Review - Samsara: A War Within
Out from Markosia
Out from Markosia, written by Shriram Swaminathan and art by John Henry Esteban, I had the chance to read this epic book!
Check out some of my thoughts on Samsara: A War Within.
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It is a time of holy war! Arya is ruled to the north by the Gurkhan Empire, in the name of their god they conquer and subjugate under terms to convert or face execution. In the south rebellions emerge from the shadows, divided in their visions for a free Arya. Caught in the centre of it all is Lakshman the World Serpent, the living embodiment of the spirit of the earth. Unaware of the suffering around him Lakshman secludes himself in the Holy Lands among his scriptures. But he cannot hide forever when war finds itself at his doorstep.
In the aftermath of a massacre Lakshman must journey across Arya to the Panchavati Forests in search of a man who promises a cure to his affliction. Can he reconnect with his lost faith in time to bring peace to the world before the mortal and heavenly realms are plunged into chaos?
Pitching this to me1, I was told it was a cross between Avatar the Last Airbender and Kingdom of Heaven.
And wow, was that a good description!
Kicking off with some mythology—or history, in this case—we get some big-style world-building. I really bought into the legend being told, and the storytelling style was perfect. It gave us a good rundown of where and how we got to what is happening on a grand scale.
The cross between the mystic, the powers, and the religious aspects of the story starts here.
The religious part of this story, mixed in with conquest and discovery, makes up a lot of it, and I really found myself drawn into the larger parts of it.
There are some excellent character moments, with conquest, fire and blood. Although there are a lot of factions and people to get your head around, the storytelling is well-set and allows you to immerse yourself in the story and the world.
This story combines excellent storytelling, allowing us to travel around the world and meet different factions, characters, and motivations. The different groups are exciting, taking in some aspects we would be familiar with and adding some unique twists. The different groups all have squabbles and internal issues, which build into the world here.
There are demons, magic, and more on the mystical power set side. The demonic side adds a real dark twist to the story, and their power and sources are well told and linked to the larger world.
The artwork—from the very beginning—gives you a direct tone of the story. There are some brilliant scenes, with character moments and larger scenes in the desert, cities, and jungle. Adding into that the magic, demons and other powers and you get a well rounded book.
This is certainly the beginning to an epic tale and worth getting into.
Find out where you can get a copy here:
You don’t need to pitch to me. I will attempt to read and review all that I get sent!