Aether Shift by Alex Shepherd

Aether Shift by Alex Shepherd has one of those covers that in absolutely no way has anything to do with the content. At a glance, you might be forgiven in thinking it a SF novel, which it's not. Aether Shift is very much a magic-rich fantasy of an epic kind. Our main character Daen is a rebel whose mistake costs him his freedom – he ends up in a slave market, which can be argued is a fate almost worse than death. But to make matters worse, he is purchased by Duke Kieron who is a representative of everything Daen has been fighting against – a man who has a penchant for collecting magical creatures that he controls with the very magic that he despises.

We also meet the shapeshifter Asha, a long-time thrall of Kieron's, who is used to manipulate Daen, who is (obviously) resistant to sharing any intel that might jeopardise his fellow rebels. His cause is not helped by the fact that the king, too, has a rather lethal interest in Daen. Asha does not believe that anyone would want to help her, and she's very much aware that she is a tool in Kieron hands. Daen is a high-value pawn, whether he likes it or not, and it's her job to crack him. She just doesn't expect that she's going to warm to his advances of friendship.

I wasn't quite sure where Shepherd was going with this story, whether it would be a desperate bid for freedom resulting in a quest – but it was an engaging read nonetheless, with plenty of intrigue and fascinating world building, in addition to a well-realised magic system – always good to see. I did feel, however, that this novel could have used a more stringent bit of copy editing. For instance, 'drug' is definitely not the past participle of 'drag', and the occasional modern idiomatic expression crept in that felt out of place with what feels like a baroque-era type setting. And there were the occasional dropped words, grammar gremlins or typos, but not enough to upset me. Overall, Shepherd tells a solid, engaging story that I related to, and after I got to know the characters, I cared about them pretty quickly.

This is a story about freedom, about doing the right thing, even if it's dangerous. This is also a story about about trust – and friendship despite having all the odds stacked against success. It's clearly a first book in a series, and if you're in the mood for a story about slaves fighting for freedom (a noble cause, if ever there was one) then this one will push the right buttons.