Monthly Archives: November 2024

Fantasy, Reviews

Dawn of Chaos by Tony Andarian

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DAWN OF CHAOS: Sanctum of the Archmage 

by Tony Andarian 

(and a word from the author)

A review by INFAMOUS🦀

 

~“What is this place?” she breathed in wonder.

Lenard chuckled, but his eyes didn’t waver from what he was doing at the mysterious table.

“Welcome to the Sanctum of the Archmage, my dear,” he said simply.~

 

Dawn of Chaos is the culmination of a long and passionate project by indie author Tony Andarian. This latest edition was the result of several revisions and changes Andarian felt were needed as a result of growing and developing as a writer:

 

“I took the book down at the end of ’18 with the intent to release the rewrite in ’19, but escalating craziness at work forced me to put it off until after I retired at the end of ’21.”

 

And it follows:

 

“I revised the version of Dawn of Chaos that I’d published in 2017 for re-release in 2021 and 2022. But the changes were primarily cosmetic, and had mostly to do with improving my writing style. Story-wise, it was identical except for very minor changes, and the addition of a few scenes.”

 

This is an approach I admire and strongly suggest to all writers out there, but particularly to those writers with limited experience or just now contemplating publishing for the first time. Producing a novel that is professional, competitive, and worth buying is no easy task, and it takes more than just ‘a good story’ to make it all work. So pace yourself, make adjustments when needed, and DO NOT rush the process.

CONTENT:

Dawn of Chaos is a collection of three books:

  • Book 1 – Prologue to Chaos
  • Book 2 – Hell Gate
  • Book 3 – Aftermath

 

The original concept was created for a D&D game, which Andarian eventually felt needed to be transferred into novel format. If this book immediately comes across as very thorough and professional now you know why. This is not something that just spurted overnight and it took many years to refine and perfect.

 

PLOT:

The action takes place in the mythical kingdom of Kalara, with the capital being the great city of Carlissa, center of a prosperous civilization. The royal family consisting of the king (man), queen (elf), two sons, and a daughter reigns with fairness and honor and people enjoy a time of peace and prosperity… Until a hellgate opens up one day over the center of the city through which an army of demon monsters steps through to kill and conquer all. 

In fact, as we learn:

 

“Many thousands of years ago, a great war between the Gods and the Demons came to the world. The Demons had opened a door from the realms of Hell itself, and their armies threatened to overrun the earth.”

 

Now, thanks to a ‘rogue wizard’ named Zomoran, the demon hordes have found a way through that gate again, and the kingdom is  certainly not prepared for this massive and surprising attack after enjoying a long era of peace.

 

CHARACTERS:

The story is rich in characters which are divided into groups, each one going through their own perils and challenges but all ultimately serving the same cause: delivering a particular magic ring to the Archmage Lenard which will give the kingdom a hope of victory.

 

PACE:

There’s never a dull moment or wasted page in this book. The action is relentless but also well written; the sense of immediate danger, ever present at every corner. But what I found worth mentioning-and what makes this a legit 5-star book-is that amidst all the action the author never misses an opportunity to keep readers in the loop when it comes to the lore of this world and the reason behind everything that takes place. The attention to details, whether that be the city’s layout, the geography of the region, or the social structure of this civilization, is all impeccable and works perfectly well with the breath-taking action scenes.

 

MORAL/PHILOSOPHICAL ASPECTS:

The seemingly straightforward storyline holds compelling moral questions which some readers might miss while being caught up in all the action and epic battles. The author mentions one of his major influences as being Ayn Rand:

 

“I first read Ayn Rand decades ago, and have been heavily influenced by her ideas for most of my adult life. The way they show up in the Sanctum Saga has a lot to do with how they’ve influenced my thoughts about the nature of civilization, what makes it possible, and what causes it to collapse. 

The major influence of Rand’s ideas on Dawn of Chaos shows up in the recurrent theme of independence vs. obedience to authority. Zomoran’s ideology, as revealed in the first chapter, is that he believes in elite rule over freedom and individual choice. Independence and the right to individual choice were among Rand’s cardinal virtues, and that’s represented in the battle against Professor Zomoran and his demons.”

 

CONCLUSIONS:

The author informs readers this saga is not over yet with this book, and announces that Wrath of the Peregrine King will be in fact the next installment where this epic D&D story will continue. 

This is how you create a well laid out epic adventure with relatable characters and interesting villains. I can’t praise this book enough or recommend it enough if you like the genre. The stellar editing makes this exactly what we need in the indie sphere right now. When an author aims for excellence and nails it, we as readers can’t ask for more, and Dawn of Chaos is an excellent book indeed!

🦀

Crime, Espionage, Reviews

Affair in Trinidad (1952) – a Review

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It’s tempting for some to assume that all the idiocy and incompetence in Hollywood is recent. Like maybe it only began in the last decade or two.

It’s actually been around for quite a while. Historically, it’s been outweighed by consistent competence and occasional bursts of genius. Only in the last 30 years or so has Hackneyed Hollywood’s creative bankruptcy hit critical mass.

It didn’t come out of the blue.

One phenomenon that’s always been there was corporate bean-counters trying to cash in on the success of any hit by pretty much just duplicating it after tweaking a few details.

I can picture the Board Room meeting at Colombia: one cigar-smoking suit says they need an inexpensive-yet-money-making film noire to pump their profits up. Some nerdy little suckup suggests they repeat the success of Gilda, some eight years ago.

“It’s a cinch, Boss! Same setup, see? Femme fatale is an American nightclub singer working in South America. We give her a couple song-and-dance scenes. A rich gent owns the club; has his fingers in some dirty pies maybe; carries a torch for the singer. Hero is streetwise and handsome, but a regular Joe. There’s a murder. But here’s the kicker: We bring in Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford to team back up again–you remember the chemistry they had on the screen last time. But this time, instead of ex-lovers, they’ll be connected through the murder victim and fall for each other fresh!”

And there you have it.

This time, the Glenn Ford character is the brother of the murder victim. He mailed his brother a letter on the very day he was murdered. Or was it suicide?

What about Hayworth–did she murder him? Is she helping the police to catch her boss? To frame Ford? Is she making suckers out of everybody?

I found the aforementioned song/dance scenes rather underwhelming and unnecessary. There were some noticeable plot holes, too. But the acting was solid and the cinematography was superb.

Personally, I’m a sucker for films about Yankee expatriates in Latin America during the age of fedoras and suits as everyday fashion. I must have seen a great film with those ingredients once, but just forgot what it was. This one was set in the titular country, of course.

Trinidad was apparently still a British territory/colony/protectorate during the postwar years, as the leading investigator is a British officer, rarely seen without some bureaucrat from the US consulate in tow. Trinidad also has a measure of mystique because of the Andrews Sisters’ risque classic “Rum and Coca Cola.”

With all it’s weaknesses, Affair in Trinidad is more worth your time than the garbage Hollywood’s been defecating in recent decades.

Historical, Military, Reviews

Dudley’s Fusiliers by Harold R. Thompson

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DUDLEY’S FUSILIERS – Empire and Honor Book 1 by HAROLD R. THOMPSON

A review by INFAMOUS🦀

 

~We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he today that sheds his blood with me Shall be my brother.

~William Shakespeare: Henry V

War-based novels can be a slippery slope for different reasons. The challenge usually consists of striking that fine balance between 1) historical accuracy and 2) a compelling story that comes off as captivating and rich in relatable characters.

I feel like Dudley’s Fusiliers manages to achieve success in certain aspects while failing (and I use ‘failing’ very loosely here) in others. Canadian author H. R. Thompson has definitely brought us a story of honor, glory, and sacrifice that pays homage to those men on the battlefield who kept marching forward against all odds and-let’s be frank-against all sanity at times!

 

NO POLITICS, JUST WAR + MAIN CHARACTER:

Thompson doesn’t focus much on the politics of mid-XIX Europe or the ins and outs of why the Crimean War took place. He rather looks at the unfolding events from the point of view of the common soldier. 

Our protagonist is young British lad Dudley, who from a young age adopts a romanticized view of the ‘art of war’. The Duke of Wellington being his all-time hero, Dudley even names a tin soldier of his ‘Wellington’. Wellington becomes his best friend well into his adult life and through the war.

STRENGTHS:

Thompson is outstanding at describing the battles of the Crimean War, particularly the Battle of Alma. We see everything from the point of view of main character Dudley in vivid realism and in all the fine details of military strategies, tactics, and pre-WWI trench warfare.

We also witness the ill conceived notions and romanticism of not just the British army, but those of the French and Russian army as well. This is very important because we don’t need those fundamental aspects to be thwarted by some progressive agenda to make 19th century soldiers think like 21st century Orange county residents, if you catch my drift.

 

WEAKNESSES + SUPPORTING CHARACTERS:

Where I think Dudley’s Fusiliers falls short is in creating a substantial supporting cast for Dudley. His fellow soldiers could be more fleshed out but instead they’re all given just a few lines here and there and very general descriptions:

 

“He felt closer to them than to anyone he had ever known. Closer than to Isabelle, closer than to Martha. Closer even than to his family.”

 

That’s great, but we as readers don’t get to fully share that experience because of thin characterization. What that does is that when some of them perish in battle, we are robbed of the full emotional impact because we never get to know them as well as Dudley does. Thin characterization reduces an otherwise brilliant war story to a good but not GREAT war story.

 

BARKER STEALS THE SHOW:

The only secondary character we encounter that in my opinion ‘steals the show’ is Barker, a giant of a man even feared among his own ranks. A seemingly remorseless bully who we’ll find out has a great story to tell which explains why he behaves the way he does, and why his ‘dehumanization’ has taken place to begin with. In fact, I’d even dare say that most readers will be more eager to follow the whereabouts of Barker than Dudley’s. He’s just that cool cat, somewhat rough around the edges, but who you will want to be by your side when all hell breaks loose in battle.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

If it wasn’t for the outstanding fashion in which the author brought this all home in the closing chapters, I might have been dubious on whether to read Book 2 (Guns of Sevastopol). But if you, like me, have 1) a heartbeat and 2) a passion for keeping the memories alive of not just the war heroes but of war events in general, then reading the next book is certainly in our queue.

Thompson is not just a good writer but the real deal when it comes to the subject of history and wars with the experience to back it up:

 

“While attending university, he spent his summers working at the Halifax Citadel National Historic Site, a Victorian- era fort in his native Halifax, Nova Scotia. There, he was a member of the 78th Highlanders, an historical re- enactment of the fort’s British Army garrison.

 

Dudley’s Fusiliers brings forth the brutality, death and mayhem of the period of the mid-19th century with glory, respect, and accuracy. And I applaud that!

🦀