Part mystery, part fantasy with a twist of science fiction, Clues of Chaos is brimming with suspense and adventure that will have you racing to the end yourself.
Winner 2016 Pacific Rim Book Festival in Science Fiction category. Honored as an International Book award Finalist in the "Fiction: Cross Genre" category.
After the mysterious death of a senator's sister in the country of Megalos, master wizard Leozanthicus is tasked with solving her heinous murder and retrieving weapons stolen from her estate. After recruiting loyal companions—including a Dawn Knight and a Mystic Knight—to join him, the group embarks on a quest to discover the truth behind the chilling attack.
But their investigation only leads to more questions and takes a harrowing turn when they discover that the Chaos Warriors—an ancient enemy of more than just Megalos—are mounting a large-scale assault.
As Leo closes in on the truth, more and more enemies surface as he uncovers a sinister conspiracy behind the planned invasion of the Chaos Warriors.
Forging ahead with assistance from a race of star people known as the Quarran, Leo discovers shocking evidence that proves the Chaos Warrior attack is far more imminent—and far more dangerous—than previously believed. As treachery begets more treachery, Leo and his allies find themselves in a race against time to save their world against the Chaos Warriors and their evil horde.
Part mystery, part fantasy with a twist of science fiction, Clues of Chaos is brimming with suspense and adventure that will have you racing to the end yourself.
Professional Reviews Clues of Chaos Reviewed by Blue Ink
Clues of Chaos
Gary Caplan
http://www.blueinkreview.com
CreateSpace, 185 pages, (ebook) $9.50, 9781500515287
(Reviewed: June 2016)
The first chapters of Clues of Chaos will feel familiar to devotees of the classic detective novel.
A murderer strikes. The victim has a high profile. A detective arrives to solve the case with little
to work on in the way of clues. A tense mystery packed with intrigue and twists ensues.
Author Gary Caplan boasts a masterful command of classic murder mystery tropes, and this
fluency makes his book a refreshing entry into the canon. The real achievement, however, is
how Caplan brings that detective noir feel into a completely different universe.
In Clues of Chaos, the murder takes place in Eidelon, a vaguely medieval setting full of magic,
knights and monsters that one would expect in a boilerplate fantasy novel. The victim is Lady
Seneca, sister of a senator, and the detective is Master Leozanthicus, a wizard and warrior who
employs a pair of knights to help solve the mystery.
Their investigation uncovers a wide-ranging plot that threatens the future of Eidelon and
Megalos, its capital city. The murder is tied to much more ambitiously evil plans by the Chaos
Warriors, a group of villains with deep roots. Drawing on magical powers, extraterrestrial allies
and old-fashioned detective work, Leozanthicus and his allies work to solve the crime and save
the world.
Like any good fantasy, author Caplan creates an imagined world with a rich history and
mythology. At the same time, he manages to weave a straightforward and intriguing central
narrative liable to keep even casual fantasy readers engaged.
Although the complex history and varied characters of Eidelon may be a bit overwhelming for
newbies to the fantasy and science fiction genres, Caplan does an admirable job of creating
entry points for readers of all backgrounds and presents a genuinely innovative twist on several
genres. His work is bound to please fantasy fans and lovers of gritty detective stories.
‘Spell’ binding – A review of the novel ‘Clues of Chaos’
“Evil surrounds everyone, but not everyone is able to confront it.” – George A. Kos
Author Gary Caplan’s new book ‘Clues of Chaos’ is set in an ancient continent known as Eidelon. The land of Megalos faces multiple threats to its citizens and property from numerous enemies. They unleash spell weavers and night crawlers upon the land to harm the people. A master wizard trying to uncover the murderer of a senator’s sister accidentally stumbles upon a plan of Chaos Warriors to attack his land. Faced with seemingly insurmountable danger on all fronts, he must ally with a mystic Knight and a Shaman to thwart the advances of foes within their ranks and outside them.
‘Clues of Chaos’ is the latest addition to the ever popular genre of fantasy fiction in novels. But it also brings with it a refreshing story and voice. At its core, the novel is a gritty and dark adventure where the heroes and villains are quasi mythical figures who have control over sorcery and arcane powers. Such adventure stories usually have their set of faithful followers and ‘Clues of Chaos’ shouldn’t disappoint them. Even though the theme and feel of the book suggests a strong story based narration, it’s actually character driven, and the main protagonists - Leo, Erios, Sirus and Niya are great characters that you can relate with.
Leozanthicus or Leo is an experienced wizard/warrior whose control over spells and a predisposition to deductive thinking makes him sort of a super detective/PI of the middle earth. Erios is a mystic Knight who has his own arcane powers; and an advanced mode of transportation in the form of a skyship by which he and his allies can travel to any place undetected.
In the opening chapter itself we are introduced to a pulse raising action scene that announces succinctly what we can expect from the rest of the book. The narrative hits the ground running from there on out and doesn't slow down until all the obstacles in the lives of the protagonists are overcome.
Gary Caplan has created a wonderful world for his characters to exist in and he really gives you a sense of it through the depth in his writing. Even though the narrative is filled with characters and situations that are engulfed in magic and arcane powers, the author doesn’t let the narrative wander by filling the pages with unnecessary details. If at all there’s any negative to be found, it’s that the prose in some places are choppy and certain dialogues felt too stereotypical & mechanical.
The story in ‘Clues of Chaos’ ends after a critical objective is carried out by the protagonists and doesn’t bore readers with an unnecessary cliffhanger. But at the same time the story and the characters have enough potential for sequel adventures.
Readers who like dark fantasies set in middle earth with characters that have arcane powers should definitely not miss ‘Clues of Chaos’.
Retired! New start! Murder!
Todd, detective lieutenant, has retired from St. Louis, Missouri and has moved to Ford Valley, Arizona. When Todd’s ex-wife is killed in a car accident, Todd fights for custody of his teenage daughter. She has bee
“Evil surrounds everyone, but not everyone is able to confront it.” – George A. Kos
Author Gary Caplan’s new book ‘Clues of Chaos’ is set in an ancient continent known as Eidelon. The land of Megalos faces multiple threats to its citizens and property from numerous enemies. They unleash spell weavers and night crawlers upon the land to harm the people. A master wizard trying to uncover the murderer of a senator’s sister accidentally stumbles upon a plan of Chaos Warriors to attack his land. Faced with seemingly insurmountable danger on all fronts, he must ally with a mystic Knight and a Shaman to thwart the advances of foes within their ranks and outside them.
‘Clues of Chaos’ is the latest addition to the ever popular genre of fantasy fiction in novels. But it also brings with it a refreshing story and voice. At its core, the novel is a gritty and dark adventure where the heroes and villains are quasi mythical figures who have control over sorcery and arcane powers. Such adventure stories usually have their set of faithful followers and ‘Clues of Chaos’ shouldn’t disappoint them. Even though the theme and feel of the book suggests a strong story based narration, it’s actually character driven, and the main protagonists - Leo, Erios, Sirus and Niya are great characters that you can relate with.
Leozanthicus or Leo is an experienced wizard/warrior whose control over spells and a predisposition to deductive thinking makes him sort of a super detective/PI of the middle earth. Erios is a mystic Knight who has his own arcane powers; and an advanced mode of transportation in the form of a skyship by which he and his allies can travel to any place undetected.
In the opening chapter itself we are introduced to a pulse raising action scene that announces succinctly what we can expect from the rest of the book. The narrative hits the ground running from there on out and doesn't slow down until all the obstacles in the lives of the protagonists are overcome.
Gary Caplan has created a wonderful world for his characters to exist in and he really gives you a sense of it through the depth in his writing. Even though the narrative is filled with characters and situations that are engulfed in magic and arcane powers, the author doesn’t let the narrative wander by filling the pages with unnecessary details. If at all there’s any negative to be found, it’s that the prose in some places are choppy and certain dialogues felt too stereotypical & mechanical.
The story in ‘Clues of Chaos’ ends after a critical objective is carried out by the protagonists and doesn’t bore readers with an unnecessary cliffhanger. But at the same time the story and the characters have enough potential for sequel adventures.
Readers who like dark fantasies set in middle earth with characters that have arcane powers should definitely not miss ‘Clues of Chaos’.