PATH TO POWER
The Stolen Throne Trilogy, Book 1
A queen without a throne, a sorcerer without magic, a usurper bent on genocide…
Emma thought she was just an ordinary woman. She had no idea that she’d been abducted by aliens to save her life; until they returned her memories. The Zargons watch, they study, they don’t interfere, until one of them did. One of them saved Emma’s life when they shouldn’t have, and now they want her to save thousands more.
Emma’s stepmother is the mightiest sorcerer Dunia has ever seen. She used her power to steal Emma’s birthright, and now she’s using it for genocide. Only Emma can supplant Queen Lila, but she can’t do it alone. Her husband, Tom, has a potential he never knew; a potential to wield magic. Together, they must travel across the galaxy, find Tom’s magic, and save the homeland she never knew existed, until now.
About the Author
Charlotte Goodwin is an Army Reservist of twenty years with just another twenty-two to go! She openly admits she is unable to ever leave through choice and will still be serving until they kick her out at sixty. Around the Army, Charlotte somehow manages to fit in being a mum to two young children, a never ending renovation project, adventures in the great outdoors and an addiction to writing.
My Review
Charlotte Goodwin posted in the British Fantasy Society Discord asking for advance readers for her novel, Path to Power. I liked the sound of it, so I filled in the form and got the BookFunnel link a few days later. I pencilled in a review for publication day and started on the next book on my TBR. I think it was a January book. Anyway, a few days ago I realised I had just over a week to read the book and settled in for a reading session. As it’s an ebook, I need more time to read and process. I managed 36% on Thursday and read the rest this evening. I didn’t realise how fast I was getting through the book because I was so immersed in the action.
Emma and Tom are transported from Earth to Emma’s home planet by aliens, who need the pair to defeat a genocidal queen. Once there, they meet a grumpy sorcerer who used to know Emma when she was a small princess. Tom needs his magic releasing, but the sorcerer can’t figure out how. The pair embark on a road trip where they have all sorts of adventures as they search first for a general called Garrad and then an elven sorcerer, who will help them get to the Elven lands and train Tom after releasing his magic.
Meanwhile, the aliens have a few things going on. Zark, who rescued Emma originally twenty years before, is back watching Dunia after years of amoeba study, and has been helping, although she’s not supposed to. When her captain tells her things are getting weird on the Council that runs their missions of observation, she’s ordered to stop, leaving Emma and Tom to their own devices.
There is a lot of action in this novel, desperate fights, escapes, running long distances, magic oak forest appearing, that sort of thing. It was fun to read, even the mild peril and threatened gang rape scenes.
Emma is a character who is uncertain of herself at the the start but with knowledge and experience, she becomes confident that she can do what needs to be done, especially with Tom at her side. She rescues herself using intelligence, guile, and stubborness. There’s a cool reference to using a watch to identify north if you don’t have a compass, which I learnt as a Guide, but now I can’t remember if it’s the hour or minute hand you point at the sun. Her practical skills mean that her survival is realistically portrayed, especially as the only magic she can do is a bit of fire lighting that exhausts her.
The archery references are great. Goodwin clearly knows one looses and arrow, one never fires an arrow. And that’s a recurve bow, so it’s much more practical for horseback carrying than a longbow (I love longbows, but be practical), and it would have the power to do the damage described, although it’s a good thing Emma got that knowledge download, because getting your grip and aim wrong can be painful. Also, arrows run out eventually, which does help bring some tension to the story as the group fight goblins.
Tom is a soldier, but he’s used to mechanical transport and guns, not horses and swords, so he needs to learn to adjust to this new world. He’s a bit of a prick to Garrad, although Garrad is a bit of a dick back; saving each other’s lives while the rescue Emma from goblins then hostile soldiers (Emma rescues herself) bonds them, and they finally respect each other enough to work together. They develop a friendship through adversity and it’s fun to read about them doing so. Tom’s characteristics seem realistic for a British soldier. Haven’t known many, most of my contact with British armed forces has been RAF Regiment, but the odd ex-squaddie I’ve met have a similar sense of humour and attitude. I suppose, since the author is a Reservist, she’s had plenty of time for observation of British soldiers. The language is right, certainly. I like that he’s an engineer, that’s useful.
The world building is good. The world is a typical pseudo-medieval world with lords, armies, inns and magic, but with space aliens watching over them and people being transported from modern day Earth by space ship. This was unexpected. It’s a portal fantasy, essentially, with alien abduction as the ‘portal’. There are humans on both planets but they have different genetic make-ups and Dunia has a magical aura while Earth doesn’t, meaning there is magic on one and not the other. It’s certainly an interesting concept.
There are two other books in this series, and another trilogy to come. I’ve had a look at Goodwin’s website and it looks like they’re all due out this year. I’m definitely interested in reading the next one, at the very least, probably the third too.
Honestly, this was a fun portal science fantasy and it flew by. If you want a fun read with a bit of action and dangerous swimming (don’t jump off waterfalls!), women gaining confidence and men developing healthy friendships and emotional intelligence, I recommend this book.
Everything Is Better With Dragons 