Review of The Pit

Michael · Posted: Fri May 15, 2009 6:02 pm Post subject: Review of The Pit

Paradox of Life and Death:
A Review of The Death Wizard Chronicles Book One: The Pit by Jim Melvin

The Pit, 2007, Jim Melvin
Rain Publishing
ISBN 189738147-6
Reviewer: Michael Southard

The Pit is the beginning of a six-book epic fantasy that attempts to stretch the boundaries of the fantasy genre, and it seems to be fairly successful at it. The creatures that inhabit the world of Triken are not the standard orcs and goblins, and the hero—while not at all an anti-hero—is not the standard fantasy protagonist. Torg, also known as the Torgon, is a Death-Knower, and his magic stems from death energy. The magic of his nemesis, the half-demon spawned Invictus, on the other hand, comes from life energy.

In this first book, Torg feels the need for a supreme sacrifice to rid the world of Invictus’ evil, and therefore hands himself over to his enemies. He is then imprisoned in a vile, poisonous pit that drains the life from its victims. Torg is nearly superhuman and withstands this torture for twenty-two days, but even he nearly succumbs to death. As a Death-Knower, however, he has an advantage that few others have.

The Pit is a wonderful fantasy, rich in detail, Eastern spiritual philosophy, and little archaisms that enhance the imagery. Language also plays a deep role in this story, as it often does in the genre. Jim Melvin uses Pali, which is related to Sanskrit but is no longer a spoken language, in much the same way that Tolkien uses language in The Lord of the Rings (although not to the same extent).

Jim Melvin expresses this story in a well written, easy to read format, and does a great job of breathing life into Triken and its inhabitants. I think he accomplishes what every writer hopes for with a book like this: he left me wanting more.

Aside from a few formatting issues, which reflects on the publisher rather than the author, The Pit is in every way the kind of book that fantasy lovers crave. Jim Melvin definitely seems to be an up-and-coming star in the genre, and I would very much enjoy seeing more of his work in the future.

Review Copyright © by Michael Southard. All rights reserved.

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