Review: A Shining Star in the Fantasy Genre!  Fresh!  Fast!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 19, 2014
From the first sentence, “If we survive this,” Shirin whispered, “I’ll kill them all.”- the tension and tone is set for The Soul of the World, book two in The Legends of Amun Ra series by Joshua Silverman. Perhaps this is his signature opening, as book one of the series, The Emerald Tablet opened full throttle, also. The battle between the forces of good and evil continue to be waged on Potara, as Kem sits on the throne of Thoth, after having forced young Leoros from Earth to make a heart-breaking decision. Two years have passed for Leoros, now a haunted orphan, back on Earth, reliving and regretting his decisions on Potara, but never once does he doubt that his experiences were real. He needs to get back, but how? Now fifteen and still missing the oracle Atlantia, he dreams of going back, of fulfilling his destiny in a world that feels more like home to him than the streets of Manhattan.On Potara, the rebels are scattered, but their determination is strong. Not everyone believes Leoros can/will return, but life under Kem and the Brotherhood of the Black Rose isn’t to be tolerated. Atlantia seeks answers and risks her life to find the House of Eros, accompanied by a large sphinx, her new protector and companion, all the while wishing for Leoros return. When Fate steps in and Leoros finds a way back to Potara, will his mark prove to all that he is the foretold savior? The battle is heating up once again as Leoros and the leader of the Thoth are equally determined to find the path to immortality.Joshua Silverman has brilliantly given more depth and sense of “place” to Potara by engaging each character in their own spotlight, the effect is both enlightening and chaotic, as the events are unfolding seemingly simultaneously. The sense of urgency and foreboding runs high as good is once again pitted against evil in an uphill battle for the survival of Potara and its people. Heroes are threatened, deceit runs rampant and the road to victory will be long and hard-fought. Once again, Mr. Silverman has taken me out of my world and into the world of Potara where griffins are real, myths and the gods are more than tales. With realistic dialogue that enhances the feeling of reality, and that build up to a killer “un-ending,” I’m still waiting to get both my mind and feet back to Earth. This is fabulous fantasy!I'm hooked on this series.