Spectral Braver [Review]

About

By: Tiago Resende

Published: Nov 2024

Genre: Dark Fantasy Horror/Fairy Tale Fantasy/Romantic Fantasy

Synopsis: In the summer of 2023, Ben Freeman undertakes the responsibility to be a live-in researcher at the haunted Craig Manor to provide content for his employer, a video game development company. While there, Ben experiences the supernatural and befriends a spirit. His time in Craig Manor leads to an adventure greater than any game his company could have hope to produce.

review:

After two read throughs of Spectral Braver, I found myself square in the middle with my feelings about the book. Resende implored a multitude of styles and techniques to tell the story, things like: narrative blurring; use of IPOCs; expositional passages; flashbacks etc. The issue, for me that pulled the work down was the lack of consistency with the execution or the overuse of the various styles. In some places, Resende skillfully or instinctively implores these techniques. One example is his use of narrative blurring, a technique used by the likes of N.K. Jemisin and Joe Abercrombie, where the author blurs the line between character inner monologue and narrative voice. For the times that it is done well, there are other places where it falls flat.
The use of IPOCs: (“!!!”)—(“Waa”)—(reaaally), while at first I recoiled at the sight of interjections, punction-based emphasis, and onomatopoeia, as I read on it became apparent these were a stylistic choice. Like narrative blurring, when it worked it worked. But the perceived overuse of them lessen the desired effect for me. I felt the same about the use of colons to set-off something of import being stated.

Despite these things and other perceived issues I noted, there was much I enjoyed about the story that caused my confusion on how I truly felt about the work. Where Resende’s work possibly lacks in execution, he makes up for the heart the story has and the potential of what it could become. While reading, the magic system resonated the power of will displayed by the Green Lanterns of DC comics, the action painted pictures of anime in my head, and at other times scenes from my favorite tv shows as a kid played in my head.

There is no lack of inspiration here but could do with some refinement. All in all, it’s the reason I’d rate this book a three out of five.

There were plenty more things I noted in my analysis of the story that can be found here: Spectral Braver Analysis