The Last Spiritwalker

The Last Spiritwalker starts off powerfully, introducing us to Evelyn in the midst of suffering abuse at the hands of her partner, Connor. The reasons behind his violent behavior are often irrelevant and minuscule, but this time, he threatens their daughter. Ev takes this as the last straw, as she believes him completely, and decides to escape, taking their daughter Alice into hiding. She proceeds to learn boxing, and soon encounters an entire covenant of magic wielding characters that take her on an adventure, introducing her to a world she never knew existed.

The Last Spiritwalker is large and thorough; there is no shying away from violence, and Strom’s novel interpolates real internal struggles against a deep, fantastical world in a unique, interesting way. The novel is copy-edited immaculately, and it is abundantly clear that a great deal of effort has gone into producing a polished work.

Although Ev’s trauma surrounding the abuse she suffers is alluded to throughout the novel, the sudden switch from a very engaging and interesting narrative on her abuse and psychology, to that of an almost purely fantasy realm, is somewhat jarring. One can’t help but want to know more about her and what realistic things she goes through, or has experienced, to learn more about the literary component of her life. Instead of this, the focus is almost entirely on the world of magic and Spiritwalkers, and the crisis that takes place in that realm.

It feels, however, as though the magic and some of the moods within it, including the violence and darkness, is an allusion to Ev’s own struggles with domestic violence, and so her ascension within that world parallels the process of her own growth and healing.

Full of magic and spiritual wizardry, Strom’s novel delivers a powerful fantasy character drama that is still unquestionably human.