Only a year ago Mujahid was a powerful and respected magician — leader of twelve necromantic clans, and now must travel discreetly across Erindor since necromancy was outlawed. When he finds one of his own clans exterminated, he sets out on a journey to seek vengeance against his betrayers, the Arinian priesthood. On the road to Dar Rodon, a lone priest asks to travel together, and Mujahid weighs the opportunity to hide himself and to learn any reason for the priesthood’s treachery.
I love reading a follow-up (even a novella prequel) to any story with such an imaginative world, and within the first paragraph of The Road to Dar Rodan I’m back in Erindor with Mujahid Lord Mukhtaar, walking through the desert under a yellow sky in a world of necromantic magic! The banter between Mujahid and the Arinian priest is clever and humorous, and as an odd couple they play off each other quite well. The revenge sought after in the end is not what you expect, but the twist provides a richer explanation for events of the sequel.
There’s a lot of packed into this little volume, especially for Mujahid’s character development, but I wish it was longer. I tend to favor novel-length works for most fantasy, but the imaginative high fantasy setting of the Muhktaar Chronicles in particular necessitates a longer format due to it’s elaborate world-building.
You will appreciate this more as a short and satisfying read after Necromancer Awakening. Recommended for fans of dark epic fantasy!
“Mujahid didn’t question the gods’ existence; He questioned their relevance.”