Acadia, Book I: The Lost King and the Goddess of Time

by Ali Naqvi

It was only a nightmare at first, but Damont soon realizes that he can see into the future—a curse he has to live with for being the only son of a king dead for a thousand years, with a mother who is the goddess of time. A man in black armor with a face as obscure as the shadows mantling him laughs wickedly. Who is he and why does he continue to haunt me, Damont wonders. Appearing only in his dreams, the man in the black armor stands alone and laughs high as if to mock him while the world around him burns to cinder. “They are not dreams, my son,” a voice calls out to him in a vision after the many nightmares—claiming to be his mother whom abandoned him when he was but a child. “They are shards of a broken world to come if you so take the path of your father.” If such a path does lie ahead beyond a throne that sits vacant for centuries, with an empire in the east growling for war, then Damont Langörn realizes he has but one follow the visions and seek out the truth lost to both him and the world behind his lineage—but will he be strong enough to face such a malevolent foe of his nightmares? With a vampire and a sorceress at his side, Damont begins his journey, but such a road is not an easy one to take if the gods themselves do not wish for his return as the king who would unite the world against their existence and bring demise to their very doorstep.

Genres: Fantasy

376 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 30, 2011

About the author

Ali M. Naqvi became inspired about writing and fell in love with the genre of Science Fiction & Fantasy when he first read the copy of Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park during his fifth year in elementary school. Taking after the style of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and of George R. Martin's A Song of Fire and Ice, Ali began his work on his series of Acadia in 2001.

Residing currently in Atlanta, Georgia and majoring in the field of Radiology, Ali is now finishing both the second and the third book for Acadia.

He can also be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/angeluztb

Reviews

[L.A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The battle between lightness and dark has gone on since the beginning of time, but how does one always know which is which, when the lines are sometimes blurred on each side.

In Acadia: Book One: The Lost King and the Goddess of Time, Ali M. Naqvi has given us an interesting look into the life of a boy. This is the story of Damont, who is by birth a King, and yet with no knowledge of his background or heritage. Brought up in a small village by a man presumed to be his uncle he is ready to shake the dust of his small village and become more than what his is.

When his uncle returns from a very mysterious trip, he insists that it is time for Damont to go with him to the city. Damont is concerned with the secrets he see in his uncle’s eyes, but he is ready. It is only as they make their way, that Damont begins to get an inkling of the changes in store. As he reaches Haldina and meets the Duke as well as the Lady Kynthia, Queen of the Illyiumian Kingdom, it is only now he finds he is born the last King of Acadia. Born a Langorn, he is a part of the prophecy to bring the land and people together one more time.

Not everyone is happy about his return. There are those willing to destroy everything necessary to make sure Damont never realizes his destiny.

Naqvi has written a tale full of life, and danger. His characters are quite likable and charismatic. Along with humans, he has peopled it with gods and demigods, vampires, and sorcerers. I found it a bit of a slow read because there was so much going on. A few times, I found myself going back because I felt I might have missed some nuances.

The tale is epic and we follow Damont and his friends on his quest to find the answers to his birth as well as his place in the new history of his world. He must learn to trust his companions and learn to believe in something he grew up thinking of as fairy tales.

The story is quite bold and told in the fashion of most epics, full of war and death, and a tale of the gods playing in the life of the humans they lord over. It is fantastical and quite interesting, with a smooth delivery. Even with the scope of the adventure, and bringing in the different factions, it is pretty easy to follow the action.

Damont is in over his head and must rely on those closest to him to help guide him in the right direction. When he finally reaches his quest, he learns more about himself than he is prepared to hear, and yet it now begins to all make sense.

If you enjoy high fantasy you will really enjoy the Book of Acadia, it begins with this story and brings to light the story of how it all begins. Beginning with the coming to light of the King, and with some background as to the Goddess of Time and her place in the world, we are pulled into the timeless fight of the land of Acadia. Naqvi has done a marvelous job of building a story and makes you want to read what happens next in this wonderful world.

He has done an exciting job of world building and his characters leap off the pages. I look forward to hearing more from him in the future. I am left wondering what is in store for Damont and his friends.

This book was received as a free download from the author. All opinions are my own based off my reading and understanding of the material.

[Nicole Etolen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Acadia, Book I: The Lost King and the Goddess of Time, is the first part of The Second Great War trilogy by Ali M. Naqvi. When the author wrote me asking if I would be interested in doing a review, the cover is the first thing that drew me to the story. I know, we should never judge a book by its cover, and I especially follow that rule when it comes to self-published e-books, because I realize many writers simply do not have access to someone willing to do an inexpensive cover for them. As a writer, I know I don’t have even an ounce of talent when it comes to drawing, painting, or anything else in the visual arts field. But I just love the way all the colors and elements come together in this fantasy art-style painting. To me, it resembles the style of a set of Tarot cards I used to have years ago, which of course brings up nostalgic feelings for days gone by.

But enough about the cover, because the true beauty is what lurks behind that cover- the words that make up the story itself. The epic fantasy tale begins in the past, at the end of a great war. The raw and bleak descriptions of the battle field immediately drew me in, filling my head with vision of the violent and bloody culminating event. I have great admiration for writers capable of bringing a whole new world to life so early on in the story. Naqvi’s world is both new and old, and he clearly spent a lot of time plotting out every last detail of his fantasy realm. He even includes footnotes to help readers understand his made-up words for different beings, places, and objects. After the prologue, Naqvi introduces his main character- Damont. Damont is a fairly average teenage boy. He does his chores, skips school, and yearns to leave his boring little town. He spends an enormous amount of time avoiding his lessons about the past, something that he feels has very little value. Then one night, Damont has a strange dream. A man dressed in black armor appears, taunting Damont with visions he doesn’t understand. Thinking them only a strange dream, Damont dismisses them at first. However, a second voice appears in his dream, telling Damont that these aren’t just nightmares, but rather visions of things to come. From there, Damont starts a long and difficult journey, aided by a sorceress and a vampire, to unite the his world against the cruel gods that seek to oppress them.

Acadia, Book I: The Lost King and the Goddess of Time, is definitely an epic fantasy worthy of appearing on shelves alongside the classic, well-known epics! Each of the 370 pages features stunning descriptions and carefully written dialogue that flows mellifluously across the screen (or paper, for those reading the paperback version). I anxiously await the next installment, set to appear on the scene as early as Christmas this year.

[Lauren Keegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review was first posted @ The Australian Bookshelf

Damont Langorn is just your average youth who goes fishing with his best mate Caleb, gives his Uncle cheek and falls asleep in history class. Until the day he discovers that he isn’t just an average boy after all, in fact he is the long lost King of Haldina who has visions of the future. He is shocked by the uncovering of his lineage and is uncertain whether he can live up to the name of his forefather. He leaves the small fishing town of Garribus to make the journey with his uncle to Haldina where he hopes to meet his mother, who abandoned him many years ago.

He is sent off on a quest from Haldina with a tall mysterious warrior named Virden and the fiesty sorceress Amber. On the brink of a war, Damont must find his footing so he can take the throne but first he must gain the respect of the town. Amber and Virden have their own secrets and will they betray their newfound King to keep them?

The author very skilfully creates a fantasy world that was easy to visualise and get caught up in. He has a very articulate and wonderful way with language which fitted with the dialogue of earlier times. Damont is a likeable guy who is a little naive but also headstrong and willing to please. Although I would have preferred a bit more of a love story (it’s my weakness not the authors’) it was an enjoyable read and I would like to see what is next in store for Damont in the Acadian trilogy.

* I was provided a digital version of this book to review from the author.

[A Book Vacation · Rating 3 out of 5]

Naqvi has created an ingenious world complete with gods and goddesses, vampires, sorcerers, kings and queens… and his style emulates that of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. I was very impressed with the writing style and the story itself; Naqvi has a knack for storytelling, though I must admit that I found the sheer amount of historical background a little much for my taste. Now, that being said, I’m also admitting that I had extreme difficulty reading Tolkien for the same reason. I’m not a history buff and I tend to focus on the action of a novel more so than the vital background information, so I have a hard time reading through the histories of these types of novels. Yet, as Naqvi emulates Tolkien’s style, and as Acadia is the first novel in this series, the historical aspects of the novel are really the foundation of the story, and it needs to be there. Although it wasn’t my forte, as I thought the action was minimal compared to the vast history, Naqvi has created a wonderful backdrop of the rest of his series, creating beautiful descriptions of the lands and its people, and I believe that many readers will highly enjoy Acadia, especially if they are fans of Tolkien...



To read my full review:

http://bookvacations.wordpress.com/20...

[Naj · Rating 4 out of 5]

Acadia reminded me so much of the Lord of the Rings but still held its own uniqueness and originality. Naqvi managed to write beautifully and create such a magnificent world. If you liked the Lord of the Rings trilogy you will enjoy this book entirely.

It was adventurous and exciting. Maybe not in the beginning but as the pages kept on turning so did the story. Some bits and twists were predictable but besides that every part was written rather poetically. Naqvi has talent and I'm sure with each book of this trilogy it will get better!

I really enjoyed reading about Damont's journey to find out who he really is. I felt a real connection to him and his Uncle Julian. But there were some characters in the story that have me skeptical about their friendship (Maybe its just paranoia). Yep, I'm talking about the bad guys. They'll totally annoy me in this one specially the "real big bad guy" at the end. He's a lot more playful and cynical. I guess he likes to play with his food before eating it. If you know what I mean.

Overall, the characters were all carefully written and the story was awesomely planned. But the genre isn't for me. But for those who like to try different things and who loved the LOTR Trilogy you should pick up this book. 4/5 stars

[ILoveBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

How would you like being told your father had been dead hundreds of years? Damont, the main character, used to be just your average teen boy until he learns the truth of his ancestry. He is thrown into Haldina, where he is supposed to be king. He begins receiving visions of the future and has fears of whether or not he can live up to the prior kings. The reader will meet the two main secondary characters when Damont is sent off on a quest. Amber, a hot-headed sorceress and Virden, a warrior make for good secondary characters; the reader will enjoy getting to know their quirks and dark pasts. A quality of note, the author skillfully crafts the setting and the language behind this book-the reader will be convinced he/she is in Haldina and can picture the landscape and people easily. This novel is fast-paced and fun to read, a read that some readers may finish in one sitting. This novel is recommended for young adults/teens who enjoy a fun character and a little magic in their reads.

[Nina (Death, Books, and Tea) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Damont is a young man who is told at some point along the line that he is a descendent of the lost King Larius Langorn, the one who united Acadia. He travels to the nearby country for advice, where the local Seer and Queen tells him to go into the Forests to prove he is worthy to be king. He is also sent with a sorceress, Amber, and Virden, a strange man who seems to drink blood. From there, there’s people out to kill him, life in a forest with two not completely normal people, run-ins with gods and the heir to the neighbouring enemy country already planning Damont’s downfall.
The prologue was terrible. I get now that it’s some kind of foreshadowing, but I read it about five times to try and understand what was happening. In the end I just gave up, hoping it wouldn’t be too important to the story. It wasn’t. However, from there, it picks up. The first chapter seems to be world building, character introductions and the like. In the second one Damont finds out the truth about his bloodline, and in soon he’s off. And encountering the things I mentioned above.
Damont was an interesting character. He starts off as a fairly nice young man, sleeping through lectures, talking back and such. He’s a good friend to Caleb, and a good horseman too. And he happens to be the son of a king and a goddess. I think I may have connected to him as a young adult hero if he was slightly younger-most main characters in young adult are in between 15 and 17. At some point Damont turns 25. A bit too old for my liking.
The rest of the characters really only support him. While I got a good idea of them, their appearances and such, I found that half of them were introduced at the start, brought in again through the middle, and never came back at the end, leaving you wondering what on earth had happened to them.
I like the way we get a lot of backstory for most characters and things. people’s backstories are revealed when they talk, the backstory of the land is revealed during a lesson. This really adds intrest to the world, and helps it to seem a little more real. I also like the way that quite a lot of actual things got tied up well, such as the white wolf that kept coming up.
The writing style kept you interested, but didn’t move the story along quite enough for my liking. The really good bit starts about halfway through, which for some may be too far on in a book to be interesting. You got a real sense of Acadia from the writing-there was a lot of description in the book to bring it fully alive. However at times it got a little too much, a little too long winded that slowed the story down. The third person perspective was good though, as it meant that we could have some things that don’t focus entirely on Damont, which you couldn’t get from a first person novel.

Overall: Strength 3 tea to a fantasy adventure novel that picks up a lot after a slow start, and is definitely one for the boys

[Sarah]

I tried really hard, but I couldn't finish this book. I read the first third, but Damont was only just starting on his journey at this point. Everything up to this point was really an introduction to Damont. Unfortunately, I didn't like him. I thought he was immature and irresponsible, with little regard for anything but his own enjoyment. It's hard to read a book that moves slowly with the focus on a character you don't like.

I also found the language of the book difficult. It had an old-fashioned formal feel to it, which made it hard to absorb easily. I found myself reading very slowly, trying to understand everything that was happening.

I really wanted to read this and enjoy it because it sounds like a fascinating journey, but I wasn't able to reach the actual journey portion. I have seen other reviews that promise the wait is worth it, and the story has an epic Lord of the Rings type feel. Please let me know if you've read this and think I am out to lunch.

[Denna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm afraid I can't get through another one with so many problems concerning punctuation and grammar. I made it about halfway and I do believe the story is a good one. If the text went through the hands of a good editor first, I'd be very very interested in reading the rest one day.