Attrition: The First Act of Penance (Three Acts of Penance #1)

The book proves it’s possible to write Grimdark fantasy without anti-heroes (take that Mark Lawrence and Joe Abercrombie fans!).

Akinwale

Published on October 22, 2021

2 min read

WHAT DO I THINK ABOUT THIS BOOK???!

I think it’s one of the best books I’ve read in my entire life. To think an 18-year-old boy wrote it… Puts me to shame. It’s hard to believe a teenager wrote this book. I wouldn’t believe it if I didn’t know otherwise.

I’d rate this book higher than five stars if it were possible. It’s THAT good. The book proves it’s possible to write Grimdark fantasy without anti-heroes (take that Mark Lawrence and Joe Abercrombie fans! ). It’s a blend of heroic fantasy and grimdark. It’s somewhat similar to Luke Scull’s ‘Grim Company.’ You’ve got your evil tyrants who’ve usurped the original gods and taken over everything. But that’s where the similarities end. It’s a different plotline, different characters, different settings, and different themes.

The writing is beautiful. I didn’t imagine I could finish the book so quickly. It had lots of pros and no cons imo. But the best part of it was the descriptions of the bad-ass fighting! I think a fighting game should be created based on the book. There are lots of awesome powers, an extraordinary magic system and incredibly violent characters! It’s a breather from basic fantasy. It’s new, fresh, and brilliantly written. It’s like reading a thriller, something by Dan Brown. A page-turner. It’s unfortunate the next part won’t be out for a while…

I greatly enjoyed a number of the underlying themes in the book. Religion is a big theme here. Gave me an insight into what the author might think about the Divine.

This book is unusual in that it’s not told from the POV of the hero but rather the villain. Makes for a rather intriguing read!

Before starting this book, I thought ‘Attrition’ was a strange name to give a book. Now, come to think of it, this is the most appropriately named book I’ve ever read. The best possible name you could give a book like this.

So S.G Night, kudos to you and your book. It’s writers like you that make reading worthwhile for me, despite the fact it takes up a lot of my time, time I could use for actually productive things. Hurry up with the next book!

Written by Akinwale

The Tyrant Overlord. Fantasy buff and avid football fan.