SF/FANTASY/HORROR
Wrong Way to Heaven: A Misplaced
Adventures Novel
Kevin Pettway | Cursed Dragon Ship Publishing, LLC
304p, trade paper, $19.99, ISBN 978-1-951-44557-7
In the assured first book of The Wrongway
Series, Pettway (author of the Misplaced Mercenaries series) conjures a sumptuous quest, following the adventures of a spunky teenager dodging obstacles, including her own family, as she leads a pair of persnickety gods back home. Sixteen year-old Masika Oburn, niece to Holy Emperor Khasek, had discovered and freed two gods of the Alir held captive and tortured for centuries: Rainn, god of Doing
Things Out-of-Doors-in-Poor-Weather, and his companion Heron, a divine bird. Masika vows to return them to their realm but wasn’t expecting such opposition and hostility doing it. First they must pass through High King Oldem’s realm, but he refuses passage. Then Masika’s elder, sociopathic sister, Meritities, has gone so far as to have Masika thrown in prison on trumped up charges, just so she can gain favor with their father, Tennat, and become Empress.
Pettway crafts an amiable protagonist in Masika who, despite facing animosity at every turn, stays true to her quest and desire to do right by Rainn and Heron. The adventuring trio’s next move is a gamble—climb Mount P’takkin to petition the Darrish gods, ancient enemies of the Alir, for help returning Rainn and Heron. But Meritities partners with the kingdom of Kos to thwart their endeavor. Ravenous and perpetually miserable Rainn provides humor, while Masika draws on her experience as a noble to engage in diplomacy and obstruct the political machinations against her.
Fans of Pettway’s Misplaced Mercenaries books will relish the reappearance of cities and some characters from those books, while fantasy fans in general will enjoy the sorcerers, politics, errant gods, and monsters that populate this playful adventure, as Masika journeys through cave-towns, riverboats, taverns, and other classic settings given new twists. This story’s beating heart is a heroine who maintains her good nature no matter what the world throws at her, learning from past mistakes and getting caught up in crisp, exciting scenes of danger.
Cover: A | Design & typography: A | Illustrations: – Editing: A- | Marketing copy: A