Review - Merchants of Knowledge and Magic by Erika McCorkle

 

 

Review - Merchants of Knowledge and Magic by Erika McCorkle

 This is an epic book that I found intriguing because of its strangeness and the seemingly obsessive level of world-building it contains. Calinthe, a "merchant of knowledge" and also a rare creature cross-bred between two races, must carry out several missions across worlds and through magical portals. She engages in various games of knowledge and intrigue, until the time she is caught in the web of some nobles of the diabolical female-dominated Ophidian people. At the three-quarter mark, the book then makes an abrupt shift into some outlandish and often disturbing content, which may not appeal to all readers.

The novel does flow well, however, and it is hard to not become swept up in the swelling display of imagination and detail in its universe, the Pentagonal Dominion. I felt close to the main characters, especially regarding Calinthe's relationship with Zakuro and the quirky Demon Lord, Williford, and also the outrageous Requiem (a "merchant of hedonism"). I haven't read anything so outlandish and odd since finishing A Wrinkle in Time or Perdido Street Station. Because of its strangeness and elaborate magic system, this fantasy series could likely become one with a cult following.

 

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC in return for a review of this book.

 

Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)

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