Like a callback to classic high-fantasy books but modernized for current readership, the Mistral by Felix Mosse is a wonderfully traditional epic fantasy story. Serving as both Mosse’s debut novel and the start to his Mythic Roots trilogy, the Mistral is expertly crafted, blending a wide variety of fantasy elements held aloft by an ethereal stream of wind and light. Consisting largely of detailed world-building and moving around its large cast of characters like chess pieces on a fantasy RPG board, this book is a refreshing return to the genre’s roots, one that I not only thoroughly enjoyed and found very polished with no notable weaknesses. As covered in the book’s synopsis, Mosse’s fantasy world revolves around the mystical entity the Mistral, a less turbulent jet stream-like air current crossed with the aesthetics of the aurora borealis or northern lights. Beyond serving as a distinctive visual phenomenon, this aerial force is believed to be root and source of magic, bestowing abilities upon individuals. Not only the source of magic in the land, the Mistral also is a revered religious icon, with two major belief groups interpreting its role and presence differently. Once prominent and beautiful, the Mistral has been slowly…
