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Overdue Book Review: The Soulweb, by Steven M. Nedeau

Reading Steven M. Nedeau’s debut novel, The Soulweb, is a bit like jumping into a fast-flowing river filled with rapids, boulders, and waterfalls (something that happens in the story, BTW). You never know what’s going to happen next, but it all goes so fast that by the time you lay panting in the shallows at the end of the ride you think: a) “OMG, I made it!”; and b) “OMG, that was awesome, let’s do it again!!!” The Soulweb is a fast-moving high fantasy complete with epic quests, even more epic battles, a chosen one—although what he’s chosen for is problematic at best—some new and different creatures; and a truly intriguing and inventive premise for the entire story. I won’t go into spoiler territory here, so suffice it to say this this is something really different. I particularly enjoyed the interplay between characters, especially the two Dwarf characters (one Under-Dwarf, one Mountain Dwarf) who completely distrust each other and bicker their way through the entire book. This is a book to be savored by both LOTR and GoT fans, with enough grimdark to satisfy the latter, and enough top-notch characterization, world building, and humor to satisfy the former. And yeah, it ends with a cliffhanger that will definitely make readers want to pick up the next book right away, while The Soulweb is still fresh in memory. The one problem: It ain’t been writ yet. Come on, Steve, help us out here. You got this! Finish. The. Book.