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Ancient Illumination
Fire spews and ice follows.
The world Drakonis is near death and all life has fled. Except for Brennan, the thief who hears mysterious directions to Castle Drakon on the wind, and brothers Bastian and Cole, who choose to follow her. Then there’s Halley, an exotic dancer from the burning cities, and Audri, who refuses to speak.
These five are the last and it is their task to ensure at least memory remains, or Drakonis will be eternally forgotten. To ensure this, they must find Castle Drakon.
In a grotto under the ice they discover three others alive and before the warmth of a fire hear of a mighty legend. Unravelling its mysteries could lead to a way off a dying world. An ancient light will illuminate their path.
The world Drakonis is near death and all life has fled. Except for Brennan, the thief who hears mysterious directions to Castle Drakon on the wind, and brothers Bastian and Cole, who choose to follow her. Then there’s Halley, an exotic dancer from the burning cities, and Audri, who refuses to speak.
These five are the last and it is their task to ensure at least memory remains, or Drakonis will be eternally forgotten. To ensure this, they must find Castle Drakon.
In a grotto under the ice they discover three others alive and before the warmth of a fire hear of a mighty legend. Unravelling its mysteries could lead to a way off a dying world. An ancient light will illuminate their path.
152 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 6, 2015
1 person want to read
About the author
Elaina J. Davidson
126 books77 followersElaina lives in magical Ireland after leaving the surrounds of magnificent Table Mountain at the southern tip of Africa. Having lived in both Ireland and New Zealand, she now realises Ireland’s mists are close to perfection. When writing she puts into words her travels and dreams, because she believes there is inspiration in even the most outrageous tale.
After studying Purchasing Management and working in the formal sector as a buyer, she chose to raise and home-school her three children. She started writing novels around 2002, moving from children’s stories, poetry and short stories to concentrate on larger works.
While her main body of work has been her Fantasy Series (Lore of Arcana, Lore of Reaume and Lore of Sanctum), she is a diverse writer and her credits include novels and shorter stories in the Contemporary, Humorous, Paranormal, Dystopian, Alternate History and Romantic genres, as well as Non-fiction. Many of her books have been translated into Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, German, Greek and French. Her audiobook library is growing too.
Ireland’s ancient past has influenced her writing, gifting her work a Celtic twist, while the majesty of New Zealand has led her to mountaintops and extraordinary vistas. The vibrancy of Africa has had much to do with the inspirational side of Elaina’s work. The colours and diversity of nature itself fires her imagination.
Come with her to places familiar and far, far away!
After studying Purchasing Management and working in the formal sector as a buyer, she chose to raise and home-school her three children. She started writing novels around 2002, moving from children’s stories, poetry and short stories to concentrate on larger works.
While her main body of work has been her Fantasy Series (Lore of Arcana, Lore of Reaume and Lore of Sanctum), she is a diverse writer and her credits include novels and shorter stories in the Contemporary, Humorous, Paranormal, Dystopian, Alternate History and Romantic genres, as well as Non-fiction. Many of her books have been translated into Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, German, Greek and French. Her audiobook library is growing too.
Ireland’s ancient past has influenced her writing, gifting her work a Celtic twist, while the majesty of New Zealand has led her to mountaintops and extraordinary vistas. The vibrancy of Africa has had much to do with the inspirational side of Elaina’s work. The colours and diversity of nature itself fires her imagination.
Come with her to places familiar and far, far away!
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 13, 2017
At just over 70 pages on Kindle, Ancient Illumination by Elaina J. Davidson is either a long short story or a short novella. Either way, it is jammed pack full of action, characters that one can relate to and the sort of decisions and situations we all hope we are never faced with.
When their world Drakonis is threatened with extinction through violent volcanic eruptions and a creeping ice sheet, five young friends are drawn together by their "leader" a young woman called Brennan, who must lead them to the mystical Castle Drakon, where it is rumoured a way off Drakonis is to be found.
Along the way, they must face trials and situations they are unprepared for and suffer deep losses. These young people are the last chance for their species to survive, but there are questions to be resolved and dilemmas to answer before such survival is possible.
What impressed me most about this short story was the amount of story that was actually managed to be packed into it. I really enjoyed the tale and the characters and found myself rooting hard for them. I don't want to give any spoilers here except perhaps to say that all may not be what it seems. This is a great, little book to dip your toes into a fantasy story and to see if the genre resonates with you. I enjoyed it also because it is another example of the fertile and creative mind of Elaina J. Davidson, an author I am rapidly coming to appreciate and enjoy.
When their world Drakonis is threatened with extinction through violent volcanic eruptions and a creeping ice sheet, five young friends are drawn together by their "leader" a young woman called Brennan, who must lead them to the mystical Castle Drakon, where it is rumoured a way off Drakonis is to be found.
Along the way, they must face trials and situations they are unprepared for and suffer deep losses. These young people are the last chance for their species to survive, but there are questions to be resolved and dilemmas to answer before such survival is possible.
What impressed me most about this short story was the amount of story that was actually managed to be packed into it. I really enjoyed the tale and the characters and found myself rooting hard for them. I don't want to give any spoilers here except perhaps to say that all may not be what it seems. This is a great, little book to dip your toes into a fantasy story and to see if the genre resonates with you. I enjoyed it also because it is another example of the fertile and creative mind of Elaina J. Davidson, an author I am rapidly coming to appreciate and enjoy.
March 8, 2015
I loved this fantasy adventure!! Brennan and her weary group were in store for a mighty shock when they reached their destination.A short tale of ancient magic and secrets that are revealed,brilliant!!
July 10, 2019
So much more than just an entertaining fantasy!
“There are only five of us now. We are the last of our kind.”
A great story teller needs to know how to hook the reader immediately. And that’s why Elaina Davidson is fantastic at what she does. As soon as I read the first two lines of the prologue of “Ancient Illumination”, my mind raced with questions that needed answers. Who are these five? How and why did the rest of their kind perish? And more importantly, will the five survive until the end of the tale?
I’ve read some of the other reviews regarding this book. Many of them are very well thought out and address how brilliantly Davidson weaves a story with issues that have relevance in today’s world. However, the idea of survival was the concept that held my attention. Survival is a basic drive in any species. For the five people in this story, it’s pivotal. If they perish, their kind will be lost forever.
However, when they are presented with the price of survival, they have to consider the cost and what they’d have to give up to survive. There is also a question of immortality and what one would sacrifice for that immortality. Would living forever be something of value?
This is a beautifully written narrative that held lots of surprises and kept me reading to the end. I won’t tell you what that end is, but I will say that this story made me more aware of how lucky we are to have the choices we have, that we can only survive as a species if we each choose carefully and with a more enlightened approach to life.
“There are only five of us now. We are the last of our kind.”
A great story teller needs to know how to hook the reader immediately. And that’s why Elaina Davidson is fantastic at what she does. As soon as I read the first two lines of the prologue of “Ancient Illumination”, my mind raced with questions that needed answers. Who are these five? How and why did the rest of their kind perish? And more importantly, will the five survive until the end of the tale?
I’ve read some of the other reviews regarding this book. Many of them are very well thought out and address how brilliantly Davidson weaves a story with issues that have relevance in today’s world. However, the idea of survival was the concept that held my attention. Survival is a basic drive in any species. For the five people in this story, it’s pivotal. If they perish, their kind will be lost forever.
However, when they are presented with the price of survival, they have to consider the cost and what they’d have to give up to survive. There is also a question of immortality and what one would sacrifice for that immortality. Would living forever be something of value?
This is a beautifully written narrative that held lots of surprises and kept me reading to the end. I won’t tell you what that end is, but I will say that this story made me more aware of how lucky we are to have the choices we have, that we can only survive as a species if we each choose carefully and with a more enlightened approach to life.
October 26, 2016
Brennan and four others think they are the last people on Drakion after crawling from the ice. When Winter comes into their lives, they discover they aren't the last survivors. But they each have a job to do and this is where the adventure begins, and what an adventure! This is a great fantasy story that will capture you from the beginning and take you on a ride with a big climatic finish. I highly recommend this book for lovers of fantasy.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews