This is book one of a fantasy fiction trilogy set in Erivan and Rhulin, a land of men and magic. The world of Rhunes and Fhrey is characterized by the extraordinary abilities of the Fhrey who live thousands of years, and the struggles of the Rhunes, who are seen by the Fhrey as uncivilized animals. Within the Fhrey there are also divisions, with the Miralyith tribe, masters of the magical Arts, the most powerful. Some Miralyith see themselves as god-like creatures and even distain the other Fhrey as lowly and beneath them.

Like many fantasy epics this is a story of social justice, dressed in garments dissimilar enough that we don’t recognize the tale as our own. A few members of the most remote tribes of the Fhrey unite with the Rhunes to fight the Miralyith oppressor. Their success is lead by our female hero Persephone, who breaks the tradition of her village to become the first woman Chieftain, a clearly feminist side story.

But for the most part I don’t read fantasy fiction for its social justice subtext (although I expect and appreciate it in the books I prefer). I read it to take a break from the stress of the real world where there are no magical solutions to my mundane problems. The best stories are written with the most conviction and detail, and the invented landscape, languages, and belief systems present seamlessly to transport the reader into the story. In other words, there is enough detail to transport the reader into the story but not so much detail that every five pages I have to look at the map at the beginning of the book or the glossary at the end to figure out where I am and what is going on.

Based on these basic criteria I give Age of Myth 3 1/2 👍 out of 5 👍. The story is not as intricate as some in this genre, and a little predictable, but well written and poetic. I’m looking forward Age of Swords, the next book in the series.