Fiction
BLUE SAP WOOD
by José Luis Gil Soto
Neither a historical novel nor an epic fantasy. Bertrand de Lis, a prominent carpenter survives the earthquake of Waliria, the court of Magmalión I of Ariok, losing his wife in the disaster. Encouraged by a prophecy, the king urges his people to set out on a trip for a wonderful but distant promised land. During the long and difficult journey riddled with dangers, Bertrand will also lose his son. Or so he'll believe at least. Another child, casually the heir to the throne, dies in an accident during the exodus. People close to the crown knows that to avoid a takeover by hostile factions, the kingdom cannot afford to lose its heir. It will be decided that Bertrand's son is kidnapped and turned into prince. After several intrigues and conspiracies to take over the power, we will witness the true fate of the kingdom of Ariok. Beyond literary genres, this is a novel set in various indeterminate places during a period that resembles a mythical Middle Ages. But above all it's a novel of characters, it tells the love of a father for his son and what he will be put through to get him back. The reader will find love, hate, violence, cruelty, ambition, loss, loyalty and betrayal. The setting and the historical documentation are really taken care of, especially when it comes to one of the backgrounds of the novel : carpentry and its progress.
