It’s always interesting to read works by new, unfamiliar authors—especially when that author turns out to be the pseudonym of a former colleague. (He’s not actively advertising that “Mikko Vill” is his pen name, but he’s not exactly hiding it either). Creative people tend to be creative in multiple areas, so I wasn’t surprised to learn that this colleague dabbles in various forms of art. But the fact that he also writes books? That one somehow slipped past me.
And now, his novel “Deadly Forest” has been released in the mystical fantasy genre—apparently, the first book in the “Chronicles of Ivar” series. So, of course, I had to give it a try.
The premise is fairly classic: there’s a forest people shouldn’t enter because, well, sometimes they don’t come back. But there are always daredevils who refuse to believe “old folks’ tales” and set out to prove them wrong. And then, the same old folks have to find someone to go in and drag those “skeptics” back out. (That’s as vague as I can be without slipping into spoilers).
Since this book is intended as the first in a series (the author is currently editing the second one), we also get to meet the protagonist, Ivar. He’s the one unlucky enough to be tasked with solving this whole mess—not that he seems too upset about it. He’s a rather odd and reclusive character, the kind people like to call “not of this world.” But precisely because of that, he’s in high demand as a lone warrior who simply does his job—exceptionally well.
At first, the long descriptions of Ivar and his habits felt a bit tedious—even gave off a certain “amateurish” vibe, if I’m being honest. But that’s partly due to the author’s writing style (he released the book in both Russian and English simultaneously), and partly due to Ivar himself—a character who, let’s be real, wouldn’t exactly become your best friend if you met him in real life. The other characters also seemed somewhat shallow to me, even slightly grotesque or satirical in their portrayals. It didn’t make the reading experience difficult, but you do find yourself subconsciously comparing it to more seasoned authors and thinking, this could be done better. But that’s a minor quibble—I’ve read plenty of early works by aspiring writers (including my own), so I can chalk this up to nitpicking.
That said, around the middle of the book, the pacing picks up significantly. Ivar gains an unexpected companion—someone just as peculiar as he is—and from that moment on, you stop noticing the writing style as much because you’re too focused on finding out what happens next. By the end, it becomes clear that this first case is just the beginning of a long journey—most likely for these two very strange partners.
Unfortunately, I can’t say it was truly outstanding—my eyes still caught on certain parts of the text—but the book definitely didn’t disappoint and ended up exceeding my expectations. (I always try to keep my expectations low with new authors—it reduces the chances of disappointment, and surprises only enhance the excitement). One thing is for sure: I’ll be reading the next book in the series. Wishing the author all the best—and hoping he keeps going!
My rating: 3.5/5
