Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Welcome to the Valley, a liminal landscape that lies somewhere in the fringes of the world; a place with such secret magic that only the very observant can see it. Into this world comes the Lone family. To them, the magic of the Valley is not at first apparent, at least not to all. But the youngest son Lucifer is the most open to the river’s pulse. He converses with the trees and an angel named Azrael, all the while being taught by the midwife Mother True to hone his talents. Meanwhile, Lucifer’s older brother Uriel rejects the valley altogether and, with the help of his lover—a raft boy named Roman—flees the place only to be caught up in the corrupt big city world of a madame named Ute Dragal.

And so begins a tale of wonder and danger, filled with a cast of characters ranging from the strong to the stoic to the sinister, in a place where a dark power awaits them all.

 

Venture again to the Valley in this prequel to Eric Arvin’s acclaimed epic The Mingled Destinies of Crocodiles and Men.

 

 

First Edition published by Wilde City Press, August 2013

 

 

Book Review

Once again, Eric Arvin has brought us to the mystical valley where magic is interwoven with reality in a blend of light and dark. 'Azrael and the Light Bringer' is the prequel to the author's incredible epic 'The Mingled Destinies of Crocodiles and Men', but, in my opinion, 'Mingled' should be read first, and then 'Azrael', but that is only my opinion. Beginning this book, I felt like I was coming home to the valley, the river, the trees, the magic, the good versus evil, and the people who brought it all to life.

"The folk here in the valley seem to have a dangerous complacency. They sometimes too readily accept the things told to them as new truth," said Mother True to Lucifer Lone, and she was right, for when the preacher came to the valley, folk were eager to believe what they were told. But, I digress, and need to start at the beginning. The story starts with Lucifer (Luc) waking up under a tree in the orchard, it's really the forest, but everyone's always called it the orchard, and he can't rightly remember what he was doing or how he came to be in the orchard. That's when he meets Azrael, the angel, and when Azrael asks Luc to tell him his story, Luc sits right down to do that. Now, even though this book is entitled 'Azrael and the Light Bringer', Azrael is not front and center in the story line, but he is always there, in the background, much as I discovered Luc was, also.

Now the Lone family, Mr. Lone, Willa, Uriel, and Luc have been in the valley for a long time, and Mr. Lone is very wealthy, arrogant, pompous, and influential. So, when the preacher comes, it is imperative that he get the ear of Mr. Lone. But, Uriel had seen some of the goings on at the new chapel, and he tells his momma, Mother True, and Luc. Willa sends Uriel away with Roman, the ferry boat boy, and Mother True takes on Luc to protect him. For you see, Mother True is the leader of the River Dwellers and carries much of the good magic of the valley within herself, as do her daughters, Ingrid and Minerva. Mr. Lone puts a stop to Mother True taking Luc, but he loses him anyway.

This book continues the author's incredible cast of characters, both major and minor, and quite a few of them were known to me from 'Mingled'. This book takes place about a generation before 'Mingled' and it depicts the beginnings of the evil that came to the valley, the first fight between dark and light, the battle that Mother True fought against the preacher, Dark Eyes, and his chapel. It tells of how College Hill came to be, and what happened to its founder, how Minerva lost her sister, Ingrid, and how the mist came to coat the river and insinuate itself into the valley. More than all of that, though, this book continues the purity of spirit which the valley and a select few retain even throughout the onward press of evil.

Once again, I'm at a loss as to how to convey my complete and utter awe at the author's transcendent writing skills in this fantasy world he created, or discovered, as the case might be. I could easily detail everything that happened in the book, but that would require several thousand words, and I believe, ruin the enjoyment for future readers. I believed that I had a complete understanding of the intricacies of this story, until I got to Azrael and Luc's discussion near the end, and my eyes were opened, even more, to the wonder created here. Even though this book was not as intense as 'Mingled', it still wrapped itself around my mind, and my heart. Thank you, Eric Arvin, for bringing this fantasy world to life and introducing me to Azrael and his Light Bringer.

 

 

 

 

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Additional Information

Format	ebook and print
Length	Novel, 222 pages/87235 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	03-April-2017
Price	$6.99 ebook, $14.99 paperback, $14.99 bundle
Buy Link	https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/azrael-and-the-light-bringer-by-eric-arvin-8363-b