venerdì 12 aprile 2013

Review: The Emerald Tablet by Joshua Silverman

The Emerlad Tablet
Legends of Amun Ra #1
Author: Joshua Silverman
Published: 15th September 2012
Publisher: Enchanted Forest Press
Format: eBook
Number of Pages: 408
Source: Received from the author for review.
Purchase: Amazon, TBD, B&N

From GoodReads

Leoros doesn't have many friends. The son of a scientist and archeologist, he is constantly on the move. But when his parents make a startling discovery in Egypt, Leoros' world is turned upside down.
Do you wish you could have the power of a god? Would you use it for good…or for evil?
When an archeologist discovers the mythic Emerald Tablet buried beneath Egypt’s desert, her son decodes the ancient text leading him to a distant world.
On that world, a slave girl begins a journey towards a destiny she cannot imagine. But when an ancient foe rises from the ashes, they will be brought together
by forces neither understands.
Leoros, who dreams of being like the heroes in the comic books, must fight to unlock the secrets of the universe to save a people he never knew existed.
Atlantia, whose bloody visions wake her in the night, senses the darkness coming.
Together they will face an enemy with the power of dark energy, lose a mentor to the assassin’s blade, and be betrayed by someone they trust. Their fight for the future is just beginning, and before it is over, a final sacrifice must be made. When the darkness comes, will they stand and fight or will they join it?

There is darkness in everyone.




My Review

The Emerald Tablet was a great fantasy book, full of action, well developed characters and interesting legends that will make you travel between several of the most amazing countries on Earth (and not only!) Starting from the very beginning, I can not avoid sharing with you my first impression: I immediately had a wrong sensation of this book, because as I started reading I really couldn't understand anything! There were way too many characters with strange names introduced from the beginning and I thought; this is going to be another book full of characters with unpronounceable names, that I should take notes of"; but as soon as the story got clearer I also realised that there were not as many characters as it seemed and I definitely became more relaxed but above all more passionated, in the story. Actually, I have to say that in the end maybe, the fact that there were several characters was probably one of the best aspects of the book, for at least three reasons:
- I think that one of Joshua Silverman's best qualities is his ability in describing and developing characters progressively, and above all through their actions and through the choices they decided to take during their path.
- The abundance of characters increased the tension and the suspence that revolved around the mystery of who the traitor was and the fact that there were so many suspects made the mystery even more intricate. The author, indeed, perfectly played with the relationships between them, creating an enjoyable web of intrigues and bonds that were really entertaining and interesting to discover.
- It was absolutely perfect the way the author decided to describe the events, constantly changing point of view; apparently, it may seems like something enervating, but the change of the speaker was so harmonius with the narration that it doesn't create repetitions (as it usually happens) and just contributes to give us an idea of how each character was living that particular situation.
It is evident that what I enjoyed most about this book is the attention the author paid to characters, and another aspect I really liked is how Joshua didn't hesitate in describing also harsh situations; speaking of which, a character that really surpised me in this sense, is Leoros' mother (the protagonist's mother) who really changes from night to day to save her son.. I guess when my mother told me "a mother would do anything for her children" she literally meant anything, didn't she?
Talking about the framework, I think that Joshua's world was quite original, even if sometimes I didn't quite understand everything about the rules of the Priests of Amun, even if I am sure all the doubts will be clarified next; Potara was actually a great fantasy world, a mix between an ancient Egypt and a modern city like New York. Infact there were still the traditions and the religion of the ancient, but the characters often used very technological tools, just like cars and armours.

Well, at least but not last, if there is something I should reproach to the author is, why such a rushed up ending? I expected the final battle between the antagonists and the protagonist to be a little more detailed and above all more tough to win, but on the contrary, there wasn't an actual battle and ... grrr I can't even express what I mean without giving out spoiler, and I really don't want to!

So, if you want to know what I am talking about, and my review made you curious about this book, what are you waiting for? Purchase immediately your own copy!

Rated 4.55!

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