The Ancestral Warrior, by John E. Clarke.
In this innovative fantasy adventure we encounter a mysterious talking bear and a small diverse group of humans crossing a continent to rescue a distant city state from the grasp of a tyrant; but their return home is put in jeopardy by one of the defeated enemy's vengeful creatures. 'The Ancestral Warrior' is a unique combination of fantasy, action, mystery and adventure; a quest set in a parallel universe.
The eastern city state of Karwaat is ruled by a tyrannical usurper, a renegade priest who has heightened his hypnotic skills through paranormal means. A Karwaatian academic, who dabbles in the occult, sends a captive djinn called Abu Dib to faraway Norland. This academic has read a legend about a warrior bear who once lived there and defeated a similar usurper. He believes that such a bear may still exist. He instructs the djinn to find and bring that bear to Karwaat.
Having reached Norland, Abu Dib meets a young sheep farmer called Jo and, through her, a bear called Boris who works as a farmhand and is no warrior. Nevertheless, with the help of an exiled prince and his counsellor, they muster a team of five comrades to escort Boris to Karwaar. Helped by allies the comrades cross nine countries, encountering difficulties along the way until at last Boris can confront the usurper. But much more is to follow if the quest is to be brought to a successful conclusion.
The magical aspects of the story are firmly grounded in a precise realism. The ecological and geopolitical traditions, religions and technologies found in the different countries are described in sufficient depth to give verisimilitude to the make-believe continent across which the story roams. The author has drawn upon several years work experience in the Middle East and Africa.
The eastern city state of Karwaat is ruled by a tyrannical usurper, a renegade priest who has heightened his hypnotic skills through paranormal means. A Karwaatian academic, who dabbles in the occult, sends a captive djinn called Abu Dib to faraway Norland. This academic has read a legend about a warrior bear who once lived there and defeated a similar usurper. He believes that such a bear may still exist. He instructs the djinn to find and bring that bear to Karwaat.
Having reached Norland, Abu Dib meets a young sheep farmer called Jo and, through her, a bear called Boris who works as a farmhand and is no warrior. Nevertheless, with the help of an exiled prince and his counsellor, they muster a team of five comrades to escort Boris to Karwaar. Helped by allies the comrades cross nine countries, encountering difficulties along the way until at last Boris can confront the usurper. But much more is to follow if the quest is to be brought to a successful conclusion.
The magical aspects of the story are firmly grounded in a precise realism. The ecological and geopolitical traditions, religions and technologies found in the different countries are described in sufficient depth to give verisimilitude to the make-believe continent across which the story roams. The author has drawn upon several years work experience in the Middle East and Africa.
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