WRATH OF THE EXILED by Dhesan Neil Pillay

WRATH OF THE EXILED: THE ANMORIAN LEGENDS, book 1
by Dhesan Neil Pillay

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His world long since shattered following the invasion of his home planet, Rezaaran Valhara is abandoned by fate to slavery. However, his fortunes take an unexpected turn when he is offered a chance to join the Intergalactic Revolution of Independent Systems in the ongoing war against the Obsidian Dominion.

Initially consumed by anger and doubts, plagued by the memories of his parents' murder and a desire for vengeance, Rezaaran suppresses these demons in the pursuit of a purer purpose to restore peace as he becomes the last War-Mage of the fabled Vokarii.

On a quest spanning the galaxy, Rezaaran begins to unravel the secrets of the four realms of Anmor and his destiny in an ancient battle. Yet his greatest challenge will be within. Will he find the strength to walk the path of a hero?

EXCERPT
The Maelinthian would pose little opposition to his growing empire. Salvidawn’s failure was at hand. Crushing the persistent, rebellious resolve would begin with the destruction of this paltry city.

“For too long, this dull and decaying realm has festered in its growing corruption,” he said slowly with Obsidian flames embracing him as he rose to the skies and took aim upon Prashorida. “For too long, the weak have persisted beneath the indolent gaze of the Light with the delusion of freedom leading the people astray. The Obsidious holds no false promises, only the decree that all shall fall to order. From the coming darkness, an era of peace shall emerge beneath the absolute rule of Nethriziin and Silvermire. So begins the longest night Anmor will ever know. The people have but one choice, submit or endure the wrath of the Exiled.

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REVIEW
First things first, I must express my amazement with the scope of this novel’s world. So many planets. So many races. Such far-reaching consequences and epic struggles. Anyone who wants lots of big-picture issues in their speculative fiction would not be at all disappointed here. The combination of science fiction and fantasy is fascinating. I mean, space wizards are always cool, but this goes far beyond wizards in space. There are so many aspects to this story that come together for an action-packed ride through the universe.

While the big-picture elements really hit home, I had a tougher time connecting with the smaller issues. The lesser conflict felt a bit lost beneath the umbrella conflict. The main character’s backstory made his personal struggles clear, but beyond him, I felt there could have been more to differentiate the other characters. Character interactions also felt a bit jumbled. Specifically, the romance seemed to come out of nowhere. The love interests went through the common steps of dislike-at-first-sight, realizing they were wrong about one another, friendship, lust, love—but it all happened so fast. I was left feeling like there was no possible way they could have fallen in love because I missed half their interactions. The villains also all seemed to be extremely similar. Several archlords appeared throughout the story, and it felt like they all yelled and cackled in rather the same way.

The thing I struggled most with was the writing itself. There was a lot of head hopping, which was mostly okay once I realized it was happening. It did result in a more distant POV that contributed to my lack of connecting with some of the characters. There were also lots of very detailed descriptions. For example, at least two sentences were often used to describe things like a facial expression changing. I got bogged down in these changes and would lose track of the action.

There was a bit of a spiritual angle in here, which I found interesting. Again, the scope of this world is impressive. By the end, I found myself curious about the sequel.

ABOUT DHESAN

My name is Dhesan Neil Pillay. I grew up in Durban, as the elder son of two former teachers who introduced me to the magic of reading very early in my childhood.

My love for writing began at a young age as a series of stories about insects, our pets or the exploits of my favorite toys. However, when tasked with writing for a competition in the seventh grade, I was hooked by the idea of crafting a story of my own.

I began working on what would become The Anmorian Legends: Wrath of the Exiled in the ninth grade. Initially, the writing started after my homework and slotted into any free time I had. Although the story was forming there was an element missing to it. There were times when I contemplated giving up the venture but I was motivated by the kind words of several English teachers throughout my high school years and the unwavering support of my family.

When I left home to study medicine at the University of Cape Town the ideas to expand my imagined universe exploded and the soul of the story came into being. I continued adding to the Anmorian universe during breaks and early morning writing sessions before campus. And in my final year, I completed the novel I had dreamed of writing for over a decade.

I released The Anmorian Legends: Wrath of the Exiled the following year, my first year of internship. Although elated that I had achieved my dream of writing my first novel, I knew that I would not be able to leave Anmor just yet. And this led me to expand the universe I had created with The Anmorian Legends: Legacy of the Sentinels which is now available on Amazon.

Now I look forward with my pen at the ready, deciding where the journey shall take me next as I continue crafting the third installment The Anmorian Legends: Lords of Torementhias.

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