The Realms Thereunder

Title: The RealmsThereunder

Series: The Ancient Earth Trilogy #1

Author: Ross Lawhead

Genre: Adult Supernatural Suspense

Excerpt from Chapter One of The Realms Thereunder:

Daniel Tully sat unmoving and unnoticed—just another gargoyle on Broad Street. A paper cup in front of him held fifty-six pence in small coins and there were two pounds in his pocket. That means either a proper meal or a bed in the night shelter. He really wanted both.  He could try blagging his way into the homeless café—the Gatehouse—even though he was too young at only twenty years old. That would give him a meal and he could buy the bed and keep the fifty-six pence for tomorrow.

"Spare change, mate?" he asked a pair of business trousers.

The legs continued without breaking stride. Two other pairs of legs coming the other way stopped in front of him and he looked up. 

Two girls, students, stood in front of him and one of them was digging around in her purse. She hastily fished out a couple coins—her friend gazing sourly at her all the while—and dropped them into his cup.

An Oxford student and a man living off the streets are pulled into an increasing threat from not-so-mythical realms.

Craft: The Realms Thereunder felt . . . disappointing. Perhaps the cover and the backcover copy, which the author has no control over, are at fault. But a thrilling, action-packed adventure seemed to be promised, and instead I found a story that I could put down at whim.

It’s not the writing was poor. The prose itself is smooth and has a nice cadence. The premise blends the mythical and real in an intriguing fashion. Colorful descriptions bring to life complex worlds, and the characters seem fairly fleshed out. But the plot seems to wander about, as lost as the protagonists themselves.

Maybe this is because The Realms Thereunder  appears to be a set-up book. Nonetheless, the story lacked tension and drive. While the backstory held great potential, the existence of the contemporary story drains the tension as it eliminates any uncertainty about the outcome, even if the exact specifics are unknown. Meanwhile, the contemporary story wanders without clear purpose or goal; many of the scenes felt repetitious, fillers that added nothing new to the story. Add to this the lack of clear stakes/character goals and protagonists that seem passive rather than active, and the result is a plot that drifts along.

So though the premise intrigues and the prose is vivid, the story fails, at least for me, to hold the attention for any length of time.

Content: Not so differently from the plot, the content of The Realms Thereunder felt underdeveloped. It hints at some story themes about deception, bravery, and God’s timing versus man’s timing, but they never come to fruition. Is this because the novel is a set-up story? Is this because there wasn’t much character growth (which tends to be intertwined with theme development)? Or is it due to some other factor? That I’m not sure.

Beyond this, there’s a fair amount of magical and supernatural elements, but seems appropriately handled for the most part. Also, there is some violence, not graphically portrayed as a whole, and some British swearing.

Summary: The Realms Thereunder is an okay read, especially if approached with the awareness that the story is not high on tension. In short, it’s not a novel you should go out of your way to find, but worth a passing read if you happen upon it.

Ratings: Craft—3, Content—3, Overall—3.3 out of 5 stars

Disclaimer: In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.