(Title: An End To Sorrow / Author: Michael R. Fletcher / Publisher: Self-Published / Publication Date: May 15, 2022)
Book Blurb
Abandoned by his god and chained in the bilge of Iremaire's war galley, Khraen has lost everything. His only friend is dead, his wife beheaded and thrown into the ocean.
In an act of true self-destruction, a shard of Khraen's heart stalks the islands destroying the others. His sword calls him home to PalTaq, where it all began.
Only there can Khraen find an end to sorrow.
Review
First off, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the brilliant cover artwork for all three of the books in this series done by Felix Ortiz. Truly masterpieces in every way and they effectively capture the entire tone and tenor of the story. Okay, now that I have that out of the way, let's discuss this unbelievable final book in Michael R. Fletcher's Obsidian Path trilogy!
This series has been such a thrill ride from beginning to breathtaking end. Let me begin by saying that I will refrain from getting too much into the actual plot in this review as this is the third book and I really want to stay away from any potential spoilers. What I will do is touch on how this book and series made me feel and some general aspects of what types of stuff you are going to encounter if you decide to undertake this journey. And there is much to talk about in that regard.
AN END TO SORROW is the kind of conclusion to a series that all of us beg to be able to read. So much chaos, despair, triumph, evil and terrifying monsters, characters who are brought to the very brink of life or death, and an utterly mesmerizing final few chapters that left me wondering how I could ever pick up another book after putting this one down. Fletcher just seems to improve with every book he publishes in my opinion. Just when you think he's written the most extreme and envelope-pushing dark fantasy you've ever read, he puts out something that tops it. And if you like truly edgy nightmarish stuff, Fletcher has the goods every single time.
Khraen is one of the most morally gray main characters I've come across (and I read a ton of books with some sketchy mc's). When you lose everything that is important to you, that only becomes magnified. And in this final book we get to see what someone with nothing to lose is truly capable of. It's not pretty most of the time but it is extremely real and visceral. To the extent that Khraen has a conscience, it is one that is conflicted in many ways and his motivations are guided by the brutal torment he has faced in the first two books.
Oh and getting back to what I mentioned earlier about monsters, Michael R. Fletcher writes twisted monstrosities born of nightmares that would make even H.P. Lovecraft and Clive Barker blush. No, I mean it. So if you like a bit of the weird horror in your fantasy reads, this one will hit the mark for you tenfold.
In the end I came away from AN END TO SORROW feeling as if I was put through the ringer on an emotional level in a way that I rarely am. There are certain books and series that affect me more than others and this is one of those series. This final book definitely more than delivered on the promise of the first two. That is really saying something when you realize just how insane some of these storylines are and what unexpected directions many of them take. To be able to tie it all together and construct such a banger of a climax really is a testament to Fletcher's wonderful gift of storytelling.
Preorder this one now and while you are waiting for it to be released, definitely check out the first two books in this series, Black Stone Heart and She Dreams in Blood. Be prepared to experience the gamut of feelings while also reading one of the best dark fantasies to be released in quite some time. I really can't wait to see what Michael R. Fletcher thinks up next.
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