Roland’s Labyrinth - A Review

ROLAND’S LABYRINTH, by Anne Echols and published by She Writes Press (September 2025), tells the story of Roland, a young man from Spain who is under apprentice to a surgeon in France in the 1400s. The novel is historical fiction, though that should not dissuade readers from giving it a try. The historical elements are skillfully interwoven in the plot so that the narrative pace is fast. The fact that the tale unfolds against the backdrop of potential war also raises the stakes for all the characters involved.

ROLAND’S LABYRINTH is also a romance story, though this too should not put readers off who are not into the romance genre. Roland meets Magali one late night at a local tavern. She is in distress, behaving strangely and drinking copious amounts of wine as she plays chess with the boorish son of a powerful man in the town. When Magali angers him, he threatens to assault her along with the friends who accompany him, and Roland comes to her rescue. Known as the surgeon’s apprentice, he is able to convince the angered powerful man’s son that Magali is ill and under his care. This well-meaning lie starts Roland on the road of love and danger, where besmirching someone’s honor and telling falsehoods is a killing offense. It does not help that Magali is to be betrothed to a royal member of the King of France. She is for that man only, and Roland, a foreigner, puts himself in grave danger as, in France in the 1400s, there is a strong case of xenophobia.

Anne Echols does an excellent job in maintaining narrative tension in ROLAND’S LABYRINTH. Roland gets trapped in a world of deceit, where he is not sure who he can trust as his love for Magali grows. It also does not help that Magali suffers from a serious mental ailment, making her at times quite unpredictable. Yet her condition does not make him love her less. He is devoted to her, and does all he can to try to find a cure for her mental affliction, as well as try to find a way for them both to be together despite the many forces trying to keep them apart.

The interaction between Roland and Magali is quite sweet and makes one think back to days of first love. However, this book can be enjoyed by those who are not romance readers, as the novel does not become overly sentimental, not does the pace of the narrative get bogged down by historical details.

Read this book, and discover the twists and turns of ROLAND’S LABYRINTH.