“unusual blend of urban fantasy, mythology and self-discovery” – review of Dinnusos Rises on SFcrowsnest

Artwork: Alison Buck
Artwork: Alison Buck

On SFcrowsnest, Vinca Russell has reviewed Dinnusos Rises, the latest novel from Tej Turner. Describing it as an “unusual blend of urban fantasy, mythology and self-discovery” Vinca says that the story gradually unfolds “until it reaches a final, fairly satisfying climax at the end”.

As in The Janus Cycle, Tej provides us with a separate narrator in each chapter, which Vinca found “to be less irritating than I expected and for this story it fitted nicely”. The inclusion of mythical figures, a ghost, and characters who have powers “ranging from time travel to dream walking, via being able to talk to animals and alter people’s emotions by playing music” “makes for an interesting mix, but I think I’d have liked it all to be explored in a bit more depth” says Vinca. Adding that it’s “great that Turner has populated his stories with characters that aren’t just white, heterosexual and cisgender – there should be more of that diversity in fiction” but sometimes explanations of such issues broke up the pacing of the story.

Vinca concludes by saying “I was pleasantly surprised” by Dinnusos Rises, observing that it “used the multiple POV narrative structure well and the plot tied up nicely”.

You can read Vinca’s full review on SFcrowsnest here.