LEGACY OF THE SENTINELS (The Anmorian Legends, book 2)
by Dhesan Neil Pillay
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Following the battle between Thaedis and Rezaaran, The Anmorian Legends: Legacy of the Sentinels sees the young War Mage embark on a journey of redemption. However, in the wake of Thaedis\’s victory on Zynoo, the Intergalactic Revolution of Independent Systems (IRIS) has lost a considerable margin against the tyrant\’s Obsidian Dominion. The hope of freedom seems ever more distant. Despite the odds, Rezaaran remains steadfastly determined and endeavours to unite a group of fabled warriors. But will this be enough to save Anmor from the coming darkness and defeat the nefarious villain who has bested him once before?
EXCERPT
A drumroll of thunder sounded from the depths of the dark clouds, morosely skulking after the lightning that flashed across the blackened sky. A single bolt sharply broke the dense shroud of the storm and struck a lone tree, setting its boughs alight. Fires crackled in the silence of this gloomy realm, briefly lighting the ghastly bastion of black steel that was the source of the ubiquitous evil in this once-sacred world. What had stood proudly as the Antarika Citadel, the outpost of the Light, was now in the clutches of a foul-hearted monster. The lament of the clouds, a sorrow-filled melody of slow thunder and bitter sobs of rain against the somber crackling of fire, was the only sound amid the grave stillness of this lonely world. The ethereal chorus of the free souls who had found peace in the Nuhremorn no longer sang aloud, adopting instead a more taciturn manner and retreating to the far corners of this realm. Whatever natural beauty had once existed here had withered into lost memories.
Ash from the burning tree rose slowly on a choked gust of wind, rising ever higher as it climbed the walls of the corrupted Sanctum. Rain fell with greater intensity as the ash drifted upward past the fallen hero in an upper turret who had led the realm to this dire state. The heavens’ cold tears ran along his soaked brown hair, passing along his face and his exposed torso.
He slowly turned his head aside as the water dripped off the tip of his nose. The rumbling thunder sounded again, this time with greater gusto as the storm attempted to rouse the fallen hero. He alone could correct the disorder that plagued this mystic realm.
Beyond this place of wickedness, wrath, and horror, Rezaaran sensed a flicker of hope that the Light would return. It resided in the presence of Kashari. She was the custodian of this realm, the mentor and dear friend who had saved him numerous times through her surreptitious interventions, never once asking for gratitude or recognition but selflessly fulfilling her role. It was now his turn to reciprocate the kindness the Elder Mage had shown him.
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REVIEW
This picks up just about where book 1 left off and continues with one of the grandest science fiction/fantasy scopes I’ve ever seen. After the ending of book 1 (no spoilers, folks), I really wondered what the heck our protagonist was going to do next. Turns out, quite a bit.
In book 1, I struggled with connecting to the characters and got bogged down in the writing. That happened here, too, but for whatever reason, it happened less. It might have been because I was prepped for the writing style. I think it was also that this book seemed to have more individuality among the characters. After reading the sequel, I realized that book 1 seemed to lack comic relief. Everything was very serious almost all of the time. Book 2 gave me more humor and some characters who were able to laugh at themselves. As a result, I found myself connecting with the story more. There was still head hopping and a lot of time taken to describe tiny things. Overall, though, those things didn’t bog me down so much. I did notice a few small discrepancies with details between the two books, but they were minor and didn’t cause confusion beyond a passing thought.
The villains felt less generic in this book, as well. The ending wrapped everything up while definitely leaving room for another installment, which the back matter told me is in the works. I am curious about where our heroes will go next. There are so many characters and so many possibilities. I feel like there could be a separate book for each person, but that would lessen the impressive scope.
ABOUT DHESAN
My name is Dhesan Neil Pillay. I grew up in Durban, as the elder son of two former teachers who introduced me to the magic of reading very early in my childhood.
My love for writing began at a young age as a series of stories about insects, our pets or the exploits of my favorite toys. However, when tasked with writing for a competition in the seventh grade, I was hooked by the idea of crafting a story of my own.
I began working on what would become The Anmorian Legends: Wrath of the Exiled in the ninth grade. Initially, the writing started after my homework and slotted into any free time I had. Although the story was forming there was an element missing to it. There were times when I contemplated giving up the venture but I was motivated by the kind words of several English teachers throughout my high school years and the unwavering support of my family.
When I left home to study medicine at the University of Cape Town the ideas to expand my imagined universe exploded and the soul of the story came into being. I continued adding to the Anmorian universe during breaks and early morning writing sessions before campus. And in my final year, I completed the novel I had dreamed of writing for over a decade.
I released The Anmorian Legends: Wrath of the Exiled the following year, my first year of internship. Although elated that I had achieved my dream of writing my first novel, I knew that I would not be able to leave Anmor just yet. And this led me to expand the universe I had created with The Anmorian Legends: Legacy of the Sentinels which is now available on Amazon.
Now I look forward with my pen at the ready, deciding where the journey shall take me next as I continue crafting the third installment The Anmorian Legends: Lords of Torementhias.
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