Half-elf, half-human, Tallian lives with dwarves and knows little about his birth parents. After his adopted brother runs away, hundreds of shadow bats decimate his village, and Meerkesh, Tallian's adopted father reveals the truth about how he came to live with the dwarves in the Furin Mountains. Betrayed by the only brother he has ever known, Tallian and the dwarves flee from Fearoc, the evil elf who controls Luminess. Against what seems to be impossible odds, dwarves, elves, dragons, and men unite against Fearoc in hopes ...
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Half-elf, half-human, Tallian lives with dwarves and knows little about his birth parents. After his adopted brother runs away, hundreds of shadow bats decimate his village, and Meerkesh, Tallian's adopted father reveals the truth about how he came to live with the dwarves in the Furin Mountains. Betrayed by the only brother he has ever known, Tallian and the dwarves flee from Fearoc, the evil elf who controls Luminess. Against what seems to be impossible odds, dwarves, elves, dragons, and men unite against Fearoc in hopes of freeing Luminess.
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Dragon Ascendants (Luminess Legends Book 1) by Paul E. Vaughn is a epic high fantasy tale of magic, elves, dwarves and of course, dragons!
This was my first read by this author, so I was going in not knowing what I was going to get. I don't read high fantasy as much as I use to, but my standards are high. It's all about the world building with these stories, and I have to say Paul E. Vaughn not only nailed it, but he transported me to a epic magical world where anything could happen. The writing and tone matched the detail world, and the plot moved at a steady, yet fast paces. Making you lost time and just get lost in this mythical world.
Our MC Tallian, was an great character. Strong, king, considerate. He had steady growth, thought things through, but most of all he had his priorities straight. This drove the plot forward, and kicked that epic story into high gear. I liked how he wasn't portrayed as a brewing alpha male. This added something special to him, and really made him shine as the lead character.
Take my high recommendation and my word, that this story is worth your time and energy. It has a bit of everything that you love about high epic fantasies. The world building, like I said, is marvelous. So rich and full, you feel like you're there, walking along side Tallian and his crew. I have high hops for this series, and I can't wait to get my hands on the next book.
Happy Reading
-E.A. Walsh
LiteraryTitan
May 17, 2018
Literary Titan
Imagine if you will for a moment a medieval fantasy drama being brewed in a cauldron: throw in a measure of How to Train Your Dragon, add a dash of Game of Thrones, sprinkle in some of The Hobbit all topped off with a liberal dose of a King Arthurian legend, leave to simmer on a medium heat for few chapters and then you might have replicated Unleash The Fire Within by Paul Vaughan.
So let's get on to the plot, the setting and the highly descriptive cast of characters without creating spoilers for you.
Dragons, shadow-bats, elves, dwarves, bandits, skulduggery, betrayal, magic, fear, treachery, family discord, sibling rivalry, disappointment, parental disapproval, forgiveness, redemption and, lest I forget (although, how could I?) a very good measure of graphic violence - it's all in there - so what more could I want from a fantasy novel? Perhaps a little romance? If it's in here I missed it.
The action is all set in a mystical land, named the Furin Mountains, which at first visit seems almost idyllic. That is, until the conflicts of this land are slowly revealed in the following chapters.
In these mountains live the elves, which have been there for centuries happily mining the gems hidden within. Their lives are occasionally interrupted by an assortment of other species, some for good cause some for ill.
Also, as within most fantasy novels, there is a power struggle between the forces of good and evil. From my reading, I felt that we are to consider these two grouping; one under the 'command' of the dwarf burrow's hereditary leader, named Meerkesh, (representing the forces of good) and another under a very angry rogue elf, with unexplained issues, named Fearoc (representing the forces of evil). Such is the power of the latter, we are led to believe that the world has, or is about to, come to an end for the dwarves.
But I am not totally convinced as to which side is really the good and which that of evil is. In this strange land, where sapphires, ruby stones and diamonds are used as currency and the internal 'politics' seems to be driven by greed and ruled by bloodshed. On the one hand we have a population that apparently eats nothing other than apples, whilst the baddie mainly feasts on his conquests, we have quite a lot of axe wielding violence, bloodletting, beheading, dragons blinding by fire and melting of opposite forces during this fight between good and evil. Both sides seem as driven by bloodlust as the other. And this interesting dichotomy lends to some thought provoking reading.
This novel left me begging for more. More answers, more character development, more world building. I want to know! Ah, the mark of a good writer I suppose. I look forward to the next book in Paul Vaughn's Luminess Legends series.
