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Orizon
"Orizon" is a protest and a testimonial. It is an epic anti-war allegoric fantasy portraying the decline of our civilization. Combining reality and fantasy, it traces the reasons behind the misfortunes that plague today's society and harass modern man. It talks about pollution, terrorism, globalization, drugs, fanaticism, political corruption and the corrosion of every kind of freedom and ideal.
This stirring, original best seller is an action adventure taking readers to magic, mythical worlds to witness the unfolding of some of the more important secrets of our times, provoking thoughts and feelings about the deeper meaning of life.
The readers will come to love the many heroes of the story.
They will be angered by the gods, who are the equivalent of today's politicians and all those who arbitrarily decide our destinies. Finally they will come face to face with real Evil, recognizing it from their own daily lives, and try to find the exit from the labyrinth. There are no dead-ends!
This enchanting and moving romance is both a fairy tale and a philosophical work, which dares to shout the thoughts that all sane people keep hidden inside. The book combines the lessons of history, religion and politics in a controversial and gripping plot.
This stirring, original best seller is an action adventure taking readers to magic, mythical worlds to witness the unfolding of some of the more important secrets of our times, provoking thoughts and feelings about the deeper meaning of life.
The readers will come to love the many heroes of the story.
They will be angered by the gods, who are the equivalent of today's politicians and all those who arbitrarily decide our destinies. Finally they will come face to face with real Evil, recognizing it from their own daily lives, and try to find the exit from the labyrinth. There are no dead-ends!
This enchanting and moving romance is both a fairy tale and a philosophical work, which dares to shout the thoughts that all sane people keep hidden inside. The book combines the lessons of history, religion and politics in a controversial and gripping plot.
- GenresFantasy
471 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
10 people want to read
About the author
Mario Routi
9 books17 followersMario is a cool, mysterious and slightly sloppy guy. He sneaked to the third planet from the sun more or less forty+ years ago, taking advantage of a tender moment between his lovely parents, using them as his Portal.
As a child, he wrestled and boxed every day with his dear brother, but without really hurting each other. During his youth years, he worked hard to persuade friends and teachers that he was just a normal guy who was indeed from this world, and not some dangerous alien.
Submitting to the demands of contemporary society, he was forced to study several stuff, here and there, in order to penetrate the business world, escaping a few years later to become an author.
Having written a few dozen articles, a script or two and a couple of best selling novels, he created his own world, one which lives inside his skull, where he continually tries to persuade his characters that he is not a god but just their creator, so they should see him more like a father, just as his beloved Earth children do. He is proud of his characters, viewing them as individual, autonomous creatures, not bound or guided.
He currently flows between the Earth and the Land of the White Sun, wandering in the deepest places of both worlds, bringing his readers back tales of the adventures of his heroes.
Meanwhile in reality, his biggest problem is forgetting where he has parked his car, (or his spaceship), while his greatest worry is reserved for how his favourite soccer team will fare.
As a child, he wrestled and boxed every day with his dear brother, but without really hurting each other. During his youth years, he worked hard to persuade friends and teachers that he was just a normal guy who was indeed from this world, and not some dangerous alien.
Submitting to the demands of contemporary society, he was forced to study several stuff, here and there, in order to penetrate the business world, escaping a few years later to become an author.
Having written a few dozen articles, a script or two and a couple of best selling novels, he created his own world, one which lives inside his skull, where he continually tries to persuade his characters that he is not a god but just their creator, so they should see him more like a father, just as his beloved Earth children do. He is proud of his characters, viewing them as individual, autonomous creatures, not bound or guided.
He currently flows between the Earth and the Land of the White Sun, wandering in the deepest places of both worlds, bringing his readers back tales of the adventures of his heroes.
Meanwhile in reality, his biggest problem is forgetting where he has parked his car, (or his spaceship), while his greatest worry is reserved for how his favourite soccer team will fare.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 27, 2013
An astonishing allegorical fantasy, filled with myths and legends amid an impressive atmospheric backdrop.
Utterly remarkable, distinctive and unique this epic fantasy tale is something that you will certainly have not encountered before. Beautifully blending magnificent battle scenes with breathtaking adventure, philosophy and mythology this is certainly an unusual read! This UK edition (translated from the Greek) embodies such impressive proportions considering that this is a children’s book, with a target readership akin to that of C.S Lewis. Deeply thoughtful and reflective, I loved how Mario Routi singularly combined fairy-tale and action-packed adventure, with romanticism and acutely insightful viewpoints. Unlike anything I have read within the fantasy genre, I would have to concur with ‘the Tolkien Society’ in that this entertaining story is something all fantasy readers will enjoy.
‘Orizon: the flame of the white sun’ begins with two parallel worlds, which are inhabited by immortal beings and mortal men, mythical creatures and Gods. Children live a simplistic life within the Land of the white sun; in which they undertake multiple levels of rigorous training for a supremely singular existence. Their training is to ensure that nothing befalls the flame in Utopia – the source of good. Main protagonist Rebecca is thrust into the midst of a great battle between evil and good, where she uncovers the terrible truths about her destiny and the fate of the world…
The vivid imagery and vast world-building is stunning and as compelling and believable as any great fantasy masterwork, hence I was able to loose myself completely within this story. Interweaving ancient and Modern Greek myths with a science-fiction twist, Routi has produced something truly remarkable and extremely ambitious. This powerfully evocative and poignant novel, which is ideal for both young and old readers alike, contains so many layers of implied thought and ideas which seep through the pages. Reading this book feels like you are peeling an Onion, for there is so much content within that delights a ferocious mind; such as mine that devours JRR Tolkien and similar.
Orizon is a magical, fantastic feast which had me gripping the pages tightly, as I reveled in the intense drama and the inspired plot that brought dreams to life. After reading this book my mind was working overtime as I reflected on the many questions and perspectives that lay within the pages, all of which left me wanting to re-read this magnificent gem of a book!!
Utterly remarkable, distinctive and unique this epic fantasy tale is something that you will certainly have not encountered before. Beautifully blending magnificent battle scenes with breathtaking adventure, philosophy and mythology this is certainly an unusual read! This UK edition (translated from the Greek) embodies such impressive proportions considering that this is a children’s book, with a target readership akin to that of C.S Lewis. Deeply thoughtful and reflective, I loved how Mario Routi singularly combined fairy-tale and action-packed adventure, with romanticism and acutely insightful viewpoints. Unlike anything I have read within the fantasy genre, I would have to concur with ‘the Tolkien Society’ in that this entertaining story is something all fantasy readers will enjoy.
‘Orizon: the flame of the white sun’ begins with two parallel worlds, which are inhabited by immortal beings and mortal men, mythical creatures and Gods. Children live a simplistic life within the Land of the white sun; in which they undertake multiple levels of rigorous training for a supremely singular existence. Their training is to ensure that nothing befalls the flame in Utopia – the source of good. Main protagonist Rebecca is thrust into the midst of a great battle between evil and good, where she uncovers the terrible truths about her destiny and the fate of the world…
The vivid imagery and vast world-building is stunning and as compelling and believable as any great fantasy masterwork, hence I was able to loose myself completely within this story. Interweaving ancient and Modern Greek myths with a science-fiction twist, Routi has produced something truly remarkable and extremely ambitious. This powerfully evocative and poignant novel, which is ideal for both young and old readers alike, contains so many layers of implied thought and ideas which seep through the pages. Reading this book feels like you are peeling an Onion, for there is so much content within that delights a ferocious mind; such as mine that devours JRR Tolkien and similar.
Orizon is a magical, fantastic feast which had me gripping the pages tightly, as I reveled in the intense drama and the inspired plot that brought dreams to life. After reading this book my mind was working overtime as I reflected on the many questions and perspectives that lay within the pages, all of which left me wanting to re-read this magnificent gem of a book!!
September 22, 2014
I just remembered reviewing this book elsewhere before I'd started using Goodreads and thought I'd bring my review across...
This was supposed to be a novel about a teenage girl who finds out some amazing truths about her family and the history of the world, and is then plunged into some fantastic adventures. I found it to actually be 200 pages of the author in a pulpit, preaching non-stop.
It was all about the fight between Good and Evil (the author's capitalisation, not mine) and how we should live in harmony with Nature (again with the capitals).
War is evil
Pollution is evil
Wasting money on space exploration is evil
Drugs are evil
The decline of the family unit is evil
Using religion to brainwash people is evil
Unsustainable energy sources are evil
Cruelty to animals is evil
And on and on and on...
The premise for the strange new world the main character visits is total rubbish, and suddenly this girl comes along and says "But this is stupid, stop fighting each other and work together" and everyone says "Oh what a great idea, let's do that!" like it could never have occurred to them on their own. Totally contrived.
The author also personified every damn thing which drove me completely up the wall. The birds, the lions, the giraffes, the trees, the wind, the sun... The birds so loved the beautiful sunset, that they sang and flew round to celebrate its beauty. Ugh! That happened constantly throughout the whole book, very tiresome.
Half the characters were ripped from Greek mythology which completely counteracted any authenticity in this supposedly original fantasy world. The writing style was awful, all tell and no show. This left the prose so sterile and it used the narrative voice so much that it was like a 2-foot thick wall of glass between the reader and the events of the book, so I never felt anything for any of the characters.
And the ending was just awful, so unsatisfying. It was like the author himself got bored by the end and ran out of steam. It's possible that some quality was lost in translation from Greek to English, but we'll never know. What I do know is that the result was really not worth slogging to the end for.
This was supposed to be a novel about a teenage girl who finds out some amazing truths about her family and the history of the world, and is then plunged into some fantastic adventures. I found it to actually be 200 pages of the author in a pulpit, preaching non-stop.
It was all about the fight between Good and Evil (the author's capitalisation, not mine) and how we should live in harmony with Nature (again with the capitals).
War is evil
Pollution is evil
Wasting money on space exploration is evil
Drugs are evil
The decline of the family unit is evil
Using religion to brainwash people is evil
Unsustainable energy sources are evil
Cruelty to animals is evil
And on and on and on...
The premise for the strange new world the main character visits is total rubbish, and suddenly this girl comes along and says "But this is stupid, stop fighting each other and work together" and everyone says "Oh what a great idea, let's do that!" like it could never have occurred to them on their own. Totally contrived.
The author also personified every damn thing which drove me completely up the wall. The birds, the lions, the giraffes, the trees, the wind, the sun... The birds so loved the beautiful sunset, that they sang and flew round to celebrate its beauty. Ugh! That happened constantly throughout the whole book, very tiresome.
Half the characters were ripped from Greek mythology which completely counteracted any authenticity in this supposedly original fantasy world. The writing style was awful, all tell and no show. This left the prose so sterile and it used the narrative voice so much that it was like a 2-foot thick wall of glass between the reader and the events of the book, so I never felt anything for any of the characters.
And the ending was just awful, so unsatisfying. It was like the author himself got bored by the end and ran out of steam. It's possible that some quality was lost in translation from Greek to English, but we'll never know. What I do know is that the result was really not worth slogging to the end for.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews