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Enthroned Above All
THE PRICE OF PROGRESS IS BLOOD.
In the ancient forests of northern Restrin, strange things still reign, leftovers from the times of colonization. In places seldom traveled by those from the southern cities, beneath great pines that have never been cut, fanaticism has taken root, festered, and brooded. Jal Ardishaw was born into a place seething with such devotion, and it seems he must learn to seethe for he is slated to take on the hereditary role of his village's executioner, the chief perpetrator of their eon-spanning ritualistic sacrifices, upon his father's retirement. That time is soon approaching.
None may speak out against the Temple and the Grand Priest at its head, and none may leave the walls of the rules that Jal follows only because there exists no alternative. The world is far too wide and colorful to spend a lifetime in the shade of trees, life far too precious to extinguish needlessly in the censer haze of the but all who disobey disappear and are never spoken of again. Jal wants more than anything to live a life of his choosing, to create with his own hands all he wishes to create-- the price of progress, though, is not cheap. Neither is the price of stagnancy. Embers are beginning to glow out in the forest, and the reign of the Temple may be caught in the rising flames.
A startling journey through youth and its emotions, trauma and its aftershocks, faith and its dangers, Enthroned Above All brings Jal face to face with strange histories, strange futures, strange and above all, his own strange childhood. Progress must come, so he might as well be the one to bring it.
In the ancient forests of northern Restrin, strange things still reign, leftovers from the times of colonization. In places seldom traveled by those from the southern cities, beneath great pines that have never been cut, fanaticism has taken root, festered, and brooded. Jal Ardishaw was born into a place seething with such devotion, and it seems he must learn to seethe for he is slated to take on the hereditary role of his village's executioner, the chief perpetrator of their eon-spanning ritualistic sacrifices, upon his father's retirement. That time is soon approaching.
None may speak out against the Temple and the Grand Priest at its head, and none may leave the walls of the rules that Jal follows only because there exists no alternative. The world is far too wide and colorful to spend a lifetime in the shade of trees, life far too precious to extinguish needlessly in the censer haze of the but all who disobey disappear and are never spoken of again. Jal wants more than anything to live a life of his choosing, to create with his own hands all he wishes to create-- the price of progress, though, is not cheap. Neither is the price of stagnancy. Embers are beginning to glow out in the forest, and the reign of the Temple may be caught in the rising flames.
A startling journey through youth and its emotions, trauma and its aftershocks, faith and its dangers, Enthroned Above All brings Jal face to face with strange histories, strange futures, strange and above all, his own strange childhood. Progress must come, so he might as well be the one to bring it.
378 pages, Paperback
Published September 1, 2024
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About the author
Anthony C. Ermi
5 books1 followerSeven-time published. Author of 'Enthroned Above All'.
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May 2, 2025
Received free copy for review. The world building is beautifully done, where the only "info dumps" are placed where necessary -- to educate the main character as much as the audience. I found myself on the edge of my seat more often than not due to the author's skillful writing. I fear that if I write any more about the story than is given in the book's description, I'll be likely to spoil important plot points. Suffice to say, I'm eagerly awaiting anything else this author publishes!
Displaying 1 of 1 review