Way of the Walker

Naming your book The Last Phi Hunter comes with some idea that this will be the last of their kind, but Salinee Goldenberg proves this is not the case with a sequel, Way of the Walker. But is this Walker an actual Phi Hunter? If your job is to find and kill the undead (Phi), befriending them and helping them to move on is not hunting, is it? Ree is in many ways her Father’s daughter, but in this follow up she follows her own path.

Set years after Ex’s adventure, the Phi Hunters have found a place in the Kingdom of Suyoram. Not embraced but certainly tolerated. Arinya and Ex’s daughter, Ree, is a naturally talented Phi Hunter, but something about killing creature she can understand does not sit right, especially when it is not the world of the Everpresent that is the risk, but the world of man. Ree must discover her own role, will she side with man or phi?

It was a bold move from Goldenberg to moves the story of Walker a decade or two later from the previous book. It allowed the world to evolve and move on but also left some behind. In this case, this was Ex, a character I very much enjoyed from the first book. Here he is a side character, a worried father who has little to do. Instead, this book focuses on Ree, and a parallel story of Tanung, a Prince of an Empire fixated on controlling all the land.

Rather than focus too much on the daughter/father relationship, the book moves on from the family homestead quickly and becomes more of an epic war novel. Ree and Tanung are pitted against one another but may also have some of the same common enemies. There are pitched battles, but this is more about guerilla tactics, Tanung’s traditional use of soldiers to strike fast and retreat, and Ree’s use of the Phi.

The book is at its strongest when exploring the relationship that Ree has with the Phi. She was born otherworldly and has a foot in both the world as we know it and the undead. Rather than fight, she talks. We learn more about the Phi, who may be monsters and killers, but can be reasoned with. Many just want help to move on.

Another key relationship in the book is between Ree and Tanung, this runs hot and cold, and is your classic will they, won’t they, enemies to lovers arch. One that we have seen before but is enjoyable. I like the character of Tanung, he is thoughtful but can also be ruthless and a tactician.

The Kingdom of Suyoram is a complex one, the novel is fantasy but set in a different feeling world. I found at times myself a little lost as to what was happening, as we visit new locations set across two plains of existence. However, it is worth it to enjoy what feels like a rich tapestry of a novel. A book that deals with creatures, but also oppression and warfare. A true epic feeling fantasy novel, that at times can get lost it in its own majesty.