The Soul of the World by Joshua Silverman #ReviewShare #Fantasy #SciFi @jg_silverman

The Soul of the World by Joshua Silverman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the second book in the Legends of Amun Ra series. It definitely better than the first book. Everything that is needed for an excellent fantasy read are in this book. Silverman is a great writer whose world building skills are incredible and his characters are extremely fascinating. Plotline are weaved in such a manner that when a new character is introduced it doesn’t throw the reader off balance.

From Book 1 to Book 2, the series works well on a variety of levels. Leoros’ soul searching sets out an unbelievable pace for the story. Atlantia on her own is forced to do some soul searching on her own and Potara is scattered between the good, the bad and the confused. At the beginning, the story seemed as scattered as Portara and the displaced hero had me thinking about how well the story would work.

In the end, everything comes together. The detachment of the characters from each other makes the reader more aware of their individual struggles and strengths.

This scene was the most appealing to me and it made solidified the fact there was definitely more to the characters than I was expecting: - Atlantia launched a ball of fire. The inferno lit up the night-time forest in a violet glow. The form of the woman dissipated in a dark mist; the fireball sizzled through the spot where she was and collided into the trees, lighting them on fire.

Disclosure - As a Quality Reads UK Book Club member, I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I received no monetary compensation for my book review. This book review is based on my thoughts, opinion and understanding of the book. This book review does not reflect the opinion of other book club members.

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Quick Chat with #Author Joshua Silverman @jg_silverman #scifi #fantasy

When you wish to end your career, stop writing, and look back on your life, what thoughts would you like to have? In terms of writing, I’d like to think someone learned something from my series, whether it’s something historical, mythological, or just about humanity. I want people to continue growing and challenging themselves.

The genre is epic fantasy and science fiction –which is an uncommon mix. Share us your thoughts about these subgenres.
Well I think we who grow up in the SFF world have this notion that you can either be SF or F. You can’t be both. If you’re fantasy, well, you’re either paranormal, urban, epic, sword and sorcery, or mythology. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of crossover. I wanted to break that barrier. I wanted to do a futuristic society which still had many religious elements of fantasy which are most of the foundations of magical systems. Energy. Why can’t people of science believe in something bigger than them?

The Priests are interesting, yet they seem overpowered. Did you have to set limitations for power or magic in your story?
The Priests rely on mental focus to be able to use their powers. Therefore, they are limited by their own imagination, but also the incredible discipline and work it takes to maintain a high degree of focus for a given period of time. The Emerald Tablet goes into the training of the Priests, but also, their limitations.

The writing process sounds overwhelming. How did you plot this novel of this scale?
I have a spreadsheet where I chronicle major events throughout the series. The spreadsheet doesn’t give scene by scene descriptions, but it is more general, along the lines of “Book 4 XYZ happens.” Most of it is just trying to keep accurate tracking of events and sub-plots. It’s an administrative burden.

Tell us about an interesting character or group of characters in your novel.
The Amun Priests are gifted individuals. They wield the energies of the universe almost like magic or a force of will by combining faith, magic, science, and emotion into a power source.

The ancient powers lost to Potara have returned. The Brotherhood of the Black Rose rises to bring Thoth into disorder. And, while the Brotherhood reclaims their power, chaos reigns among the survivors. Six individuals have emerged from the aftermath struggling for control over their lives and a divided land. Kem and Shirin, who abolished the five thousand year reign of the Amun Priests, rule from the golden throne of the Oracle’s Chair in the Hall of the Nine. 

Dio and Axios struggle to piece together a resistance worthy to challenge the ancient magic which resides in the Great Temple of Amun, and Leoros and Atlantia try to remain true to their hearts and their cause despite tragedy.

But when the Book of Breathings is discovered, the path to immortality is revealed. Leoros and Kem race to capture the Soul of the World unaware of the challenges awaiting them. This time, the gods themselves will intervene.

In a tale where boys become men and girls become women, where treachery and deception are around every corner, and where primeval mysticism finds its way back from the grave, victory is reserved for neither the good nor the evil, but the powerful.

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Genre – Science fiction, Fantasy

Rating – PG-13+

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Website www.legendsofamunra.com; www.joshuagsilverman.com