The Weaver & The Wyrm: A Tale of Emaneska is a well-paced, character-driven fantasy novella set in a medieval-style world inhabited by vampires, mages, and dragons.
Farden the ‘Written’ mage is the main character, with his book of magic tattooed onto his skin. He proves to be a fair and kindly person, trying to find himself a new place in the world of Albion. He becomes embroiled in an adventure involving both a colorful and larger-than-life village gang leader, the greedy Weaver, and a venomous lyndwyrm, a rare species similar to a dragon but resembling a snake. It is coveted for the weaponisation of its venom. I enjoyed the tentative relationship between Farden and the captive wyrm.
I wish that more time had been given to the part in the story where Farden visits a jail to break out the family of the hunter who originally captured the wyrm. It felt rushed compared to other sections and could have been more drawn out, especially since the description of the jail itself was so intriguing.
This is the first of Ben Galley’s works that I have read, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself as I traveled along with Farden in the immersive and easy-to-visualize world of Emaneska. I would definitely read more of his stories based on my enjoyment of this novella, and will be adding the full-length novels from the Emaneska series to my TBR.
I read The Weaver & The Wyrm as part of the finals of the SFINCS3 competition. My opinions are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of my teammates.
