Review: Dark, deep and complex - recommended!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 20, 2011
Two warring countries, two young princes honor-bound to protect their people, two proud leaders who refuse to back down.  These are the countries of Rezzia and Pawelon.  Rezzia is a country of people who worship the ten gods of the Lux Lucis; Pawelon is a country of sages and thinkers who utilize their own minds to reach a higher level of consciousness.  Rezzia believes they must conquer Pawelon in order to raise its people above their superstitions; Pawelon believes they must stand fast against the mythology of the Rezzians.  Can there be any end to this conflict without the multitude of deaths feared by the Rezzian Haizzam, Caio, or the Pawelon prince Rao?  Can they find a way to work together to achieve peace, or will their fathers ensure that there will be nothing but war?It was very difficult to come up with a way to describe the overall plot of this story without a) getting into way too many details and/or b) adding in too many spoilers.  This is a very complex story, with multiple layers and ideologies.  Siregar says he wrote the story as an homage to Homer; there are also references that can be related to Greek and Roman mythologies and ideologies and a strange blend of Hinduism and Buddhism.  I found it all quite fascinating, although many I have spoken to have had a difficult time with the story due to its very density.  Personally, I really liked it.  It is definitely dark fantasy - deep and heavy - but if you are a fan of military fantasy, dark fantasy, and/or stories that delve into the relationships between people and gods, you should find this as fascinating a read as I did.  This is the first book in a series, and the author says that he is working on the second book at this time.  Be sure to check this most interesting story out - if you enjoy a complex read, you will love this.