Reviewed by Dan
This is a Series Review of The Life Syphon Duology
AUTHOR: Kathryn Sommerlot
PUBLISHER: Self-Published
SERIES REVIEW:
This series came in as an author request. The author had experienced difficulty getting anyone in the LGBTQ reviewing world to take a chance on the series since the m/m connection is understated and doesn’t really show up until the second book. There are hints and you know something is going to happen, but you don’t know for sure until it does.
I enjoyed the series. It was an interesting fantasy story about a world with magic and evil. There were also good people like Tatsu. I really liked Tatsu and his backstory. Check out my individual reviews of the books below. I’d recommend the series to anyone who enjoys a fantasy read.
SERIES RATING: 
TITLE: The Life Syphon
LENGTH: 297 Pages
RELEASE DATE: March 10, 2017
BLURB:
The kingdom of Runon has created the impossible: a magical energy source that siphons life from the nearby lands and feeds it back into Runon itself. On the edge of the forest lives a quiet ranger named Tatsu who is watching the drain grow closer to his home country of Chayd.
Arrested for crimes against the crown, Tatsu is taken to the capital’s prison, where the queen offers him a deal. If he sneaks into Runon and steals the magical source that powers the drain, she will return his freedom. Caught in the unimaginable aftermath, Tatsu knows that the only hope is to stop the siphon before it swallows the world.
More and more he finds himself at the mercy of the destruction the siphon leaves behind – and everything he has ever known will fall apart in the revelation of its horrifying truth.
REVIEW:
When we first meet the main character of the story, Tatsu, he is a man living on his own in a deep forest. He avoids human contact and ventures into the capital city very rarely. Suddenly a knock comes on his front door, and Alesh, a friend from the past, shows up needing him to watch her sister Ral while she goes and does something. Ral is portrayed as a simple minded woman, whose brain was affected by some sort of fever as a child.
While Alesh is gone, Ral and Tatsu discover a huge blight on the forest very close to his home. It is as if the very life has been drained from the land. All the trees and grass are dead. There isn’t much time to focus on it though, as Alesh comes back suddenly, followed by the Queen’s guardsmen. Alesh and Tatsu are arrested and thrown in the dreaded prison in the capital. It is a prison that suffers massive overpopulation issues, and the guards let the surplus population be culled by the more vicious prisoners. Tatsu has no idea why he would have been arrested and labeled as treasonous.
The two are offered a way out when they meet the Queen and her mages. If they travel to the bordering country of Runon and steal something called the life syphon, which it turns out is responsible for the dead lands near Tatsu’s home, then they will be freed and their crimes forgiven.
There begins their story. There are some surprises along the way…like the weeping forest section that is totally creepy, and the life syphon itself. Tatsu will be tasked with much more than he thought originally.
I really liked the story. I’ll be honest and say it grew on me as it progressed. The beginning was a little slow and I was wondering why I blindly accepted two books to review at the same time without reading anything else by the author. After I got into the book a little further, I was glad I did because I was drawn in. I’m glad I read it after the second book was already out though, since in my opinion the story was incomplete and needed the continuation. I liked the author’s writing style and it kept me interested and reading along.
RATING:
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TITLE: The Magic Heir
LENGTH: 369 Pages
RELEASE DATE: March 15, 2018
BLURB:
Traitor: that’s what Tatsu is now. On the run from both Runon and Chayd, Tatsu and Yudai’s only hope for survival is to disappear into the wilds. However, when the siphon’s deadly curse returns, they have no choice but to travel into the desert kingdom of Joesar in search of a cure.
Battling the unforgiving elements of the sands, Tatsu starts to realize that the path towards destroying the siphon may claim Yudai’s life. Time is running out as Nota’s fury—and the siphon’s hunger—begin to spiral wildly beyond their control.
As their options slowly fall away, the only thing Tatsu and Yudai can count on is each other.
REVIEW:
As I mentioned in my review of The Life Syphon, I’m glad that I had this second and final book to read directly after finishing that one. In this new installment, we’re back with the further adventures of Tatsu and Yudai. In this one, they are on the run from seemingly everyone.
Yudai’s powers are sporadic and uncontrollable when they do appear. The two men head off to search for help with the poisoning that Yudai experienced from his captors, and end up in a huge desert with Tatsu injured. Luckily they get help from a local man who is a desert walker for his tribe. Along the way they are also joined by Alesh and Ral and they all begin to search for a cure for Yudai. But Yudai’s powers are growing more sporadic and people are injured and killed.
They are sent off across the desert to a far-off mage training enclave. Will they get help? No more spoilers. You’ll have to read it to see.
RATING:
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