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Lost Tales of Power #2
The Academy
The Empire had fallen, and the Imperial Navy was disbanded leaving James with nothing but his nightmares to remind him of the role he once played in The Great War. James must now face his new life in a new era where science and technology must share the stage with sorcery and wizardry, and a new ever-present shadow of evil lurks over the remnants of the once great Empire.
- GenresFantasyScience Fiction
333 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 13, 2011
42 people are currently reading
68 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 23, 2018
So I'm starting to think my review of the first book was a little optimistic. For example, I had said that I was so happy to find a book that doesn't follow the typical "oh the bad guy is winning and winning and things are so glum, oh the big turnaround and the good guys pull it out and everyone is happy" but instead is straight up good guys dominating. Well, after reading a second book that is exactly the same I'm starting to identify this writing as very basic and, pardon me but, childish. If this was in the YA section I would be willing to give it a pass, but it's listed under "Sci Fi and War-Military." Granted tens of thousands of people have died in the books during the space fights, but no major or even minor characters, only civilians we didn't even know. Also, the interactions between characters are just so......I'm having trouble even thinking of how to describe it. Basically there is no color, no life. Finally, maybe I'm nitpicking at this point, but through two books we've had two main character romances and absolutely no indication of sex or even really love (I know there was a brief passage about Vydor's kids but that's as close as it gets). I don't want a romance or smut novel, but at least dance around the topic! Don't just completely ignore it. Are we to think the 80 year old Shadow is a virgin? I guess that type of thing isn't a topic in pure Sci Fi books but I prefer my characters to be real people with real lives. I'm going to read the sample of book 3 and I might get sucked into it but I just had to get it out there that these books are just a little too basic for my liking.
March 24, 2018
Excellent second book in the series
'The Academy' is another of Vincent Trigili's sci-fi, magical novels. The characters are well developed, and the story is very interesting. This book seemed to have many more twists and turns than the first book in the series. There's a good balance between science fiction, ancient times, and wizards/sorcerers.
'The Academy' was very good. But, regretfully, it didn't last very long beacase I read it so fast. Guess I'll just have to go ahead and buy the next book in the series: 'Rise of Shadows'.
'The Academy' is another of Vincent Trigili's sci-fi, magical novels. The characters are well developed, and the story is very interesting. This book seemed to have many more twists and turns than the first book in the series. There's a good balance between science fiction, ancient times, and wizards/sorcerers.
'The Academy' was very good. But, regretfully, it didn't last very long beacase I read it so fast. Guess I'll just have to go ahead and buy the next book in the series: 'Rise of Shadows'.
November 12, 2017
Wonderful.
Vincent Trigili writes a good tale and populates it with characters you hold close.
This series gives a more complete picture of the story being told.
Going to acquire the next portion of this story.
Vincent Trigili writes a good tale and populates it with characters you hold close.
This series gives a more complete picture of the story being told.
Going to acquire the next portion of this story.
June 29, 2015
As a member of the Imperial Navy stationed on the Dragon Claw, James played a very important role in The Great War. Now that he has resigned, all James has left of that time are the nightmares. With the opening of Grand Master Vydor’s school, the Academy, James decides to apply. Despite not liking the odds with several million applying every year and only one thousand accepting, he made the cut. Shortly after arriving, James was made a leader of his own team of Prospects — the lowest ranking at The Academy — which he took very seriously. Over the following seven years, his team ranked among the top of the class and broke many records. Upon discovering why the school teaches the way they do, James was quickly promoted to Apprentice Wizard. As part of the graduation from prospect to student, all those moving forward are told what their mastery is. James was a Spell Weaver, the rarest of the magical focuses. Being the only other Spell Weaver other than Vydor, he was the next in line to be Grand Master. As such, he became a huge target for the rival and want to be conquerors, the Sorcerers. Things escalate quickly for Shadow Weaver, the name James takes upon learning his power, and his friends. Patti, also known as Flame, a woman whom James has been in school with for 10 years invited him to visit her planet and meet her parents. It turns out Patti’s mother was under the influence of an evil creature, all to get Shadow Weaver. That’s when everything falls into place and the story really gets rolling. There’s kidnapping, attacks on planets, unlikely heroes, and hooded and mysterious Magi who seem to know more about the Spell Weaver than he knows about himself, and they seem to have put some major events into motion.
Jack De Golia took the helm as narrator for this story and he did a great job. Again, I was pleased and impressed at his talent for voices, every single character is easily recognized. His reading of The Academy was more fluid than what I remember from The Enemy of an Enemy, which was my only complaint about his previous performance. With such an improvement in just one book, I will definitely be keeping my eye on Jack.
Overall, I really liked this audio book. While I enjoyed the first book, this one is definitely an improvement in both writing and storytelling, and in the narration. I would also like to add that Mr. Trigili did a great job of mixing the magic of Fantasy and the interplanetary space travel of Sci-Fi together. It never seems out of place when someone is wielding wands in a star ship landing bay, or others are throwing fireballs down hallways. Give this a go, it’s very entertaining and the world being created by Vincent Trigili gets more and more intriguing.
Jack De Golia took the helm as narrator for this story and he did a great job. Again, I was pleased and impressed at his talent for voices, every single character is easily recognized. His reading of The Academy was more fluid than what I remember from The Enemy of an Enemy, which was my only complaint about his previous performance. With such an improvement in just one book, I will definitely be keeping my eye on Jack.
Overall, I really liked this audio book. While I enjoyed the first book, this one is definitely an improvement in both writing and storytelling, and in the narration. I would also like to add that Mr. Trigili did a great job of mixing the magic of Fantasy and the interplanetary space travel of Sci-Fi together. It never seems out of place when someone is wielding wands in a star ship landing bay, or others are throwing fireballs down hallways. Give this a go, it’s very entertaining and the world being created by Vincent Trigili gets more and more intriguing.
January 18, 2015
The Second Book in the "Lost Tales Of Power" Series narrated again by Jack De Golia @JackWestCoast. Jack's ability to do male and female voices and even different alien races in a way that I can tell who is talking before the author tells me is a great credit to his workmanship and love of the spoken word. The Author Vincent Trigili work continues to expand a universe to include other dementions without streaching the believability of the story. He takes from several different known ideas, stargates, warp drive, magic, good and evil, and weaves them into a story that is interesting and intriguing.
In this book the Characters from the first Book "Enemy of an Enemy" play an advanced but background roll and he introduces us to new young characters. Although young is relative as these characters live for hundreds of years. As the Empire has fallen and the Imperial Navy has been broken up and handed out to newly formed "states/governments" James the Pilot who assissted in defeating the Sorcerers in the final battle must deal with his nightmares of loseing a ship in battle and of his future. James enters the academy and unlike normal boot camp this training starts with a ten year training and weeding out process. Breaking students of old world ideas of selfishness and rebuilding selflessness and team work. Something lost in the technology overloaded future.
There is still a darkness in the air over the newly formed republic and only a few can sense its presence. Time is ticking to train new wizards in time for the sorcerers revenge. This book and series looks at manyaspects of future life in a mystical yet practical way. I enjoy these books and hope to continue to receive them for review in the future.
In this book the Characters from the first Book "Enemy of an Enemy" play an advanced but background roll and he introduces us to new young characters. Although young is relative as these characters live for hundreds of years. As the Empire has fallen and the Imperial Navy has been broken up and handed out to newly formed "states/governments" James the Pilot who assissted in defeating the Sorcerers in the final battle must deal with his nightmares of loseing a ship in battle and of his future. James enters the academy and unlike normal boot camp this training starts with a ten year training and weeding out process. Breaking students of old world ideas of selfishness and rebuilding selflessness and team work. Something lost in the technology overloaded future.
There is still a darkness in the air over the newly formed republic and only a few can sense its presence. Time is ticking to train new wizards in time for the sorcerers revenge. This book and series looks at manyaspects of future life in a mystical yet practical way. I enjoy these books and hope to continue to receive them for review in the future.
October 25, 2015
The Academy is the awesome second book to the Lost Tales of Power series, and it picks up several years later. Master Vydor now has a functioning academy in his own realm and plenty of students applying to be accepted there. At this point in time there is one in particular, James, applying who if is successful in his first initiate years and becomes a student will change his name to Shadow, he has already served in the Imperial Navy and left with honor, and this book will show how his honor is tested again and again and how he does defending it.
I have fallen in love with this series and others of Trigili's. I wish it hadn't been such a huge time jump , as I really liked Vydor in the first book and missed his younger ever present self. But quickly became engrossed with James so all is good. I also like how war and killing is never trivialized in these books, the good guys do have to kill bad guys , but they have to deal with their emotions about those actions afterwards, and that is the reality of war, not what you usually see in movies and such. The characters are all so well put together, so complex, but each developing so nicely as the book went on and to hear narrator Jack de Golia do the voices was awesome he is such a great narrator bringing out the heartbeat of the story, he just keeps you on the edge of your seat all the time, he is so great. If all that isn't enough to hook you the action and suspense thrown in should do it for sure, awesome book, awesome series.
I have fallen in love with this series and others of Trigili's. I wish it hadn't been such a huge time jump , as I really liked Vydor in the first book and missed his younger ever present self. But quickly became engrossed with James so all is good. I also like how war and killing is never trivialized in these books, the good guys do have to kill bad guys , but they have to deal with their emotions about those actions afterwards, and that is the reality of war, not what you usually see in movies and such. The characters are all so well put together, so complex, but each developing so nicely as the book went on and to hear narrator Jack de Golia do the voices was awesome he is such a great narrator bringing out the heartbeat of the story, he just keeps you on the edge of your seat all the time, he is so great. If all that isn't enough to hook you the action and suspense thrown in should do it for sure, awesome book, awesome series.
August 17, 2011
I enjoyed this book even more than Volume One: The Enemy of an Enemy. It's fast-paced and scene changes are handled nicely. I like the mix of tech and magic so far in this series and am really looking forward to the next one coming out.
Nicely formatted and typo-free.
Nicely formatted and typo-free.
January 29, 2012
Hogwarts in space!
The first book in the series was a blend of Sci-Fi and fantasy where the fantasy bit kind of crept in towards the end. This one is really a lot of fantasy in a Sci-Fi setting. I really liked it.
The first book in the series was a blend of Sci-Fi and fantasy where the fantasy bit kind of crept in towards the end. This one is really a lot of fantasy in a Sci-Fi setting. I really liked it.
January 6, 2017
Great book
The author did a real good job at making the characters realistic and keeping them interesting. The author also kept the book clean of any profanity which is real hard t find in si-fi books
The author did a real good job at making the characters realistic and keeping them interesting. The author also kept the book clean of any profanity which is real hard t find in si-fi books
August 26, 2015
This book perfectly combined space science fiction and wizardry fantasy for a perfect second novel to this series.
January 13, 2016
I'm on my second pass through this series. My first pass was from January 21 to March 18, 2012. There are two new books out and another on the way. I need to refresh my memory.
September 28, 2015
This is the most intriguing series. Very well thought out and superb writing. Keeps you glued to the page because you just have to see what will happen next.
Read
April 11, 2016Great follow up to “Enemy of an Enemy”. Again a great combination of Sci-Fi and Fantasy.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews