When My Eyes are Weighed with Sleep, I Quench the Evening Candle's Glow

Balada: A Symphony of Eternity #1

by R.M. Solea

What if in the struggle between magic and science, magic was the victor? What if technology disappeared and magic became what was used to colonize the galaxy? What if now magic is used to wage war across the stars? The imperial fleet’s only hope for victory is the ‘Hero of the Empire’ Metternich. Too bad that the man many consider to be their greatest hero, is in fact their greatest coward. Metty once more finds himself in a desperate situation on the Planet of Volun 4. Newly promoted to the rank of Commodore, he must take command of the defeated 378th fleet corps and lead it to victory against a superior foe, and he must do that before the arrival of an even greater enemy force, while also keeping his secret cowardice hidden from his own troops, lest they turn on him. Meanwhile rebellion stirs in the Occupied Territories, as a mysterious figure called 'Nobody' emerges to rally the rebels and lead them to victory against the Empire. But is he truly their salvation? Enemies to his front, vengeful rebels to his rear and surrounding him are allies that may betray him at any moment. Just another weekday for poor ol' Metty.

252 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 18, 2015

Reviews

[Lorine Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first I was a bit unsure as I haven't really read any sci-fi novels but I wanted to step outside of my comfort zone so I dove in. I love the way he puts his own spin on things. I loved all the characters and plot lines and was actually able to keep up the action. Really enjoyed it. Good read!

[TyCobbsTeeth TyCobbsTeeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

BALADA: A science-fiction novel that takes you someplace completely new.
The author has developed a very complex story with plenty of action to keep things buzzing.
Great imagination and a fun read.

[Thomas Hiller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gave 4 Starts to this author, despite the many typos and misspellings, together with some grammar imperfections, because the rare substance of his narration deserves a warm encouragement.
He is a champion of the dream, a creator of worlds, an ultra-prolific universe builder, one who, if you dare rising your vision from trivial accidents, will make you dream the epic dreams of mighty Gods living in the realms beyond time and space.
What he is creating and narrating is a contemporary Olympus for Millennials, one which is not confined on the summit of a terrestrial mountain, as was the kingdom of Greek mythology, but occupies an endless sequence of unlimited universes. Yet it thrives on the golden all times heritage of what ancient Hellenic civilizations were able to imagine above the human condition.
No surprise then if the immortal being, the Amurg, who will narrate the origin of the present realm to a disenchanted newcomer, is named Deux (two), and appears on board of a flying chariot led by two horses, the Platonic allegory of the human soul.
The reading of the subsequant endless interweaving of magical stories gave me a pure feeling of freedom, something I hadn’t the chance to enjoy in an age. And not only this: there are also sudden gusts of nonchalant wit, that may knock you down with laughter.
To those brave enough to afford the reading of a contemporary, fantastic Epic Poem, I recommend forgiving the low-level issues and enjoying the images that it will make blooming in our ordinary life blunt minds.
It's a XXIst century lifeblood for souls!
To the author, I dare to suggest that his valuable work deserves well an additional effort of polishing.
Even avoiding the cost of a professional editor, there exist many automatic tools capable of cleaning a text from the most patent imperfections. Since they usually work fine when feed sentence by sentence, the investment needed is only one of time.

[Pennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author Solea Razvan is a pharmacist in Europe. A fan of fantasy/sci fi novels he decided to put pen to paper and publish a series called 'Balada'.
Not the norm when it comes to sci fi, he adds his own touch with a spin of magical splendor to his books instead of sci fi/fantasy tech.
It seems to have worked, I was not disappointed in this debut introduction to this epic saga and thought it was quite an entertaining read.

The mood sets a scenic adventure in the world of 'Tolstoy sector'. A battle commences and Murasaki gathers his family up and moves to 'New Hope', a town 560,000 light-years away. But the war spread across millions of star systems and mayhem and chaos follows in quick pursuit.

A bizarre and complicated saga of events unfold as stormy action creates for a demanding situation. A good mix of characters, motivation, and plot-line keeps the reader turning the pages. 'Balada' illustrates in dramatic fashion how real events could very well develop within uninterrupted time and space that spreads a belief of futuristic proportion.

I was given a copy for evaluation and a fair unbiased review.

[Robert Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

A science-fiction novel that takes you someplace completely new.
The author has developed a very complex story with plenty of action to keep things buzzing.
Great imagination and a fun read.