Book Tour - THE PLACE BELOW by Dan Fitzgerald

Out of This World SFF Reviews is delighted to be just one of the many blogs participating in the Storytellers On Tour Book Tour featuring author Dan Fitzgerald and his low fantasy book, THE PLACE BELOW!  This is the exciting conclusion to Dan's The Maer Cycle and I am delighted to be part of it with all of the other amazing bloggers.  I will soon be giving you a synopsis of the book as well as my official review, plus some additional links to connect with Dan and his books.

But first I'd just like to mention that Storytellers is currently running an incredible giveaway in conjunction with this tour.  You could win an incredible Maer Cycle megapack that includes signed copies of all 3 books, special artwork, and the final set of Hollow Road character cards!  (International entries welcome) 

To enter, just click this link.  The winner will be chosen at random and the giveaway ends this Wednesday, March 31st at 11:59pm, so get those entries in now!

And now here is a brief description of Dan Fitzgerald's THE PLACE BELOW, followed by my review:

Book Blurb

It's been twenty-five years since the Battle for the Archive.  Peace reigns over the Silver Hills, and humans and Maer are preparing to sign their first trade agreement.  Even warring tribes of the Free Maer have set aside old quarrels.  

Sasha is a young scholar of mixed Maer and human parentage, traveling throughout the Maer lands collecting stories of the Ka-lar, the buried Forever Kings.  She finds a reference in the Archive to a Kal-ar named Kuun, a scholar in life, who was laid down in an ancient brightstone mine, beneath a mountain said to be the home of the fabled Skin Maer.  The lure of the tale is too strong to resist.  Joined by some old friends, Sasha sets out to uncover secrets that have lain buried for over a thousand years.

In The Place Below, the Maer Cycle comes to a close as the darkest mysteries of the Maer are at last brought into the light.

Review

What an awesome and satisfying finish to this heart wrenching low fantasy trilogy by Dan Fitzgerald.  THE PLACE BELOW picks up a couple of decades or so after the events that concluded the middle book The Archive.  Much has happened since then and the Maer have gained a certain amount of acceptance and respect from the majority of humans, yet there still remain some who would see that progress destroyed.  The narrative of the story is very different from the the previous books in the series as it is told through alternating POV chapters of only two characters, Sasha and Kuun.

This series has always been about relationships, both among individual characters and two very different cultures.  This final book is no different in that respect but we also get a lot more information about the origin of the Maer and their history.  That revelation is both breathtaking and shocking.  It seemed like I was waiting forever to uncover the ultimate secrets of their past and the reward of finally getting to find out was a real treat that Fitzgerald delivers beautifully.

Sasha's character is one who intrigued me a lot and her chapters were very compelling as she embarks on her journey to study a giant mystery involving the Forever Kings.  The fact that she was born of both Maer and human blood means that she has a unique perspective of both.  My heart did break seeing her recount her struggle of not really fitting in with most segments of society as many saw only the part of her that they disliked instead of the entire person.  This is very analogous to those who battle the same type of discrimination in our real world today and it is a very powerful message indeed.

There are so many things that I enjoyed about The Maer Cycle but the aspects that I loved the most are that it isn't the usual standard fantasy fare and the plot is never predictable in any way.  There are times when magic isn't present at all and then there are times when magic is essential to a certain task.  Overall I would say that this is more of a character-driven story as opposed to magic, but the balance of the two was quite effective and impactful.

THE PLACE BELOW is a fitting end to this unique and original series, and it answers all of the questions and mysteries posed early on.  If you are looking for a fantasy series that doesn't follow the usual path of kings and queens, dragons, knights, and warring kingdoms, then I'd say this series should appeal to you and cleanse your palate quite nicely.  I am sad to see this series end but also feel a great sense of joy in discovering a brand new author in Dan Fitzgerald, whose books I will continue to gobble up as they are published.  

Overall Rating:

You can purchase THE PLACE BELOW on Amazon by clicking HERE.

About the Author

Dan Fitzgerald is a fantasy author living in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington, D.C. with his wife, twin boys, and two cats.  When he is not writing, he might be gardening, taking photographs of nature, doing yoga, cooking, or listening to French music.  The Maer Cycle is his debut trilogy, with Hollow Road and The Archive on several book bloggers' best-of lists for 2020, and The Place Below coming March 4, 2021.  His upcoming duology, The Weirdwater Confluence, will be published in October 2021 and January 2022.  All books published by Shadow Spark Publishing.  

You can connect with Dan and his books online via his Website, Twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads.

And that concludes my stop on THE PLACE BELOW book tour!  Hope you enjoyed it.  I would like to extend a special thank you to Storytellers On Tour and author Dan Fitzgerald for the opportunity to participate.  There are many more awesome stops on this tour, so if you would like to check those out, below is the official schedule.

Thank you as always for supporting the blog, your visits are always incredibly appreciated.  Happy Reading!

-Nick