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Red World Trilogy #1
Schisms
A queen in peril. An outsider priest. A young girl who dreams of adventure.
The land of Hybron, once the cultural center of the Red Planet, has fallen into an abyss of political and religious strife that have kept it embroiled in conflict. It has floundered in a dark age for centuries, the former grand kingdom falling into a collection of city-states. An ancient prophecy has reappeared, a prophecy that promises to deliver them from the corruption and increasing violence that permeates the land. However, there are those who have their own plans and “savior prophecies” only get in the way of the more pragmatic concerns of acquiring power.
The ancient capital, Assenna, has been in ruins for many ages and the line of kings that ruled from it are nearly forgotten. The very words, Red Kings, have become a curse and it is forbidden to even speak of them but it is precisely the blood of this kingly line, it was foretold, that would rule Hybron again and raise it up to its former glory. The Ainash priesthood, a powerful and ruthless faction in Jhis have fallen in power after a barbarian warrior has overrun the city-states, making himself king of the land. Under his rule Hybron has once again been reunited under one power. Is he, a wild tribesman of the desert, the future Red King of prophecy? As the kingdom remains embroiled in corruption and violence it does not seem so and his queen, a devout woman of the Aishanna-La has borne him no heirs. She has her own schemes that put her at odds with everyone at court: the priesthood, who seek to regain power and the king, who plans to carve out a great name for himself in the world. The queen becomes embroiled in a controversy that will have long-reaching effects on the fate of the kingdom and her own.
Ilim, one of the Ainash, is thrown out of the Golden Temple. Afterward, he has a prophetic dream with a commission to tell a dire message that most people do not want to hear, least of all the Ainash priesthood. His new spiritual path leads him back into the desert among the tribal peoples. He believes it will lead him to the answer that will save the kingdom from ruin – but, disappointingly, it leads him, not to a great warrior and a holy army but to a little girl at the fortress city of Gamina.
Visions are never straight forward, paths are perilous and the grand purpose of prophecy seems impossible, yet many are now seeking it; some strive mightily to make it come about while others are working just as powerfully against it and there are those who seek to insert themselves in it. All are caught in the river of Destiny and Purpose. Some will rise and others will drown. Who will triumph?
The land of Hybron, once the cultural center of the Red Planet, has fallen into an abyss of political and religious strife that have kept it embroiled in conflict. It has floundered in a dark age for centuries, the former grand kingdom falling into a collection of city-states. An ancient prophecy has reappeared, a prophecy that promises to deliver them from the corruption and increasing violence that permeates the land. However, there are those who have their own plans and “savior prophecies” only get in the way of the more pragmatic concerns of acquiring power.
The ancient capital, Assenna, has been in ruins for many ages and the line of kings that ruled from it are nearly forgotten. The very words, Red Kings, have become a curse and it is forbidden to even speak of them but it is precisely the blood of this kingly line, it was foretold, that would rule Hybron again and raise it up to its former glory. The Ainash priesthood, a powerful and ruthless faction in Jhis have fallen in power after a barbarian warrior has overrun the city-states, making himself king of the land. Under his rule Hybron has once again been reunited under one power. Is he, a wild tribesman of the desert, the future Red King of prophecy? As the kingdom remains embroiled in corruption and violence it does not seem so and his queen, a devout woman of the Aishanna-La has borne him no heirs. She has her own schemes that put her at odds with everyone at court: the priesthood, who seek to regain power and the king, who plans to carve out a great name for himself in the world. The queen becomes embroiled in a controversy that will have long-reaching effects on the fate of the kingdom and her own.
Ilim, one of the Ainash, is thrown out of the Golden Temple. Afterward, he has a prophetic dream with a commission to tell a dire message that most people do not want to hear, least of all the Ainash priesthood. His new spiritual path leads him back into the desert among the tribal peoples. He believes it will lead him to the answer that will save the kingdom from ruin – but, disappointingly, it leads him, not to a great warrior and a holy army but to a little girl at the fortress city of Gamina.
Visions are never straight forward, paths are perilous and the grand purpose of prophecy seems impossible, yet many are now seeking it; some strive mightily to make it come about while others are working just as powerfully against it and there are those who seek to insert themselves in it. All are caught in the river of Destiny and Purpose. Some will rise and others will drown. Who will triumph?
- GenresFantasyScience Fiction
281 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 31, 2012
30 people are currently reading
600 people want to read
About the author
V.A. Jeffrey
23 books6 followersVictoria A. Jeffrey grew up in Portland, Oregon, attended Portland Community College and studied graphic design. She is an author and an avid reader of science fiction, fantasy. She also enjoys reading historical fiction and non-fiction. She has written three collections of poetry and some short stories. She is a content developer for the Middle-Earth Network, the author of the Secret Doorway Tales middle grade fantasy series and is currently working on the Red World myth-fantasy trilogy.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 16, 2015
Originally reviewed at Bookwraiths Reviews
Schisms is Book I of the Red World trilogy by V.A. Jeffrey. It is an epic fantasy/scifi tale set upon the planet Chialis: the Red Eye of Heaven, or what we Earthmen refer to as Mars. And it is best described as a mixture of Frank Herbert’s Dune saga and the Bible with a touch of ancient Middle Easterner culture throw in for good measure.
This first installment of the tale introduces one to the land of Hybron and the splendid city of Jhis, where a mighty chieftain of the desert plains people rules as king over his more civilized subjects. Indeed, Khalit-Aisu is a barbarian in all but the most important way, for he has turned away from his ancient religion and has begun to worship the many gods of his civilized subjects. And this failure to continue to serve Airend-Ur, the true God of All, has caused considerable unrest, as the priesthood at the Temple of Airend-Ur begin to splinter into those willing to forego the laws of God in favor of Khalit’s earthly wishes and those who will not.
To complicate an already delicate situation, Khalit has grown tired of his devout wife and wishes to set her aside for another woman; one who might finally give him the male child he has always envisioned as heir for his hand-carved empire. But instead of sending for another desert girl from his own people, the king has decided for reasons of state to wed a foreigner. A girl whose family while powerful and rich are also allegedly the offspring of ancient demons come to consort with humankind. This fact plus Khalit’s growing refusal to follow the spiritual laws of Airend-Ur begins to sow seeds of distrust between him and his childhood teacher, Ilim; a priest who loves his king like a son but is growing more and more disillusioned with his pupil and his fellow priest, who bow down to their king’s unrighteousness.
The tale that ensues reads very much like a Biblical Dune. There are treacherous administrators, shadowy political machinations, priestly infighting, and an ancient prophecy regarding a Red King who will be born and return the world to its former paradise. All of this set within a post-apocalyptic setting, which - though not fully revealed - tantalizes in its perceived wondrous history. A good setting in which to develop an epic fantasy/scifi series.
All in all, I enjoyed this story. It was intriguing , but it was slow to read and plagued by far too many long paragraphs. However, I suppose that this might have been done intentionally by the authors, since the novel as a whole has an epic tone in the vein of the Old Testament of the Bible or the ancient Greek myths. Hopefully, the author will build off this solid start and flesh out the world while cutting down on the unnecessary (in my opinion, of course) wordiness of some parts of the narrative.
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. I’d like to thank Netgalley for allowing me to receive this review copy and inform everyone that the review you have read is my opinion alone.
Schisms is Book I of the Red World trilogy by V.A. Jeffrey. It is an epic fantasy/scifi tale set upon the planet Chialis: the Red Eye of Heaven, or what we Earthmen refer to as Mars. And it is best described as a mixture of Frank Herbert’s Dune saga and the Bible with a touch of ancient Middle Easterner culture throw in for good measure.
This first installment of the tale introduces one to the land of Hybron and the splendid city of Jhis, where a mighty chieftain of the desert plains people rules as king over his more civilized subjects. Indeed, Khalit-Aisu is a barbarian in all but the most important way, for he has turned away from his ancient religion and has begun to worship the many gods of his civilized subjects. And this failure to continue to serve Airend-Ur, the true God of All, has caused considerable unrest, as the priesthood at the Temple of Airend-Ur begin to splinter into those willing to forego the laws of God in favor of Khalit’s earthly wishes and those who will not.
To complicate an already delicate situation, Khalit has grown tired of his devout wife and wishes to set her aside for another woman; one who might finally give him the male child he has always envisioned as heir for his hand-carved empire. But instead of sending for another desert girl from his own people, the king has decided for reasons of state to wed a foreigner. A girl whose family while powerful and rich are also allegedly the offspring of ancient demons come to consort with humankind. This fact plus Khalit’s growing refusal to follow the spiritual laws of Airend-Ur begins to sow seeds of distrust between him and his childhood teacher, Ilim; a priest who loves his king like a son but is growing more and more disillusioned with his pupil and his fellow priest, who bow down to their king’s unrighteousness.
The tale that ensues reads very much like a Biblical Dune. There are treacherous administrators, shadowy political machinations, priestly infighting, and an ancient prophecy regarding a Red King who will be born and return the world to its former paradise. All of this set within a post-apocalyptic setting, which - though not fully revealed - tantalizes in its perceived wondrous history. A good setting in which to develop an epic fantasy/scifi series.
All in all, I enjoyed this story. It was intriguing , but it was slow to read and plagued by far too many long paragraphs. However, I suppose that this might have been done intentionally by the authors, since the novel as a whole has an epic tone in the vein of the Old Testament of the Bible or the ancient Greek myths. Hopefully, the author will build off this solid start and flesh out the world while cutting down on the unnecessary (in my opinion, of course) wordiness of some parts of the narrative.
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. I’d like to thank Netgalley for allowing me to receive this review copy and inform everyone that the review you have read is my opinion alone.
May 21, 2015
Very compelling indeed!!!
This was very well written, however at times I found it hard to remember all the names of the characters and towns. It was very confusing, but spellbinding.
This was very well written, however at times I found it hard to remember all the names of the characters and towns. It was very confusing, but spellbinding.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews