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Vivisection of Faith (Belarythm’s Branches 2)
By Joseph Gorne
Published by the author
4 stars

Step two in Joseph Gorne’s epic fantasy series, “Vivisection of Faith” carries on with the often-harrowing adventures of Vulfrey and his protector Kaill. Gorne is a vivid writer, and fills this page-turning sequel with intense action set in surreal locations, places both mysterious and horrifying.

Gorne has created a world that, while inevitably owing something to Middle Earth, and any number of subsequent fantasy worlds, is rather compellingly different from any I’ve encountered before. The driving force of the narrative is the cult of the Vahndriin, a rich and powerful religion devoted to the pending resurrection of the god Vahndestrus after a millennium. Vulfrey is the Vessel, the carefully chosen and hand-raised human boy who was chosen to give his physical body to accommodate the soul of the reincarnated deity.

In dire straits at the end of book one (The Vessel’s Blood), Vulfrey and Kaill are rescued by none other than Gajdren, Vulfrey’s bodyguard, thought to be lost in the massacre at the temple of Zjzjheinne. Gajdren is accompanied by Adrelynn, the madame of the best brothel in the city over which Zjzjheinne looms. Her professional status and unorthodox relationship with Gajdren masks a profound power that places her on a par with Vulfrey himself.

This odd quartet is on a quest to find a Vahndriin high priest who can perform the ceremony that will fulfill Vulfrey’s calling. Needless to say, Kaill has serious doubts about Vulfrey’s goals, largely because he cares deeply about the innocent ruby-haired man at the center of the Vahndriin mystery.

As the first book made clear, it is Vulfrey’s blood that seems to matter most. Blood is the central theme of the second book, as Adrelynn becomes Vulfrey’s ad hoc teacher as they make their way across the world.

The two looming questions in this story are the fate of Hiyathe, Vulfrey’s newly-discovered brother, left behind in the clutches of their power-mad grandmother; and the status of Dehlymus, Vulfrey’s childhood mentor and archpriest of the temple at Bwantheinn.

The tangled truth of the Vahndriin religion is finally explained, and those revelations will shake Vulfrey to his core. Gorne builds the tension steadily throughout Vulfrey’s journey until a shocking climax which brings the book—although not the story—to a finale.

Editorial issues continue to be a distraction, but not enough to displace my complete fascination with this mad epic of religious fanaticism and moral courage. I may have to wait a while for the third volume to appear; but I’ll be patient.