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The Saga of Ben Cole #1
Crossing Points
Crossing Points is the debut novel from the epic fantasy series, The Saga of Ben Cole.
For Ben Cole, adventure is second nature. He has been sent all over the world seeking its inhabitants at their best and their worst, but this time it’s not his choice… or his world.
Ben and his brother survive where they should have perished only to be thrown into the middle of a terrible war that has nothing to do with them. The struggle between good and evil is not unique to Earth.
The crossing changes them both. They must learn to control their new-found power and their fragile minds.
And before they can find a Way home, they must find each other.
Sides must be chosen, but sometimes the right side is not always as obvious as it first seems.
And among it all, love can be found.
Cross with us into Sira, a land of fierce creatures, wild magics, and daring adventure.
For Ben Cole, adventure is second nature. He has been sent all over the world seeking its inhabitants at their best and their worst, but this time it’s not his choice… or his world.
Ben and his brother survive where they should have perished only to be thrown into the middle of a terrible war that has nothing to do with them. The struggle between good and evil is not unique to Earth.
The crossing changes them both. They must learn to control their new-found power and their fragile minds.
And before they can find a Way home, they must find each other.
Sides must be chosen, but sometimes the right side is not always as obvious as it first seems.
And among it all, love can be found.
Cross with us into Sira, a land of fierce creatures, wild magics, and daring adventure.
417 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 16, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 7, 2019
Ben Cole is having an eventful day: He has already survived a plane wreck over Papa New Guinea and then fled from angry tribesmen after accidentally desecrating their burial grounds. But when he and his brother step across a curtain of violet light at the foot of a holy mountain, they find their real adventures have only just begun.
Ben is transported to the world of Sira, which is ruled by a system of bizarre magic not even the natives fully understand. Three races are at war with each other--a city of ancient human mages, green-skinned forest-dwelling Horgans, and the reptilian Vor. Ben navigates shifting alliances in order to survive, and he begins to realize the crossing has changed him. No one knows how his altered body works, but it may contain the key to ending the war, finding his lost brother, and getting back home alive.
Michael Willison Long's debut fantasy novel recaptures that wide-eyed wonder of experiencing new worlds and exotic creatures, and believing you may only be one errant footfall away from your next grand adventure.
Minxy fairies, secret cities, evil wizards, magic crystals, unpredictable portals to far-offs worlds…
In many ways, it is a welcome callback to pulp-adventure stories like the ones Ace books used to publish. The prose is clear with emphasis on story and character. Feena the Dart is the most memorable character; she steals every scene she is in. The entire Grom's Bar sequence is exciting and wonderfully executed. I kept thinking this is the modern-day equivalent to early Robert Silverberg--this story can sit proudly alongside lost gems like The Thirteenth Immortal and "Hunters of Cutwold".
The book has its roots in sword and sorcery but with more focus on developing a nuanced three dimensional world. On Sira, the author creates an intriguing mix of cultures that have evolved over thousands of years in a sociological vacuum after the introduction of magic from an external world. (The opening scene in Papa New Guinea was an effective setup that we are going to explore only a secluded microcosm of a much larger universe).
The system of magic, which seems monolithic at first, is gradually developed to reveal competing branches and may affect space-time in a manner that hints at a much more expansive mythology. Hopefully the two future volumes will explore this in more detail.
Ben is transported to the world of Sira, which is ruled by a system of bizarre magic not even the natives fully understand. Three races are at war with each other--a city of ancient human mages, green-skinned forest-dwelling Horgans, and the reptilian Vor. Ben navigates shifting alliances in order to survive, and he begins to realize the crossing has changed him. No one knows how his altered body works, but it may contain the key to ending the war, finding his lost brother, and getting back home alive.
Michael Willison Long's debut fantasy novel recaptures that wide-eyed wonder of experiencing new worlds and exotic creatures, and believing you may only be one errant footfall away from your next grand adventure.
Minxy fairies, secret cities, evil wizards, magic crystals, unpredictable portals to far-offs worlds…
In many ways, it is a welcome callback to pulp-adventure stories like the ones Ace books used to publish. The prose is clear with emphasis on story and character. Feena the Dart is the most memorable character; she steals every scene she is in. The entire Grom's Bar sequence is exciting and wonderfully executed. I kept thinking this is the modern-day equivalent to early Robert Silverberg--this story can sit proudly alongside lost gems like The Thirteenth Immortal and "Hunters of Cutwold".
The book has its roots in sword and sorcery but with more focus on developing a nuanced three dimensional world. On Sira, the author creates an intriguing mix of cultures that have evolved over thousands of years in a sociological vacuum after the introduction of magic from an external world. (The opening scene in Papa New Guinea was an effective setup that we are going to explore only a secluded microcosm of a much larger universe).
The system of magic, which seems monolithic at first, is gradually developed to reveal competing branches and may affect space-time in a manner that hints at a much more expansive mythology. Hopefully the two future volumes will explore this in more detail.
May 5, 2020
Fantasy intimidates me almost more than any other genre. But this story was terrific! From the very beginning I was drawn to the story. Two brothers involved in a plane crash and then they suddenly find themselves in alternate realities and fighting a war they didn’t choose to participate in. The setting was unique and engaging but my favorite part was the characters. Feena is my favorite character, but all of the other characters equally contributed to the story. By the end, I felt like I made some new friends. I highly recommend this book if you are a fantasy fan or just want to escape to another dimension. Enjoy!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews