Review: "Goodbye, my love, 'til we meet again."
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 12, 2013
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This story is a marvelous, compelling tale: (Quotes) - "What were they up to, and how far were they willing to go to find me?" (Prologue: page 1) ...why are they looking for you? - "It would do me no good to dwell on the choices I had made in the past, choices that weighed heavily on my conscience. I did what had to be done, and now was not the time for human guilt." (Prologue: page 2) ...so you're not human, huh? ...and what did you do? -" Let it be known that a child will be born bearing the mark of creation upon her body. This child sent from the god Ashia will restore balance, and all that has been lost. However, that child will not know who she is or what she is capable of. This child must undergo a quest to recover what has been stolen. Only then will this child unlock the secrets buried deep within, unleashing the power of the gods. In addition, she will restore the freedom we have long lived without." (End of quotes)Author Cindy Lyle has ben generous with the reader(s). Of the seven story plots, we know we are reading both a quest and a monster story line... The journey of a hero is about to begin. The forces of good and evil will collide, and if all goes well, evil will be defeated. Our story structure, and our genre knowledge, is firmly activated... We must now begin turning the pages, to see what we can see about this particular quest, and these particular monsters, the dragons of mythological mysticism.On this quest we will meet and mix  dragon mythology, nature/element magic and ancient culture. (mmmm, sounds fascinating, does it not?) On our quest we will have monsters... We will have a mythial magical world. The forces of darkness and the forces of evil wish to dominate the world, for good, or for bad, for better, or for worse. Is there a hero among us? Is there none among us who can save us? Yes, there is one...but this one...is a child...and...has no clue...The child is bearing the mark of creation...By now, it is clear that we have an incredible tale in the making. Only one question remains, dear reader: will you accept the challenge of going on this journey? My recommendation: Go on the journey. In the end, you will be glad you did, as you read these lines:  "Goodbye, my love, 'til we meet again." (there must be more to come in Book 2) In sum, we have a a Master Storyteller at work. We are drawn into an epic confrontation, and in the end, it is clear that there are some questions unresolved. An enjoyable read. I look forward to reading more from this author.Reviewed by Thomas Jerome bakerAuthor ofStory Tellers: In Pursuit of Happiness