Lies of Descent (The Fallen Gods’ War #1)

Bucher’s epic fantasy debut features solid prose in the service of a well-worn genre trope: the young protagonist removed from his home who learns that there are secrets concerning his lineage and that he may possess special powers. Gairen is a Draegoran, a member of the group of telepathic “demon men... [who] killed people for their impure thoughts.” He appears at the home of 12-year-old Rian after Rian’s abusive father fails to bring the child to a required testing. When Gairen touches Rian with a crystal, Rian has a vision, leading the Draegoran to proclaim that Rian has “the blood” before killing Rian’s father. Gairen takes Rian and another special child, a girl named Nola, away from their homes for an unclear purpose. The narrative alternates between the two children’s very different subsequent experiences. There are some original touches, but the story is less than memorable, and the worldbuilding, centered on legends of gods of light and dark, is underdeveloped. Fantasy fans have seen this many, many times before and won’t find anything special in this iteration. Agent: Jennie Goloboy, Donald Maass Literary. (Aug.)