“I’ve been away from Sati-Baa for ten years,” Omari said. “I’ve walked every inch of Ki Khanga and never truly felt at home. Now I have the means not only to return but establish something of my own. The closer I get, the more eager I am to see it done.”

I first encountered Milton Davis way back in 2012 when I bought Griots (2011), a collection of sword and soul tales he co-edited with Charles Saunders. I bought it on the combined strengths of Saunders’ name and the cover. As a quick side note, if you don’t own it, you can buy an e-book for $3.99, so you have no excuses. It and its companion volume, Sisters of the Spear (2013), are fantastic collections and deserve way more recognition than they’ve received.

I enjoyed Davis’ own story in the book so much, I immediately bought the first Changa book. Changa Diop is a noble adventurer and merchant in 15th century Africa who travels to the Far East and back, ever intent on regaining his father’s kingdom from an usurper. At the heart of the sword and soul explosion of the last two decades, these are great additions to the catalog of heroic fantasy.

Davis’ other major character, Omari Ket, is a very different sort of adventurer. He is a rake, a gambler, a mercenary, but, most importantly, blessed by the goddess Eda. She is the wife of the god Daarila, and with him, co-creator of the heavens and the earth. This has protected him in many instances as well as altered his plans as Eda has used him for her own greater plans.

Omari’s adventures take place in the African-inspired world of Ki Khanga. The setting was created by Davis and Balogun Ojetade for a RPG. To christen it, they released an anthology of stories places, Ki Khanga (2013), in the setting and one of my favorites was “Simple Math” featuring Omari. It’s a fun book, filled with warriors and sorcerers, talking gorillas and elephants with guns, and I reviewed it over at my site.

Eda Blessed III, like the first two volumes is a collection of short stories. Having gained much wealth in his previous adventures, Omari has decided it’s time to return to his home city, Sat-Baa, and settle into life as a merchant prince. Unfortunately, he has to get his newly acquired wealth there in the face of thieves and bandits intent on relieving him of it. In “The Escape,” he arranges for a banking guild to pay him his money once he arrives in Sati-Baa, but it’s not enough to keep him out of harm’s way.

The second tale, “Hide and Seek” finds him on the road to Sati-Baa when he comes across a recent battlefield and devastated village. In need of food and drink, he ventures into the ruined place.

His instincts told him to avoid what was up ahead, but his empty stomach and parched throat overruled them. If he was lucky, he would find enough among the dead to satisfy him until he reached the next village or city. That is if the killing grounds had not already been scavenged. There was only one way to find out.

As is usual for him, Omari soon finds himself on the wrong end of enemies’ spears and magic. In the end, he survives, only to meet his benefactress.

It was almost dark when Omari felt a familiar and annoying presence. He looked to his left to see Eda walking beside him, and all his dark emotions dissipated.

“Why didn’t you tell me I was being hunted?’ he asked. He wanted to sound angry, but instead his voice was curious.

“I needed to know how you would react,” Eda replied. “I needed to know if you were still worth my attentions.”

“You are Eda,” Omari replied. “You could command me to do anything and I could not refuse.”

“There might come a time hat you will have the choice.”

“I don’t believe you.”

Eda laughed and Omari was filled with joy.

“I’m glad you are the one,” she said. “Even if you fail, the journey will have been worth it.”

“I’m glad you’re entertained.”

“Continue your journey, Omari Ket. You will see Sati-Baa. That I assure you. But your path will be most interesting.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of.”

“The Match” is less a story that the description of a the sort of routine trouble Omari finds himself simply traveling the world. The tavern he’s staying at has become the regular site of a mighty wrestler’s challenge to all comers to prove themselves able to take him on. Being the sort of man he is, Omari is unable to resist.

In “Legacy” Omari finds himself, again, in the middle of a fight he would rather not take part in, but his actions are under the direct control of Eda, for a change. She has sent him to the Amazonian land of Oyo in search of someone from his past. When he finds her, his understanding of his own life is greatly changed.

We also get a sense that Ki Khanga is falling into chaos, with violence unleashed across the land.

Oyo and Asanteman were at war again, as were Mali and Fez, and the Aux city-states and Menu-Kush. For what, no one knew. Conflict raged across Ki Khanga as rivalries long dormant sprang to life. The loss of life and destruction was staggering, but it was something the continent had endured and survived before. Yet there was something different this time. Adversaries fought with a ruthlessness that bordered on wholesale destruction. Such times were usually ideal for Kiswala, the merchants profiting from the scarcity of some items and the overabundance of others, conditions they more than qualified to exploit. But even they were at war, attempting once again to establish themselves in their ancient homeland on the shores of Aux which they’d been driven from centuries ago.

Despite warnings that Sati-Baa is no longer the city he left years ago, he finally reaches his birthplace in “A Proper Homecoming.” The longest story, taking up a third of the Eda Blessed III, it’s the most intricate, and is filled with intrigue, betrayals within betrayals, and plenty of swordplay, blood-shedding, and even a bit of gunfire. It’s a satisfying conclusion to Omari’s trek and leaves things open for more adventures and adversaries in his future.

So, I can only recommend Eda Blessed III with reservations. You have to read the previous two volumes. And you should probably read the Ki Khanga anthology, too, just to get a fuller sense of Omari’s world. Seriously, though, Milton Davis is a worthy successor to Charles Saunders, and Omari Ket, like Changa Diop, is more than worthy of charging into action alongside Imaro. I don’t read a lot of heroic fantasy these days, but a new Milton Davis can always pull me back in.

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