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Nemesis Spawned
Alexander Cadeyrn is no hero . . . but he is destined for greatness.
His ruthless father, Saelen—one of five immortal avatars and Lloryca’s creator—has ambitious plans for his son. He knows that Alexander is fated to touch a rare metaphysical phenomenon called a schism and inherit its deific power and he wants to use his son’s power to subjugate the entire universe. Unbeknownst to Saelen, however, the other avatars have already set efforts in motion to sabotage his nefarious plans.
As Alexander awaits the moment when he must claim the power he’s been promised, he is thrust into a Lloryca scarred by centuries of war. He seeks to unite the clans and become their king but he knows that he must overcome his own sociopathic tendencies to do so. He clings to the moral teachings of his beloved surrogate father, Owen, but cannot resist the siren call of violence in the guise of ambition and vengeance. Saelen, for his part, only encourages Alexander’s sadistic nature, knowing that it will only aid his ascension.
Will Alexander curb the malevolence in his soul that undermines his hopes to become a hero? Will he overcome the machinations of those who would make him their puppet? Will he restore balance to a world soaked in blood and shattered by reckless ambition . . . or merely tip the scales even further?
Nemesis Spawned, the first book in the Reflections of Shadow trilogy, is an epic fantasy tale that weaves a multi-dimensional exploration of sociopathy into elements of classic myth, visceral horror, and cosmic/elemental power.
His ruthless father, Saelen—one of five immortal avatars and Lloryca’s creator—has ambitious plans for his son. He knows that Alexander is fated to touch a rare metaphysical phenomenon called a schism and inherit its deific power and he wants to use his son’s power to subjugate the entire universe. Unbeknownst to Saelen, however, the other avatars have already set efforts in motion to sabotage his nefarious plans.
As Alexander awaits the moment when he must claim the power he’s been promised, he is thrust into a Lloryca scarred by centuries of war. He seeks to unite the clans and become their king but he knows that he must overcome his own sociopathic tendencies to do so. He clings to the moral teachings of his beloved surrogate father, Owen, but cannot resist the siren call of violence in the guise of ambition and vengeance. Saelen, for his part, only encourages Alexander’s sadistic nature, knowing that it will only aid his ascension.
Will Alexander curb the malevolence in his soul that undermines his hopes to become a hero? Will he overcome the machinations of those who would make him their puppet? Will he restore balance to a world soaked in blood and shattered by reckless ambition . . . or merely tip the scales even further?
Nemesis Spawned, the first book in the Reflections of Shadow trilogy, is an epic fantasy tale that weaves a multi-dimensional exploration of sociopathy into elements of classic myth, visceral horror, and cosmic/elemental power.
545 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 30, 2025
“… anointed by death and baptised in blood-the heir to ruin.”
This had to be one of my favourite lines from James W. Lackie’s Book entitled “Nemesis Spawned, Reflections of Shadow: Book One”. While the phrase came later in the story, it perfectly encapsulates who the story’s protagonist, Alexander Cadeyrn, really is. Our fascination with Gods of classic tales and their timeless stories has been re-engineered so seamlessly by James that it takes no time at all to count his invention of world creators (known here as “Avatars”) as being a whole new epic tale about Gods and demi-gods. That is where the comparison to our own mythology ends, however.
What James has created in his world building (the setting of Lloryca) is very cool! Even though Lloryca is its own world, the story of its people contains all the feel of a stand-alone Celtic myth. It is a world consumed by internecine strife that is at all times reminiscent of clan warfare. Juxtapose the meddling of world-building (and destroying) deities who cannot help but interfere in the lives of mortals for their own political purposes and you land upon Alexander. This is a complicated individual! He is not intended to be a nice guy and yet, there are so many times that you are forced as a reader to sympathize with this character that you can’t help but want to see him succeed in his mission. Of course, being the son of a mostly malevolent deity who was sired through a union with a mortal woman, you should expect to see the conflict of choice that afflicts all such characters. With that said, the reader will find themselves recoiling in horror at the horrifically bad behaviours exhibited by Alexander Cadeyrn all the while marvelling at his personal development, and for me at least, there was a residual hope embedded throughout the story that somehow, someday, Alexander would surprise us all and become more than what his destiny as the heir to ruin might suggest.
I am hooked, and I cannot wait to see what the Avatars have planned for our anti-hero in the next instalment in the Reflections of Shadow trilogy---“Book 2: Worlds Sundered”.
James McMahon- Author of THE LOURA LURE trilogy.
This had to be one of my favourite lines from James W. Lackie’s Book entitled “Nemesis Spawned, Reflections of Shadow: Book One”. While the phrase came later in the story, it perfectly encapsulates who the story’s protagonist, Alexander Cadeyrn, really is. Our fascination with Gods of classic tales and their timeless stories has been re-engineered so seamlessly by James that it takes no time at all to count his invention of world creators (known here as “Avatars”) as being a whole new epic tale about Gods and demi-gods. That is where the comparison to our own mythology ends, however.
What James has created in his world building (the setting of Lloryca) is very cool! Even though Lloryca is its own world, the story of its people contains all the feel of a stand-alone Celtic myth. It is a world consumed by internecine strife that is at all times reminiscent of clan warfare. Juxtapose the meddling of world-building (and destroying) deities who cannot help but interfere in the lives of mortals for their own political purposes and you land upon Alexander. This is a complicated individual! He is not intended to be a nice guy and yet, there are so many times that you are forced as a reader to sympathize with this character that you can’t help but want to see him succeed in his mission. Of course, being the son of a mostly malevolent deity who was sired through a union with a mortal woman, you should expect to see the conflict of choice that afflicts all such characters. With that said, the reader will find themselves recoiling in horror at the horrifically bad behaviours exhibited by Alexander Cadeyrn all the while marvelling at his personal development, and for me at least, there was a residual hope embedded throughout the story that somehow, someday, Alexander would surprise us all and become more than what his destiny as the heir to ruin might suggest.
I am hooked, and I cannot wait to see what the Avatars have planned for our anti-hero in the next instalment in the Reflections of Shadow trilogy---“Book 2: Worlds Sundered”.
James McMahon- Author of THE LOURA LURE trilogy.
July 11, 2025
A truly unique fantasy novel that will draw you in from the first chapter. Lackie has crafted a story that manages to both pay homage to the genre while upending reader expectations about heroes and villains, darkness and light. I highly recommend to anyone looking a new fantasy epic to get lost in.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews