By Robert Victor Mills
Part 3 of a 6-Part Review Series by
~“Have you much experience in the fistic disciplines?” “A little,” said Rhoye, never one for vaunt.
“Oh,” said Vica, crestfallen. “This may prove short.” “Aye, that it may.”~
The third tale in this collection once again finds Rohye accompanied by best friend and poet Astropho. It seems as though this joining of forces has been paying good dividends in the last few tales and the interactions of these two main characters is always fun and engaging.
PLOT:
This time our power duo finds itself crossing the river on a boat named the Chrysomal on their way to the city of Altamantia, after Avaya (an Assayer of Khelydos the God of Trade) asked them to deliver a miniature box of engraved rosewood to the High Marshall of the Great Temple of Erishala, from whom they would of course receive a generous recompense.
Other travelers and supporting characters will cross paths with our heroes on the boat, including a champion boxer whose name is well known for being undefeated in the region.
After the big burly fighter seemingly recognizes Astropho and accuses him of ‘stealing his woman’, it is to be expected that a fight will take place to ‘right a wrong’.
What happens next? Pick up a copy of The Girl with the Fire in Her Hair and find out!
THOUGHTS:
I thought overall this was a solid Wandered Lands tale, but I was left with a few questions unanswered. Whether that was intentional of the author I can’t say.
- Did Astropho indeed steal the woman of this other man? Even though we know by now that Astropho really ‘admires’ the opposite sex, he never comes off as the immoral type that would aid in adultery, at least not based on his code of ethics we’ve seen on display in the past.
- What was in the miniature box they were tasked to deliver? We never find out, which I found kind of odd. This seemed to have great importance and was entrusted to Astropho with the most regard. Maybe this will be revealed in a later adventure? Or perhaps Mills decided to leave his audience hanging? No idea!
CONCLUSIONS:
The Giant’s Purse is another entertaining tale from the Wandered Lands with an awesome fistfight for the ages and exquisite prose that flows delightfully. However, I must add that it left me with a little feeling of dissatisfaction, hindsight. Something felt incomplete or perhaps somewhat ‘rushed’. If this was intentionally done, fine. Not all stories are supposed to offer all the explanations we expect, and perhaps some things are best left to the imagination!
🦀