[Review] The Calling by Zeke Jarvis

✨ PUBLISHER'S SYNOPSIS: The Calling is a novel set in 1992 and revolving around a group of magic users who all feel a calling to travel to Northern Wisconsin for a major shift in the world’s magic. Each member of the group has a different type of magic (earth, weather, necromancy, etc.), and, as they train, they explore the nature of magic and get to know each other. Directing their efforts is an enigmatic leader known simply as “the boss.” The group members have varying levels of trust in both the boss and their overall mission. As they debate the nature and value of their mission, tensions rise and fall. They continue to explore and debate as they struggle against secret, dangerous forces.

✨ MY THOUGHTS: In what could easily pass as a missing episode from The Outer Limits, Zeke Jarvis brings readers a perfect blend of absurd humor and thought-provoking situations that leaves both the characters and the reader wondering what, if anything, is real. 

Compelled by an unidentifiable calling to head north, a group of ten strangers, all with unique forms of magic, find themselves under the guidance and training of a man known only as "the boss." One of the first things I loved about The Calling was the way Jarvis dropped readers into the middle of each characters' journey; just as the characters themselves can't deny the urge to travel north, readers won't be able to deny their urge to binge read this story and discover more about each character. 

None of the characters, the boss especially, are fully fleshed out. We end the story without knowing a single last name, any hometown, or anyone's job status or source of motivation. But in truth, a full character backstory isn't needed here. The heart of The Calling comes from the way each character responds to their current situation. As their time with the boss gets weirder and weirder, each character stands apart and stands on their own by the way each responds to the various internal and external stimuli. Some of the most memorable parts of the story come from the way the characters respond when faced with the impossible or improbable or unknown. Jarvis kept each response on point, making it easy to keep track of the larger cast of characters even when we don't have many other distinguishing features to use. 

The Calling kept me on my toes from start to finish. Jarvis takes readers on a whirlwind adventure where it's not clear to either the reader or the characters what is real and what is all just in their heads. This story left me with a lot of questions, but the journey was well worth the unknowns. 

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Release date: 9/1/24

Format: ebook

Ebook obtained via: Amazon