The Child of the Greenwood (The Song of the Sleepers #1.5), by Joshua Walker
3 Feb 2025The Book
Synopsis:
Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn meets Tarzan in this epic fantasy, Japanese-inspired coming of age tale.
WHAT BEGINS WITH WATER WILL FINISH IN FLAMES.
On the day the river destroyed his people, Jilo took up his father’s spear. Years later, when the heirloom is taken from him, he vows to do anything to get it back.
The river is sick and putrid.
The magic is in the wrong hands.
The spear is the answer to it all.
My Review
The Child of the Greenwood is a novella in the epic fantasy series The Song of the Sleepers, written by Joshua Walker. Similar to what he did with The Rest to the Gods, Walker takes the opportunity to explore different parts of the lore of his world, in a story that is half coming of age and half heist, with a narrative split in two timelines that help fleshing out the characters.
A story which is focused on Jilo, our main character, with two timelines: the past when he was fourteen years old, the horrors he lived such as the Sickness and the difficult relationship with his father, moments that shaped her personality and the sense of loss and grief; while in the present timeline, 154 years after, a more mature Jilo, but with a more action-focused plot, we see how the past comes back to hit him and how he will need to deal with all the repressed pain and trauma he experienced from the past.
Jilo is an excellent character, as Walker has put much effort into developing him, creating a character that has multiple layers and that needs to confront his own trauma; but also as somebody raised with the Hidden Ones, we can see how that has shaped his personality and the respect he has for nature. We also have excellent non-human characters, that found family that has taken Jilo and that helps him in this desperate heist; hopefully we see more about them in the full novels.
This novella is used as an opportunity to explore more about the Hidden Ones and their mythology, while also putting a spotlight on some of the attempts of the empire to get control over Luminosity; in such a brief format, there's plenty to learn about the world. The pacing is great, alternating between the more reflexive past with the action focused present; the prose is lush, almost transporting you to the Greenwood.
The Child of the Greenwood is another excellent opportunity to start your journey through Q'ara; an epic novella that expands the lore of the world while giving us a main character we will end cheering for. Can't wait to continue reading more of The Song of the Sleepers!
