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Equivocal Destines
The future for 16-year-old Taal appears to be drearily set. Toiling away in the dusty, coastal town of Takelberorl, the intellectual and intuitive young man tries his best to shed an optimistic light on a life of mundane chores and routine self-defense classes. But a malevolent twist of fate soon turns his laborious life upside down. Leaving his friends and family behind, he is forced to embark on a journey of unparalleled proportions, one that will challenge all of his previously-existing assumptions and expectations about life.
From the battle-scarred plains that surround the place of his birth, through regal cities and across pristine mountain wildernesses full of mysterious forces, Taal and his makeshift band of renegades search valiantly in a quest unmask the evil forces conspiring to annihilate all races. Taking heart-pounding risks and suffering tumultuous trials, the team experiences both horrific battles and unexpected delights.
Powerfully descriptive and yet lyrically poignant, Clarke reveals the land of Nidola as one of not only diverse wonders and startling beauty, but also exposes a world where seemingly benign occurrences have often surprising and even deep meaning. The radiant and dynamic characters transverse exquisite landscapes that are both hauntingly beautiful and fiendishly dangerous. Adventurous and exciting, yet thought-provoking and memorable, Taal’s adventure transports the reader to a unique place that won’t soon be forgotten.
From the battle-scarred plains that surround the place of his birth, through regal cities and across pristine mountain wildernesses full of mysterious forces, Taal and his makeshift band of renegades search valiantly in a quest unmask the evil forces conspiring to annihilate all races. Taking heart-pounding risks and suffering tumultuous trials, the team experiences both horrific battles and unexpected delights.
Powerfully descriptive and yet lyrically poignant, Clarke reveals the land of Nidola as one of not only diverse wonders and startling beauty, but also exposes a world where seemingly benign occurrences have often surprising and even deep meaning. The radiant and dynamic characters transverse exquisite landscapes that are both hauntingly beautiful and fiendishly dangerous. Adventurous and exciting, yet thought-provoking and memorable, Taal’s adventure transports the reader to a unique place that won’t soon be forgotten.
349 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 29, 2015
About the author
Raymond Clarke
2 books5 followersGoogle+
Raymond Clarke born March 15th, 1978 in Perth, Western Australia.
Looking for a new way of life and inspiration, he emigrated to Europe, eventually landing in Poland. He is currently working as an English teacher, but has also worked in Information Technology.
Equivocal Destines - book 1 of the Upheaving Nidola series - is his literary début, but he is also working on other books and ideas.
Raymond is regarded as a very creative person with huge sense of humour and has many interests and hobbies. He refers to himself as a “big child” because he hasn’t lost his kids sense of imagination and creativity. You can find all of these attributes in his books.
Raymond Clarke born March 15th, 1978 in Perth, Western Australia.
Looking for a new way of life and inspiration, he emigrated to Europe, eventually landing in Poland. He is currently working as an English teacher, but has also worked in Information Technology.
Equivocal Destines - book 1 of the Upheaving Nidola series - is his literary début, but he is also working on other books and ideas.
Raymond is regarded as a very creative person with huge sense of humour and has many interests and hobbies. He refers to himself as a “big child” because he hasn’t lost his kids sense of imagination and creativity. You can find all of these attributes in his books.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 30, 2016
One of the most original books I've read in a long time. An excellent read that I could hardly put down. Can't wait for the second book to come out.
September 12, 2015
Equivocal Destinies by Raymond Clarke is a fantasy story featuring a young man named Taal. Taal is a poor water wizard who grew up with a loving but put-upon mother. He doesn't have much chance for greatness in life, but Taal expects more for himself. When a horde of magically twisted monsters attack Taal's home, he is thrust into a role of danger, a role where he can grow to his full potential.
The Good
The world building in this novel is incredibly unique and interesting. I love the background of magic that runs throughout the story and the magic system is well fleshed out and fun. This world has experienced a calamity which caused magic to go haywire and corrupt many creatures. Now the world is threatened by hordes of evil creatures hell bent on taking out the remaining humans.
I loved the background of this world and the rich history developed to support the story. Each setting seemed very real and each new location was easy to picture immediately. The world felt very real. I would love to live in a world with this type of magic system, Granted without the hordes accompanying it. The use of elemental magic has obviously been done before but the way it works in this book was different enough to feel new.
I also thought that the main plot was full of adventure and danger. It has a lot of potential for battles and action sequences, not to mention plenty of room to expand on the lore and reveal why the magic went awry in the first place. Future books have a lot to work with and improve on.
The Bad
Unfortunately, I wasn't as drawn into this book as I would have liked. One issue I had was that, although the world is well done, there were a few too many info-dumps. There was a lot of backstory about the beasts and the magic, etc. but it wasn't introduced in a very fluid way. Many times in a chapter there would be a huge amount of background info that just got in the way of the story. I appreciate all of this information but I would have liked it to be introduced more seamlessly.
I also had some issues with the characters in general. Firstly, I felt that there were too many characters being introduced for only a short period of time. I'm assuming that these characters will continue to play a role in the future books and will be expanded upon, but I was distracted by the chapters that followed more and more new characters only to not touch on them again for the rest of the book.
Secondly, I feel that Taal and his friend were written a little awkwardly. I enjoyed Taal's personality and what he wanted in life, but his point of view fluctuated between different ages for me. At times he seemed like a much younger person than he really is and at others he would show more maturity. This issue was a bit distracting and prevented me from really bonding with Taal as a lead character.
The Verdict
In general, I liked the idea of this book and I thought it was relatively well done. The world is fabulously interesting and I do look forward to reading the next book and learning more. I think the sequel may be better than the first since less backstory will be required at that point. Check it out if you're looking for a new world with a great history.
The Good
The world building in this novel is incredibly unique and interesting. I love the background of magic that runs throughout the story and the magic system is well fleshed out and fun. This world has experienced a calamity which caused magic to go haywire and corrupt many creatures. Now the world is threatened by hordes of evil creatures hell bent on taking out the remaining humans.
I loved the background of this world and the rich history developed to support the story. Each setting seemed very real and each new location was easy to picture immediately. The world felt very real. I would love to live in a world with this type of magic system, Granted without the hordes accompanying it. The use of elemental magic has obviously been done before but the way it works in this book was different enough to feel new.
I also thought that the main plot was full of adventure and danger. It has a lot of potential for battles and action sequences, not to mention plenty of room to expand on the lore and reveal why the magic went awry in the first place. Future books have a lot to work with and improve on.
The Bad
Unfortunately, I wasn't as drawn into this book as I would have liked. One issue I had was that, although the world is well done, there were a few too many info-dumps. There was a lot of backstory about the beasts and the magic, etc. but it wasn't introduced in a very fluid way. Many times in a chapter there would be a huge amount of background info that just got in the way of the story. I appreciate all of this information but I would have liked it to be introduced more seamlessly.
I also had some issues with the characters in general. Firstly, I felt that there were too many characters being introduced for only a short period of time. I'm assuming that these characters will continue to play a role in the future books and will be expanded upon, but I was distracted by the chapters that followed more and more new characters only to not touch on them again for the rest of the book.
Secondly, I feel that Taal and his friend were written a little awkwardly. I enjoyed Taal's personality and what he wanted in life, but his point of view fluctuated between different ages for me. At times he seemed like a much younger person than he really is and at others he would show more maturity. This issue was a bit distracting and prevented me from really bonding with Taal as a lead character.
The Verdict
In general, I liked the idea of this book and I thought it was relatively well done. The world is fabulously interesting and I do look forward to reading the next book and learning more. I think the sequel may be better than the first since less backstory will be required at that point. Check it out if you're looking for a new world with a great history.
May 6, 2015
This was a good book with some interesting characters and a different take on the usual fantasy, mages working in 'real' jobs, but using their skills to accomplish the mundane tasks of real life.
Well-written and nicely constructed, although I could have done without so much of the descriptive history, but nonetheless it was good.
I'd recommend for those who enjoy a good fantasy story!!
Well-written and nicely constructed, although I could have done without so much of the descriptive history, but nonetheless it was good.
I'd recommend for those who enjoy a good fantasy story!!
July 31, 2015
Not only do I want to play with water now, but I also want to dive into the world of Nidola and get lost for a moment!!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews