The Elder Scrolls - Zaneta's Chronicles: Part One: Vvardenfell

by A.L. Zuniga

Žaneta, an extraordinarily unique Khajiit living on the island of Vvardenfell, has her peaceful world turned upside down when her family—the most important part of her life—is violently attacked. With her husband murdered and her children missing, Žaneta makes the courageous decision to go after them herself. Traversing across a country full of political turmoil and on the brink of an unknown epidemic, Žaneta presses on to discover where her loved ones have been taken. Her magic, skills, and morals are pushed to their breaking point as she struggles to hang on to the very foundation of who she is. But when it comes to her children, she'll do whatever it takes to find them—no matter the consequences.

156 pages, ebook

Reviews

[Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

A.L. Zuniga isn’t quite at the level of polished fantasy authors a la Philip Pullman or Terry Goodkind, but he’s well on his way. Zuniga possesses a uniquely qualified affinity for world-building. Needless to say, part of the fun of The Elder Scrolls - Zaneta's Chronicles: Part One: Vvardenfell isn’t just its strong and potent story, but the way it completely envelopes you three hundred-and-sixty degrees within its environments. Zuniga’s smarts in this regard also pertain to contemporary references, including politics and a mysterious epidemic that is on the brink of overwhelming the various societies. The book does a wise job of embracing its more escapist elements, but with a decidedly dark, grounded outlook. It almost feels like a referential amalgam of The Dark Crystal, Batman Begins, and Eragon. But with pinches and flashes of decidedly adult material, falling more within the lines of genre classics a la His Dark Materials, A Song of Fire and Ice, and even aspects of Lord of the Rings to boot. It’s something that would appeal to hardcore fantasy nerds, but isn’t in of itself nerd material. There’s something poetic and soulful, with just the right amount of guilty pleasures, keeping Vvardenfell firmly in lane. Solid fantasy, but with nuance and heart…

An excellent example of the aforementioned trait Zuniga has for world-building is a passage from the opening of the book. Simultaneously it introduces us to our main characters, while widening the proverbial scope considerably. “Scale back to the streets and buildings of Balmora, and the location is set. Although (Zaneta Dreyga) worked in the city as a smith, her homestead lay to the south…Across the vastly different lands of Vvardenfell, unique races carried out their daily traditions and tasks, just as they would any other day.” Through this marriage of character and world development, Vvardenfell never lags or hits any sort of aspect ratio snags common even in the masterworks. It remains wholly crisp, clear, and easy to digest. Because of this, Zuniga can then just have fun introducing more characters, more complex and high-stakes situations, and more aspects of the plot drawing distinct and emotional reactions in the reader. Zuniga possesses the Joss Whedon ingredient of keeping the audience on their toes. The darker elements of the read never threaten to overwhelm, but safety is not guaranteed. Any great writer recognizes even within a traditionalist framework the element of surprise is crucial. Zuniga remains in top form here, almost as effective as his world-building ability. You fear for Zaneta Dreyga, her plight stays with you regardless of the Avatar scapes she moves through. There’s a feeling Zuniga genuinely loves his characters, and with that love comes a lingering on the small things. Magnified details, tics, and character arcs not mandatory for an entertaining read falling within the science fiction, fantasy subcategories. Yet Zuniga goes all out, within the perimeters he has set for himself. As a result, the read is wholesome, enjoyable, and frankly I couldn’t put it down…

[Philly Kash · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciated it, but would have vastly preferred if Bethesda produced the audiobook.

The best term I can use to describe this book is "cute."

[S. Policar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been wracking my brain trying to figure out why this story is written in three books instead of just one actual novel. The only thing I can come up with is that younger readers may be more inclined to read a book with 7 chapters at 20-30 pages a chapter than a book with 20+ chapters with that page length per chapter.
Zaneta's story is very common event wise if you know your Elder Scrolls lore. Its no secret the Dunmar see every race that isn't their own as inferior.
Like the subtitle states, this first book of the story takes place completely in Vvardenfell, starting in Balmora in fact, where our main character is a very skilled Khajiit blacksmith. I won't give away any details, but I absolutely loved the in depth detail of Vvardenfell's regions. There's plenty of action in these seven chapters and readers get a good feel for Zaneta and her quest.
I give this 4 of 5 paws only because I feel this could have been longer to lose the rushed feeling I got while reading it. I still look forward to book two though.