The Quest For Freedom (The Conquest Trilogy Book 1) by Matthew Devitt follows Fletcher Rush, an enslaved man who refuses to stay down and watch his kind suffer in captivity any more. Their captivity, which has surpassed centuries, began over 473 years ago when five species including angels, demons, the dammed, hybrids, and elves, joined forces against the humans and defeated them in a battle that was known as the Great War.
Fletcher has been secretly training for years while forging swords in Titanan, the third-largest city in the demon kingdom. He hopes to soon escape and reclaim the rights of his species. The day he has been waiting for to make his move finally arrives, and just as planned, his friend Abe stages a confrontation that sends Fletcher to the infirmary, unconscious. He meets Ji there, a fellow slave, who offers to help Fletcher escape as long as he takes him along. An array of brutal action and coordinated one-sided battles follow, against demon guards of various ranks.
The novel takes us to Admont, where the duo meets a former angel slave who has been living alone since her escape. Fletcher forges new weapons and together, they come up with a plan to attack the weakest city in the weakest kingdom before moving on to the rest of the cities. Readers, in full awareness of the man Fletcher is--dangerous, rash and with nothing to lose--find themselves pulled into a conversation between the trio, which suggests that this will end with fire and blood. Here, a question arises about how their three-man army will win a four-centuries-old war, and whether by the time they arrive, any soul worth saving will still be alive.
The greatest surprise of this book is how humorous the characters are, especially during and after brutal scenes. They joke about finding full meals in their escape car's glove, when in reality, it's dry oat bars they find. Fletcher calls Ji's sword a "butter knife," just because it is chipped and dull, implying that all along Ji has been fighting using cutlery! These, among other hilarious moments, do not feel like forced jokes, but rather natural, deliberate, and strategic breaks from the brutality. The action scenes flow very well, making sure that the reader never loses track of where the characters are or what they are doing. The pacing is equally impressive, and is far smoother than what many authors struggle to achieve. It is remarkable how the author choreographs every blow, dodge, and counter with precision. You also notice that he keeps raising the stakes by bringing on harder challenges, forcing the main characters to adapt mid-fight. The beauty of it all is that he ends up making the reader feel like a witness to the chaos, a witness who cheers them on from a point of understanding of why they should not stop.
Quill says: The Quest For Freedom is not your ordinary debut fantasy. It doesn't rush; it's confident enough to let its hero spend over a decade training before the story even begins; it lets you feel the significance of every blow; and by the last page, makes you feel like a survivor alongside everyone who makes it out. It is a very inspiring read that proves that one doesn't need to be strong or brilliant but instead unwilling to give up, that rising up after failing is crucial to success, and that an insignificant beginning doesn't mean the end will be insignificant. It is graphic but not careless, and so readers who are sensitive to detailed violence should proceed with caution. For those who can stomach it, it is deeply rewarding.
For more information about The Quest For Freedom, please visit the author's website at: theconquesttrilogy.com
