Why Keep a Good Thing a Secret? – A Review of Drowned Secrets by Ben Stoddard

Greetings, friends! Ben Stoddard, Kings of War player, fantasy author, (and Dash28 contributor) has recently released his latest novel, Drowned Secrets. I was luckily chosen to bring you this review of the most recent novel set in the world of Pannithor.

I want to start my review with a disclaimer. Like a lot of you, I have read a lot of fantasy and science fiction books, starting when I was young with The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. I’ve spoken a couple of times on Unplugged Radio about how since my first reading of The Hobbit at 11 years old I have been chasing that sense of wonder and excitement in every fantasy book I’ve read. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to appreciate more complex things, such as a sense of theme or a tightly constructed plot. I have a confession to make: in my opinion, most novels set in gaming worlds are pretty bad. They lack a sense of theme, or the writing is just bad. So I went into this review with low expectations, and I’m happy to say that I was wrong. Drowned Secrets is a decent addition to the lore of Pannithor and is a pretty engaging read.

The story revolves around a young Neritican princess named Ashal, her Placoderm bodyguard Magdolon, and Laurine, a Basilean priestess. Right in the first chapter, Ashal is betrayed, and she and Magdolon make their escape from Basilea and begin a decade-long quest for justice. The writing is action-packed, with lots of twists and turns and some well-written fight scenes. Throughout the book, Ben effectively represents the characters’ inner monologue and emotions.

The story does an excellent job of bringing the realms and factions of Pannithor to life. The mannerisms of the different Neritican characters, from their strange accents to their fighting style, are highlighted to show how alien, and familiar, the undersea denizens are. Part of the book has a flashback to an undersea battle that really captures the imagination and appeals to the wargamer and modeler in me. It does a great job of contrasting Ashal and Magdolon, a pair of refugees who can’t go back to their ocean home, with other Naiad characters who live in the woods and serve the Green Lady. It describes the Basilean hierarchy and their rigid society. (As an aside, Basilea’s reputation as the faction that, to quote Jeremy Duvall, is “so good that they’re bad” is reinforced in this novel. They are written as both naïve and arrogant, so not the best combination.) The story also touches on many other factions from Kings of War, including the Forces of Nature and the Free Dwarves.

The story is essentially a tale of revenge that falls into some familiar tropes along the way. However, it uses this framework to explore important themes such as the difference between justice and revenge. It looks at what people are willing to sacrifice (both in themselves and from other people) in the name of an obsession. And it also brushes against questions more relevant to most readers, such as “when you finally achieve something after years of trying, what comes next? And how do you know if it was worth it?”

Throughout the story, Magdolon serves as the stoic voice of wisdom and reason. At one point, while discussing Ashal’s drive for revenge, Magdolon states “Do not fall into this trap of thinking that your suffering is the ultimate ends of this world.” He continually is used as a foil against Ashal’s youthful impatience and impudence. Later he cautions Ashal, saying, “You are not simply getting revenge for yourself. You are also avenging all of the widows, the orphans, and the dead that the person who wronged you has left in their passing,” (and by extension all of the people they will continue to hurt if Ashal does nothing – MR). Magdolon guides the quest early on, but as the story goes on Ashal grows into the lead. Ben does a good job of contrasting Magdolon’s steady approach with the decisions that Ashal is forced to make later in the book, decisions that come with unforeseen consequences. At one point Ashal comes to the realization that her actions have led her to a point where she’s trapped between forces beyond her control, but by then the lesson comes too late.

I do have a small criticism when it comes to the narrative. I wish that the book was about thirty to forty pages longer. It clocks in at around 200 pages, so it’s a quick read. As mentioned before, the plot flows quickly, but I wish Ben had taken a little more time exploring the motivations and backgrounds of some of the other characters such as Thistle, Bitter Bark, and especially Laurine. She, as well as members of her faction, come across as two dimensional and I wish they had a little more depth. Even though the story has a clear “bad guy,” there aren’t a lot of “good guys” to be found. The closest thing would be the Free Dwarves, who are portrayed as loyal, gruff, and true. In a genre where the lines between good and evil are usually well defined and worlds apart, this was a welcome change, even if it was a little heavy-handed (I’m looking at you, Thistle). But the book does a good job of portraying a small story against a grander backdrop of empires and kingdoms in a constant struggle over grand ideas and scarce resources.

In closing, Drowned Secrets is a worthy addition to the canon lore of Pannithor. Is it The Lord of the Rings? Nope. But it’s a quick, fun read with surprising depth and an ending that made me curious to find out more. All in all, I would recommend it to anyone who’s interested in Kings of War.

Drowned Secrets is available to purchase as an ebook on Amazon or Winged Hussar’s website. Here’s a link to the Amazon version: