Publishing Information: Hardcover; 500 pages
Publisher: Tor (1 April 2011)
ISBN 10: 0230742947
ISBN 13: 978-0230742949
Series: Book 1 of The Gravedigger Chronicles
Copy: Sent by the publisher
Reviewer: Yagiz
"When the last of the Gravediggers, an elite imperial infiltration unit, are disbanded and hunted down by the emperor they once served, munitions expert Colonel Thomas Granger takes refuge in the unlikeliest of places. He becomes a jailer in Ethugra – a prison city of poison-flooded streets and gaols in which a million enemies of the empire are held captive. But when Granger takes possession of two new prisoners, he realises that he can’t escape his past so readily.
Ianthe is a young girl with an extraordinary psychic talent. A gift that makes her unique in a world held to ransom by the powerful Haurstaf – the sisterhood of telepaths who are all that stand between the Empire and the threat of the Unmer, the powerful civilization of entropic sorcerers and dragon-mounted warriors. In this war-torn land, she promises to make Granger an extremely wealthy man, if he can only keep her safe from harm.
This is what Granger is best at. But when other factions learn about Ianthe's unique ability, even Granger's skills of warfare are tested to their limits. While, Ianthe struggles to control the powers that are growing in ways no-one thought were possible. Another threat is surfacing: out there, beyond the bitter seas, an old and familiar enemy is rising – one who, if not stopped, will drown the world and all of humanity with it..."
Most of us heard Alan Campbell's name with his impressive debut novel, Scar Night, the first book of Deepgate Codex. After his successful dark urban fantasy trilogy called Deepgate Codex, the Scottish author now meets his readers with the first book of The Gravedigger Chronicles, a series that has the potential to shine his name even brighter in the fantasy scene.
To the reader's delight, Sea of Ghosts starts with a very unusual setting, so much so that after a few pages, I clearly remember my expectations rising high while anticipating a very interesting ride. Different races, talks about dragons, some sort of brine transforming people's skin, telepaths and witches are some of the things that the reader is presented with from the very first pages.
In Sea of Ghosts, Alan Campbell has created an amazing setting. A chaotic world greets the reader upon turning the first pages. Lasotan slaves fought against their masters, the Unmer, and with the help of Haurstaf, a group of people with very special talents, they had grabbed their freedom. However Haurstaf had refused to allow the Lasotan to execute their former masters, who, when realizing that defeat was inevitable, had seeded the oceans with millions of their toxic sea bottles, ichusae, using their airbarques... The water is constantly rising... The world is drowning...
Even though the author introduces various characters and many very interesting aspects of the setting, the book starts slowly. If you ever find yourself unsure about where the story is going, please bear with it because the introduction of Hana and Ianthe is the biggest milestone in Sea of Ghosts, at which point the author changes gear and the reader feels herself glued to her seat with the acceleration.
Campbell strikes a good balance between description and dialogue. The plot is captivating. The characters and their development, however, are the only points that I am going to complain about, although slightly. I just wish that Campbell had introduced more unpredictability and depth to his characters. Maskelyne is the character who creates the strongest pull for the reader.
Throughout the book, the reader experiences the mystery surrounding the long-gone Unmer technology. The deadly Void Flies, brine turning people into Underwater Zombies that people call Drowned, the infamous ichusae, the sea bottles, that can only be stoppered with a copper piece and hundreds of wonders that trovers try to hunt by drowning people to scour the seabed for.
"The long term Drowned do not to communicate with us in any meaningful fashion. Brine alters the mind by some slow, subtle process. The sea consumes them, takes them over, until eventually become limbo people, ghosts, repeating human actions that they do not appear to fully understand."
I'm not certain if the ending is going to satisfy everyone but this is the opening book of a series and it definitely encourages the reader to run to a bookshop to grab the next book when it is published.
Sea of Ghosts is a brilliant start to a series that displays great potential. The amazing setting is very stimulating and creates imagery reminiscent of a mixture between Waterworld directed by Kevin Reynolds and Dark City directed by Alex Proyas. Highly recommended.
Plot: 8
Characters: 8
Style: 9
Overall: 9/10
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