A search for identity underlies the action in Spiralchain: Gatemaker, the first entry in Jeremiah Schwennen’s sprawling fantasy series.
On its surface, the novel follows standard fantasy tropes: a battle for a faraway fantasy world; an unlikely hero who must stave off an apocalyptic end; and fantastical foes, including witches, dragons and more. But Spiralchain also diverges from this standard formula in several ways, from contemporary questions of societal norms to profound explorations of belonging.
Adam Childers, the 17-year-old protagonist, lives in Des Moines, Iowa. Although he’s been dating his current girlfriend for years, the arrival of a new student named Todd throws his world into disarray. He begins to realize he has powerful feelings for the new arrival, upending what he thought he knew about himself.
An entirely different dilemma arrives with a young girl named Jara. The 12-year-old has traveled from another world to find Adam. That world, Onus, is under siege by the warlord Hyrak and his witch lover. Jara has been tasked to find and inform Adam that he holds the magical status of “Gatemaker,” with power to forge connections between worlds. She must convince Adam to harness his powers to save her world.
Schwennen delivers a compelling balance of otherworldly fantasy and grounded character development. Even though the novel launches with scenes of medieval battles, monsters and magic, the author takes care to create relatable characters facing relatable questions.
This facet isn’t limited to Adam or the characters that readers first meet in Des Moines. Indeed, Adam’s identity quest finds an echo in the narrative arch of Jara, who must come to terms with her own past and legacy. These strong leads will help some readers navigate the dense mythology of the imagined world of Onus.
For fantasy fans, there’s no shortage of monsters, magic and medieval battles. But the story’s unique spin on these familiar fantasy elements make the reading experience all the richer for it.
Also available in hardcover and ebook.