The Shape of a War

This is a fantasy story with ghosts. After a war on their island, mysterious people are going around looking for clues about a doctor's murder. Things are not as they seem and people start to disappear one after the other. Who will be the last one standing? Though it is presented here as a mystery, it is not one. There are no single protagonist but multiple characters from all walks of life interacting in a closed system, trying to understand what happened and where to go next. Though the characters meet each other after the war, this event continues to play a major part in the story and is referenced throughout as it is essentially one of the characters.

This is the first book of a series planned for six books long and introduces some of the main concepts used later. It can be read as a stand-alone book but will be better understood within the whole. The universe in which the characters are interacting is heavy in worldbuilding and does not borrow someone else's power system. There are some elements of mystery, psychological thriller and action in a context resembling the mid-19th century in Europe but the resemblance stops there. It is indeed a fantasy with very different rules and concepts.

The goal of this book is to entertain and so it does not wish to be taken too seriously. Humor can be found throughout the story and twists will appear once or twice. Though there are darker elements, it is not the main theme of the story. It is aspiring to be a short and funny story with surprising elements.