Thursday, October 28, 2010

Son of Ereubus, Book Review


Since time immemorial, Man has lived in fear of losing his soul to the darkness of Saint Ereubus. For generations, the Ereubinians have wielded that power and ruled like gods. Three thousand years ago, Man irresolutely placed his faith in a mythical world. That world, Adoria, now holds Man’s final hope. As the last stronghold of Man is threatened, the fates of three strangers become forever intertwined and everything they once believed will be irrevocably changed as they discover...

Their time has run out.



After reading that little snippet, I was bound and determined to read this book. Son of Ereubus is book one in the Guardians of Legend Trilogy written by the talented, J.S. Chancellor.

A few months ago she highjacked A.J. & Charli Bite Back. I knew it then. This author would be, will be, BIG. Before I begin my review of this book, which left me salivating for more, please allow me to pay honor to this wonderfully gifted author with a comparison to J.R.R. Tolkien, the prolific English novelist who penned the enormously successful, Lord Of The Rings tales. His incredible ability to world build on a grand scale can clearly be seen in Chancellor's work. Both are, undeniably,
masterful story tellers which will, as Tolkien has, live into legend.

Set in a time where Man lives in fear of the soul stealing creatures of Ereubus, Man's final hope is the Adorians; fabled beings who dwell in a realm beyond the reach of Man.

Whilst most of the human world has fallen into darkness or slavery, Ariana remains free, raised in Pallingard, the last of the human strongholds, unaware that she is of Adorian blood, and destined to be part of something larger than she. Whilst I was piqued by her, it was Garren who completely stole the stage.

He is Eruebus, and therefore, Ariana's sworn enemy. Garren sweeps onto the planes as a vile, bloodthirsty hellion. The reader is determined to despise him, for his deeds are no less evil than massacre and death. Yet, when he spares Ariana's life, surprising even himself, you are taken in by this complex character, and are left in despair, sure there is some good in him.
J.S. Chancellor has created a rich, carefully crafted world, with religion, culture and a history all their own. One can taste, touch, smell and hear, thus completely drawn into the tale. One cannot help but read on in search of Man's salvation, or, damnation. I fear giving away too much, and hope I've given enough to tantalize you, the reader, to read this spellbinding book.

Wow. 'Twas the first thing that entered my mind when I finished reading Son of Ereubus, accompanied only by, I hope I shall be lucky enough to review Book II, so that I may discover where Chancellor takes Garren and Ariana. To see what fate has in store for them, the Adorians, and their fight against the Dark Goddess, Ciara.

From beginning to end, this tale screams epic with a powerfully strong heroine and a sympathetic anti-hero leaving you wanting more. Brilliant in its complexity, coupled with the age old themes of good versus evil, Son of Eruebus, in my humble opinion
, is the next big thing in fantasy.
Son of Ereubus: Guardians of Legend, Book I
J.S. Chancellor
Rhemalda Publishing
ISBN: 978-0982743744

13 comments:

  1. Lord Of The Rings is by far my FAV series. I gobbled them up so fast and loved every second of them--the movies too. So, I'm so damn excited to read C.S. Chancellor's novel.
    What grabbed me right from the start was the cover pic. It reminds me of a poster of Aragorn I have hanging on my bedroom wall.
    I NEED to read this novel!!!!

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  2. You most definitely NEED to read this, my friend! You shall be swept away ...

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  3. Oh, I am going to read her novel. I'm literally dying to get my hands on it.

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  4. When I first met JS on FB and read her blog, I was left breathless. Even a simple post about writing was beautifully crafted. Words are strung together in a way where you'd think she created each one, just for you to read.

    JS Chancellor is the next of the greats. A legend in the making...

    Great review AJ!

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  5. Sounds absolutely riveting! Can't wait to read it!

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  6. Wow! LOVE the cover AND the storyline. Hoping this will go to NY best selling list. Congrats!

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  7. alright I'm hooked! great post aj!
    kris

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  8. What an awesome cover, and blurb is very intriguing! Good luck, it sounds like you have a winner here. Congrats!

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  9. Ha, yes, one easily becomes hooked when the storytelling is so effortless, one forgets they're even reading, and finds themselves lost in the tale.

    Cover is pretty hot eh, Mart? I really like it too. Thanks for stopping by ladies, tis most appreciated.

    I can hardly wait to read Book II ...

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  10. Congratulations to the book's cover artist! Wow, that person did a fantastic job. The blurb has me hooked..when is it due out again? J.S. Chancellor is gorgeous in the photo. Is that really her? If it's not, can I borrow the pic and make it me?

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  11. Oliver Wetter is the artist (Fantasio Fine Arts) and it debuts November 1st. You can preorder it at B&N :) Yes, that's really me, lol. And thank you for the sweet compliment. I owe it all to my photographer John Pyle. The man is a miracle worker!

    I can't say thank you enough for this AWESOME review!! This is just the boost I needed as I'm wrapping up some edits on book two before I send it off to my publisher. It will hit shelves next November.

    And a HUGE thank you to anyone in advance who reads and reviews the book on B&N, Amazon or Goodreads!!

    Charli, you are too sweet! It's so wonderful to know that folks read your stuff and actually like it. Sometimes I feel like I'm blogging into the ether. :)

    Much love you guys, you're the best!!

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  12. For anyone looking to buy the book, Son of Ereubus releases today, but there is a minor hiccup in nationwide distribution (Amazon, B&N, etc). Rhemalda is offering this promotion code for their site that will give you 20% off the cover price. Plus, when you order from them it goes out same day! Here's the code: rhemaldafall2010 The site is www.rhemalda.com

    Thanks everyone!! *hugs*

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  13. Great to have you here, Emma! Breanne, just bought it! :-) Hugs right back lady, cyber cheers to your success!

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