Review of The Tome of Syyx

[Skyler Cahill]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Tome of Syyx" by Stavros Saristavros.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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The Tome of Syyx by Stavros Saristavros Book Review by Skyler Cahill

The book The Tome of Syyx, pronounced toe-m of six, by Stavros Saristavros, is an engaging read full of adventure. There are four main characters of different fantasy races: a panther, a human, a half-elf (with her own agenda...), and a half-orc. An additional character, a full elf, appears throughout the story and plays a large part in the tale, although she is not a main character. The four main characters set off on one adventure after another, defending against threats, retrieving a stolen magical artifact, and persuading allies to join the cause, all while battling their secret internal struggles from the past.

My favorite part of the book is an epic battle against a powerful and greedy dragon. The author is very successful in describing the scene, making it feel like the reader is there and watching in person. By the time this battle takes place, the reader has had time to become familiar with the cast and can therefore be invested in them. I found myself cheering on the four heroes and their allies as they fought bravely against the formidable serpent.

Another aspect of the book I found interesting was the unique spin the author placed on the character of the Orc race. While The Tome of Syyx is similar to The Lord of the Rings concerning medieval times, wizards, elves, and the like, in this book, the Orcs aren’t all portrayed as bad and evil from birth. The author does well unpacking the difference it can make in how we treat and respect others vs jumping to conclusions and allowing our prejudices to lead us.

One thing I would change about this book is that I would try giving the characters and the places names that were easier to remember and simpler to recall. I struggled to keep up with who was talking and where the characters were due to some of the names being similar. I appreciate the uniqueness of the character names and understand that the story is set in medieval times, but it felt like they were thrown at me before I had time to process which name belonged to which character. While the fast pace kept the story from becoming boring, at times it was tricky to keep up.

I would rate The Tome of Syyx a four out of five. I found no errors in the book, and the plot was well thought out. I enjoyed the characters, although I wouldn't have minded a few more background details of their histories, and would have liked more insight into their deeper feelings more frequently. The author had good descriptions of various scenes, making me feel like I was actually in the story, tagging along on the adventure with the four heroes. I was not bored. The book would be geared towards young adults due to some sexual suggestions and minor language. I appreciated that the author left the sexual scenes up to the imagination, only alluding to them taking place vs describing them. The language could have been left out or left to the imagination as well.

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The Tome of Syyx
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