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The Tides of Avarice: A Sagaria Legend

John Dahlgren
Editions Didier Millet Pte Ltd (2011)
ISBN 9789814260534
Reviewed by Kam Aures for RebeccasReads (1/12)

“The first thing you notice is the smell.  It hangs like an almost visible miasma in the sluggish air of Darkwater- or, at least it does here, in the meanest, rottenest and generally most lethal part of Darkwater, the only town on Booty Island and, in its turn, the meanest, rottenest, and generally most lethal part of the Toxic Archipelago.  Darkwater is probably the only town in the whole wide world of Sagaria where murder isn’t a criminal offense:  in the local terminology it’s called ‘justifiable homicide.’  The men here will slit your throat for free and send a selection of your bodily organs to your loved ones for no more than the cost of the postage stamp.

The women are worse.

And the kids?  Don’t even ask.” (p.9)

This intriguing passage is part of the Prologue of John Dahlgren’s novel, “The Tides of Avarice: A Sagaria Legend.”  The four hundred and sixty two pages that follow are equally as entertaining.  One thing that struck me when I was reading Dahlgren’s work is how unique and creative the settings and characters he created are.  While reading I was reminded of “Pirates of the Caribbean” but with mainly non-human characters, most specifically lemmings.  In fact, the main character is librarian Sylvester Lemmington, a lemming.  The “Pirates of the Caribbean” vision comes in because Sylvester ends up with a treasure map and there is a pirate captain out there who is determined to get it back.

Although the book appears to be written for a Young Adult audience, I think that this story, like many other fantasy novels before it, would appeal to an adult audience as well.  “The Tides of Avarice: A Sagaria Legend” is an overall fun read. Be prepared to have a large time slot available to read it in because it is a book that is hard to put down and a lengthy one also!  I look forward to the next book in the series, “Sagaria.”

 

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