No products in the cart.
Dawn of the Construct by Eric Lard
Although Dawn of the Construct may be categorised as a fantasy/sci-fi hybrid that borrows many of its characters, creatures, and plot elements from Tolkien, Martin, and D&D, doing so would be unfair to Eric Lard’s debut novel in what looks to be an action-packed saga. It is unique in two ways, which I shall emphasise in this paragraph.
The story takes place in three timelines, to start. One is Earth, with the conflict in Afghanistan at its centre. Another is futuristic and sci-fi, taking place on a dangerous planet. In the third, where the majority of the action takes place, goblins and orcs threaten the common people who are merely trying to survive.
The literary device of “constructing the squad” enhances this triple-timeline structure. Dawn of the Construct is similar to Stephen King’s second book in the high-fantasy/sci-fi series The Dark Tower—The Drawing of the Three—in that the three heroes who represent the timelines come from different places, times, and dimensions.
The fact that none of the protagonists in the book are self-assured is the second device that distinguishes it from other typical, currently popular fantasy/sci-fi hybrids. They all struggle throughout much of the book because they are each physically or otherwise damaged in different ways.
The least assured and most perilous hero in the fantasy/D&D universe is D’avry. He is a wizard who derives his power and magic from something known as Astrig Ka’a. The thing I enjoy in Dawn of the Construct is that even when D’avry’s magic works, he doesn’t know why or how (The Force, etc.).
It remains a mystery after all. He gathers magical objects, the purpose of which he can only speculate, and he creates portals that take him to the people he is intended to meet. As he moves forward, we see a hesitant, good-hearted hero who we must support.
Concerning the other two: Captain Major Rutker Novak, whose name is as cool as his high-tech, future weapons, is the first. He is deep in the woods on a crucial assignment, but his wife is never far from his thoughts. Deven, an Afghan war veteran who lost both of her legs when her Humvee collided with an IED, is the second.
She is regaining her form in mind, body, and spirit by learning to use her metal alloy legs. Dawn of the Construct mixes familiar and new, like any good genre story should, with high stakes and quick action.
About The Book
Earth is a prison and you’re living in it. It’s called The Construct and its keepers carefully manage the rise and fall of humanity in order to extract soul energy to fuel the galactic expansion of an alien race… but we’ll get to that. When an enigmatic magic known as the Astrig Ka’a turns D’avry’s life upside down.
He finds himself in a struggle to save humanity, not only in his own time and place but throughout Earth’s untold histories as well – histories replete with mechanized armor, steampunk airships, wolf-borne goblins, and creatures crafted from the very void between worlds. Now D’avry’s dreams have become a playground for this world-bending chaos.
When he saves the girl of his dreams, in one of his dreams, he inadvertently brings her back and must figure out what the Astrig Ka’a is trying to tell him and why the keepers of the Construct want so badly to kill a crippled girl from the future. The answer to these questions may be the only hope that humanity has, not just to escape its prison, but to survive as a species.
The Review
Dawn of the Construct
8 Score
Although one could lump Dawn of the Construct into the fantasy/sci-fi hybrid that coopts much of its monsters, characters, and content from Tolkien, Martin, and D&D, that would be doing Eric Lard’s opening book in what promises to be an action-packed saga a disservice. Two things set it apart, which I will focus on here. First, the narrative happens in three timelines. One is Earth, centering on the war in Afghanistan. Another is sci-fi and futuristic, taking place on a forbidding planet. The third—where most of the story unfolds—is a fantasy/D&D world where goblins and orcs menace the simple folk just trying to survive.
Trenzle
Where Trends are made and discovered
Trenzle is your official source of discovering the latest people, work, and ideas that deserve to trend. Discover Authors and their books, Creators and their work, People and their opinions, and Stories from around the globe.
Learn more