SHADOW OVER AVALON by C.N. Lesley
BLURB:
Fortune twists in the strongest hands. This is no repeat; this is what happens next.
A man, once a legend who bound his soul to his sword as he lay dying, is now all but a boy nearing the end of his acolyte training. Stifled by life in the undersea city of Avalon, Arthur wants to fight side by side with the air-breathing Terrans, not spend his life as servant to the incorporeal sentient known as the Archive. Despite the restrictions put on him by Sanctuary, he is determined to help the surface-dwellers defeat predators whose sole purpose is to ensure their own survival, no matter the cost.
Ashira, War Maid and princess of the surface-world, is ready to sacrifice her life to defend her kin, but when she is betrayed and cast out of the life chosen for her, she must choose whether to die with honor or become one of the creatures her kinsmen fear and loathe.
Following two threads of time, C.N. Lesley’s new incarnation of the Arthurian tales of old delivers the perfect blend of science fiction and fantasy.
MY REIVEW:
First off, I love the book cover and it’s what made me want to read this story to begin with. Not enough mention is given to the covers, and I know how hard it is to get one that really Pops and fits your story.
Arthur lives in the underwater city of Avalon. As an orphan with immense PSI power, he grew up in Sanctuary under the control of the Seers. Unhappy with his life and future, searching for his parentage, he uses the Archive to access its database. He becomes obsessed with a Brethren named Shadow and discovers secrets that could destroy him and his world.
When I first started reading this story, I felt like I’d been catapulted into the middle of a large lake, lost, floundering around trying to find the nearest shoreline. I had no idea what or who Shadow was until the fourth chapter. I’m not an obtuse person, but there is so much vagueness in this story, especially at the beginning. I had a hard time understanding when PSI powers were being used and why or how. A little more clarification would help, a lot. Even when Arthur was in danger from the Archive, I didn’t get that until several chapters later when the characters were actually talking about it.
I think some the vagueness is due to the lack of Cause & Effect in the writing style, making the reading of the story out of synch. One of the principles of writing is Cause & Effect. When you put effect before cause, it leads to long meandering sentences. Sometimes I had to read a sentence twice to figure out what the author meant.
Even with the problems, I found the characters solid as well as the underwater world of Avalon and the aboveground world of the Terrans. This is a nice spin off the legend of Arthur and Avalon, with a mixture of fantasy and sci-fi. There are the Submariners, Arthur and Ector and the Outcast Brethren, Shadow and Copper. I really got involved with Shadow and Copper’s relationship and was sorry to see him leave the story. And through the whole story, who or what are the Nestines / Harvesters? That question is answered, somewhat, at the end which is a perfect drop off point for the sequel. Now I’m invested, I’ll have to read the next book.
As much as I want to give 4 feathers, I can’t, because of the above issues. If you love epic fantasy worlds and people, I recommend this book. I give it 3 feathers.
Click her to buy your today today: SHADOW OVER AVALON by C.N. Lesley
