The reader is given information on how things functioned, but the rest is often left to our imagination, which is a decision that I enjoyed immensely. One of the many, many aspects of the story that stood out was how selective the author was in her descriptions of some of the bigger concepts, such as the ships, the details of the Gates, and the Echo Maze itself. The use of these Gates has led to various cultures of magic, races, cities, and religions to intersect in interesting ways, and Larkwood smartly weaves its repercussions into the fabric of Csorwe’s story. The Echo Maze is a trans-dimensional plane where cosmic paths converge, and innumerable portals known as Gates are used for passenger ships to travel between these worlds. It is an expansive universe that crosses over into different worlds via a dimension called the Echo Maze, navigable by air ships, which adds a science-fiction aspect to the story. The Unspoken Name is many things it is a tale of sacrifice and vengeance, abandonment and exile, loyalty and true love. Nothing in this world or any other deserves your fear.” “You have looked your foretold death in the face and turned from it in defiance. These plot points alone sound substantial enough to fill the pages of the book, but in fact, its story has just begun… Sethennai has goals of his own he must reclaim his home from which he was exiled and seek knowledge of an impossible myth. (Side note: the term ‘orc’ is never used in the book, and while Csorwe shares common traits with the classic interpretation of an orc, it may be reductive to call her one and limit your take on who she really is.) Moments before Csorwe’s sacrifice, a man named Belthandros Sethennai (just one of a myriad of great names in this book) offers to save her life and whisk her away to work in his service.

We open the story by meeting young Csorwe, a grey, tusked teenager who was born for the sole purpose of sacrifice to an underground god upon reaching a certain age. I won’t reveal much of the plot and take anything away from the author, but I’ll discuss what is shared in the book’s description. Simply put, it is an outstanding debut I won’t soon forget.

Larkwood has a tremendous talent for building upon the best parts of what makes fantasy great and elevates it all with her own dash of chaos and wonder. It is an immersive experience that grabbed my attention early on, then grew at a staggering rate until I found myself being launched through fantastic worlds, meeting wonderful characters, and caught in a magnetic prose that left me spellbound. Larkwood’s The Unspoken Name is among the most creative, exciting, and brilliantly-told epic fantasy novels I’ve read.

Ak larkwood the unspoken name