When Fantasy and Science Fiction Meet

Forge Of Stones by Vasileios Kalampakas

Summary: In a world dominated by religious law, the ruling theocracy is about to enter a period of unprecedented upheaval. A pilgrim from a forgotten place ventures into the desolated heart of the Widelands, where myth meets reality and only the faithful or truly fortunate dare enter. A rebel and a young apprentice both seek answers they had never thought could ever be answered. And all the while, the future of their world hangs in a precipitous balance. Their journey will lead them to uncover long-lost secrets and truths that will shake the very foundations of the world and change everything, forever.

Review: Disclaimer: I received this book from the author in exchange for a review. 

An interesting intersection of fantasy and science fiction with a hilarious robot although the story suffers from too much detail, which makes the story slow to read. 

The book begins with introducing the main characters and those chapters made me think that this would be a standard fantasy novel. The world is intriguing although it's very stratified and a little hard to believe. You get a lot of different viewpoints from different aspects and parts of the society. That helps to flesh out the world a little. The story lines of the characters start to intersect although it does seem a bit forced at points. 

I liked how the story lines began to come together and how the science fiction aspect of this book began to be slowly revealed. I must admit that I was not always able to follow what was going on this book, especially when it came to the Pilgrim. My confusion increased when the book turned into science fiction. The robot, whom I love since he is such a great character, explains everything, but I am still left with many questions. I wonder what will happen next in this story and if there will be a sequel. 

Rating:

Recommendation: I would recommend this book to those that enjoy fantasy with a large cast of characters and fantasy with a large does of science fiction.