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The Earthsoul Prophecies #1
Veil of Darkness
Death's Third March "Watch ye people of the earth and fear, for Death's Third March is nigh at hand; and one final time shall all nations feel Hell's wrath. For lo, the Veil will thin and light dim, and the Hand of the Dark shall be extended to all people." The prophecies begin to be fulfilled. The Earthsoul weakens, and the demon god Maeon presses his realm ever closer to the world of men. The Veil separating life from death has thinned, and many evil spirits have been refleshed back into existence. Led by the Dreadlord Throy Shadan, these refleshed beings have rallied their forces for one final march against the Nine Lands. Meanwhile, in the capital city of Trian, a secret society called The Hand of the Dark has risen in opposition to the rightful government. Sworn to Maeon, their goal is the complete destruction of the Fairimor bloodline and the death of the Earthsoul itself. The only hope against this threat lies in the courage and strength of one young man. Heir of the ancient Fairimor birthright, he must take up a Blood Orb of Elsa and use it to rejuvenate the Earthsoul before the world is swallowed in a sea of death and misery. There is just one He may be as dangerous as the enemy. Greg Park's vision of the fantasy genre is unique a stunning epic of myth and magic, intense action and quiet contemplation that brings to life a rich and varied world. Brilliantly conceived, with more than six thousand years of history, The Earthsoul Prophecies is a magnificent tale of a dying world's struggle for survival and an insightful look into mankind's proven capacity for good and evil.
- GenresFantasy
Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
About the author
Greg Park
7 books17 followersGreg Park was born in 1967 in Provo, Utah, and spent much of his youth fishing the Provo River and camping and hunting in the Wasatch Mountains with his father and brothers. In 1986, he served a two-year mission in Osaka, Japan, then attended Brigham Young University, where he received a bachelor of arts in English and a master of arts in theater and media arts.
A high school English teacher for many years, Greg is the author of The Earthsoul Prophecies fantasy adventure series and YA science fiction novel Sivdious Stark and the Stadium Between Worlds. His novel Veil of Darkness received the USA Book News Best Book Award for fantasy in 2007, and the series has been praised by the Library Journal, Midwest Book Review, and the Deseret Morning News.
Still an avid outdoorsman, Greg enjoys fishing, hunting, and camping with his wife and children in Utah’s backcountry.
A high school English teacher for many years, Greg is the author of The Earthsoul Prophecies fantasy adventure series and YA science fiction novel Sivdious Stark and the Stadium Between Worlds. His novel Veil of Darkness received the USA Book News Best Book Award for fantasy in 2007, and the series has been praised by the Library Journal, Midwest Book Review, and the Deseret Morning News.
Still an avid outdoorsman, Greg enjoys fishing, hunting, and camping with his wife and children in Utah’s backcountry.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
August 11, 2008
Greg Park was my creative writing teacher in high school. He has an amazing imagination. I respect him and his work. This book keeps my attention even if it isn't my exact cup of tea. A page turner for sure.
December 28, 2020
This was seriously one of the coolest fantasy books I’ve ever read. I’m new to fantasy, and usually have a difficult time engaging with it, but I LOVED this book. The ideas and concepts and symbolism in here were really cool and thought provoking. I’m excited to finish the rest of the series!
September 14, 2008
Compared to Lord of the Rings in reviews, this second edition hardback comes highly recommended by those who love fantasy. The maps and illustrations are awesome!
December 29, 2011
Review 1: Good book. I'm new to fantasy and have read a small handful of that genre, but this book was well written. I especially appreciate the glossary in the back, because with so much fantasy vocabulary across this genre, I usually tend to struggle. Plus there are A LOT of characters to keep track of. However, it's not vital to understanding the story. I didn't realize the glossary was there until i was in the last chapter.
It has a little bit of government politics mixed with military history mixed with religion... specifically LDS religion. Anyone who's not very familiar with LDS religious beliefs probably wouldn't be able to tell that though... He uses a some common LDS scripture phrases but uses a lot of artistic license to weave it into the book's story.
I would recommend it, and I'm excited to go onto the next volume.
Review 2: I just started the next volume... and it's the next day from when i wrote the above review. I'm marking it down from a 4 star to a 3 star because after reading the epilogue of the second book, I dislike that though this is suppose to be the Creator's world with some master plan, Greg is writing it like it's Maeon's world and he was always going to win. And why in the world would a few 'failures of grasping or using Ta'shaen correctly' would turn an exemplar kid with good intentions into a bad guy??? The kid's in training!!!!! It takes years to lifetimes to master using a single Ta'shaen gift, according to the author... so how does a dozen or so screw ups constitute as being forever cast out - when the kid has ALL of the Ta'shaen gifts?!
I'm angry because if he's going to use LDS references, he should at least make it sound like the Creator is fair. On top of that, if any normal kid had the actual weight of every life on earth upon him... and had no idea what he was doing... and was also just as likely to destroy everyone, he'd probably commit suicide. His book does not show a very realistic situation. But then again, this is fantasy writing... so I guess I should just pretend that's normal that an average or even exemplar human being can withstand that much stress.
It has a little bit of government politics mixed with military history mixed with religion... specifically LDS religion. Anyone who's not very familiar with LDS religious beliefs probably wouldn't be able to tell that though... He uses a some common LDS scripture phrases but uses a lot of artistic license to weave it into the book's story.
I would recommend it, and I'm excited to go onto the next volume.
Review 2: I just started the next volume... and it's the next day from when i wrote the above review. I'm marking it down from a 4 star to a 3 star because after reading the epilogue of the second book, I dislike that though this is suppose to be the Creator's world with some master plan, Greg is writing it like it's Maeon's world and he was always going to win. And why in the world would a few 'failures of grasping or using Ta'shaen correctly' would turn an exemplar kid with good intentions into a bad guy??? The kid's in training!!!!! It takes years to lifetimes to master using a single Ta'shaen gift, according to the author... so how does a dozen or so screw ups constitute as being forever cast out - when the kid has ALL of the Ta'shaen gifts?!
I'm angry because if he's going to use LDS references, he should at least make it sound like the Creator is fair. On top of that, if any normal kid had the actual weight of every life on earth upon him... and had no idea what he was doing... and was also just as likely to destroy everyone, he'd probably commit suicide. His book does not show a very realistic situation. But then again, this is fantasy writing... so I guess I should just pretend that's normal that an average or even exemplar human being can withstand that much stress.
January 13, 2010
A guy at the local high school wrote this and got some free copies to our school. Pretty fun so far. You can see the influence of many other fantasy series--kind of like an adult Eragon. From the length and wordiness of this book, this is going to be a long series.
Halfwayish through--It's pretty good. Most fantasy draws from old ideas, ways of approaching things, fantasy races, etc, but this book seems to especially be similar--I'm thinking of it as Sword of the Wheel of Shannara Time. "Channeling" five different threads of magic, earth, fire, spirit, air and light, to kill "shadowspawn." A boy uses a meditation technique to access the flow of the power he manipulates for his magic. People hate all heroes who wield this power. The bad magic guys have discovered a long lost skill of using "gates" to travel long distances. Magic folks can gauge each others' strength in the power by how much power they can hold/wield. The boy is a forest youth whose unknown ancestry means only he has the power to stop the all-powerful evil guy who sends shadow creatures to kill him before he can fulfill his destiny. He escapes in a nighttime chase from the creatures to recruit his friend, a swordsman and prince of a neighboring kingdom. There are also "warders," skilled swordsman that guard important people and wear mottled cloaks that blend into the forest.
Finished. Pretty good is the best way to say it. I'm interested, I want to know what happens, but it's just not amazing. The characters are all kind of stock characters without tons of depth and love interests are handled superficially.
The overt Mormon touches are disconcerting to me. In this dark fantasy world, there are some references I found inappropriate. Using some cultural names is just weird, but a few situations and pseudo-doctrines mixed in were awkward.
Halfwayish through--It's pretty good. Most fantasy draws from old ideas, ways of approaching things, fantasy races, etc, but this book seems to especially be similar--I'm thinking of it as Sword of the Wheel of Shannara Time. "Channeling" five different threads of magic, earth, fire, spirit, air and light, to kill "shadowspawn." A boy uses a meditation technique to access the flow of the power he manipulates for his magic. People hate all heroes who wield this power. The bad magic guys have discovered a long lost skill of using "gates" to travel long distances. Magic folks can gauge each others' strength in the power by how much power they can hold/wield. The boy is a forest youth whose unknown ancestry means only he has the power to stop the all-powerful evil guy who sends shadow creatures to kill him before he can fulfill his destiny. He escapes in a nighttime chase from the creatures to recruit his friend, a swordsman and prince of a neighboring kingdom. There are also "warders," skilled swordsman that guard important people and wear mottled cloaks that blend into the forest.
Finished. Pretty good is the best way to say it. I'm interested, I want to know what happens, but it's just not amazing. The characters are all kind of stock characters without tons of depth and love interests are handled superficially.
The overt Mormon touches are disconcerting to me. In this dark fantasy world, there are some references I found inappropriate. Using some cultural names is just weird, but a few situations and pseudo-doctrines mixed in were awkward.
July 22, 2017
Greg Park is my favorite author despite being not very well known. his writing always makes me feel energized and happy, even when it's dark and sad. I've cried several times reading these books, and it only makes me love them more. The writing is a bit rough in this first volume, but it keeps getting better. I've been a fan of epic fantasy for a long time, and although The Earthsoul Prophecies is very similar to most books of the genre it's also very different and fun. I definitely saw some similarities to the Shannara and Wheel of Time series, but the story is still it's own and not a repeat, especially as the story goes on into the later volumes.
I love the characters. Again, some feel very familiar, but what Park does with them is what sets them apart, and as they develop throughout the series they grow into something more than the archetypes. I loved them, I cried with them, I laughed with them, and all that other stuff.
As some people have noted, this book draws some parallels to the Book of Mormon. It's kind of like what the Narnia books do with Christianity in general. So if you're not Mormon don't worry; the series is not preachy or trying to convert you. You can easily view it as part of the fantasy world Park builds, and if you aren't familiar with the Book of Mormon you may not even be able to tell the difference.
My only complaints are that he uses a few phrases too often for my liking, and the romance has a tendency to be kind of "love at first sight."
I love the characters. Again, some feel very familiar, but what Park does with them is what sets them apart, and as they develop throughout the series they grow into something more than the archetypes. I loved them, I cried with them, I laughed with them, and all that other stuff.
As some people have noted, this book draws some parallels to the Book of Mormon. It's kind of like what the Narnia books do with Christianity in general. So if you're not Mormon don't worry; the series is not preachy or trying to convert you. You can easily view it as part of the fantasy world Park builds, and if you aren't familiar with the Book of Mormon you may not even be able to tell the difference.
My only complaints are that he uses a few phrases too often for my liking, and the romance has a tendency to be kind of "love at first sight."
June 24, 2014
So When I first read this book I didn't think it was as good as it actually is. I was a little Robert Jordan obsessed and so I felt like everything was ripped off. After a few more years kicking around in the genre I figured out EVERYTHING is ripped off so I gave this series another pass and read the second book, which was the newest one at the time. I enjoyed it much more and found it very compelling. It actually had all of the things that had originally turned me onto Jordan; complex plot-lines with a (very) large cast of in-depth characters; religious conflicts; politics; and a healthy dose of genre cliche, without being to predictable. I've finally found the time and had the means to get my hands on the third and fourth books and as I've been looking back at the first two books to gear up I've realized something. These books are actually pretty fantastic. I am very excited to read on and see what happens.
August 4, 2012
While the story was somewhat enjoyable, there was just way too much going on. The author attempted to tell the story from the point of view of various different characters, but had way too many of them. It switch from person to person sometimes three or four times within a chapter. I felt like most of the book way laying the groundwork for a sequel... or ten; the story progression was very slow.
I could tell that the author is LDS from some of the character names (Zeesrom for example). Also, when the characters quoted their "scripture", they said things like "and it came to pass", and "verily I say".
On the good side, he did get you to care about a couple of the characters a bit. I bet the story as a whole (with all the sequels) is good. I don't think I'll read the other books though.
I could tell that the author is LDS from some of the character names (Zeesrom for example). Also, when the characters quoted their "scripture", they said things like "and it came to pass", and "verily I say".
On the good side, he did get you to care about a couple of the characters a bit. I bet the story as a whole (with all the sequels) is good. I don't think I'll read the other books though.
September 21, 2024
I meet Greg at Summer Fest and said I would leave a review after I read the book.
I really enjoyed Veil of Darkness. It was the first self published book that I have read where I can’t figure out why it is self published. The main characters are likable and books are well written and action packed. The worldbuilding is on par with many traditionally published authors.
My two complaints are that there are alot of characters. It is tricky to figure out who they are and what part they play in the story. However, I did like how it allowed you to see events from different people. The other thing is that the magic system becomes a little squishy and time. More along the lines of the author needs this to happen so the magic can do it. It’s not all the time but it happens enough that it bugged me alittle.
I really enjoyed Veil of Darkness. It was the first self published book that I have read where I can’t figure out why it is self published. The main characters are likable and books are well written and action packed. The worldbuilding is on par with many traditionally published authors.
My two complaints are that there are alot of characters. It is tricky to figure out who they are and what part they play in the story. However, I did like how it allowed you to see events from different people. The other thing is that the magic system becomes a little squishy and time. More along the lines of the author needs this to happen so the magic can do it. It’s not all the time but it happens enough that it bugged me alittle.
May 14, 2010
Fun new fantasy series that is similar to LOTR, etc...but holds its own.
I started reading this book out loud to my husband on a car trip over a year ago. When we got back I still had 200 pages to go and it was sooo good that I wanted to finish it on my own...but decided to finish it together. We finally got the chance this last week.
I would, however, suggest reading it all at once--so you don't forget all the little details. Though both last time and this I found myself very engrossed!
I will be reading Book #2 soon (we own it also) and look forward to buying #3 when it comes out in May...
I started reading this book out loud to my husband on a car trip over a year ago. When we got back I still had 200 pages to go and it was sooo good that I wanted to finish it on my own...but decided to finish it together. We finally got the chance this last week.
I would, however, suggest reading it all at once--so you don't forget all the little details. Though both last time and this I found myself very engrossed!
I will be reading Book #2 soon (we own it also) and look forward to buying #3 when it comes out in May...
November 10, 2015
This was a very good read. I enjoy Jordan and Sanderson and this was similar but it had it's own flavor. It was an exciting fantasy novel and I feel as if the action and adventure started off quite quickly. Many fantasy novels will build over time but this one started off quite quickly. The characters are well-developed and interesting. The world is detailed and exciting. Plus, he has included awesome maps! But seriously, it is a detailed and large world. I am an anxious to read more of the series to visit more places in the world. The the races are interesting and the baddies are creepy. I will be ordering the second book shortly so I can start on it.
July 1, 2010
This is a really good book, but sadly, I couln't get myself to finish it. It was very well written, had great characters, and a very engaging story. It was just too violent for me. The problem was that there wasn't just violence, there was very detailed violence. And not being a fan of gore, I was much happier not knowing exactly what happened to all the blood. So if you can handle violence, this is a GREAT book to read. It was just a little too violent for me to enjoy it.
March 28, 2010
Okay, so maybe Veil of Darkness doesn't quite rank up there with Lord of the Rings and the Wheel of Time Series (maybe), but it does fit beautifully in my favorite genre so I loved reading it! In this book I love the characters, the settings, the plot, and the appropriately adapted glimpses of LDS doctrine and practices. Thank you, Park Sensei! I've already started reading The Cleansing Hunt.
May 6, 2010
I met Greg at Cosco where he was selling his books. He is a really great guy with a love of teaching his HS students.
I'm about half way through the book and really like it. I like the story line, the characters are likeable especially Jase the main character.
The only problem I have is that it is taht there are so many characters and its hard to keep them all straight. There is an index in the back that helps.
I'm about half way through the book and really like it. I like the story line, the characters are likeable especially Jase the main character.
The only problem I have is that it is taht there are so many characters and its hard to keep them all straight. There is an index in the back that helps.
August 31, 2010
I read this book because the author sent a box to our school. The story line is one I have read before, think chosen one meets the prophecies. That being said, I enjoyed the book. I wish he had a better editor. The book is quite long and a lot of the information could be left out. I found myself skimming in places. Interesting book, I would probably read the second one in the series. The fantasy addicts will love it!
March 12, 2010
Veil of Darkness gets a 5 for 5 and is one of my favorite books along with the entire earthsoul prophecies. This is an amazingly crafted book with stories and characters that draw you in and wont let go till youve finished it. Ive have read this book twice now and have absolutely loved it both times I recomend this book for anyone who enjoys fantasy, or adventure.
April 2, 2017
It's a tough read. Very similiar style to 'Lord of the Ring' series by J.R.R. Tolkien.
It has an interesting plot though, and amazing character development. Be prepared to be immersed into a whole new world.
It has an interesting plot though, and amazing character development. Be prepared to be immersed into a whole new world.
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January 22, 2013Splendid! It was a great start to an intense series. I love the way Greg Park writes. I am excited to the fourth of this series to come out later this year as well as his new novel that releases next month!
February 18, 2014
Good and fun reads. They kept me up at night. Simple good vs. evil, but well written and fun. Some of the side story plot lines are completely hokey and silly, but I still highly recommend the books. I am getting ready to re-read the books so I can read the fourth book.
August 27, 2010
I really liked this book a lot. While it's not fresh or new, it's still interesting enough to really get into this world Greg park has created.
February 18, 2010
Ambitious, not the hugest impact in the world of fantasy-genre. Interesting world he has created...not bad, not great...
May 5, 2010
Enjoyable in the theme of LOTR. And a local author in Utah.
October 3, 2010
I liked this book. I really like the main character. It was really his story line that kept drawing me in. Fun and nice read.
July 26, 2012
The guy who wrote this book was actually the english teacher of a friend of mine. It's like Wheel of Time, Book of Mormon, and a little of Japanese culture combined. I liked it a lot.
August 29, 2012
What is really cool is that the writer is my Japanese and English teacher at Timpanogos High School!
This book was fairly violent, somewhere with the Mistborn series. I did like it though
This book was fairly violent, somewhere with the Mistborn series. I did like it though
June 1, 2013
Pretty good story. Reminds me of others, but is moving along better than some. I will read #2.
July 11, 2013
I think that anyone who likes a good story should read it.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews