Sign of the Eight is a teen/young adult epic fantasy. I felt at times it was closer to horror than fantasy with vampirelike creatures from the past, Tristan Nightsworn and Martha von Falkenstein, arising from a lake and feeding on humans. He is the messenger of doom; she is the messenger of preservation. Fellow soldiers in the Fifth Crusade who became lovers, they are now adversaries. They must find their swords, Xanas and Aurin, as well as allies, then fight until only one remains (shades of the Highlander?), sealing the fate of humankind.
The novel dragged in the beginning and felt erratic with sudden shifts of point of view, and I had a hard time getting into it. Later it seemed rush, with the epic battle scene was so brief as to be disappointing. The chapters are short with many changes of perspective, and it is a quick read at 304 pages. The prose is atmospheric, relatively dense and, on occasion, near poetic. This is labelled as Young Adult, but some of the topics may not be appropriate for that audience. For instance, there is a scene in which a 25-year-old policeman has a sexual encounter with a 16-year-old as well as mention of rape.
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Sign of the Eight (Arctis, March 15, 2022) is available though:
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