Review: Amazing and powerful
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 10 4, 2013
A magical fantasy world with beauty and danger around every corner. This is the world that Eric Arvin has created in the fabulously titled 'The Mingled Destinies of Crocodiles and Men', which could be a name for a Hemingway novel, as the writing is stunningly poetic and descriptive in the manner of the great masters. I had no idea what to expect from the author as this is the first work of his that I have read. I can guarantee it will not be the last. This is a story of reality, fantasy, religion, narrow minds, and open minds, and what happens when it all collides."Here in the valley, we live balanced on only one law, don't we? The Law of Perception. Even the laws of nature bow to that." A truer statement could not be made about life in the valley. But the way of life in the valley is fading as more of its residents turn away from its offerings and become blind to the magic. Calpurnia Covington was brought to the valley as an orphaned young girl, sent to live with her aunt. A spoiled, no-nonsense child, Calpurnia was raised in privilege, never hearing the word "no", and certain that her way, as a "real worlder", was the right way. Calpurnia was the perfect receptacle for the darkness to influence. Minerva True is the River Dweller, born to the family that has protected the valley and helped to keep the darkness, Religion, Disparity, and Power being some of its names, from taking claim. Minerva is a mystic and when the darkness took her daughter, she is the last of her line capable of stopping the destruction of the valley.Time passed and slowly the worshipers of a one God began to come into the valley mixing with some of the valley folk who had rejected their upbringing in favor of this new faith. Calpurnia married and gave birth to a son, Leith, but her heart still resided with her best friend, Lara. Lara had married as well and given birth to a son also, Deverell. Interestingly enough, the women's respective husbands, Garet and Darcy, had been in love for many years. A complicated situation, made more so when Calpurnia asks her bible to make Darcy go away, and instead, Lara is surrendered to the darkness at the chapel and Darcy is injured and disfigured, trying to save her. And, thus, Minerva came to raise Deverell and met Aubrey, a young boy with a mysterious past. So many wonderful characters, major and minor, made up this story, too many to reveal each and their place in the story line. Suffice to say the author does a marvelous job of introducing them and weaving their stories in and out to keep me entranced.Time continued to flow and the evil lurking in the valley grew stronger. Most of the residents left or died out, leaving Minerva to fight the final battle with Leith, his lover, Aubrey, and their best friend, Deverell. And what a battle it is! Not to sound trite, but it was, literally, the battle between good and evil, the battle for humanity's soul. I could go on and on, probably writing another five hundred words, in order to explain everything in this book. But, I'm not going to.If you like serious fantasy then this is the story for you. If you are looking for a traditional romance, then I would recommend you steer clear. Eric Arvin has written a stunningly evocative tale of honor, love, loyalty, horror, and life, that is not to be missed.NOTE: This book was provided by Wilde City Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews