I am back reviewing some young adult fantasy fiction, this one fits the category perfectly. The Nameless Soldier by Annie Douglass Lima checks all the boxes for me as being the perfect summer book for young adults ages 12 through the young at heart adults. It’s clean, it’s fun, and it has a great ending. Even though this book is part of a series that takes place in the same world, you can read this book all by itself and feel perfectly content. It is short, and she even calls it a novella in places. I still recommend it as a great stand-alone book (since I haven’t read the rest of the series yet). Even so, I feel drawn to her other books because I loved the characters and feel curious about her world.
The Nameless Soldier follows the journey of Tarvic, a nineteen-year-old soldier, who believe that he has completely failed after his kingdom has been invaded and his monarchs killed. He happens upon three girls who he ends up befriending and protecting.
Honestly, the book is much better than my lame summary. Think The Red Badge of Courage in a fantasy setting with a hint of a future love story and a cool world to explore. From the first pages, I loved Tarvic as a convincing teenage soldier without all the whininess typical in young adult novels today. He is also well depicted as a true male (in the ideal light men and boys would like for their heroes) rather than the puppy dog (wimpy, emotionally volatile, and beaten) guys some female writers put in their books. He wrestles with shame, but still values honor and loyalty in ways that I find more common in men.
I also appreciate the plot of this book. Even though it’s fantasy, there is no magic to save the day, and the hero isn’t out to save the world, just to find honor. I think I was more drawn to the plot because of how driven Tarvic was to find purpose and restore his self-respect than I typically am for broader plots with more characters. A save-the-world plot couldn’t have held my interest more! The scene in which Tarvic gets to shine is great and plausible. The pay off at the end is just right.
Most books I have some sort of small criticism about things I feel are inconsistent with the plot or the character, but not this book. At nineteen, Tarvic isn’t the greatest swordsman that ever lived, he’s just good at it. He isn’t a legendary hero or commanding armies, he is just a solid soldier committed to what he does. This makes him more likable to me, and I am more emotionally drawn into his development through his adventure.
The Annals of Alasia Series that this is part of covers the same world events from multiple characters’ points of view. I think that is brilliant. I have been known to read biographies of people who all lived at the same time for this very same purpose. I have four more books from this series already on my kindle ready to read and review.
The Nameless Soldier is the second book by Annie that I have reviewed (see my review for her science fiction book Heart Song), and I felt like this rewarded my trust in her writing. She has published 18 books, and it seems that she is an author to follow for multiple good books.
Check out my young adult fantasy fiction novels HERE for something optimistic and fun.
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What do you think?