The Gatherers and the Illness of the Isle
The Tales of the Gatherers, Book 1
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The Gatherers and the Illness of the Isle
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Narrated by:
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Allan Macleod
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By:
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Alex Eiseman
About this listen
A gripping epic fantasy adventure inspired by stories like Harry Potter, A Song of Ice and Fire, Dune, and The Handmaid's Tale series.
There is hope...
Under the rule of the Isle’s Voice, the people of Aeris suffer from a jarring divide between the wealthy and impoverished. The Isle’s Voice controls the distribution of immersia, a magic that keeps bloodthirsty monsters known as the vayle away from Aeris’s people. Laborers slave to do the jobs allotted to them, while privileged families remain in control.
When young Aselle Attete, a laborer in the great city of Aurora, hears a mysterious song in the desert that surrounds her city, a series of events unfolds that proves there is hope of salvaging Aeris. With the help of a group calling themselves the Gatherers, Aselle embarks on a journey to level Aeris’s class system, bring equality to the rich and poor alike, and build a new world free of the vayle’s presence.
In the process, Aselle chases a destiny that has been waiting for her since her birth. Along the way, she will uncover secrets about her past and her future...if the many dangers that pursue her do not kill her first.
©2021 Alex J. Eiseman (P)2021 Alex J. EisemanListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about The Gatherers and the Illness of the Isle
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Mr. T. J. De Greeve
- 06-12-21
A promising first entry in a new fantasy epic
Eiseman tells the story of a society built on financial injustice (only in fantasy, amirite?) where swathes of the people spend the day under the hateful glare of the desert's sunlight, literally combing the sands for their pittance, while spending the night huddling in fear from the monsters that emerge under the blanket of darkness. We follow the plight of The Gatherers, who seek to right these crimes of inequality and bring a better age to Aeris.
This central quest can feel like a bit of a slow burn after the objective is established, with a lot of development between characters happening while the sense of momentum takes a bit of a back seat. I found a lot of the intrigue came from the side stories told from other perspectives, which established inciting incidents much quicker and also came through sooner with pay-offs. The character of Ezra provides my favourite perspective, seeing the political mess going on at the crown of society, while he slogs into his role as the head of this worlds' Humanitarian Dept. where he is paid plenty enough to care but still manages not to.
Elsewhere, the writer shows the profound sense to write characters with admirable moral compasses who still subtly betray themselves as the products of privilege. The POV direction is used effectively to allow them to put their insecurities, and even some illusions they have of themselves on display. Slightly distracting is how a small handful of the crew get through the book with nary a mention, their time in the spotlight being reserved for later.
The setting has a pretty unique system of money and magic, but although it is explained organically, it is also delivered densely, so the reader might require a deal of focus for the first couple of chapters. However, if you do skimp on some terminology it won't be much of a hindrance, as the natural writing helps make everything apparent through context.
The quest to rid the land of the Vayle, and release the people from the guidance of The Voice begins in the first compelling entry of The Gatherers.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 19-11-21
A Good Debut
I really enjoyed this book and for a debut novel it's a promising start. The world is interesting with a unique magic system and fun characters. While there are some parts that I considered to be a bit slow they weren't around long enough to sully the experience and I'm looking forward to seeing what comes next.
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