Why Under the Northern Sky should be on your TBR

Introduction

Under the Northern Sky is a completed trilogy, written by Leo Carew and these are the books that belong to it: The Wolf, The Spider and The Cuckoo. One of the best aspects of this story is the ending, satisfying, powerful and cathartic.

Leo Carew - the author

Leo Carew is a pretty impressive person too; he is a doctor, writing on and off while studying and working, and is currently an army doctor. He also has a passion for remote areas (for example, having spend a significant amount of time in Svalbard). He is a new author is new to me and this trilogy just wants to make me read more from him. I understand that he is developing a work of historical fiction and I am truly looking forward to what Leo Carew has to offer.

The only negative about his next book(s) being a work of historical fiction is that we will lose Leo Carew’s unique perspective on world building creation. Under the Northern Sky introduced a new race, a new approach to leadership and a modern take to military fantasy. Yet, the best aspect of the story was the plot; the story developed for each book is unique, while allowing for a consistent story telling. This is quite difficult to pull and this series delivers to very high levels.

So what is the story all about?

The essence is that this story, spanning through the three entires, is a political and military fantasy. Politics are quite significant in the first and third book; the military aspect of the story is present in all of them, yet the second book is particularly dedicated to military stories, while getting a murder investigation.

The military aspect of the story is an essential part of the story; the story revolves around The Black Legion, excellence in military campaigns.

What makes the story really compelling, is that there are two fronts in most of the books; the internal front, which is what makes this a strong political fantasy. We also have the external front, the one that materializes as a war between two nations that cannot coexist.

The conflict between these two worlds takes different shapes for different people. Bellamus is obsessed with a culture that does not discriminate between the high and low born and wants to know he can about it. Garrett takes all the steps he can to twist his heritage - in fact, both of them. Roper believes there is only one solution to the problem and it is annihilation (it is his people or theirs). All this conflict pushes the war forward at all moments and it feels realistic.

Outstanding characters

There is another aspect of this story that is fantastic and it’s all about the characters. While there is a preponderance of male character, female leads are essential to this story too. In fact, women in this story have one of my favorite moment of the trilogy, a legal and political argument that defines the events of the internal aspects of the story.

Male characters show us a few interesting typical roles: we have an inspiring leader, a man that people will follow no matter what, a man who helps his people, leads by action. We have a great mentor role, a man who becomes the most loyal man to the inspiring leader. There are also plenty of strong soldiers, different personalities, yet similarities (loyalty, focus on the goal).

Women also have a few interesting takes on leadership, with Keturah being the best example of a woman who needs to be able to stand up for herself and, mostly, for her people and what she represents. We also have a wonderful opponent; I cannot say who this person is, as it would be a spoiler, but I have enjoyed her through the entire series!

Final thoughts

I went through the series in about a month. I was hooked on the first two, without reservations; the third one took a little bit of time to warm up (it is also by far the longest); yet when it takes off, it is pretty addictive too!

This is a story of great leaders, a story of survival, a story of conflict and a story that will focus on political and military plots. If you like this brief summary, then this story is for you!

Have you read this story? What do you think are the elements that stand out? Why would you recommend it to people?

If you did not read it yet, does this post help you decide whether to include Under the Northern Sky in your TBR?