Angels, Demons, Mages, and Humans Battle Together To Save Their Realm!
Chaos is certainly the operative word in Gabriela Volske’s epic fantasy saga, “Crystalline Chaos (Skies of Fyir Book 1)”, as a barrage of angels, demons, and mages come together to seek out and assess an enemy threat and do battle with supernatural crystal-based creatures called “The Nightmares”. Fans of alternate reality and video games may find this novel has quite a bit to offer in the general structure and foundation on which Voleske’s world is built, with angels, demons, sorcerers, and mankind living and sharing space in the same realm, while others may be attracted to the characters themselves, who each demonstrate a strong sense of individuality tempered by a willingness to work for the common good despite their great differences and rocky histories. The story reads like a video game in that each battles seemingly “levels-up” as incursions occur and conflicts take place with great regularity and at a frequent and consistent pace.
Voelske’s writing is capable of eliciting visions of beautiful landscapes, ornate palaces, and great cities. Her vision is grand, although her scope does run a bit wild with her vast cast of characters who are only fleetingly introduced to the reader, making it difficult to keep this menagerie of individuals and heroes sometimes hard to identify and keep track of. The world—the current culture and politics—in which they reside is made only somewhat clearer by a series of vague explanations as to the history of how the major races ended up in such a state in the first place. The initial causes of the conflict and the true nature of the impending threat against her heroes’ world remain unclear. But, the battles fought, the magical spells and incantations, and unique character interactions—especially between angels and demons—do propel the story forward at a reasonable pace, keeping the reader quite interested in how things are ultimately going to turn out for all our heroes.
Speaking of heroes, “Crystalline Chaos” lacks any real female presence which might have made this tale more appealing to young women who may find an interest in such fantasy adventures. Voelske casts only one female lead—a warrior demon by the name of Sakura who, though quite compelling, spends a great deal of time incapacitated and having her wounds tended to by male mages and warrior kin who are part of the excursion to seek out and assess the enemy threat. In fact, one bad encounter after another with the crystal creatures known as the Nightmares ensures that poor Sakura is mainly unconscious for the better part of the story—a real shame considering the strength of her character.
Despite some minor shortfalls, the author does provide a cohesive, goal-driven saga of survival for her supernatural races and mankind, proving why stories like “Crystalline Chaos”, and the fantasy adventure genre in general, are gaining in popularity and growing in appeal for those who love to lose themselves in a great escapist read.
Find “Crystalline Chaos (Skies of Fyir Book I) on Amazon and Kindle athttp://www.amazon.com/Crystalline-Chaos-Skies-Fyir-Book-ebook/dp/B01359D2QG
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