Eladria

The Alanar Ascendant

by Rory B. Mackay

A dire prophecy is fulfilled when Tahnadra’s royal moon is attacked and overthrown by religious extremists. Forced to flee for her life, Princess Eladria, now a fugitive in her own land, finds herself embroiled in a sinister experiment that threatens to destroy her world and countless others.

With the barriers between dimensions rapidly collapsing, Eladria learns she must travel to the forbidden land of Drantak, where a dark and ravenous force seeks to unleash its fury on a universe it was long ago banished from. Only Eladria can prevent a universal armageddon, but in order to do so she must confront a shockingly familiar adversary and be willing to make a devastating sacrifice.

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Hi, my name is Rory. I'm a writer, blogger and artist from Scotland. As a social science graduate, philosopher and student of Vedanta, Zen and Taoism, one of my true passions is exploring the potential of fiction and art to not just entertain, but to inspire and expand consciousness.

My debut novel “Eladria” was published in 2013 and my second novel, "The Key of Alanar" is due for release Summer 2015. I'm also the author of several short stories, available for free on my website and a translation and commentary on the Tao Te Ching.

Reviews

[Harrison Davies · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given Eladria to proofread and form an opinion.

Fabulous and a detailed piece of writing. You can sense Eladria's pain as she tries to come to terms with her situation.

The world is explored in great detail and you can picture every square inch.

I could not put this book down, the writing is beautiful and flows intensely and perfectly with the story.

The author is assured and confident in his style and I look forward to more.

A fantastical world and worthy of any bookshelf. This is one book that you must read.

[Simona · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have not had too many contacts with science-fiction books but this did not stop me to read Mackay's book Eladria. I am really glad that I did so because I got to meet Eladria, the main character of this book, a character that not only has to bear an imense pain but also has to deal with it while trying to prevent a dissaster that threatens everything.

Eladria is a princess whose world falls apart after some extremists, the Ha'shons, make their attack. With her loved ones killed, Eladria will have to find out a way and save her people and land while being a fugitive.

The plot of this book was really well planned and it kept me reading and reading. As the action progressed, Eladria's evolution could be seen although she suffered an imense pain, a pain that many would not bear.



On the Princess's side we find Zinn, a wonderful companion which will reveal her true side while helping Eladria, a companion that has a well determined place in the action. I really loved Zinn and her secret power and I am sure that many readers would also like her!

The book is filled with many elements that go well together, elements that even I can not count since some might seem to be a fiction but actually are not. I really liked that the book started slow but soon it turned out to be like a marathon for the reader (in that case, me) since some drastical things happened in the first part of the book.



The abundance of the action is well placed and I was really curious to see Eladria's evolution after her loss. Her journey was planned well and it was a long and dangerous one but with the help of those like Zinn, the princess got to find out more about higher powers that were aware of everything that was going on, forces that guided her.

I really liked the main character of this book since Mackay created a strong character, a worthy princess who gets to prove her position in the end.

The author's writing style is really wonderful and alongside with the good plot this is a huge plus. I do not want to go into details since I could give away many spoiler but I just want to recommend this book to all fantasy and science-fiction lovers sincer it brings something new into sight, Eladria being a original story and a thrilling journey which keeps the reader rooting for the good to win.


Quotes:

"Eladria lay in a state of defeat, resigned to her fate. If she was to die, then there was nothing she could do about that. There was no way out of this cell. Not without help.


It was at that moment that something caught her eye.

A creature scurried across the hallway. It was a yunpa, a small furry rodent, scuttling along the corridor that bridged the holding cells. It stopped in front of Eladria's cell and peered in. It was staring directly at her, its whiskers twitching wildly."



" "Do not underestimate yourself. Go now, knowing that you are not alone. You will be aided in your mission and guided along your path."


Eladria nodded and took a deep breath to steady herself. Again, the ground was rocked by a tremor, which sent rubble tumbling down the cannyon walls. Lightning continued to bombard the land as the rupture swallowed the heavens."

[Adrian Lupsa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. It has a wonderful plot and the writing style is neat. Once I started reading, I was captivated by the world that Rory Mackay has created. Somehow it reminded me of my childhood fairy tales. There are many twists and every time I was ending wondering what was going to happen next.

Eladria is the main character of this story (as you probably expected after reading the title) and she lives with her father in the Royal Palace. When the Royal Moon is attacked by religious extremists, the Ha’shons, Eladria is forced to leave her home and run, in order to save her life. And here is an element that reminds me about the fairy tales. Even if royal blood flows through her veins, Eladria has no special abilities. She can not read minds, conjure fire or do anything supernatural. All the time, she meets the right person at the right moment, who helps her to carry out her tasks. Eladria is well-developed (a 3D character, I can say), because during the novel we can observe her evolution. Her helpers supported her in this evolution and once this was accomplished, Eladria was ready to move on the next stage of her life.

This is a must-read book and it’s only the first book in the series. Looking forward to read the sequence. I totally recommend this book to anyone who enjoys young adult or sci-fiction books. Really awesome book and the cover it’s really beautiful. It suits perfectly the main character — Eladria.