Category: Fantasy Publisher: Bell Bridge Books
ISBN-10: 1611941687
Type: Fiction
Pages: 247
Copyright: 2012
Price: $5.99 (eBook)
Book 1 of the six-book epic fantasy The Death Wizard Chronicles.
Book One, The Death Wizard Chronicles.
Only a Death-Knower can die. And live again.
Only a Death-Knower can return from death. And remember.
Only a Death-Knower can tell the world what he's seen. Not all care to listen.
For a thousand years, none have rivaled the power of Torg, the Death-Knower wizard, as he ruled his people and kept peace on Triken.
Now a new threat has suddenly arisen. The evil sorcerer Invictus is greater even than Torg, and his greed and ambition threaten to engulf the land in eternal darkness. When Invictus imprisons Torg in a horrifying pit bored into the solid rock of a frozen mountain, the fate of Triken hangs in the balance.
Torg becomes freedom's final hope, but first he must die to earn the victory.
Excerpt
Such darkness he had never known. In all the centuries of his long life, the wizard had never felt anything as loathsome. Torturous days and weeks lay behind, endless horror ahead. He was helpless in the grip of an eternal doom.
For a millennium he had freely roamed the planet Triken, using his prodigious powers to unite the forces of good. But now a sorcerer held him captive in a pit bored into the solid rock of a frozen mountain. Beyond the walls of his prison, a war would soon take place that would dwarf all others. An evil had arisen that threatened not just Triken but the fabric that held together the universe. Only the wizard could stop it.
But first he had to survive.
The pit was two hundred cubits deep but only three cubits in diameter. The prisoner lay curled at its bottom like a snake in a well. Fetid dankness swirled about him, creeping in and out of his nostrils as he breathed. A chill like no other clung to his body, freezing his heart.
All he had left were his memories, which provided his only relief from the relentless blackness. He immersed himself in them, focusing on the past rather than the present. Doing this went against all that he held true. But now it kept him sane.
For a fraction of a moment. And another. And another . . .
Professional Reviews
‘The Death Wizard Chronicles’ offers brave new fantasy world
By Ann Allen
The Charlotte Observer
We have a masterful new fantasy writer on the scene: Jim Melvin’s series, “The Death Wizard Chronicles,” creates the world of Triken, where the evil, demon-spawned Invictus reigns over a tainted city and plots to take over the world.
Two of six novels have come out so far.
“Forged in Death” introduces the desert king Torg, who collects power by venturing through the portals of death with the aid of deep meditation – thus becoming a Death Wizard.
Melvin draws imaginative visions of this place beyond death, but his description of how Torg gets there has at least as much appeal. As our culture becomes increasingly enamored of mindfulness meditation, finding a character who has mastered these techniques feels very timely. And Melvin shows his literary mastery as he weaves elements of potential and transformation; his tale dances among literal shape shifters and more subtle powers of mind. Things are not what they seem on Triken.
Torg faces plenty of challenges, starting with how to escape an enchanted pit – imbued with evil magic – where Invictus has trapped him. He gets support from his desert followers, whose fighting skills make them nearly invincible. And a mighty dragon, in the employ of Invictus but seeking wisdom from Torg, attempts to aid him, too. But his foes have powers of their own, especially the corrupted snow giant Mala, who leads Invictus’ armies.
Torg’s post-pit adventures introduce delightful characters who join his quest to defeat Invictus, carrying us into the second novel, “Chained by Fear.” Here we meet Laylah, Invictus’ beautiful sister, held captive for decades by lustful Invictus. Long chapters show the depths of Invictus’ depravity – no, these aren’t books for children – and it’s a relief when Laylah finally escapes and the action picks up. She encounters Torg and joins his lively band. Mala, dispatched to catch her, encounters the dragon and falls into difficulties.
‘Death Wizard’ Captures Magic Of Potter Series
By Karen Hamon Long
Tampa Tribune
Adult Harry Potter and Eragon fans can get their next fix with Jim Melvin’s six-book epic The Death Wizard Chronicles. In (Forged In Death), Melvin’s imagination and writing equal that of J.K. Rowling, author of the fantastically popular Harry Potter series, and Christopher Paolini, author of Eragon and Eldest. Some of his descriptions — and creatures — even surpass theirs. His fantasy takes place on Triken, a world of ancient rulers, of good vs. evil, love vs. hate.His hero, Torg, wizard king of the Tugars, is a “Death Knower,” who has died and come back to life stronger than ever many times over the centuries. Torg oversees a peaceful people threatened by an evil ruler, Invictus.
In exchange for the freedom of nuns and monks imprisoned by Invictus, Torg agrees to imprisonment in a pit in a monstrously grotesque frozen mountain called Asubha. No one expects him to survive.
But through his magical powers, great strength and by dying and resurrecting, he survives all that’s thrown at him: a monstrous snow giant, demons, evil sorcerers, a cruel spider and giant worm monsters.
Melvin’s descriptions of these monsters make them seem frightfully real. That’s especially true of the demon Vedana, Invictus’ grandmother, who forces Torg to impregnate her.
Melvin’s hero may not have the youthful appeal of Harry Potter, but he’s compelling enough to hook those who read (Forged In Death).
'A fresh voice"
Jim Melvin is a fresh voice in fantasy writing with a bold, inventive vision and seasoned literary style that vaults him immediately into the top tier of his genre. The Death Wizard Chronicles . . . is scary, action-packed and imaginative—a mythic world vividly entwining heroes, villains and sex that leaves the reader with the impression that this breakthrough author has truly arrived.
—Dave Scheiber, co-author of Covert: My Years Infiltrating the Mob and Surviving the Shadows: A Journey of Hope into Post-Traumatic Stress
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