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It is a troubling time in the Kingdom of Shale. As a marauding group calling themselves the Rogues begins launching raids across the kingdom, a small group of hybrid warriors intertwined magically with mythical beasts swears to defend the kingdom. When a hooded prowler breaches castle security and escapes into the night, the Royal Guard splits in two—one group pursues the oddly powerful intruder, while the other chafes at being left behind.
The powerful stranger is on a ruthless search for just one thing—the Relic Sword—and he'll stop at nothing to get it. After he leaves the Royal Guard with nothing but destruction, unanswered questions, and a taste for revenge, the King's soldiers begin a dangerous journey to find the supposed assassin before he unleashes a legendary power on the world. But as they search, the lines between friend and foe begin to blur, and the allegiance of some becomes questionable.
As swords clash and arrows soar through the air, no one knows who to trust; but everyone is about to learn that the Relic Sword has the capability to change the future of the Kingdom of Shale forever.
John F. Raines brings an imaginary world of the Kingdom of Shale to life with his clever fantasy creation of magical characters, each part human and morphed with a beast of daunting powers, within the covers of his premier novel titled, “In the Shadows of the Gods: The Rise of the Guard.”
As a mysterious “Hooded Man” is dead set on possessing the “Relic Sword,” a weapon with magical powers, he travels throughout the Kingdom in search of his trophy. Pitted against the Royal Guard, comprised of a dozen or so hybrid creatures, the battles and episodes of confrontation become legendary in the archives of fantasy storytelling. The Royal Guard has a unique team, such as Demon, Mer, Sting, Silver, and my favorites, Crunch & Crash. Each being part human and part “something else,” their magic and powers are blended into the story with clever associations of tasks. For example, Silver is part Unicorn, with majestically illuminating hair and silvery irises. Strong and bold, arrogant and cunning, his powers instill danger to his enemies. Freeze is part woman, part drake – better known in contemporary terms as a dragon. She has a long curved sword, like that of a Japanese Samurai warrior, and able to move things by scientifically inexplicable means, as by the exercise of an occult power or brain wave - telepathically. Then there is Sting, a Royal Guardsman with a part manticore, having the head of a man, the body of a lion, and the tail of a scorpion. Crash is part sasquatch, and Crunch is part troll, both large and strong and most formidable in battle, as well as being best friends. Then there are others, named Rocky (made of stone), Mer (part merman), Howl (part werewolf), Sinister (part lizard with hypnotizing red eyes), Blade, Shadow, Jinx and more – you get the point.
By having these clever names chosen with use of onomatopoeia or nicknamed by their physical attributes, John Raines gives the reader a quick and easy way to remember the character’s skill set, personality and battle function. Unlike other fantasy books that arbitrarily name characters, I really took favor to John Raines’ nomenclature methodology, as it saved unnecessary memorization in my mind and brought the book quickly in to understanding the story. This makes, In the Shadows of the Gods a wonderful book for young adults or for a youthful audience to enjoy. Even those seasoned fantasy book fans will enjoy how it gives a set of heroes and villains special magical talents, with names like DC Comics would have picked – terse and to the point.
The story has a crisp mix of clever dialog and an imaginative plot, although a bit wordy at times, it creates a world unto itself. John Raines has a knack to keep the story original and suspenseful. All readers can easily appreciate the Herculean task of work that has gone into this refreshing and memorable book. In the Shadows of the Gods: Rise of the Guards seems well positioned for a sequel as John F. Raines will surely amass a dedicated group of fans and followers.
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