Fighting what we've become.
An ancient dimension of dark echoes from the past.
Lisa and her family barely manage to escape an invasion from the Rebel army in their home of Malta. Shortly after this episode, she discovers Exo, the ancient dimension she cannot understand until her late 20s. Exo is made of memories of the past; it brings forth all the strong echoes we leave behind. Lisa desperately wants to resolve the conflicts of this inner world peacefully, but quickly learns she must fight the shadows in people's hearts, materialized through battle re-enactments, warfare and emotional turmoil.
Read an excerpt...
Read an excerpt...
Soon the windows revealed smaller buildings and less crowded streets. The train grew emptier too. Lisa heard the monotonous hum of the wheels more clearly; it slowed her heartbeat down to a peaceful pace. In a flash, as she had done many times before, she crossed into what she believed to be a dreaming state of mind.
A dense forest surrounded her. It was cold, and patches of snow covered the ground.
It feels so real… But I wanted a nice view of wild, untamed mountains. And a waterfall. And why can’t I better control the season or the clothes I’m wearing? Lisa wondered, shivering a little. There! She finally spotted an exit from the curtain of trees.
Below, a large lake covered with floating sheets of ice lay at her feet. She was indeed on a mountain. The fresh air was freezing, but she breathed it in eagerly, ignoring the abundant vapors of her warm breath.
What could this resemble? Canada? Alaska? Lisa had learned that, by focusing very deeply with closed eyes, she could sometimes change her clothing or some of the details around her.
This time, only a long scarf appeared on her shoulders after she opened her eyes. “Not enough,” she said, shivering, but proceeded to walk along the cliff regardless. Minutes later, she stopped to take a better look into the distance. A boat? I don’t want to come across any other people this time...Ah, it’s just a log. She could not stand the cold any longer, so she thought about getting back.
Greg raised an eyebrow when he noticed her repeated blinking.
“Your lucid dreams again?”
Lisa nodded in confession.
“Where did you go this time?”
“Far…far from these many babylons.”
“Just another reason why we are a perfect match.” He smiled.
“They are so real. And they feel so long, though they really last just a fraction of a second.”
“Do you meet any people in there?”
“Yes, but I avoid them. It scares me to death how intense and unpredictable they are. Last week I met a tribe in Africa and before that I was in the middle of a medieval city.”
“Lucky you,” said Greg. “It’s a strange yet blissful anomaly, to escape reality like that.”
MY REVIEW
I am a very
black and white person. That fact has not kept me from enjoying some of the
SciFi or Fantasy genre. I spent a lot of time in my “younger” years trying to
convince myself that if I didn’t understand something in a book, it did not
mean I was dumb. I must say I had to remind myself of that here. There are a
lot of people with different ideas in Chan’s book and I kept having to look
back to see which one was “which” so to speak. Which layer or world were we in.
Sometimes this tends to make me very unhappy with a book.
On the other hand, this was an interesting
storyline and the interaction between what I’ll call the main characters was
enjoyable. Maybe a better way to say this is that even though the dialog seemed
a little stilted at times, it also gave me a better explanation of the
characters as well as what was going on in the story. This story line also
brings up some interesting questions of what is the lesser evil; is sacrificing
some worth saving the whole. Plenty of thought-provoking questions for
conversation.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
A fan of nourishing SF&F fiction. Seeker of essential truths in historical non-fiction. Exploring life for almost half a century. Delivering action and matters of the inner self. "Chan has license to be more philosophical and issue-oriented, and on the whole he blends together different genres well." (John Staughton, SPR)
Book links:
http://stkchan.com/ (official page)
Buy links: The book is $0.99 during the tour.
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteAlways fun to hear about another new great book. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteDo you have any books that you plan to release in 2019? Congrats on the release. Bernie Wallace BWallace1980(at)hotmail(d0t)com
ReplyDeleteGreat excerpt, I enjoyed reading it. Thanks for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteIs this the longest book that you have ever had published? I hope the book is a success. Bernie Wallace BWallace1980(at)hotmail(d0t)com
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHow many hours a day do you spend writing? Bernie Wallace BWallace1980(at)hotmail(d0t)com
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