Breach of Peace is the debut novella from YouTuber Daniel Greene. Daniel is a fan of the Wheel of Time and has run a YouTube channel for several years covering Robert Jordans work and all manner of Sci-fi and Fantasy literature as well as a regular news feature. As such Daniel has a great platform upon which to launch his novel but he has never seemed to take advantage of his audience and ramming the book down their throats. He is obviously proud of his achievement, and he should be.
The novella is in my mind perfectly paced with well thought out and engaging characters in a believable and intriguing setting. The feel of the book is a cross between gothic horror and steampunk. In some ways it reminded me of a police procedural like CSI but in others was like a slice of Victorian jump scare horror.
In a small number of pages Daniel creates three main characters that are diverse and easy to come to like and care for as the story progresses. The protagonist Khlid particularly got through to me and I wanted to see more from her. Although released as a novella I feel there was enough meat here behind the scenes to warrant a full story, however the narrative fitted the short story format well and I look forward to Daniels other offerings.
As someone playing at writing my own fantasy novel for over 20 years this book fills me with both optimism and pessimism. Daniel here, has self-published an excellent novel. It was well edited, and the cover was great, moody and atmospheric, he showed that it is possible to fulfil your dream and become a published author, on the other hands the seeming ease with which Daniels’s prose cascade off the page have me doubting the talent I have to complete my own.
As the first part of a trilogy, I very much look forward to reading more. I want to know more about the world Daniel is creating and for me that yearning for a deeper understanding of another world is what draws me in every time. For those who thought that Daniels occasionally zany persona or passion for Wheel of Time might colour his writing I can tell them that they are very wrong. The style is competent and engaging but lacks the in depth detail of Jordan (Not a criticism). What Daniel has produced is a sober, unique and gripping novella worthy of someone who has great potential to create even greater works.
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