Soulkeeper by David Dalglish
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I think I'll have to characterize this particular fantasy as a rather feel-good sword-and-sorcery for modern epic fantasy readers. It has all the magic and magical creatures, strange demi-gods, time-magic wielding fae and elementals, corrupting waters, dragons, and goddesses you might wish upon a newly benighted world -- and new heroes just now coming into their soul-mind-elemental magics now that the gates of magic have been re-opened.

Specifically, the feel-good parts are all in the relatively DECENT characters we follow. Good is actually pretty good. Little fae and elemental sidekicks actually appreciate the fundamentally good people in the world, while becoming ever more wary of the normal crap-heads we normally deal with.

The best part of this novel is its simplicity: the straightforward progression of adventure, natural consequences of actions, and greater difficulties of learning how to live in this brave new world. Simple? Yes, but it's also a great deal of fun to read. It isn't tongue-in-cheek like the old style sword-and-sorcery types. It's modern escapism and humanism -- which is great, considering just how much other-types beyond humanity we get to know in these pages.

Recommended.

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