Chaos World’s Beyond, Book one of C.W. Holcomb’s the reflections of infinity series Within the obsidian throne room of the imperial palace excitement is palpable.

Primus Croatius, his Premerian obsidian armor clinked at the hinges, his body was somewhat softened as a result of palace living during the past few weeks; Crotias is being summoned.

The Emperor is dead; the men chant Croatius’ name. Deep in the heart of the colossal blue giant star awakenings have begun; a little girl clothed in dense layers of blue light sat up slowly coming awake.

A gleaming white locket shone around her neck as she sat up then set off across space in search of someplace to play. On planet Kalemia, Northern Continent, a slave lad, Pillus, desperate to avoid a beating stumbles under the heavy water buckets his master sent him to fetch.

Weeping, Pillus was suddenly startled by a small plume of blue fire as a fireball slammed into the ground. Stumbling over a rock Pillus, his parents in the Realm of the Dead, caught sight of an orb of pulsating white light, before slamming into the ground with a shriek. Forgetting his hurts; Pillus’ his deep purple eyes fixated on a white locket lying on the ground.

From that beginning the reader is carried along on a whirl, Tikus, yellow eyes shaded from the sun, pulling his bow as his green eyed son Piccus watched, a ball of blue fire roaring past, a clearing filled with devastation created by the explosions as the ball of blue fire hit the ground, a little girl, Taisa, whose eyes are filled with a swirling blue light ponders the loss of her locket; all form a basis for the tale. Ice Marauders, Harogar who is able to glean thoughts of others, death of the slave master, freedom for Pillus and the slave masters family.

And the tale continues; Tikus befriends Taisa, a little girl who seems to be alone, and not from the world as Tikus knows it; and learns something of her powers.

The interwoven tale centering on Pillus then Tika then Croatius, and back and forward is a little hard to follow at time. The text is broken into long and short chapters; a table of contents might be helpful. Chapter titles Awakenings, Conquest and Glory, Into the Void, The Affairs of Mortals, Companions of the Gods and more. Huge insects, a little girl with awesome powers, a visit to the Realm of the Dead.

The tale is a bit Sci Fi and a bit fantasy; it is a good mix under the able writing skill of author C. W. Holcomb. Life and death, Monsters and Miracles, battles, gore and ooze, there is a little something for all readers of the genre in this roiling tale.

If I were to make a suggestion, I would personally like to have a less cumbersome volume available; perhaps offering the narrative in 3 parts of 300 or pages each would make the reading less physically difficult for someone of this reviewers age and arthritic hand…. It is difficult to hold a book having 808 pages.

Were I shopping the shelves of the bookstore; this is not a volume I would choose for my own reading pleasure, simply due to its heft.

I did enjoy the read, it is filled with enthralling scenes, scenarios characters and activities. The interplay of one set of characters and their doings with another is always a good read. Characters are convincing, fully fleshed, given their own quirks and foibles, methodology and behaviors, that takes a fertile mind and real writing skill to achieve.

Writer Holcomb has done a good job achieving the mix of the world(s) he has created, developing reasonable circumstances, developments, and consequences while setting down a narrative certain to please those who like a little fantasy with their Sci Fi, or a bit of Sci Fi with their fantasy.

Vocabulary is gritty at times, gory at times, all are a part of the genre and are presented well.

--Not for everyone, but for the target audience of readers who do enjoy a good fantasy with a tad of Sci Fi thrown in; Chaos Worlds Beyond is sure to please.

A dandy book for a long summer afternoon in the hammock, Chaos Worlds Beyond should prove a good fit for the mid high and high school library, home library and public lending library.

My Chaos Worlds Beyond ARC will be given to my son who not only enjoys the genre but is an advocate of these multi page works. After my describing the volume to him, Son is looking forward to reading the paperback.

Arrival of immature deities from the worlds where they are born, as was Taisa in this narrative, seem to appear as if they may be comets rushing across the sky. Perceptive mystic relics or behaviors motivate humans as the ones they believe to have magical powers conjure phantasmagorias and potentials of supremacy from worlds beyond. Taisa while introduced as a very young little girl seems to be much more as the narrative continues.

Chaos: World's Beyond seems to be a very apt title for this work; the narrative interweaves personages, behaviors, activities and worlds and may or may not be set in this world at all. The narrative is sure to charm epic fantasy as well as sci-fi readers alike.

The reader is drawn into the narrative skillfully from opening lines as we meet first one then another of the characters and begin to see his or her place in the world that is theirs and in the world where the action is taking place.

The storyline is compelling, writing is skillful, conflicts are resolved, characters seem real and keep the reader turning the page.

Enjoyed the read, happy to recommend especially for the target audience of well versed, strong middle grade readers who have well developed vocabulary and budding insight, high schoolers and adults of any age.

I was sent a paper ARC for review via AuthorsDen.

For more information regarding this writer you are encouraged to check out this and his work listed on AuthorsDen.

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Reviewed by Molly’s BOOK Reviews molly martin

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Amazon Product Details: 

TITLE Chaos Worlds Beyond

AUTHOR C W Holcomb

Product Details Series: Reflections of Infinity Paperback: 808 pages

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (February 28, 2015)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1508426201

ISBN-13: 978-1508426202

Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.8 x 9 inches

 Available: Amazon Amazon:

  About the Author C.W. Holcomb's works are based on Ancient Myths and folklore. His first series is heavily based on Scottish Folklore of werebeasts that prowl the primordial forests in the distant past! The first novel of his newest series, Chaos: Worlds Beyond is inspired heavily by Greek Mythology; as well as works by well known authors such as C.S. Lewis, J.R.R Tolkien and Raymond E. Feist.

  The works are filled with passion and adventure on an epic scale where the lure of magical treasures incites the characters into traveling to strange and dangerous magical Worlds filled with Nightmarish monsters and sentient arcane artifacts!

Biography C.W. Holcomb's writing style and major influences include a wide variety of well known novelists that came before him including, J.R.R Tokien, Mary Stewart, Raymond E. Feist, C.S. Lewis, Robert Jordan, Elizabeth Hayden and Frank Herbert. The biggest influences on his style were Terry Brooks and Terry Goodkind.  

He has drawn inspiration for his novels from other areas as well including, animated shows and video games. His debut novel, Dark Moon Book one of the Brotherhood of the Moon, is inspired by ancient Celtic legends about Werebeasts that stalked the forests of the Scottish Highlands on the full moon. 

Holcomb's newly released novel, Chaos:Worlds Beyond Book one of the Reflections of Infinity Saga is deeply inspired by Ancient Greek Mythology and Lore. His works contain endearing characters that always have something special and unique that helps them survive in the brutal and unrelenting Worlds that he creates. 

For more information regarding this writer you are encouraged to check out his work listed on AuthorsDen.