The Book of the Forsaken (book 1 "The Game") [Kindle Edition]

The Book of the Forsaken is written on the intriguing premise that the storyteller himself is a character. That is, the words on the page, the words that you and I, the readers, are seeing, were put there by a narrator who mischievously refuses to identify himself. The brief prologue hints that this narrator is a demi-god of some kind, one with the power to manipulate the destinies of the people he calls his "puppets."

The first three chapters of the book introduce us to these puppets: Robert Cassidy, Daniel Maladie, and Igor Rubinstein. Each has individually discovered that he has a supernatural ability, a fact that binds their destinies. Cassidy, the most entertaining of the three, is a trash-talking Irishman with a penchant for nicknaming people whose names he doesn't know. The more sympathetic Daniel, who at the beginning of the story is a bookstore assistant in Paris, is mocked by the narrator as being a coward and an idiot. But although he is meek and insecure, he nevertheless accepts an assignment to steal an ancient book. And then there's Igor, a somewhat psychopathic Russian magician who moonlights as an assassin.

The book that Daniel was instructed to steal turns out to be the Book of the Forsaken, a magical tome with great and unknown powers. It is the pursuit of this book that brings him together with Cassidy and Igor. Driven together by extraordinary coincidences and paranormal circumstances, the three are forced to work together as they encounter enigmatic figures who are after the Book, tangling with supernatural beings, ancient truths, and even time travel.

What makes The Book of the Forsaken unique is the narrator's role in the story.... The bulk of the book appears to be written in third person omniscient, peering into the minds of all three men, but it is actually, on a higher level, a first person narrative. The narrator routinely interrupts the action to insert his own brand of humor through sarcastic commentary, sometimes in the form of footnotes. Karatsioris' experimental style can be confusing in some places and brilliant in others. I must give him kudos for thinking outside the box and daring to try something that challenges conventional ideas about storytelling. He keeps his writing crisp and to-the-point, wasting no words on flowery descriptions or lengthy monologues. The sparseness of the sentences coupled with the vividly imagined fantastical elements makes The Book of the Forsaken an exciting and fast-paced read.

[This is a condensed version of a full review on my blog, Zigzag Timeline.] Read more ›

I first came across The Book of the Forsaken on a critiquing website and it made a strong impression on me then. That you've been able to convince a reader who knows and cares so little about the fantasy genre that the last (and probably only) fantasy novel I read was Lord of the Rings is a testament to your accomplishment as a writer. Slick and sophisticated, witty and highly imaginative. I look forward to reading the next book from this writer.

Well there are two reasons i accepted the book for review. First, well..it's fantasy and seems pretty interesting. Second, it's written by a Greek author. And i always try fantasy from Greek authors when i can. This is obviously in English of course and even got an award from HarperCollins.

The story..no the whole book is completely different than everything i've read before. You see the narrator is part of the story. He is the puppet master. He controls the characters..or not. You don't really know what he is doing exactly. You can only guess. At the same time you follow the story of the 3 characters, but there are times he writes about himself or he just writes in first person. Now, i know this seems a little confusing but it's actually easier to follow that you think. I have to say i was surprised so congrats to the author, for actually making the story easy enough to follow despite how many POVs are changing.

I have to admit the first half of the book was a little weird because you can't really see the connection between the story and the characters clearly. Still, there is something that totally holds you in. The mystery around the book, the plot, the characters, the narrator's cheesy comments? I'm not sure but there was just something that didn't let me stop. And then you get at the second part of the book where pretty much everything is clear. And oh my...the story is really good! With vampires, magic, time travel, action, mystery! It was like a reward for the little confusing waiting of the start.

At the end, you just want a little more. It feels like it ended so fast when i actually took my time reading it. So if you want to try something COMPLETELY unique and original, with bits of fantasy give it a chance. This book holds more than it is letting you see.

"The Book of the Forsaken (The Game, #1)" by Yannis Karatsioris

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

This urban fantasy novel is pretty original. I have personally never read a story with a narrator like this one. If you are not paying attention, you could definitely think that the point of view is third person omniscient. It seems like we readers are just seeing into every character's minds, when really the actual narrator is the one that is telling us their thoughts. In this novel, "The Book of the Forsaken," the narrator is considered a character in his own way, or at least I believe so. The unidentified narrator plays the other characters like puppets.

Besides the Narrator, there are three main characters in this book: Daniel, Cassidy, and Igor. None of these men knew each other at the beginning of this story. Each man lives in a different country from one another: Cassidy is from Ireland, Daniel stayed in Paris, and Igor was from Russia. My favorite character was Cassidy because of his Irish sarcasm and humor. All these men were brought together to pursue the same mission, to find the `Book of the Forsaken.' This book is an ancient tome that is very magical and has some unknown powers. During this journey, each character discovers their very own supernatural ability, which also binds them closer together. Throughout their adventure, Daniel, Cassidy, and Igor are all faced with different paranormal situations because they are not the only people after the magical tome. "The Book of the Forsaken (The Game, #1)" is definitely an adventurous book full of fantasy!

I really liked this book and I think it deserved the Gold Medal it won in the HarperCollins UK authonomy.com contest.... In my opinion, I would have to give "The Book of the Forsaken (The Game, #1)" 4 STARS! I liked how this book was fast paced and didn't spend time on unnecessary things. I look forward to more books in this series. I admit that I found the narrative confusing at times, but it was also my favorite part about the book because of its originality. Take the time to check this book out by Yannis Karatsioris if you are looking for a unique read!

Brianna Lee Book Reviews
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