Heresy Book One

Audley writes a somewhat non-traditional Fantasy beginning set in what was one of the most creative environments I have read recently. The main character is very typical for most Fantasy in that he has powers he doesn't know about, is the son of a noble and gets caught up in a major struggle that will affect the world. Cliche.... The bad guys are a group of fanatic priests who are trying to control the whole world and make the worship of their God the only acceptable form of religion. They are bad, the good guys are good. Cliche.... Now, this is why the book got 4 stars. The setting is a planet where the ocean is much larger than what we have on Earth. Sea travel is a major theme and the author does a good job of reflecting the impact that distance and geography could have on a culture. Audley's ability to create a functioning economy and infrastructure in this planet borders on science fiction, but it was really cool. I liked the way that he incorporated magic into combat and didn't forget that using magic should be a really difficult thing. I had to buy this book used, but I will now be hunting for the next one because the first was that interesting.

This is an excellent book,with believabl and likeable characters and a thrilling and intriugung plot.

This book starts off in a crisp detailed world in Aquasilva. I compare this book in magnitude to Lord of The Rings. It was this good in my opinion. I enjoyed its great story of power, and magic. Truly a masterpiece!

I agree with some of the above reviews regarding the crossbows and swords. Could have come up with something a little more original than that given the mention of some high tech other "stuff". I do think the book is a nice fantasy and a remarkable first work. The one thing I did not like was the vagueness about the some of the clans. I found that all very confusing....Thetians, arphelagians, etc. Too much was not explained or very vague. I was getting confused as to who was who and had to really keep rehashing it in my mind which was annoying. The book was interesting enough and I will have to read the next two, although I will take the books out of the library rather than buy them.

This book is fairly fast moving with enough twists and turns to make it engrossing. You can put it down but your mind stays with it, wondering what's coming next. I found it a little confusing about some of the names of the players and places. A family tree and a more detailed map would have cleared this up. There were hints of adventures to come that could involve the depths of the oceans and the sky above. A good touch of romance without the raunchy details that are sometimes added for "flavor". You had better keep your eyes on this young man as he shows great promise of things to come. I won't say "Look out Isaac Asimov" but I think he would have enjoyed this story. Thanks Anselm.