The Way of Unity

April 17, 2023
Balstrup’s ambitious, accomplished debut brings rare imaginative power and rigor to religion, ritual, and holy war in fantasy, introducing a fascinating world of faith and fire while continually challenging—and rewarding—genre expectations. The story builds early to conflagration and revolution, with the holy order of Intercessors attacking a ruling family after its ruling head, who holds the position of Skalen, commits pointed heresy by urging rejection of the Intercessors’ authority. In one of Balstrup’s many bursts of rousing and inventive language, Reyan Terech thunders that the visions of the First Diviner said nothing about Intercessors, white-robed psychics who “purify” spirits through fire.
Taking on the fervent and psychically gifted, though, comes with a cost, and soon holy fire rains down. In the aftermath, it’s daughter Sybilla who is Skalen. Readers might expect that her efforts to avenge her family and end the rule of the Intercessors will drive the book, but Balstrup’s interest isn’t the usual heroic violence of epic fantasy—instead, it’s in rich questions of power and belief, the weight of leadership, and what comes after a hard-won victory that tears a civilization apart. The narrative vaults ahead in time as Sybilla faces hard choices, rebellion, and a faith that will not die.
The seriousness with which Balstrup presents that faith sets this singular series-starter apart just as surely as its polished prose, mature themes, and unconventional structure. Balstrup has conjured up gorgeous, creepy holy texts, chants, rituals, and prayers, the depiction attentive to how faiths adapt over time, how they draw from and distort older belief systems, and—crucially—what they mean in the lives of adherents. The Way of Unity boasts weird magic, original creatures, flights of horror and beauty, and a thirty-year sweep that builds to an enticing promise of more. The book’s long and sometimes demanding, but readers who favor fantasy of literary ambition with fully imagined lives and beliefs will find this a feast.
Takeaway: This standout dark fantasy debut takes on rich questions of faith, fire, rebellion, and power.
Great for fans of: Tamsyn Muir, Christopher Buehlman’s Between Two Fires.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A