Tempest Born

Echowake Saga #2

by John G. Stevens

We had one chance to stop Proteus from awaking this Storm. We failed…

Trede and his friends failed to stop Proteus from stirring a great power. Now an atrocity of magic tears its way towards the city of Sedenza leaving unfathomable destruction in its wake. Unstoppable and shrouded in shadow, The Storm isn't the only problem they face. The Outcast army actively wages war in the East. Their reach moves further across the continent every day.

While Trede and Traz range north to scout the Storm's path, Cassidy and Tenowon beseech the Cytech Guild to aid in defense of the city. Meanwhile, the mystics Maej and Oudrine devise a plan to overcome Proteus' thaumaturgical nightmare. Everyone will be stretched to their limit in defense against The Storm. But at what cost?

TEMPEST BORN is the second book in The Echowake Saga. It has more of the characters you love, ventures to new corners of the map and has bigger than ever stakes and a truly epic clash of good vs. evil. Can Trede and his friends save Sedenza from this coming storm?

311 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 1, 2019

About the author

John is a hardworking Husband and Father of three boys. He has spent most of his life on the East Coast of the US and currently resides in Southern Maine. They lived in Japan for a few years, love to travel and try to focus on what connects us all rather than what separates us. He considers the apex of all delicacies to be anything with buffalo chicken in it. Being a musician, avid reader and dabbler in Parkour gives him many avenues to pull from in his writing. A lifelong storyteller, John has always imagined worlds where there are no limits.

Reviews

[David Hambling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 2 of the Echowake series sees Trede and his friends pitted against a magical storm conjured up by the evil Proteus. Meanwhile talented young mystic Yaladra is attempting to rescue her father from the mysterious Tiberiak, and an army of Outcasts is massing to threaten what is left of civilization, defended by the Cytech Guild led by aeons-old android Tenowon. Meanwhile senior mystics Maej and Oudrine try to work out how they can save the day….

Needless to say, all these are connected and the characters cross paths with each other for better or worse. While there is a lot of jumping about with viewpoints, the plot never gets confusing and everything meshes together neatly. The action comes in a steady stream, leading up to a major ‘final battle’ at the climax, and there is character development too with revelations about the past and even a dash of romance.

Stevens has created a colorful world full of magic, steampunk technology, nonhuman species (benign and not-so-benign) with its own complex history. The style is that of a Western: there are gunfights, sheriffs, general stores and saloons, and the lack of authority adds to the Wild West ambience. The characters are as likely to fight it out with swords or magic as guns, making this something of an exotic hybrid: if you like the idea of a post-apocalyptic Star Wars, you’ll enjoy the series.