A swashbuckling fantasy tale: My Father’s Ghost by AC Wilson

Cover of my father’s ghost, a YA fantasy novel by AC Wilson. Review by Markus McDowell

This is book 2 of the Gwambi Tetralogy, A swash buckling tail taking place in a fantasy world that resembles 17 or 18th century British Isles, especially Gaelic culture. I believe many people would call this “magical realism.” It is also written to include the historical Christian faith, what makes it a fascinating exercise in a faith-based fantasy tale. Unlike some so-called “Christian” novels, this one does not pound the reader over the head with it or engage in lengthy sermons. It is merely the faith of some characters, but not all of them. Quite well done.

I had no trouble reading the second book in the tetralogy, even though I hadn’t read the first. Had I read the first volume, I probably would’ve understood the setting in the characters more quickly, but it really wasn’t a drawback. It takes the skill of a writer to make a series book also possible to read as a standalone.

From Amazon:

“What is a ghost? It is a demon, cursed to live immortally in mortal flesh.”
Haeli can handle anything. She has to. She has spent her whole life wedged between the inexorable power of the Company and the chaotic politics of the indigenous nymph tribes. Her family’s wisdom and her faith in God guide her. And she loves her life. That was until her Da gave her the Gwambi keys… and told her to run. Is her family’s wisdom and her ancestral faith enough to protect her from two pirate crews, a vengeful griffin, and a sorcerer? Ella can’t help her either: she’s too busy dealing with the fallout of the increasingly violent labor strikes. And that was before she awakened the ghost…
The swashbuckling tale of “My Father’s Land” continues in this thrilling sequel, bringing more of A C Wilson’s unique world-building, and faith-based, character driven fantasy.
With a focus on immersive world-building that features fully developed fantasy races, deeply religious colonists, and labor riots, “My Father’s Land” draws as much from JRR Tolkien and Indiana Jones as it does from Charles Dickens. “The Gwambi Tetralogy” borders on magical realism, and is a faith-based and character-driven spin on the fantasy genre.
Includes 10 hand-drawn illustrations of the highest quality by Shelby Elizabeth.

Having been raised on Tolkien, I loved the maps of the world in the beginning. The initial chapter is well done to grab the reader: a 13-year-old boy has to go confront his father in a pub, and he is terrified about it. We’re drawn into his fears, wondering why, and then the climax of the chapter is a compelling inciting moment.

The action throughout is fast-paced, but interspersed with slower paste scenes that give us insights into the characters, the culture of the world, its politics, and the people and their history. It’s a nice structure.
The story builds with triumphs and setbacks, as a typical heroes’ journey narrative should. It’s unique enough, with Sentient animals, bits of magic here in there, and the plot itself which slowly unveiled the mystery of the two given to the protagonist. It kept me wanting to read on.

Occasionally, the jumps between sections would be better as chapter divisions. For example, the first scene, mentioned above, would’ve been better as a standalone introduction. Because there’s a paragraph return, and then suddenly we are in an entirely different scene with wholly different people.

There seem to be three primary characters in different settings, but in the same world. Every so often there is very little to tell us that we have switched the focus of the limited narrator. Could’ve been a little smoother in some places.

Some better structural editing is needed. For example, there are four paragraphs in a row that start with the name “Ella.” Obviously, this doesn’t impact the quality of the story, but it is distracting for a reader.

This is listed as a children’s book, but I think it would be better described as either young adult or perhaps teen. The vocabulary would be difficult for younger children I think, not to mention knife fights, murder, and a rape scene. While the ladder is not described in any detail, it’s strongly implied: “let’s have some fun with her,” followed by descriptions of men holding a girl down and reaching for the hem of her dress before she is rescued.

These are minor issues that do not affect the quality of the characters, the plot, and the pacing, all of which are well done. I would recommend this as a book for anyone over the age of 15 or 16 who enjoys swashbuckling fantasy tales, young female heroes (as well as male heroes), with a bit of magic and Christian faith thrown in. It’s a fun read that draws you in from the beginning.