The Prophecies are not always clear. That is what seventeen-year-old Silas Ainsley learns when he finds himself in a realm called Marenon. The people of Marenon are nearing the brink of war and many of them claim that Silas is the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy that will deliver them from the dreaded Stühocs. The prophecy, however, was unclear as to whom Silas would save. Each group wants to use him for their own purposes, and he doesn't know who is trustworthy. With the help of a lawless band of mercenaries, Silas must take a mysterious journey to uncover the meaning of the prophecy before Marenon falls to ruin. The only way to get to Marenon is to die, and Silas has just arrived.
The Silas Ainsley is desperately searching for the Gatekeeper, but the relentless Stühocs are attacking villages, and an assassin is tracking his every move, making it impossible to find the one with all the answers about who he really is. Meanwhile, after learning that the Dunarian Council has been compromised, Julian Hobbes scours Marenon for the truth about how deep their corruption runs, but the truth will cost innocent lives. On the other side of Marenon, in the desert city of Voelif, Nalani leads Alric and Coffman in an attempt to steal the orange medallion of power. There they learn of a weapon that threatens to destroy them all. The war is escalating quickly, and all of them are running out of time.
The Held in a dark cell in the heart of Mudavé, Silas Ainsley, the Deliverer of Marenon, meets a new the Possessor. Silas knows it won't be long before the Stühocs try to kill him, or worse, turn him into an enemy against the very people he is meant to help. Julian Hobbes has left the throne in Farlaweer in search of the last two medallions of power, knowing that once he has all six, he will be able to use the ultimate weapon against the Stühocs. With three of the Dunarian council members dead, the Stühoc king, Anithistor, has charged Alric Thirsk with the task of finally destroying the Dunarians for good by killing their leader, Kaden Osric. If Alric fails, his friends will suffer a most torturous fate. Though the Stuhocs are winning the war, Silas has a dream about a man in Mudavé who claims he can help Silas defeat Anithistor and the Possessor. That man also claims to be Silas' father.
Jason D. Morrow is the author of the Prototype D series, The Starborn Ascension, The Starborn Uprising, and The Marenon Chronicles. He enjoys playing guitar, shooting videos, and spending time with his lovely wife, Emily.
The hero does way too much thinking and rehashing. I feel it is done to help build suspense, but i found it annoying. Secrets are kept from other members of the group, causing problems that could have been easily avoided. The hero is followed before proving themselves while having self doubts. World building: A unique world where humans may not belong and the arrival of additional humans is very creative. I am hooked on learning more about this mystery. Magic seems to have limits and is not pulled out to constantly save the day. Magic also seems to be limited to just a few individuals being followed in the story.
I found it very hard to get into this series, and I seriously considered quitting the first book several times. I was at least 15 chapters in before I felt any real connection to the characters or the story. It is for that reason that I only gave the series 3 stars.
I'm glad I continued to press on because I ended up enjoying the series as a whole. By the time I got to the second book, I was completely engrossed in the story.
I felt like the end wasn't truly an end. I'm sure that was intentional; however, I'm not sure if it is because the author is planning a spin-off series or is letting the reader decide what they believe will happen (a tactic I'm not a fan of).
Decent story, and entertaining. Seemed a bit quick at times, though this may be because of my love of epics. At times the writing felt very cliché, or unnecessary. The line about dragons being the nemesis of the sarians just felt forced and unneeded. They were the only 2 flying creatures in the book. Thats probably my main gripe. Overall, I would look into more books by this author.
This book starts out as your epic tale of a great quest where the heroes have to go through tremendous personal pain and hardships to accomplish a set goal. The difference with this story is the characters. The characters are truly developed, are more than two dimensional, have been well prepared, developed back stories to fit the general plot, and all worked toward the culmination of the story as a whole.
This series starts fast with action, but with little background or character development. the author wants to keep you guessing so the normal development of the story and characters is spread out through the series. I enjoyed the series though and do recommend it. There is a lot of action and some good battle scenes.
Storey was fine. Even had some strong female characters. This is a trilogy, the first and third books suffer from a serious lack of proofreading. If someone takes the time to correct all the errors, it will have a larger audience happy to read it.