At first glance, Birthright seems like a hodgepodge of ideas audiences have seen a hundred times over. It has the usual smattering of concepts readers have come to expect from the fantasy genre.
The story is as follows: a young boy named Mikey Rhodes is misplaced from his family and is thrust into an unimaginable new world filled with danger and intrigue. He is tasked with overthrowing an evil despot of insurmountable power.
His supporting cast is a vibrant mix of mythical creatures, ranging from a pack of gibbons to a ferocious warrior ogre. The main character’s chief love interest is a strong female character who chastises him frequently. And, last but not least, there is a prophecy to which the main character is connected, one he is tasked with completing.
On the surface, the story seems impeccably paint-by-numbers. Birthright, though, has more to it than you would expect.
While readers are given intermittent bits and pieces of Mikey’s wild adventures, they are never the true focus of Birthright. The real focal point of the story is Mikey’s family and how they have dealt with his disappearance.
Williamson and Bressan bring to life a heartbreaking look at how a child’s disappearance can shatter a once well-knit family. Brought to us from the perspective of Mikey’s older brother, we feel the anguish of losing a sibling. We see a marriage dissolve under the accusation that his father murdered his young brother. In only a few pages, readers can feel the heavy burden of the characters and emphasize immediately.
However, everything changes for the shattered Rhodes family when they are brought together by the FBI. At long last Mikey Rhodes has returned, but he is not the same little boy they remember. Only a year has passed, but Mikey is now a full grown man and a fearsomely strong warrior. While his return is a means for celebration for the Rhodes family, the real reason behind Mikey’s homecoming is far more foreboding.
Joshua Williamson produces a story accessible for an audience young and old that expertly juggles pulse-pounding action with strong character development. He weaves the dual storylines of a young and old Mickey Rhodes seamlessly; readers will never prefer one story over the other. Each tale brings its own amount of intrigue to other evoking wonder about what the character has gone through and what his deceptive agenda holds.
Andrei Bressan brings both worlds of the story to life in stunning fashion. Every page is diabetic, shock-inducing eye candy. Bressan’s action sequences and emotionally charged panels leave readers turning the pages to see what beautiful image he will bring to life next.
Birthright is a welcome breath of fresh air for readers, an overdue and welcome change from recent fantasy stories that gives hope for the future of the genre. It is a fantastic reminder you should not judge a book by its cover — a sentiment we all tend to forget from time to time.
