Still smarting from the reprimand they have received by Lyra’s mother Rhodella; Lyra, Syman and Antello the young trio hear the sounds of the attack taking place inside the fortress. The three youngsters hide in the now dry moat until the sounds of carnage are stilled.

Only the dead and dying are left inside the stronghold when the trio creep inside. Master Malafar has been taken by the unknown brutes, Rhodella lies dying. With her mother’s enigmatic dying words ringing in her ears Lyra and her two young companions set out for her uncle’s home.

Why she must go to Temkier is something Lyra does not understand, however her mother’s directive propels her forward. Lyra has learned magic from her father, however Malafar has long held a repugnance for magic as a weapon.

Lyra is astonished to learn from another survivor that during the attack her mother Rhodella was herself proved a Master Mage and fought with skill and vengeance to protect the students and her family. What other secrets she may uncover regarding her parents Lyra cannot imagine as she sets out on a dangerous cross-country trek for the home of her uncle.

The attackers have planned well, appear to forecast her every move and before long even the government has joined the quest for Lyra. She is forced to enter the fearful land of the Sakova filled with rapacious animals, inexplicable divination and even cannibals.

Sakova is a region that does not look kindly upon interlopers, however it is the only avenue available to Lyra as she puzzles why anyone would kill so many people in order to abduct her father.

The answer to that question as well as the secrets of her own heritage is one that will cause Lyra even more anguish as she struggles to unravel the enigma. Come observe an extraordinary land springing from the fertile mind of Writer Tuttle on the pages of The Star of Sakova.

It is a land where we find a barbarous people who continue to try to finish the abrogation of a populace begun long ago, magic spells, governmental machination and a particularly dastardly form of disingenuousness.

The Star of Sakova is an exciting work continuing the saga begun in Tuttle’s Young Lord of Khadora. Evocative of Linda Suzanne’s hard hitting tumult found among the Insu-ha people of her Eyes of Truth, The Star of Sakova is a fast paced action packed work occupied with a rich tapestry of spectacle, timbre, conflict and duplicity.

Writer Tuttle continues his excellent work begun in Young Lord of Khadora with this second in the series. The Star of Sakova is a well crafted tale filled with nicely fleshed out characters along with excellent plots and plenty of accomplishment meant to capture the interest of the reader from the outset.

The sounds of the carnage taking place just beyond the sight of the three young people is made more compelling because writer Tuttle does not over do the barrage. He gives just enough description to allow the reader to ‘see’ the attack before the results of the encounter are presented. It is a compelling technique used to perfection for drawing the reader right into the opening paragraphs of the work.

The action never stops as the reader is carried along on a wild journey filled with everything we have come to expect from excellent writers of fantasy sci-fi. Tuttle is a fine young writer to be reckoned with in the genre. The plot, cabal and just plain good writing fulfills the plan of the writer and leaves the reader hungry for more.

The Star of Sakova will be followed by Web of Deceit. I look forward to receiving the next in the series for review. Tuttle’s website has much information regarding the various fantasy sci-fi series he is writing, and is even complete with maps of the locales.

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Reviewed by: Molly's  Reviews       molly martin

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