Book Review of Eclipse
– The Lost Book of Ascension
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by Enchanted
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Book blurbs and covers
Eclipse – The Lost Book of Ascension
Can you see the
story breathing?
What happens if
after the winter solstice, the days keep getting shorter?
And shorter?
Until there is an
eternal night?
What happens as the
darkness grows?
And the creatures
of dusk take control of the Mountain?
And the quest for
the third Book is the only hope?
The Mountain is in its
death throes as the Nazir send their wraiths to finish what the dusk-rats and
grale had begun. Soon there will be no daylight to protect the Maelir and
Faemir, and with each twilight there are fewer places to hide. Will the
Mountain finally collapse under its own instability or will Atreu and
Verlinden’s descent find the words of salvation in the Lost Book of Ascension?
Zenith – The First Book of Ascension
Can you see the
story breathing?
A mountain so great
it takes a year to travel from base to summit
A sun so powerful
it drives you into madness if you look at it
An ascent so vital
it determines the fate of the world
A summit so
precious it holds the key to the divine
The world of the great
Mountain is unstable. Giant pillars erupt from the surface and yawning chasms
form unpredictably underfoot. Since the Maelir first stood on its slopes in the
distant past, they have sought to still its anger and control its power. Each
year, twin brothers are chosen to make a perilous journey to the summit. If
they survive they will be witness to Zenith, and the secrets will be revealed
to them.
When Atreu and Teyth
embark on their Ascent, their Talismans lead them onto conflicting paths that
will ultimately set brother against brother. And this time the Ascent itself is
in peril as unknown forces that have long craved the power of Zenith will stop
at nothing to make it their own even if it means destroying the very thing that
sustains all life the Mountain itself.
Equinox – The Second Book of Ascension
Can you see the
story breathing?
The Keep
The most beautiful
city on the great Mountain
The pinnacle of
Maelir culture
The home of the
Inner Sanctum
The place where
secrets hide
The fate of the
Mountain hangs in balance at the time of Equinox, and even the Keep can no
longer remain untouched. The Maelir are desperate to defend it, the Faemir to
demolish it, the windriders to claim it. But unknown to them all, a dark force
has already emerged from the chaos to seize power.
As Atreu and Verlinden
strive to decipher the power of the Talisman that has defined Atreu’s Ascent,
Teyth and Valkyra are locked in a desperate battle that neither of them can
win. At a time when darkness and light are in perfect equilibrium, when Maelir
and Faemir must find a way to break the deadlock and avoid annihilation, the
world’s fate lies in the Book of Ascension.
Author Bio
Dirk Strasser Biographical Note
Dirk Strasser has written
over 30 books for major publishers in Australia and is an Active Member of the
SFWA. He has won multiple Australian Publisher Association Awards, a Ditmar for
Best Professional Achievement, and has been short-listed for the Aurealis and
Ditmar Awards a number of times. His short story, “The Doppelgänger Effect”,
appeared in the World Fantasy Award-winning anthology, Dreaming Down Under.
His acclaimed fantasy series The Books of Ascension – including Zenith and Equinox – was originally published by Pan Macmillan
in Australia and by Heyne Verlag in Germany and has been re-published by the
Macmillan Momentum imprint, this time including the “lost” third book. His
fiction has been translated into a number of languages. His short stories
include “The Jesus Particle“ in Cosmos magazine, “Stories of the Sand”
in Realms of Fantasy, and “The Vigilant” in Fantasy magazine. His most recent
sale was “The Mandelbrot Bet” to the 2014 Tor anthology Carbide Tipped
Pens, edited by Ben Bova and Eric Choi. He founded the Aurealis Awards and has co-published and co-edited Aurealis magazine for over 20 years.
Links
Twitter:
@DirkStrasser
Buy the books!
Book Excerpts
The wind hit him like a wave of raw fear. Before him stood a pale man
with shredded clothes flailing wildly behind him. The left side of his face had
been clawed away. ‘Help me,’ the man cried in a voice that no human lungs could
produce.
As the man reached out for him with knotted fingers, the shrieking
filled Atreu’s head and he froze, unable to move even the smallest muscle. He
felt himself being pulled back into the cabin, and before he knew it, he was
lying on the floorboards and Verlinden had closed and bolted the cabin door
again.
‘Did you see him?’ cried Atreu.
‘You’re still trying to tell me Riell was out there?’
‘No, the man with half a face.’
‘I saw nothing, Atreu. There was no one there.’
Atreu started trembling uncontrollably.
Verlinden led him back to the bunk and pulled the blanket over them.
Atreu immediately felt the pain in his head ease. ‘You didn’t see
anyone, Verlinden?’
‘No.’
‘Then I am going mad.’
‘You can’t be if you think you are – hold on to that.’
Slowly, Atreu’s tremors subsided. ‘I’m sorry, Verlinden. How could I
have endangered you like that?’
‘Don’t concern yourself, Atreu. Let’s just see if we can survive this.’
Atreu fought the painful shriek still keening inside his head. He closed
his eyes and felt Verlinden pulling him closer so that her face touched his. He
reached up to stroke her other cheek. With a shock he realised it had the pits
and troughs of a furrowed field. He screamed and jumped back to see he had been
embracing the half-faced man. He scrambled to the bunk on the other side of the
cabin and felt someone jump on top of him with a blanket, pinning him to the
bunk.
‘Atreu, stay calm. Just stay under the blanket.’ Verlinden’s voice cut
through the maddening shriek.
Atreu’s breaths gradually eased. ‘Did you see him?’
‘No, there is no one here but the two of us.’
‘Can I see your face?’
‘Please, Atreu, I don’t want to lose you.’
Atreu tried to shake her off, but couldn’t. ‘I need to see your face.’
‘All right, Atreu. I have a blanket over me as well, so I’ll have to
lift it off.
Let’s do this quickly.’
Atreu felt the weight shift from him, and he raised a corner of his
blanket.
Verlinden’s eyes were wild and her expression grim, but it was her. As
the shriek inside him started to grow again he pulled the blanket back over his
head.
‘Verlinden, please keep talking to me. It helps,’ he said, taking
comfort from the weight of her body on his.
There was no response.
‘Verlinden, did you hear me?’
Nothing – except she seemed to shift subtly.
‘Please …’ his plea trailed away as a chill shuddered through him.
When Verlinden finally spoke, he lost consciousness before she finished
the last word.
‘Atreu, there’s someone on top of me.’
Review:
This
is still a very difficult series to read.
It is, at times, difficult to understand and at other times shows great
truths. I read it and find myself
wondering if I like it or not, which is a strange way to read a book...at least
for me.
I
recommend reading these books for yourself.
I give this book 4 out of 5 clouds.
It is well written and really makes you think for yourself.
This product or book may have been distributed for review; this in no way
affects my opinions or reviews.
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