Review: The Domes of Calrathia (Chapters 1-7) By Isaac Young
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An excerpt on twitter from this author from his on-going story caught my attention some time ago, and I’ve enjoy enough of what I have read that I decided it needed as much attention as I could offer. I did not intend for this to be a long review, as it is only based off of seven chapters, but it is a very promising start to something that I see being special by its end.
Domes of Calrathia by Isaac Young is a narrated story as told in first person by our main character, Sirius. It opens grippingly with Sirius in a a life or death struggle with a wolf, and dispersed through out this difficult encounter, the author smoothly adds in enough information to keep you reading, while also showing some admirable traits in the man whose story we are being told.
The introduction is an intriguing one. You learn of the Great Ice Plain, its bitter cold, the dangers of cannibals and beasts, as well as the men who live without ever eating, and finally, Sirius’ destination: The Domes of Calrathia— where very wise men are said to hold onto knowledge.
These promises of things to come are very enticing as a reader. Isaac Young ensures that we know from the start that this world is both rich and dangerous, and our main character will be journeying into the worst of it for a task that will likely cost him his life. The task involves a book that, when described by Sirius, adds to its mystery. What lies within its pages? I very much would like to know.
Sirius and his early engagements with the characters he encounters showcase the author’s perception of the world, and he deftly establishes their intrigue and hints at the depths within them that has yet to be revealed by our narrator. This is an honest story, and I by that I do not mean that its characters always speak candidly, but that they are an honest reflection (especially Sirius’ own musings) of people as they are and can be. Even in so few chapters, it is clear the author understands something that many authors today do not, and it is from such that a believable world—despite its beasts and alleged Ghost Men— is born.
It is a tragedy that a man should die unloved. Greater still, that your home should meet such an end. And yet, I knew this was the fate of all things. That which goes unloved shall surely die, and that which forsakes love, more surely still.
Sirius is an engaging storyteller, as his insights on the world around him reminded me often of reading from the Severus in Gene Wolfe’s The Book of the New Sun. In fact, the world building and its mysteries within often left me thinking of Wolfe’s series. That is perhaps some of the highest praise I could give any story. Of course, this is not a carbon copy story that you might see with so many other books that attempt to follow the same beats and formula as their favorite stories of past. Though I only have several chapters to go off at this time, The Domes of Calrathia— while likely as inspired of many things as any other story— is its own unique world.
You gather from the descriptions and conversations that this is a world far, far off into a future that is bleak amongst gaps in its capabilities. It is clear that Sirius lives in world where past and future meet, with swords once again common practice and guns a relic of the past. There are many things known by smart men within select groups, yet hints that much has been lost in time (perhaps like a certain space agency of supposedly smart people trying to get back to the moon yet no longer having the knowledge to do so).
I do not yet know how constant certain characters will be within this story, as it is far too early to say, however, Sirius himself is very likeable. Within the first chapter—as he reflects on the wolf he fought to the death with honor— it is shown that he is a man of respect, and this is backed up even more in later chapters as he helps those in need and again in how he faces the potential of death every time it arises.
There is a promise of much action amidst this strange and magical world, and I would be more than happy with such, as the author shows a good understand of writing realistic combat scenes and maintains Sirius’ cleverness without making him too strong too early. He is an Astronomer, and while adept with the sword as any man should be, is a man like any other.
That brings me to a final observation, in that the different schools mentioned from Astronomers to the Machinists, and Alchemists, the creatures such as The Anemoi (that I suspect are winged?), the authority that all men within this world seem to heed (The Potentate), entice you to learn more about this world, even if at times the explanations are sparse. Your hand will not always be held, and while some do not care for this way of storytelling, I believe it works well, and enjoy the mysticism (which, contrary to belief, is far more realistic in a world than explaining every little thing).
Some might find such a notion laughable, but I tell you it is not pleasant to stay in a home that is no longer yours. What was once familiar and trusted was now suddenly cold and hostile. The world had turned on its head, and the faces I knew turned up their noses at me. Home was no longer home, and I doubted I would ever have one again.
I do not wish to give too much away, it does not take time to read through the chapters available, though I do believe this to be a story in which you chew on what’s said and described so that it really soaks in. I will say, however, that I do believe the author’s flow and ability to set a scene through sensory detail and descriptions could use some work, but with Sirius narrating the story, it helps cover some of those shortcomings— Even so, that is something that an Author can fix as he grows. What cannot be learned quite as easily is having something to say that is worth reading, and Isaac Young has that in spades. What he has is a talent that many who write lack, and must make up for in the overabundance of systems and details that they place in the smallest mechanic of their world while their characters and dialogue suffer.
The Domes of Calrathia is a world that is clearly built upon truth. It just so happens that Young also has a great imagination.
I’ll end with an eager urge for anyone who reads this to start reading The Domes of Calrathia, as I do believe it to be the beginning of something great, and I sincerely hope Isaac Young keeps writing— and upon finishing it— collects it into a volume so as to grace our shelves.
“Is it so much better to die in a sequestered bedroom than at your post?” I asked, arguing to the defense of Berenice. “There is no shame in a life well spent, and this dog is wise for remaining here. For he knows the day is coming when he shall return to his master, and he shall receive his just reward for remaining faithful unto death.”
Link to the first chapter and Isaac’s substack:
Domes of Calrathia (Chapter One)
Image used as seen above the first Chapter of The Domes of Calrathia