and often slow, with roughly two-thirds of the novel being a slow burn soap opera about what it's like for a farm boy to suddenly be dropped into a royal family. There are also a lot of established supporting characters who don't seem to have much purpose, but the most egregious sin is that it fails to clearly establish any sort of antagonist. There's a moment where we are given a glimpse of an impending onslaught of demonic forces, and we do get some hints at a larger foe in the third act, but outside of these instances, the story is largely just about the protagonists and their hardships and interactions with each other. I don't want to make too much of this, since it could come down to preference (I prefer more traditional good guy and bad guy narratives, but some may enjoy the careful unfolding of the more personal human drama), but the pacing and lack of any real villain are really my only two complaints. Toman is interesting enough, and Chancellor makes sure that the reader wants to root for him, and that's about as much as I can ask of an author and his protagonist.
While I continue to grow more exhausted with modern fantasy in the wake of Lewis and Tolkien, I'm pleased with what Chancellor is trying to do, and I'll continue to read his stories and let him take me further on this journey. Good novels should cultivate discussion and further analysis, and this one does that. If you mentally prepare yourself for less of a fast-moving and straightforward story and more of a maximalist epic with a lot of ideas to throw at you that takes its time to get to its destination, then you'll be on the book's wavelength more and enjoy it for what it is. Chancellor certainly has more literary knowledge and artistic reference points on his mind than many of his peers, and he's definitely an up-and-comer to keep an eye on. I recommend The Gift.
Note: I listened to the first third-or-so of this on audiobook, and for anyone interested in audio versions, the audiobook of this story is good, and worth it. Each chapter is read in the voice of the character whose POV it's in, and this choice, while unorthodox, did entertain me and hold my interest.
Palanshia, Book One: The Gift is as good as you'd come to expect from a modern fantasy story, with the requisite slower pacing, character-driven narrative, religious imagery and symbolism, and medieval melodrama. Even if I can't 100% get on board with, and invest in, the overcooked politics and capital-D Drama of Chancellor's world, the obsession that the fantasy genre has with religion, specifically Christianity, will always be refreshing because it's reflective of the internal desire for a savior and the divine in all of us. In that sense, fantasy is a much more human genre than others since its focus is typically on good people accepting a spiritual gift and using it to battle evil, but it's only when these people fully lean into whatever God or Christian parallel is the center of their story that they succeed. Chancellor focuses on this aspect much more than many of his contemporaries, and it's definitely one of The Gift's strengths. We get a fully fleshed-out and realized religion and higher power for the novel's world to be subordinate to, and we get lots of discussions centering around Ber'eth and his power and legacy. We see the characters consistently pray to him as well, and you really get the sense that these people value their faith and truly need a higher power to succeed.
Chancellor's world itself, taken on its own aside from Ber'eth, is intricately designed and thoroughly constructed. One may see shades of Tolkien, and indeed The Gift could just read to some as another Tolkien-adjacent work of fiction, but you have to admire the thought and effort put into bringing Palanshia to life. It's a vast land full of species, languages, forms of magic, kingdoms and bloodlines, and history. A good part of a fantasy realm should be that, while characters may not encounter that many wild or imaginative beings or monsters in a singular tale, one should get the sense that there is a large array of things yet to be discovered or disclosed to the reader. Chancellor probably takes the world-building more seriously than any of the other aspects, and this can simultaneously be a feature and a bug. Because of the fine-tuning of the novel's backdrop, the narrative itself suffers. Pacing is rather inconsistent and often slow, with roughly two-thirds of the novel being a slow burn soap opera about what it's like for a farm boy to suddenly be dropped into a royal family. There are also a lot of established supporting characters who don't seem to have much purpose, but the most egregious sin is that it fails to clearly establish any sort of antagonist. There's a moment where we are given a glimpse of an impending onslaught of demonic forces, and we do get some hints at a larger foe in the third act, but outside of these instances, the story is largely just about the protagonists and their hardships and interactions with each other. I don't want to make too much of this, since it could come down to preference (I prefer more traditional good guy and bad guy narratives, but some may enjoy the careful unfolding of the more personal human drama), but the pacing and lack of any real villain are really my only two complaints. Toman is interesting enough, and Chancellor makes sure that the reader wants to root for him, and that's about as much as I can ask of an author and his protagonist.
While I continue to grow more exhausted with modern fantasy in the wake of Lewis and Tolkien, I'm pleased with what Chancellor is trying to do, and I'll continue to read his stories and let him take me further on this journey. Good novels should cultivate discussion and further analysis, and this one does that. If you mentally prepare yourself for less of a fast-moving and straightforward story and more of a maximalist epic with a lot of ideas to throw at you that takes its time to get to its destination, then you'll be on the book's wavelength more and enjoy it for what it is. Chancellor certainly has more literary knowledge and artistic reference points on his mind than many of his peers, and he's definitely an up-and-comer to keep an eye on. I recommend The Gift.
Note: I listened to the first third-or-so of this on audiobook, and for anyone interested in audio versions, the audiobook of this story is good, and worth it. Each chapter is read in the voice of the character whose POV it's in, and this choice, while unorthodox, did entertain me and hold my interest.
April 23, 2021
3 - 3 1/2 stars. Certainly, a very original story.
There are a lot of elements of "High Fantasy" in this book which may encourage some to pick it up and dissuade others. The world introduced to the reader in Chancellor's book is as complex as our own, full of rival kingdoms, mass genocides, and political intrigue. I enjoyed the creativity attached to each distinct kingdom which certainly added to the realism of the world.
However, this inundation of information did result in a somewhat jumbled storyline. I feel the book could have done with more explanation. For example, I found the magic system (called "eth") a little difficult to understand. Normally, I am not overly picky about the rules of magic in fantasy novels, but when it plays such a pivotal role in the plotline I felt it needed to be fleshed out more for the audience.
Overall it was a fun and fast-paced action-packed fantasy adventure. If you are drawn to novels with a lot of world-building and multiple POVs you will enjoy the first installment of Chancellor's series.
There are a lot of elements of "High Fantasy" in this book which may encourage some to pick it up and dissuade others. The world introduced to the reader in Chancellor's book is as complex as our own, full of rival kingdoms, mass genocides, and political intrigue. I enjoyed the creativity attached to each distinct kingdom which certainly added to the realism of the world.
However, this inundation of information did result in a somewhat jumbled storyline. I feel the book could have done with more explanation. For example, I found the magic system (called "eth") a little difficult to understand. Normally, I am not overly picky about the rules of magic in fantasy novels, but when it plays such a pivotal role in the plotline I felt it needed to be fleshed out more for the audience.
Overall it was a fun and fast-paced action-packed fantasy adventure. If you are drawn to novels with a lot of world-building and multiple POVs you will enjoy the first installment of Chancellor's series.
July 6, 2022
I absolutly loved the first book and am really excited to read the second one! I love the world William Chancellor created and the characters that are in it.
This Book felt different to read then other fantasy books, in a positiv way.
Reading the book gives you a feeling of excitement because you learn more and more of the workings of the world and magic.
Really well done
This Book felt different to read then other fantasy books, in a positiv way.
Reading the book gives you a feeling of excitement because you learn more and more of the workings of the world and magic.
Really well done
January 2, 2022
Kicking of an amazing new fantasy-series, Palanshias book 1 leads the main character Toman on (as it is in this type of lit.) a journey to discover his gifts, but also to protect the Great Continent of Palanshia from greater evil...
but do not be fooled - even if it sounds like the old tried and tested ingredients for sound fantasy as installed with the great J.R.R. Tolkien, Palanshias style of keeping always the perspective of the characters (they switch, but after the first three chapters it's quite clear who is the main) drawing from 'what they know' and not what an overlooking storyteller might know. The writing is intricate and full of details to enrich this world in flora and fauna springing from the ever so artistically and botanically interested author William Chancellor. This and the force that powers Palanshia, and some of its people (like Toman) tap into, make it an uniquely and elegant world to immerse yourself in.
About my personal reading experience:
English is only my second language and I do have to look up a load of the adjectives while reading, but this still makes me enjoy the adventure, that is unfolding! I was able to connect with the people, I think my favorite might actually be Dalbonn, he is the Lord Protector of one of Palanshias states. His vulnerable past begins only slowly to shine through and keeps me intrigued what has actually happened to him and if there are further connections with him and Tomans heritage... We shall see.
but do not be fooled - even if it sounds like the old tried and tested ingredients for sound fantasy as installed with the great J.R.R. Tolkien, Palanshias style of keeping always the perspective of the characters (they switch, but after the first three chapters it's quite clear who is the main) drawing from 'what they know' and not what an overlooking storyteller might know. The writing is intricate and full of details to enrich this world in flora and fauna springing from the ever so artistically and botanically interested author William Chancellor. This and the force that powers Palanshia, and some of its people (like Toman) tap into, make it an uniquely and elegant world to immerse yourself in.
About my personal reading experience:
English is only my second language and I do have to look up a load of the adjectives while reading, but this still makes me enjoy the adventure, that is unfolding! I was able to connect with the people, I think my favorite might actually be Dalbonn, he is the Lord Protector of one of Palanshias states. His vulnerable past begins only slowly to shine through and keeps me intrigued what has actually happened to him and if there are further connections with him and Tomans heritage... We shall see.
July 15, 2021
If you just want the short version of my review - this is a good start to an interesting story.
To expand on that, this really is just the start of something. I read the Kindle version and the story sneakily ends at 88%, as the remaining 12% is several glossaries. There is a lot of world building here, but not a lot of plot. This is a very typical teenage-farm boy-chosen one story; so far. None of the story threads started here come to resolution in this book. Weird animal migrations? Parallel worlds? Some kind of of sorcerer cult?
I think there might be something really interesting tying all these things together - but it isn't in this first installment.
**What this DOES have is one of my very favorite Prologues of all time. That short bit is all magic, and might be enough to get me to dive back into a future installment in this tale...
To expand on that, this really is just the start of something. I read the Kindle version and the story sneakily ends at 88%, as the remaining 12% is several glossaries. There is a lot of world building here, but not a lot of plot. This is a very typical teenage-farm boy-chosen one story; so far. None of the story threads started here come to resolution in this book. Weird animal migrations? Parallel worlds? Some kind of of sorcerer cult?
I think there might be something really interesting tying all these things together - but it isn't in this first installment.
**What this DOES have is one of my very favorite Prologues of all time. That short bit is all magic, and might be enough to get me to dive back into a future installment in this tale...
June 7, 2021
I wasn't expecting this modern style of writing in an epic fantasy book!! This 'Deep POV' style gives the story a fresh feel and a deeper, direct connection to the different characters we meet.
I learned through them, and not an omniscient narrator, the world of Palanshia, it's history, it's creatures and peoples, and this new magic system called 'Eth'. I'm curious to discover the extent of this Eth power.
Ah, Aaaaaand it was nice to read a fantasy story without elves and dwarves, and a wizard handing you a prophecy! (I love them but they have been overused of late :/ )
I'm glad to hear that the second one is coming out this month!
I learned through them, and not an omniscient narrator, the world of Palanshia, it's history, it's creatures and peoples, and this new magic system called 'Eth'. I'm curious to discover the extent of this Eth power.
Ah, Aaaaaand it was nice to read a fantasy story without elves and dwarves, and a wizard handing you a prophecy! (I love them but they have been overused of late :/ )
I'm glad to hear that the second one is coming out this month!
June 8, 2021
While reading Palanshia, The Gift, you can expect to be swept into a new world full of exciting possibilities, enjoy a good laugh, worry over the characters that have grown dear to you, as they navigate the tangible shift that flows through the air, while everything comes alive in front of your mind.
This is a very special book to me! As I am one of the editor’s I've read it many times over several years in different stages of it's developement: it never got boring!
So much brilliance, hard work and love went into it's creation and that is seeping through the whole book.
This is a very special book to me! As I am one of the editor’s I've read it many times over several years in different stages of it's developement: it never got boring!
So much brilliance, hard work and love went into it's creation and that is seeping through the whole book.
December 28, 2021
I got a personal copy of the book. William Chancellor is a genious in making one feel the rain on the skin and the smell of the fire crackling. The writer of this book clearly lived or at least "met" the characters he writes.
April 9, 2021
good book
April 16, 2021
Unique read.
January 13, 2022
When I compare it to LOTR, then it's on par with it.
February 1, 2025
The writing style of Palanshia reminds me of The Lord of the Rings and Dune. Overall, it’s a masterpiece—not just because it’s a great book, but because it holds an amazing world in its pages.
The more you read, the more fascinated you become, and the more questions you have about the lore. It doesn’t feel like a novel written for a reader, but more like a chronicle of real events. Still, it’s more reader-friendly than Tolkien’s works.
It took a few chapters to really get hooked, and in some parts, I felt like it was missing some drive. But who am I to judge, if that’s simply how things happened? The first book feels like the push that starts the bigger story of Palanshia, and the ending just feels like the beginning of a great adventure. I can’t wait to read the second book.
The more you read, the more fascinated you become, and the more questions you have about the lore. It doesn’t feel like a novel written for a reader, but more like a chronicle of real events. Still, it’s more reader-friendly than Tolkien’s works.
It took a few chapters to really get hooked, and in some parts, I felt like it was missing some drive. But who am I to judge, if that’s simply how things happened? The first book feels like the push that starts the bigger story of Palanshia, and the ending just feels like the beginning of a great adventure. I can’t wait to read the second book.
June 13, 2023
Because of personal preferences, I can only give it 4 stars:
I really like the story and the characters are well developed. Thanks to creative and (for me a bit too) long introductions to each character, you get to know them well from the beginning. This book has great detailed explanations which I like most of the time, but sometimes it keeps going for too long (for my taste). Unfortunately, I don't like books that end in the middle of a scene. I think it doesn't need that cliffhanger to make people read the next book.
I recommend this book to all who like fantasy and/or have a love for detailed description. Its a new and exciting story thats well thought out!
I really like the story and the characters are well developed. Thanks to creative and (for me a bit too) long introductions to each character, you get to know them well from the beginning. This book has great detailed explanations which I like most of the time, but sometimes it keeps going for too long (for my taste). Unfortunately, I don't like books that end in the middle of a scene. I think it doesn't need that cliffhanger to make people read the next book.
I recommend this book to all who like fantasy and/or have a love for detailed description. Its a new and exciting story thats well thought out!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 31, 2022
Finally a breath of fresh air to the genre! Although still remaining true to the Fantasy-Fiction hallmarks that we all love, William Chancellor takes you on a journey both epic and intimate through the eyes of extraordinary characters with the “Deep 3rd person POV”, a highly unusual choice for the genre, that gives the reader a dynamic experience that, once gotten used to, makes it really hard to go back to classic “omnipresent narration”.
The beauty with which the author paints the story is enchanting, weaving words like a master artisan he pulls you into a world so rich and complex that you feel as if you’re experiencing it yourself, a world full of deep history, schemes, mysteries, supernatural forces and unbelievable creatures. Everything that a lover of Fantasy-Fiction expects but told in an original and surprising new way that will leave you breathless for more.
The beauty with which the author paints the story is enchanting, weaving words like a master artisan he pulls you into a world so rich and complex that you feel as if you’re experiencing it yourself, a world full of deep history, schemes, mysteries, supernatural forces and unbelievable creatures. Everything that a lover of Fantasy-Fiction expects but told in an original and surprising new way that will leave you breathless for more.
May 10, 2023
Incredible book!
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews