Light & Dark: The Awakening of the Mageknight (Book) - 10/4/2015 4:16:07 AM
An author review
I am Daniel M. Fife, the author of Light & Dark: The Awakening of the Mageknight. As you can see above, I have given my own work a collection of five stars. This of course is not any attempt at vanity in my own regard. I simply think that any artist who has created any kind of work has to feel that their creation is special and dear to them. Otherwise, what’s the point? I have spent a tremendous amount of time attempting to put together a story that not only I would enjoy reading, but that you the reader of nearly any age would enjoy reading as well. Thus, I do believe that my own creation is deserving of the best, because, it is indeed my own creation and special to me. Whether it truly deserves a full five stars is of course up to you, the reader.
During the creation of Light & Dark: The Awakening of the Mageknight, I almost felt like the novel was writing itself. I have read through it several times during the reviewing and editing process, and every time I chuckle to myself when I come across a fantastic scene or piece of dialogue that I had forgotten I even wrote. I truly enjoy reading Light & Dark, because it takes me back to my childhood days, and I am able to re-experience the joy of being a teenager while allowing me to join the characters on a fantastic tale that only existed in my daydreams during the said age that seems so long ago.
The characters themselves are very close to my heart as many are based on friends who populated my own life as a young adult. It was my attempt to make them as genuine and organic as possible. Each has their own personality and personal quirks. During the beginning of the book, it was my attempt to give you the reader a jumpstart on each main character and then allow them to populate the pages with their own development as the story progressed.
Light & Dark: The Awakening of the Mageknight is a derivative of several of my favorite books, anime, comics, cartoons, and movies that I have come to enjoy, all mixed into one. If I could give you comparison with other works, I would have to say that is an ideal concoction of Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling, Enders Game by Orson Scott Card, the anime Bleach, Lord of the Rings by Tolkien, and Magician by Raymond E. Feist with my own twist on magic, swords, and fantasy.
Some things that you will find to be unique in Light & Dark: The Awakening of the Mageknight, is the use of a Bonded, which are magical weapons solely used by the Knights and Squires of the Light. They are powerful weapons imbued with abilities unique to the wielder and blade. However, if you read the book, you will realize that the ingredients used in the creation of these weapons are quite costly and adds a very distinctive personality to the Bonded weapons. Additionally, another exclusive idea to the story is the system of combat used during duels between the Squires of the Light as well as the duels between the armies at the Academy of Illumination, the school that teaches one to become fully knighted member of the Light. In these mock duels, which are meant to represent the rules and consequences of real combat, both combatants wear a suit of enchanted armor that paralyzes parts of the body when struck. For example: if struck on the arm at the elbow, one would lose the function of that appendage from the spot hit down to the extremity of the fingers, the armor freezing one’s hand from the elbow down.
Thus, if you enjoy a good hearted coming of age story that threatens to cause one to regress to a time when things were but a little simpler, childhood, and add in a few fantastical flights of fantasy, good morals, heart racing sword fights, a magical world of relatable characters, Light & Dark: The Awakening of the Mageknight is most definitely for you.
Thank you,
Daniel M. Fife, author
