Dead or alive. Good or evil. Hero or fugitive. Valo needs a specific solution to a grave problem. The human Claimfold and prigon Torzsi draw apart. War is promised in the West. Worst of all, the magi of Nagyevo are meddling with the dead.

Perin is an apprentice Gravedigger: uneducated, unwanted, unsure. He may be the answer Valo needs, if he doesn’t get killed before he works out what’s going on. But of course there’s the chance that fate hasn’t called him after all.

The gods are nameless and silent and the best laid plans have a way of going badly wrong. Enter the spade and sorcery world of Valo. Gravedigger subverts the expectations of that oldest of foes in fantasy, the dead that walk, in a fast-paced adventure through a world of culture, intrigue, magic and blood.

Whilst the title of the book might have you assuming that this book is a horror story, you would be wrong. The truth is that this book is a fantasy, action, adventure story, not for the faint-hearted.

The book feels huge, in terms of events, characters and complexity. You really do need to make time to read this book, in order to absorb all that is happening. For that reason, I find it quite difficult to give you a proper outline as to what the book is about, as there was so much going on from beginning to end.

Perin Foundling, the main character, is an apprentice gravedigger, working for a very wise elderly gravedigger, who for me stole the show at times. Perin may also be the only one able to save Valo, where he lives.

There are a vast amount of characters in the book, and it sometimes felt like new ones were popping up all the time. I did find myself struggling a few times to remember which side some of the characters were on, as this is very much a good vs evil book.

If you are looking for a fantasy novel with dragons and mythical folk then you are going to be disappointed as this book has neither. What it does have is a complete adventure, fast-paced, enjoyable action, come fantasy, with a brilliantly executed plot and dramatic scenes that will have you eagerly turning the pages wanting more.

Well done Mr. Jarvis. I feel those that are into the likes of Warcraft and Dungeons and Dragons etc, will love this book.

Michael-Israel Jarvis was born in Cambridge, brought up in Bishop’s Stortford and moved to Great Yarmouth in his teens. He got his degree in Creative Writing at the University of Northampton and returned to Great Yarmouth with his wife, Katie.

Michael-Israel writes principally for Young Adults, which is what he intends to be until he’s very, very old. Further explorations of the genres he prefers to write in throw up fantasy, adventure, alternate history stories, and more. If possible, he prefers to write in a way that bends the distinction between different genres. Why shouldn’t the superhero trope take place within a fantasy novel? And however serious a book is, shouldn’t humour weave its way in?

Find out more over at – The Writing Life of: Michael-Israel Jarvis

@JarvisAuthor
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