The Seedbearing Prince

     

          There are a multitude of authors out there that balance both careers and writing, in addition to many other responsibilities. But the author of the book for my Sunday review, The Seedbearing Prince, actually took a setback such as the loss of a professional job and turned it into success in writing.

          Davaun Sanders was an architect with a small design firm that fell victim to the 2008 housing market collapse. Instead of seeking out another firm immediately, he did what many of us wish we would have and began writing full-time. Sanders also writes poems and even performs spoken word poetry. This combination of an architects eye and poets soul turned into a debut novel that showcases both those attributes.

          The story begins with a farm boy named Dayn on a planet known as Shard. Dayn isn't like others, a fact that is evident by his constant dreaming of 'coursing' through the 'torrent', which is a sport that none on his planet have competed in for over 200 years. Sanders does a wonderful job early on in making you feel the young man's plight as he hides his practicing from his parents, and even goes as far as to risk his life coursing in a huge chasm known as the dreadfall.

          Things on Shard quickly turn sour as Dayn has an accident while practicing in the dreadfall. He runs across a group of men that fit a description of the ones you meet in the prologue, and in a moment following a huge explosion that temporarily eliminates the planet's gravity he quickly becomes the most important man in the World Belt.

          After the incident, along with a strange glowing stone he finds, Dayn's parents force him to leave his home and his journey truly begins. Accompanied by a pair of men hailing from The Ring, which is a massive spacestation that was constructed to protect the various worlds along the world belt, Dayn is tasked to travel from world to world and bring awareness of the men and their plot to destroy everything and everyone in the world belt.

          Sanders' architectural eye comes through in the worlds he reveals during this adventure. From the sandy world of Aran with its never ending, mazelike structures called splits that people huddle in during the sweltering heat; to the snow covered mountains of the world Suralose, to the worlds built upon nothing but massive floating asteroids. Each structure, including the worlds themselves, are built in your mind as their intricacies are described in vivid detail.

          Its not just the architecture that sets this story apart from the droves of fantasy novels created by amateur writers. The fact that Sanders is a poetry writer comes out in the dialogues, both internal and external, that occur. Whether Dayn is speaking to a dear friend, a harsh instructor, or even a group of cute girls that he wants to "steal a kiss from', you can feel the emotion.

         Throughout the story, as with any I read, I try to pick out the best parts or 'pros' it contains. This one gave me fits trying to isolate a few that would make others want to pick it up as much as I enjoyed reading it:

• The fight scenes are very well done. Sanders choreography is spot on. Each blow is felt, each movement is purposeful with no wasted word.
• The story itself is new and doesn't feel like something I've read a dozen times.
• The characters and the worlds are so vivid you feel as though you're part of each conversation. Each planet you visit inside the World Belt seems new and its people have their own personalities that make them unique.

          Even more difficult than finding a few pros between the multitudes of things I enjoyed in this story, cons were even more difficult to isolate. After reading through several parts a second time I've decided, though I almost hate to admit it, that I can't find a thing that could be labeled as a true con in this story.

          In the end The Seedbearing Prince by Davaun Sanders was more than just a pleasant read for me. It truly gave me something new, and something that kept me turning the pages throughout the entire book. I highly recommend any fan of the fantasy genre picks this up, and even if you're not a fan the action and thrills makes it a good choice for anybody that's a fan of good literature.

Overall I'm giving The Seedbearing Prince a 9/10 based on:

9/10 for readability- The story flows well and keeps you turning the page throughout.

9/10 for story- The story of a young boy tasked with carrying an artifact that has the potential to save the world may sound familiar, but I can tell you that there is nothing familiar in this. Everything from the characters to the worlds themselves, to the journey feels fresh and new.

9/10 for characters- The characters created by Sanders are so fresh and so full of depth you find yourself connecting to even the most lowly ancillary character with a single word stated. Each time you leave a world you find yourself wondering what had happened to that shop keeper you met for just one moment.

9/10 for visualization- The "X-factor" for this story, for me, is the visualization. The way Sanders, by either his architectural background, or the poetic influences, helps you visualize the worlds inside the world belt is truly remarkable. Each world, its people, and the evil void walkers all have a uniqueness to them and Sanders brings that out in a wonderful way.

          A big thank you to Sanders for contacting me about his book. It was more than a pleasure to be introduced to such a strong story, and for a debut novel it speaks volumes of what to expect from this author. I definitely suggest adding this story to your e-reader, or even picking up the hard copy on Amazon.

If you would like to check out The Seedbearing Prince you can find it here.

This was the first part of a saga being created by Sanders, he is currently in works of completing part 2.