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Enchanters: Glys of Myradelle
“A high fantasy about the importance of love, the preservation of life, and the greatness of the natural world, Enchanters is enthusiastically recommended to fantasy lovers everywhere." - Midwest Book Review
While holidaying in Norway, Glys Erlendson encounters an eerie woman deep in the forest. Thereafter she is plagued by frightening visions, which no one can explain. After a terrifying, near-death experience, Glys discovers that she is not human, and belongs to a secretive race known as Enchanters.
Fearful of her destiny, yet unable to remain in the human world, Glys is stalked by a host of sinister creatures who identify her as a future opponent. A grim warrior-magician named Tarune is sent to guide her safely to Myradelle, an Enchanter domain. But danger lurks at every step; in order to survive, Glys must embrace Mystiir, the limitless power of nature. To do so she must abandon her human shell, and accept what lies underneath.
Aided by powerful companions, Glys' transformative journey leads her into dreamlike, prismatic Enchanter realms, a human city dominated by murderous Changelings, and into the terrifying Noctivoll Underworld, where her ultimate destiny – and that of the entire world – is finally revealed.
While holidaying in Norway, Glys Erlendson encounters an eerie woman deep in the forest. Thereafter she is plagued by frightening visions, which no one can explain. After a terrifying, near-death experience, Glys discovers that she is not human, and belongs to a secretive race known as Enchanters.
Fearful of her destiny, yet unable to remain in the human world, Glys is stalked by a host of sinister creatures who identify her as a future opponent. A grim warrior-magician named Tarune is sent to guide her safely to Myradelle, an Enchanter domain. But danger lurks at every step; in order to survive, Glys must embrace Mystiir, the limitless power of nature. To do so she must abandon her human shell, and accept what lies underneath.
Aided by powerful companions, Glys' transformative journey leads her into dreamlike, prismatic Enchanter realms, a human city dominated by murderous Changelings, and into the terrifying Noctivoll Underworld, where her ultimate destiny – and that of the entire world – is finally revealed.
264 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 21, 2012
8 people are currently reading
26 people want to read
About the author
David Bryan Russell
1 book2 followersWriter-illustrator David Bryan Russell was born in Los Angeles, and received his professional training at Art Center /College of Design. In close collaboration with some of Hollywood's most celebrated directors, he has created memorable sequences for numerous films including Batman, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Tombstone, The Thin Red Line, Moulin Rouge, Master and Commander, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Red Tails and Paradise Lost.
Enchanters: Glys of Myradelle reflects Russell’s perennial interest in Norse mythology, and what he refers to as ‘the intrinsic magic of the natural world’. He cites Jack Vance, Fritz Leiber and Ursula le Guin as his favourite authors.
Russell's other interests include deep ecology, progressive politics, organic gardening and sport fencing. Russell is a member of the Australian Greens Party and supporter of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.
Enchanters: Glys of Myradelle reflects Russell’s perennial interest in Norse mythology, and what he refers to as ‘the intrinsic magic of the natural world’. He cites Jack Vance, Fritz Leiber and Ursula le Guin as his favourite authors.
Russell's other interests include deep ecology, progressive politics, organic gardening and sport fencing. Russell is a member of the Australian Greens Party and supporter of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 28, 2012
I am nothing more than a humble reader, no fancy words or carefully dissected review. As an obliging consumer, I can only express how much I simply enjoyed Enchanters: Glys of Myradelle. A beautiful tale about a beautiful girl, with an elegantly layered message of environmental awareness. It is easy to fall into the enchanting world of Myradelle and be completely drawn into the book. From first page to last, I could not put it down! x
August 29, 2012
The story, Enchanters, unfolds in modern-day Norway, in an ancient setting where it is easy to imagine that a magical adventure might have pull with someone of the proper, ancestral blood. Billed as a new book in the fantasy genre, David Bryan Russell’s tale was pleasantly surprising. It does not follow a preconceived outline of the common fantasy novel. It is purely unique and insightful.
This new storyteller has a voice with a lot of potential. It is purely a fantasy book, but it seems that the author has infused it with sociological and ecological concerns with the world at large into the main ideas behind the story. The story deals heavily with worries and worship of nature, as well as veiled worldwide contempt of human relations. There is very little solid character development, fairly two dimensional characters. Despite this, the book was incredibly engaging and the pages continued to turn to explore the deepening mystery set forth. In most books, a lack of character development would be a detriment. In this one, however, it is the story that carries them, and not the other way around. The story was so rich and complete, that the characters seemed almost secondary to it.
A young girl goes on holiday to Norway with her parents and brother, to visit their extended family- and for Glys, to find her way home, to find her path in life. As many nineteen year olds are, she was somewhat torn and confused about just where she wanted her life to lead her. The tale begins with great conversations and hikes through the beautiful Norwegian hills. And then, with Glys, we fall into a world where accepted rules of reality and expectations shimmer into colorful dreams, becoming more and more fantastic with each turn of a page. When the world of mortal man collides with that of the magic realm there is a mess of trolls, ogres, and medusas, and one lone human who tries to reconcile the rifts. The task looms impossible. The difference between emotion and ethical law seems to make peace seem unattainable. The journey spans worldly places such as Norway and Los Angeles but also takes the unlikely group to the depths of the magic Earth and to the treed peaks of the mountain realms. To please fantasy readers, the novel is full of Enchanters, Satyrs, and Changelings. Russell creates a very complete sense of the main character’s waffling confusion and fascination with this new and sometimes frightening world that she’s been introduced to.
The language is truly beautiful. It creates such a full mental and emotional sketch that even if the reader had no interest in tale it was telling, it would be difficult to lay the book down before its conclusion. The author’s ability to bring his world to life is the gift that really makes this book come alive. The truly engaging use of words that don’t see enough time in print these days help create that pull: taste satisfying words such as precipitous, culvert, and escarpment. Beautiful use of words like Myradelle created to suit his purposes that bring magical images to mind. Even the names of characters and classes have a musical sound: Glys, Leanya, and Irdeyas.
Enchanters expresses a certain cynicism that can only be fought through hope and belief in something stronger and deeper than ourselves. David Bryan Russell breaks down human faults gracefully, without being preachy. It had a good, strong ending that didn’t leave me wanting. As a reader, it is wonderful to know there is more to come, but it is much more satisfying to put down a book that ends rather than simply stopping in the middle of the story. David Bryan Russell gave a conclusion that wrapped up the story neatly, while pointing to the possibility of more adventures in the future. His will likely not be a “new” name in the fantasy genre for long.
Rating: 4.5 stars
Copyright 2006 by Carolynn Evans for Curled Up With a Good Book
This new storyteller has a voice with a lot of potential. It is purely a fantasy book, but it seems that the author has infused it with sociological and ecological concerns with the world at large into the main ideas behind the story. The story deals heavily with worries and worship of nature, as well as veiled worldwide contempt of human relations. There is very little solid character development, fairly two dimensional characters. Despite this, the book was incredibly engaging and the pages continued to turn to explore the deepening mystery set forth. In most books, a lack of character development would be a detriment. In this one, however, it is the story that carries them, and not the other way around. The story was so rich and complete, that the characters seemed almost secondary to it.
A young girl goes on holiday to Norway with her parents and brother, to visit their extended family- and for Glys, to find her way home, to find her path in life. As many nineteen year olds are, she was somewhat torn and confused about just where she wanted her life to lead her. The tale begins with great conversations and hikes through the beautiful Norwegian hills. And then, with Glys, we fall into a world where accepted rules of reality and expectations shimmer into colorful dreams, becoming more and more fantastic with each turn of a page. When the world of mortal man collides with that of the magic realm there is a mess of trolls, ogres, and medusas, and one lone human who tries to reconcile the rifts. The task looms impossible. The difference between emotion and ethical law seems to make peace seem unattainable. The journey spans worldly places such as Norway and Los Angeles but also takes the unlikely group to the depths of the magic Earth and to the treed peaks of the mountain realms. To please fantasy readers, the novel is full of Enchanters, Satyrs, and Changelings. Russell creates a very complete sense of the main character’s waffling confusion and fascination with this new and sometimes frightening world that she’s been introduced to.
The language is truly beautiful. It creates such a full mental and emotional sketch that even if the reader had no interest in tale it was telling, it would be difficult to lay the book down before its conclusion. The author’s ability to bring his world to life is the gift that really makes this book come alive. The truly engaging use of words that don’t see enough time in print these days help create that pull: taste satisfying words such as precipitous, culvert, and escarpment. Beautiful use of words like Myradelle created to suit his purposes that bring magical images to mind. Even the names of characters and classes have a musical sound: Glys, Leanya, and Irdeyas.
Enchanters expresses a certain cynicism that can only be fought through hope and belief in something stronger and deeper than ourselves. David Bryan Russell breaks down human faults gracefully, without being preachy. It had a good, strong ending that didn’t leave me wanting. As a reader, it is wonderful to know there is more to come, but it is much more satisfying to put down a book that ends rather than simply stopping in the middle of the story. David Bryan Russell gave a conclusion that wrapped up the story neatly, while pointing to the possibility of more adventures in the future. His will likely not be a “new” name in the fantasy genre for long.
Rating: 4.5 stars
Copyright 2006 by Carolynn Evans for Curled Up With a Good Book
July 31, 2009
Environmentalist fiction has a way of creating two reactions in me: sudden interest and eye-rolling irritation. David Bryan Russell’s Enchanters manages to bring a little of both, leaving me with a few mixed opinions.
Enchanters follows Glys Erlendson, a teenager vacationing with her family in Norway. She has a powerful connection to the environment, but only when she encounters something strange in the wilderness of Norway does she begin to understand why. Glys is no ordinary human being; she is one of the Enchanters, a magic people who live in a world parallel to our own. She has heard the Call and must make a decision: ignore it and face the consequences, or leave humanity forever and join the magic world of the Enchanters. And her decision will lead her on an adventure through a mystical world of light and darkness and mythical creatures made real.
Russell has developed an interesting merger between environmental issues and “wardrobe world” fantasies (I’m coining the term to refer to secondary worlds that are accessed through our own, taking its name from C. S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia). I personally enjoy stories that try to connect the existence and power of magic in such secondary worlds to the conditions of our own world, because it establishes an exceptional limitation on magic. Further development of this world, however, would create a fuller experience within Russell's novel, but future projects may benefit from a more epic scope. One of the “rules” of Russell’s world is that Enchanters cannot kill, and using that as a hindrance to characters in an epic setting could create some interesting situations.
Enchanters’ flaws are unfortunately related to its strengths. While the magic and the secondary world Russell has created are fascinating, the environmentalist message is a tad heavy handed. The characters of the secondary world have a particular distaste for humanity despite the fact that many of them were once human themselves. This wouldn’t be an issue if humanity as a whole were unconcerned with environmental issues, but humanity is and always has been a species of grey. Glys hardly offers any support for humanity, and instead accepts the negative viewpoint of her fellow Enchanters with little question--there are scant moments where she actually questions her Enchanter brethren. While I understand the position, I think someone who has only just recently become one of these magic-using environmentalist should have something to say for humanity’s finer points.
Other issues stemmed from the format of the book, which reads somewhat like a collection of separate stories than a novel with a single plot. Perhaps that was the intention, though. I think the novel could have benefited from being about only one of the stories presented, because the relationships between the characters sometimes felt forced, rather than smooth and logical. Of course, Russell does a fine job of keeping the visuals of the world stimulating, which draws one away from some of the minor flaws inherent in the text.
Overall, Enchanters is an interesting and easy read, with curious creatures and characters, and a unique take on the “wardrobe world” theme. Stylistically it is sound, and my eyes want to thank Freya Publishing for using a reasonably sized typeface. Those who enjoy environmental fiction will find Enchanters to be a refreshing change in scenery, despite its heavy approach to its environmental message. Those who don’t might enjoy the non-epic nature of this fantasy. A good way to look at it is to refer to Enchanters as a fun fantasy, something that contains within its pages the makings of a serious tale and the awe-inspiring visuals that have made fantasy a fascinating and escapist genre for so long.
Enchanters follows Glys Erlendson, a teenager vacationing with her family in Norway. She has a powerful connection to the environment, but only when she encounters something strange in the wilderness of Norway does she begin to understand why. Glys is no ordinary human being; she is one of the Enchanters, a magic people who live in a world parallel to our own. She has heard the Call and must make a decision: ignore it and face the consequences, or leave humanity forever and join the magic world of the Enchanters. And her decision will lead her on an adventure through a mystical world of light and darkness and mythical creatures made real.
Russell has developed an interesting merger between environmental issues and “wardrobe world” fantasies (I’m coining the term to refer to secondary worlds that are accessed through our own, taking its name from C. S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia). I personally enjoy stories that try to connect the existence and power of magic in such secondary worlds to the conditions of our own world, because it establishes an exceptional limitation on magic. Further development of this world, however, would create a fuller experience within Russell's novel, but future projects may benefit from a more epic scope. One of the “rules” of Russell’s world is that Enchanters cannot kill, and using that as a hindrance to characters in an epic setting could create some interesting situations.
Enchanters’ flaws are unfortunately related to its strengths. While the magic and the secondary world Russell has created are fascinating, the environmentalist message is a tad heavy handed. The characters of the secondary world have a particular distaste for humanity despite the fact that many of them were once human themselves. This wouldn’t be an issue if humanity as a whole were unconcerned with environmental issues, but humanity is and always has been a species of grey. Glys hardly offers any support for humanity, and instead accepts the negative viewpoint of her fellow Enchanters with little question--there are scant moments where she actually questions her Enchanter brethren. While I understand the position, I think someone who has only just recently become one of these magic-using environmentalist should have something to say for humanity’s finer points.
Other issues stemmed from the format of the book, which reads somewhat like a collection of separate stories than a novel with a single plot. Perhaps that was the intention, though. I think the novel could have benefited from being about only one of the stories presented, because the relationships between the characters sometimes felt forced, rather than smooth and logical. Of course, Russell does a fine job of keeping the visuals of the world stimulating, which draws one away from some of the minor flaws inherent in the text.
Overall, Enchanters is an interesting and easy read, with curious creatures and characters, and a unique take on the “wardrobe world” theme. Stylistically it is sound, and my eyes want to thank Freya Publishing for using a reasonably sized typeface. Those who enjoy environmental fiction will find Enchanters to be a refreshing change in scenery, despite its heavy approach to its environmental message. Those who don’t might enjoy the non-epic nature of this fantasy. A good way to look at it is to refer to Enchanters as a fun fantasy, something that contains within its pages the makings of a serious tale and the awe-inspiring visuals that have made fantasy a fascinating and escapist genre for so long.
August 30, 2012
I love this book and enjoy reading it every time I go back to it.
August 6, 2025
Awesome Indies Book Awards is pleased to include ENCHANTERS- Glys of Myradelle by DAVID BRYAN RUSSELL in the library of Awesome Indies'
Badge of Approval
recipients.
July 5, 2012
loved it!!!!!!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews