Genre: Fantasy
Reviewer: Sherry
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About The Book
Echoing through the world of stone abbeys and iron-fisted warlords, the earth sings its relentless song.
Betrayed by his monastery brotherhood, Magnus is sent into a brutal desert on a mission intended to kill him — deliver an obscure relic to a ruthless warlord. The relic is a known forgery, but the desert is both real and unforgiving.
When the relic begins to speak to him, it promises Magnus happiness, inviting him into its strange magic. But its gifts are double-edged—sight to see the world’s secret soul, the power of flight, and the terrifying burden of a healer.
From the corridors of a corrupt monastery to the sacred spring at the heart of a witch’s garden and a home in the arms of a traveling musician, Magnus follows a rejected, wild magic which endures more powerfully than the world of human making.
An enchanting tale of nature, magic and love, The Relic treads a thin line between ecstasy and madness andasks, “How much courage does it take to truly belong in the world?”
The Review
“Kindness costs nothing.”—The Relic
If you read and liked “The Alchemist” then you’ll certainly like “The Relic.” It’s a bit like “The Celestine Prophecy,” too—if you also toss in a vicious feudal warlord, a corrupt religious order, a brutal natural environment and a purported religious relic. Having said that, in his latest novel, Meeker has created a well-crafted, absorbing tale of self-discovery, undying love and true friendship. Animism, there’s that as well.
The story starts with Brother Magnus in a monastery. He’s a monk who had long ago resigned himself to hopelessness, accepting what is meted to him without question as if it was somehow well-deserved. His monastery is not his saving grace though. It’s riddled with corruption, beginning with the abbot and prior. In such a place, brother monks are quite disposable, often arbitrarily.
Nonetheless, knowing he is about to be punished for something (but what?), he is willing to accept it since this is the price of “belonging” rather than being unwanted, abandoned once again. The punishment about to be meted, however, is a suicide mission. He is being sent to deliver a religious relic and thereby secure the release of another monk who is being held by a ruthless, desert warlord.
Unbeknownst to Brother Magnus, the prior and the warlord are collaborators. What Magnus does know is that the relic is fake—or so he believes, until the relic whispers to him. The message is enigmatic, at first. As Magnus struggles to find meaning from the relic, he embarks on a journey of awesome power, discovery, and responsibility. Along the way, he meets a witch, a travelling singer, and faces many magical challenges that earn him a different kind of belonging and the love he has so long sought.
Meeker’s writing is descriptive and evocative. The characters are well-developed. The environment itself is a most powerful character in itself. The magic is believable and every bit is not only earned but comes with cost. Finally, the love story is enduring and well-deserved by a man who thought himself much less deserving.
A highly recommended, thought-provoking and magical story. Five stars.
The Reviewer
Sherry Perkins has worked as a licensed practical nurse for more than thirty-five years and has experience in psychiatric/addictions nursing, nursing-care coordination, and risk management. She earned a BS in health sciences from Campbell University and has spoken at public health functions on topics such as addiction prevention and treatment, prevention of teenage opioid deaths, and connecting patients who are resistant to treatment with appropriate services.
A mother of four, Perkins lives with extended family on the Delmarva Peninsula, where she enjoys collecting shells and sea glass; reading and writing mysteries, science fiction, and fantasy; doing organic gardening; and following the Dave Matthews Band around the East Coast.
