Gemini of the Sleeping Gods: The Books of Bask Book One by Hyperphant
Red Lexicon Publishing
504 pages

Who is this Hyperphant? Unfamiliar with the term, much less the person, I made a casual internet search which brought up a Twitter account hyping Gemini of the Sleeping Gods, and not much else... aside from a condition called hyperphantasia, which is the condition of having extremely vivid mental imagery. So it would seem that the author likes their anonymity.

The publisher, Red Lexicon Publishing, sounded interesting and I had wondered how this small press had escaped my notice. Another casual search brought back zilch. Another creation of the anonymous author?

Do not let the page count daunt you; the print is fairly large.

From the very beginning you are thrust into this world, floundering with its new terms with very little explanation. You have to carry on and just figure it out as you go. Glen Cook and Steven Erikson are both very adept at writing stories in this manner. Somehow this type of storytelling works.

The story is large and audacious. This world is old, and each subsequent civilization has built over the previous; forgetting the past. The presence of multiple moons suggests an alien world. Travel to interstellar bodies is mentioned as something of the past. The use of bronze weapons is also mentioned. So this world is a dim shadow of its past.

Our first protagonist, the Wanderer, is known by many names. He can alter his appearance and is seemingly immortal. He has stolen the Cartouche, a priceless treasure, from the Temple of Pyralith for reasons we are not privy to initially. In his flight he is pursued by the implacable Clavigers who will stop at nothing to recover the Cartouche.

Our second protagonist, Yaotox, is an enigma. His sole mission is to hunt down the Messenger. After escaping being buried alive for an undetermined time, Yaotox finds that his quarry is long gone. His search will lead him across the world, pit him against monsters, use ancient tech, travel through gateways, and finally come face to face with his prey.

All parties converge in an epic battle of malevolent sorcery, ancient technology, cannibals, and a group of unstoppable knights in golden armor. Something will be awakened.

This was a self contained novel. Factoring in that this is a self published author, and it is book one of a proposed series I was surprised at the closure at the end.

The main detractor for Gemini of the Sleeping Gods is that the book is poorly edited and really needs some more attention, but overall it was a fine adventure blending many elements together, reminding me mostly of the pulp science fiction of yesteryear.

Fans of The Book of the New Sun series by Gene Wolfe, The Dying Earth cycle by Jack Vance, and The Eye of Sounnu by Schuyler Hernstrom may find interest in Gemini of the Sleeping Gods.