The Key of Alanar:

The Alanar Ascendant #1

by Rory B. Mackay

On his seventeenth birthday, David is given a crystal amulet, but it’s a gift that comes with a price. Targeted by a brutal military force, his home is attacked and destroyed and he finds himself on the run and embroiled in a dangerous quest. A dark force that first penetrated his realm in ancient times has returned. In possession of a remarkable latent power, David discovers that he alone can safeguard his world from a full-scale invasion. However, the enemy isn’t just pursuing him—it’s now within him.

Battling both hostile terrain and his own demons, an impossible choice lies ahead, the echoes of which will ripple throughout time, leading David to the very limits of the human experience, and beyond...

From the explosive opening to a truly cosmic finale, this visionary fantasy/sci-fi epic is a tale of loss, courage, betrayal, and redemption, unravelling the very meaning of existence. You have the Key. Are you ready to use it?

430 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 4, 2017

About the author

Hi, my name is Rory. I'm a writer, blogger and artist from Scotland. As a social science graduate, philosopher and student of Vedanta, Zen and Taoism, one of my true passions is exploring the potential of fiction and art to not just entertain, but to inspire and expand consciousness.

My debut novel “Eladria” was published in 2013 and my second novel, "The Key of Alanar" is due for release Summer 2015. I'm also the author of several short stories, available for free on my website and a translation and commentary on the Tao Te Ching.

Reviews

[Harrison Davies · Rating 5 out of 5]

It comes as no surprise to this fan of MacKay's work to once again be astounded at the quality and vibrancy of his work.

Whether there is danger tension drama excitement he masters them all in his writing.

But it is the smaller things that really stand out. Such as the nuances of expression in his dialogue between his characters.

David, the protagonist is written beautifully his character leaps off the page at you as a person you believe to be real. His emotions and feelings are exactly those experienced by a young man growing up with adoptive parents.

He is thrust into a world of change upon meeting a stranger and his life would never be the same again from that moment on. Danger lurks at every corner and an enemy hellbent on finding the Key of Alanar seek to destroy him and all that he knows.

I don't want to say too much for fear of spoiling the story for others, but it is just a dammed good read with direct correlation of characters and events from his previous books. It all ties in beautifully.

I know it is said too often, but this really is a page turner. I quite literally could not put it down save for tiredness and it was great to see that MacKay has once again surpassed even himself and his own mastery this is one book you must read

MacKay deserves to be recognised for what he is, a world-class writer and I would love to see his work hit the number one best selling chart.

[Kristy Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to receive an arc of this amazing book. There is so much going on in this epic fantasy adventure beast, that I couldn't even begin to cover all of it here. With a quest, a prophecy, great loss, alien races, dragons, swamp creatures and a particularly nasty bad guy, this book takes you on a nail biting and sometimes dark journey. It has a slight Tolkien feel and is beautifully written. I feel that the author poured a lot of himself into each sentence. The story follows a young boy called David as he embarks on a mission of possibly no return. He picks up support along his path from different races, which are all detailed so thoughtfully, I could imagine each race and realm in living colour. The world building is simply stunning. From the powerful opening to the very last chapter, this book never lost its way and was totally worth the read.

[EJ Roberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lasandria was doomed to fall. With visions plaguing the high priest of Lasandria, foretelling the collapse of an entire civilization, Ardonis stood unable to change anything. With his visions coming true, so begins the chain of events that set David on his path, years in the future.

From a young age, David knew he didn’t fit in. However, it wasn’t until his 19th birthday that he began to discover why. When he was gifted a crystal amulet, his entire world fell apart. Dark forces came and destroyed his home and forced him on a journey he was ill-equipped to handle. With grief and guilt as his main companions, he set out to do what he was destined for. Aided by his mentor, Janir, and accompanied by the few remaining survivors from his village, he began an epic journey.

I personally believe the prologue is an integral part to this book. However, it was a bit odd to have the vision happen first only to be told again in a few pages the same thing. This particular vision actually pops up several times in this book, so the reader is not likely to forget.

When David first made his appearance, I was entranced with the level and skill of writing. I was swept away by David’s feelings that he did not belong. The descriptions of the land and island were incredibly well done. I was happy to settle in for a good read and enjoy the book. I *almost* put the book down when 9-year-old David hopped in a boat to head to the mainland. I only kept reading to see if the author did what I considered the right thing. Since I finished it, you can assume I agreed with how Rory Mackay handled it. That level of writing lasted for about one-third of the book. Once David was faced with the actual journey, things began to slip a bit.

I’m of the firm belief that it takes a special kind of skill to move a character from one part of the world to another while keeping the reader engaged in the journey. The actual journeying seemed to give Rory Mackay a difficult time. However, when the characters stopped for any length of time, the same skill and imagery first seen at the beginning of the book would return. Only it would slip away again as the characters began moving.

David was completely filled with guilt over the attack on his village. It was something he agonized over for a good chunk of the book. I’ll admit I got fed up with it long before it was put to rest. There were also several characters that tagged along with David. I honestly have no idea why they were there. I didn’t feel very invested in them. They felt like two-dimensional puppets following him around. I know this series continues on, so I hope they become important at some point.

There isn’t a true magic system explored in this book. There are hints of it, but it wasn’t explained much beyond someone’s ability to access the Infinity. My guess is someone who has more knowledge of ancient Eastern wisdom and way of thinking might understand it better than I did. In this case, my Christian leanings could very well have gotten in the way. There were also high levels of technology in the book giving it an interesting blend of fantasy and science fiction.

I hit a fairly solid wall near the end of the book. I’m talking the last 90% of it. For some reason, my mind didn’t want to make the mental connection to the solution of the problem. I had to force myself to read that last 10%. Again, it is most likely my own personal thoughts and beliefs getting in the way. I can normally suspend them while reading fantasy, but I apparently couldn’t this time. The very end of the book set it up nicely for the continuation of the series, but I believe my journey across Alanar will stop here.

[Rae Sontheyon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Safeguarding The Key To Infinity And Beyond . . .

The book is a good read that is adventurous and thought provoking with new world concepts. This author without a doubt is very imaginative as he created a whole new world and completely thought out the characters and ideologies. Problem is the book length and narrative is largely narrator driven or inward reflection perspective, which keeps you from connecting with the characters.

Living as an outsider on the island of New Haven, David never felt like he fit in with his classmates or parents. It's only after learning he was adopted that David realizes his feelings were justified. Years later David is given a pendant found when he was brought home to the island and touching the object begins a chain of events. David learns from his mentor the local medicine man, Janir, that an evil force called The Alliance, is coming for him and his pendant which is part of The Key of Alanar. Destruction comes to New Haven and David with Janir and only a few survivors narrowly flee. David now has one mission revenge on the Alliance and to do that he must find his way to ancient portal before he can be captured by the dark force seeking to use him for the utter destruction Alana and then the world.

Overall, brilliant concepts and very thought out plot structure, but the story was too long for an introduction to the series and did not have enough character interactions and dialogue. I wanted to really like and enjoy this book but the story dragged on at points because of the explanations of this and that, which had relevant info, but it cramped any feelings for the characters and their plight against evil. I'd be okay with not caring so deeply for the characters if the author hadn't initiated hopes of romance or loss for family members and fallen comrades, all of which makes dialogue more pertinent to garner an emotional connection. Again I must mention the fictional theology in this book is fascinating as it mirrors many world theologies and religious ideas on life and death, so it was interesting to read a combination of them in this story. In the end if you'd like to take a chance on a story of a young man discovering his identity and destiny by transversing the harsh world he lives in and finding new people to accompany him along the way all willing to join in the fight against the evil darkness called the Alliance, this book would be good to try.

**I received a free copy in return for an honest review**

------Read more of my reviews at: http://heyitwasfree.blogspot.com/------

[Adrian Lupsa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr. Mackay has accustomed us to the fantasy world he managed to create in his first book, Eladria and therefore, The Key of Alanar fulfills this world, giving details that complete the whole picture.
The story presents the evolution of David, from a young boy, who lives with his parents on the island of New Heaven, to a man destined to prevent the destruction of Alanar and the entire world. David's father dies of disease and after that David remains without his mother after an attack on the island, where only he and a few friends of his survive, everything triggering a journey to self-knowledge. In the possession of a half pendant, David must find the missing piece to complete the Key of Alanar and in this way to prevent the malevolent intentions of The Alliance (the enemy that slaughtered the majority population of New Heaven). Fighting against evil has never been so exciting, as the normal meddles with the supernatural. David is guided and helped by his mentor, Janir, but during his journey he meets new persons ready to join his cause or in the contrary to betray him, making his mission much more difficult.
The character names are original, but some of them are difficult to remember. I guess that’s why the author decided to include a list of characters at the beginning of the book and I think it was a wonderful idea. There is a lot of description in this book that builds the world and can actually help you envision it. The pacing of the story felt slow sometimes, but the multiple twists made it a significant reading.
It might be rated as a Young-Adult fantasy, but The Key of Alanar has deeper roots in metaphysics as the protagonist is trying to explain the fundamental nature of his life and the world that encompasses him.
The Key of Alanar is a captivating read, full of adventures and wonderful world concepts.

[Mary Chin]

Am I like the only one who feels my heart breaking every time I had to DNF a book? It's like putting down a dog. SIGH. But I really thought I could go on reading this book, such that I only decided to DNF it at 67%. Every single turn of the page seemed to bring the rating of the star lower and lower, until I shake my head and slowly close the whole book.

The story line progression was really really slow and super descriptive such that I had to reread certain paragraphs just to understand what the author was trying to convey. It seemed like the author was so concentrated on the details of the world-building, such that the story halted for very long at certain moments. And I do understand that each story has to have their own problems so that it can be solved (or not), but having WAY TOO MUCH problems in one book is very very exhausting, especially if each problem is similar to one another and seemed to be never-ending. Example, one goes into the forest, gets captured by barbarians, managed to escape to the ship, only to get captured by something else. OH MY GOD. I kept rolling my eyes, because really, it's like this whole book was doused in bad luck water or something. I was pretty much getting tired of the constant gloom that surrounded the characters, who always doubted themselves.

There was no character development at all. The main character was supposed to be nineteen years old but he seemed way too childish. I kept forgetting that he was nineteen, and instead thought he was fifteen, because his attitude showed that way. He kept giving up so easily, was selfish and cranky at times, even up till the end. I was finally really frustrated as the story did not seem to be progressing. Instead, at 67%, it was at a standstill. *closes book*

[Alex McGilvery · Rating 4 out of 5]

David is a young boy living on a remote island on the planet of Alanar. He’s always known he was different from the other inhabitants. He is still shocked when he learns he is a foundling from the mainland. His father dies as a result of Davidson actions, but at the same time he gains a mentor in a.stranger to the island named Janir. Years later on his nineteenth birthday David is given an amulet. That moment touches off a streaming events which destroy his home and send him into the world with a motley band to save not just the world, but the universe.

The Key of Alanar is a rare book, it is a story with an underlying message yet doesn’t allow the message to get in the way of the story. David is a very complex character and is superbly drawn. His companions, aside from Janir are not as filled out, but they too develop three days through the course of the book.

The Key of Alanar is a first book in a series, but has a satisfying ending which still points us to the next installment. I recommend this book for people who enjoy sci fi and fantasy as it has elements of both.