Under the Lesser Moon

By: Shelly Campbell

Narrated by: Ryan Haugen

Dragons once led our people across the wastelands, away from storms, and toward hunting grounds. That’s what the elders say, but 11-year-old Akrist has squinted at empty skies his whole life. The dragons have abandoned them, and it’s Akrist’s fault. He’s cursed. Like every other firstborn son, he has inherited the sins of his ancestors. In his camp, he’s the only eldest boy left. Something happened to the others. Something terrible.

When Akrist befriends Tanar, the eldest boy from another tribe, he discovers the awful truth: they’re being raised as sacrifices to appease the goddess and win back her dragons. The ritual happens when the dual moons eclipse. Escape is the only option, but Akrist was never taught to hunt or survive the wastelands alone. Time is running out, and he has to do something before the moons touch.

©2020, 2023 Shelly Campbell (P)2023 Shelly Campbell

A Second Helping

I listen to books on my drive to work. My wife asked me to listen to this one for her. Ordinarily, I don't purchase books on audio. I wait and use my credit. The story was too interesting to just stop at one book, so I bought the second book.

But beware the pretentious slop is included off the virtue-signaling list, which seriously downgraded this story, which would have worked equally as well and even better without it.

Good story line and well done by the narrator.

Great narration for a unique, bleak world.

I received an audible code from the author, and boy am I glad, because the narration by Ryan Haugen is top tier.

This story has a unique world. The somewhat nomadic Hunter-gatherer communities definitely made me think of American Indians. But it’s also an incredibly bleak world too. Dystopian by definition, but still unique enough to not be entirely dark.

Akrist is marked as the community outcast by being the first born son. He’s the last remaining eldest son in the community, and all he knows is that something bad happened to the others. As an outcast he is often ignored, starved, looked down on. At worst, when he does receive actual contact with other humans, he is beat for the tiniest infractions.

After a special visit from a special someone that will be left unnamed because spoilers, it was interesting to see the novel progress around the idea of someone shunned being almost kind of welcomed in by necessity. It’s not all smooth and easy, both for the community, and Akrist. The struggle of which follows along with him during his entire life.

My one gripe (which I will try to remain as anti-spoiler as possible, but be forewarned) is that the character gets away from meeting the same fate as the other older boys just for it to circle back to it several years later and happen anyway. I do understand though that it’s creating the impetus for the book 2 character arc, but I just wish it had been done through something else entirely, especially with most of his life being so rough.

Personally a 4/5*! I most definitely need to keep going with audio for book 2!

We wanted more, but it was still good.

Challenging, dark, mysterious, reflective, sad, and tense.
Slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No, except for poor Akrist.
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0 ⭐

This story is sort of depressing. It is where the reader and the main protagonist (Akrist), come to an understanding that his life is one of toil and trouble, and that not much good is going to happen in his life...so enjoy the small improvements, for it will NOT last long.

My wife and I listened to this book, together. She's a Horror fan and I'm a Fantasy fan (nerd), and we pretty much were NOT satisfied to the fullest in either area, but what we DID get...was a Epic Pre-Historical tale of nomads...in this fantastical world.

The story is built upon three main parts (as we saw it while listening):

1) Introduction to Akrist's life. He's not welcomed in his clan, because he is connected to worms. The "good guys" are connected to dragons. When worms are around, dragons are NOT. So...his presence is not liked. So, his mother basically abandons him, his dad is okay with him, and so are his brother. 

Also, he does not always make the soundest of judgments...just saying.

2) Akrist falls in love...and basically finds someone who "sees him" and accepts him as a good person. Well, this is probably the best time of his life. Because the story is the way it is, this time of his life comes to an end in a dramatic fashion...with some body horror aspec. Marie was chuckling, as I was hunched over and grabbing hold of my private parts in sympathy to Akrist and all the boys were going through. It reminded me of The World According to Garp...and the scene where Garp cruised down the hill without the motor and smashed into the another car in his driveway. What was happening in the OTHER car mad ALL the men in the crowd gasp and reach down. Most all the women were chuckling, or all out laughing. Yeah. Similar vibe.

3) The time after...and Akrist's found friend and then family...and what he would do for them...even to his detriment, though they both helped each other through difficult times. This seemed one-sided at times, but we do believe it was a two-way street.

Now, the way this story ended made us both scratch our head. The return of one character, but then the return of another...then the end (which we saw was approaching), but didn't think it would be THAT abrupt.

We were left looking at each other...thinking...it can't be over, can it? But it was. 

We want to know more...so that is good, but we are left unfullfilled in a sense. We had the appetizer, the salad and the meal, but we wanted the dessert and the coffee afterwards...so that the discussion of the story could be cordial. 

It feels like the author gave us the first three parts of the meal, but then shoved us out the door without the dessert and the coffee. 

Ugh. 

That does NOT mean we didn't enjoy it, one bit. We were invested in Akrist and wanted him to get back to his tribe and his love. That hasn't happened yet. 

Obstacles have gotten in his way. 

We need to know what happens, next. 

👉Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Torture, Confinement, and Violence

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Death, Domestic abuse, and Pregnancy

Minor: Rape and Sexism