The Fourth Tier = Book Review

The Fourth Tier
by Penn Fawn

Around 120 years prior, the early Kazites built the walls of their territory with bricks. They called their place the city of Kaz or the city under the stars. The Kazites are peaceful people and know no enemies. Until a group of strangers attacked them. Ill-equipped for combat, they are forced to flee into a cave that led to the Fourth Tier.

After the Necropolis series, Penn Fawn released another dark fiction called The Fourth Tier. This book is the first part of the author’s Underworld series. Again, in this volume the plot revolves around a world beyond what humans know.

The Fourth Tier story begins in the city of Kaz. Its inhabitants, called Kazites, are peaceful and self-sufficient people. Among the residents of the city are shamans, prophets, and witches. Although they possess some basic weapons, the people of Kaz know no enemies at all. Or, so they believe. Their only concern is that of being immortal.

Journey Into The Fourth Tier

It’s a huge surprise for the Kazites when, one day, a multitude of strangers suddenly appear in their territory. Without provocation, the newcomers attack the residents from all sides, for reasons the Kazites don’t even know. Some of them are brave enough to face their enemies and fend them off. But then, their weapons are no match to that of the enemy’s. And, so many of them decide to flee to the Devil’s Mouth.

Those who made it into the cave include Demba, Shae, Sadu, Pilal, and Hespatia. They lead their kindreds and many of their fellow Kazites forward through the dark space. Although they don’t know where they are headed.

As they grope along a wall, they realize other creatures exist in the cavern. Someone approaches them from nowhere. He offers to lead them to a certain area. The Kazites soon find themselves traversing along a narow and dangerous path until they reach the area called the fourth tier. At this level, they meet another group of immortals. Apparently, the latter beings have been in this place way ahead of the Kazites. This group of immortals are known as the Fourthtiersmen.

The Kazites and the Fourthtiersmen soon merge together and decide to pursue their ultimate common goal. Find out for yourself what the ultimate goal is about. Read The Fourth Tier and follow the unified immortals’ journey in the underworld.

The Book and the Author of the Fourth Tier

If you read Penn Fawn’s other books (Necropolis and The Jeniyan), you can recognize the attackers and be familiar with the places he describes in The Fourth Tier. But, don’t worry if you haven’t, the new book is a stand-alone.

In The Fourth Tier, you’ll never see a monotonous pattern. This novel presents a battle between good and evil from another perspective. The fight requires more than physical combat. The heart-pounding scenes will keep the reader on the edge of his seat. And, although it’s a dark-themed book, it gives the reader a lot to think about and learn from. The following statement from one of the major characters, for example, carries a message of hope.
“There is no way out from the darkness of despair if you have a weak mind.”
Just as this message fortifies the immortals, so does it encourage the reader. It calls us to clothe ourselves with courage in times of difficulties and troubles. What I like the most in this book is Hespatia’s outlook, particularly in dealing with the necromancer.

Furthermore, The Fourth Tier demonstrates the author’s expertise in storytelling. Penn Fawn’s rich imagination once again takes the reader to a virtual “tour” beyond the world of the living.

Overall, I give The Fourth Tier a rating of 5 out of 5 stars, and I recommend it to readers 18 years old and above. I don’t suggest this book, however, to younger readers due to its dark theme. 

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