Ancient Illumination

by Rod Van Blake

During the days of the Cro-Magnon, beings of pure light came to Earth to make an attempt at enlightening man. One member of this ancient race felt that the humanoids on Earth were entirely too ignorant and philosophically handicapped to ever truly grasp their teachings. Acting on these feelings, this being thought his time would be better spent experimenting with them instead. When the Counsel of Twelve found out what one of their own had been doing, they charged him with crimes against an innocent society who had not had the time to properly develop. They left Earth but exiled the culprit, while taking away his ability to transform into his pure light form which subsequently stops him from leaving the planet. He is tasked with helping the people he wronged evolve and grow. The original Pharaoh does just that, but not in the way the counsel intended. Man mutates into various groups of the Kison Tontu or stone people, Limbia Johari - the walking jewels, the Ongakujin, and many more. At the advice of Babylon, a blue-skinned Atlantian, Jared Omega is tasked with uniting humanity, in all their new forms, to confront Pharaoh in an effort to stop what has become galaxy wide bloodshed.

298 pages, Paperback

Published February 16, 2016

About the author

Former Marine who loves science fiction and fantasy novels, published his debut novel Ancient Illumination in 2016. Followed that up with Ancient Illumination II :Kuongoza Mwanga; the leading light in 2018, and most recently released Ancient Illumination III: Godhood in February of 2020. Now working on his fantasy debut to be published later this year. There is also an illustrated Ancient Illumination volume 1 Remembrance and Revolt the Graphic novel available on Kindle and soon Comixology which features the beginning of the first novel, art by Jordan P. Jackson. The physical version of the graphic novel can only be purchased at conventions or by contact through the author web site.

Reviews

[Hailee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this novel and the plot is extremely gripping. It consists of a civil war between different races of people that aren’t as different from each other as they would like to believe with an enemy behind the scenes pulling the strings. But the author has created a compelling backstory and interesting subplots behind this to make the reader eager to keep reading to find out what happens next.

There is plenty to interest space opera fans in this novel; full of interesting characters (Babylon was a definite favourite for me), intimidating enemies and awesome spacefaring weapons. The technical information is a lot easier to understand than in some space operas which would make this a good introduction to this genre. There is lots of foreshadowing which I particularly liked and thought added to the anticipation. I also enjoyed the author’s explanation behind UFO sighting which I found completely plausible within the universe he has created.

I also really liked the fact that the action took place in our solar system as I normally tend to read space operas where spacecraft’s travel further afield so it was an interesting change of pace and made the technology in this novel feel like it could actually be possible in the future in both its brilliance and its horror.

There are a few typos in the novel especially where tenses have been mixed up but they are few and far between and don’t take away from the pleasure of the storyline.

It did take me a few chapters to adapt to the authors style of writing but once I did I flew through the chapters (when I had the time). The end of the novel promises exciting things to come in the next book. This is the author’s first novel and extremely promising. I look forward to the next offering in the series.

I was provided with a free digital copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

[Brandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first picked up this book, I was nervous! Science fiction isn’t my first genre normally, and I wasn’t sure what to expect... Was. I. Surprised! This book was FANTASTIC taking me on a journey throughout the galaxy in the hope of righting wrongs that took place so long ago. With mind-blowing heroes, terrifying villains, ancient twists with modern flair and futuristic glory this book took me on one hell of a ride! With such detailed imaginary it surpasses some of the best selling books of today and is worth every second of your time. A must have addition for any reader’s library! Looking forward to read more from this talented new author!

[Rod Van Blake · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first novel. Waiting to see the opinions of others. I am of course biased...lol

[Avril Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the premise of the book - light beings come to ancient Earth to help mankind evolve, but one thinks humans aren't worthy and starts to experiment on them instead. For this, he is exiled on Earth till he helps them evolve. I loved the SciFi action and the mutated groups, but I had so many unanswered questions that it was hard for me to fully get engrossed in the book.
When did the different groups mutate in our human timeline?
If the mutants have always been slaves/servants, how come they have kings/queens/counsels? Able to understand the technology that Babylon gave them?
This is getting nit-picky, but Babylon's accent went in and out - sometimes within a single sentence, which was jarring.
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book, through Reading Deals, and I gave an honest review.

[Ben Pick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel was a well written first entry into the larger space epic of a war spanning our solar system. What amounts to a fallen angel instigates a war between humans and the various human-based species spanning the galaxy.
These human-based species are mutated to enhance physical attributes allowing them to excel at physical labor, such as harvesting minerals on various moons. That leads to them being oppressed by the largely Earth based humans who see everyone else as less than.
Although it takes place in the far future, the events of the story feel like they could be happening today with the way the mindsets towards thinking of people as less than human and the constant need to spin events for the media.
Great read which holds up a mirror to today's society.

[William Hayashi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This first effort by Mr. Van Blake is a great story that combines historical cultural elements with the telling of a future history consistent as it is a fun read. Any criticisms I have of the crafting of this story are small and do not take away from the telling of this tale.

The story arc is carefully crafted as are the various races and characters Van Blake has populated his worlds with. It was a fun read that left me interested in seeing where the the sequel will take me.