The Year of the Prophecy is here, those who believe it and those who don’t are both preparing.

Selena, though she doesn’t remember it, is one of the lynch pins of an 800-year-old prophecy depicting the current government’s overthrow. Her meager existence, made possible by selling baskets, is suddenly upturned and those who do remember her place in the prophecy throw her headlong into it. While she fights for her life and flees the city, a group of aristocrats from far off countries send three of their children on an expedition to the Sand Sea – the same vast desert that Selena runs to. As others act upon the prophecy, political and military shifts begin, and both Selena and the group of explorers quickly realize that their lives are more threatened than they had thought.

Disclosure

I received this book/ ARC for free from Story Grid Publishing with the agreement that, in exchange, I would post a review. This does not affect my opinion of the book, or the content of my review; the following review is unbiased, and all opinions are my own.

Note: this review is based on my reading of an Advance Reader Copy (ARC), therefore some content of the book may change between my reading it and its publication. Any quotes taken from an ARC may not match publication.

Review – Spoiler Free

First, this is the FIRST BOOK in a series, not a standalone (the only place I found any evidence of this, aside from the ending, was on the inside cover page where, beneath the title, it reads: “The Rubric of Conquest Book One”); and while it does have many interwoven story lines, it is more historical fiction/ alternative history (late 19th century), than Tolkien-style epic fantasy.

There is lots to enjoy with this book. Part 3 was where I thought it really started to pick up and I got that just-one-more-chapter feeling, and Part 5 raced on to the end. There is a huge cast of characters, many are enjoyable, and there are some strong females. The world is incredibly detailed and easy to understand, and there are plenty of maps at the front.

Unfortunately, for every good aspect, there is a reflecting bad. Part 1 is incredibly slow, mainly due to the minutiae of politics and social etiquette, which drives me crazy. For every enjoyable character, there is one that’s either pretty flat, or seems evil just for evil’s sake (the length of some torture scenes generously supplied by these character gems seemed a little excessive). While this book does pass the Bechdel test, traditionally ‘feminine’ strengths are mostly overlooked – females are generally depicted as weak, mother figures, or as gossips with minds only for their social status. The few strong female characters are primarily depicted simply as strong in physical strength. The world, being an alternate Earth, can be a little distracting – was McClellan making statements with certain choices, particularly with his portrayals of current major religions? Also, as someone who has a hard time with names to begin with, the naming system was whack. When one character can be spoken of in at least 4 different ways with no obvious reasoning why (one example among many: 1. Mr. Samuel X. Huntington, 2. Samuel X. Huntington, 3. Sam Huntington, 4. Sam), it can get a little confusing. This naming craziness seemed to fall off as the story picked up around Part 3.

Overall, this was a decent read. If blatant mistreatment/ objectification of women is a strong no for you, I’d suggest passing on this one, as it’s too reoccurring and engrained in the book’s societies to simply skip over. I had high expectations going into this book, and it did fall short. Had I gone into it with a better idea of what it was (alternate history, NOT epic fantasy), I probably would have enjoyed it more.

For quotes, and more on the star rating, see the full review here: https://gcannison.com/book-review-mcclellan-the-sand-sea/ ( )

A very long but enjoyable read. The book has similarities to Tolkien & Herbert in it’s scope and depth. Layers of mythology and magic mix with well developed characters and a detailed story line. There are strong Middle Eastern overtones - different cultures and intense conflict - with legend and mysticism leading the way. It is a long “journey” but worth the ride. ( )