A first review of Summa Elvetica: A Casuistry of the Elvish Controversy:
Theodore Beale’s Summa Elevetica is a guy book. It’s stuffed with manly men fighting gory battles, braving supernatural beasts, and recounting past glories. The women are lithe and lovely and mostly in the background. Even though it takes place in an alternate history, the overall tone is Ancient Rome meets the Age of Chivalry.
Or perhaps Tolkien meets the Inquisition. In Beale’s world, the Roman Catholic Church still rules the world, and Rome never fell. At least that’s how I saw the gladiators and slaves, politics, and Latin as the vernacular. For humans, that is. Elves, dwarves, orcs, trolls, and werewolves all have their own native speech. The premise is intriguing: the Pope sends three Church scholars to decide if elves have souls. The stakes are high: If the committee decides in the negative, it’s war against the elves….
If you like long journeys on horseback, swords, sorcery, political intrigue, battles, explosions, and breathtaking rescues, this compact book is for you.
As has become my custom, I have arranged with the publisher to make free ebook downloads available here upon release. Those interested in receiving a PDF before October 1 for blog-review purposes should contact Marcher Lord Press.