REBIRTH
AUTHOR: Christopher Russell
PUBLISHED ON: 22nd September 2020
GENRE: Epic Fantasy/Steampunk/Military Fantasy
STARS: 4 Stars
BOOK 1 OF DIVINITY’S TWILIGHT SERIES
Chanticleer International Book Awards (CIBA) for The Ozma Awards for Fantasy Fiction (Grand Prize) (2020)
CONVINCING YOU TO READ THIS IN 5 WORDS: Smashing beginning, Resurrection, Family politics, tip-toeing between past and present and amazing magic system
REVIEW:
REBIRTH.! REBIRTH.! REBIRTH.! (I wanted it Jake style, oh Damns) If there is a world with a perfect entry point and bang, it belongs here. The prologue. Oh…the prologue. I haven’t read a prologue so interesting, fascinating yet being clueless. I mean, come on…while beginning the book with a sibling rivalry is the way to do it, getting in total blank without any knowledge about the magic system? It’s bold. But damn…I enjoyed it. I was just flowing with the words. Scene after scene, brother after brother- their differences, their ambitions, what drives them…it was so fascinating. needless to say, I freaking loved it.
Rebirth by Christopher Russell is a perfect blend between fantasy, sci-fi and military, is there a name for this as a genre? There should be one. From the world to the element, the magic system as well as the blend. The blend between history and present. i am fascinated by History. I have the line that nothing we know about the History is true and I debate about this every chance I get (which isn’t a lot). But honestly as I was reading, realising that we are going to see how the past was represented and what is the truth…ah. my heart was singing.
I have always felt first half of the first book in series is drag on for me. No complains there but it is a well-established fact for me. And Rebirth was similar but I reached the point and suddenly nothing else mattered, no information, no knowledge, I was lost in the story. And I think that is the best part. Being so lost that you forget that you’re reading. I had a paper with me, trying to keep track of characters, quotes and scenes but I was so lost, I stopped that. I read it way past my sleeping schedule and just kept on going. Chapter after chapter, twist after twist, I honestly can’t believe this was a debut. I am also pleased with how magic system kinda blends with the world setting. I mean don’t get me wrong, there are situations when magic system is introduced. But the setting seems of, the world is something else, the mood is something else and the magic system is something else. But not here. Everything. Even centuries later, things make sense. There are more innovations, obviously, but it’s just wow. I genuinely believe Christopher Russell is an amazing storyteller. You need to be to weave stories like this. I am a fan.!
If you aren’t aware, Divinity’s Twilight has potential to be a 6 book series followed by another series. And reading this, my series lover soul was beaming. But the realization struck me- 6 books? How am I suppose to live like this where the author will keep throwing twists and turns again and again.? With the blend of numerous characters and mixture of past and present, Rebirth is an outstanding debut that I would keep on recommending to everyone specially to fans who want to enjoy an amazing story with toes dipping between past and present.
BLURB:
A world consumed by war . . .
An ancient evil resurrected . . .
A millennia old bargain comes due . . .
When two blades clash, the third will fall, and the fate of all will be jeopardized. To save Lozaria, the failures of the past must be atoned for by a new generation of heroes. The time has come for mortals to cast off sight and, in doing so, truly come to see . . .
Victory is never absolute.
Seven centuries ago, the forces of order won the Illyriite War on the plains of Har’muth. Darmatus and Rabban Aurelian slew their elder brother, Sarcon, the despotic architect of the conflict, then sacrificed themselves to banish the cataclysmic vortex opened with his dying breath. The first advent of the Oblivion Well was thwarted. Even without their vanished gods, the seven races of Lozaria proved themselves capable of safeguarding their world.
Or so the story goes.
The year is now 697 A.B.H (After the Battle of Har’muth). Though war itself remains much the same, the weapons with which it is waged have evolved. Airships bearing powerful cannons ply the skies, reducing the influence of mages and their spells. Long range communication has brought far flung regions of Lozaria closer than ever before. At the center of this technological revolution are the three Terran states of Darmatia, Rabban, and Sarconia, who have fought a near ceaseless campaign of 700 years in an attempt to best each other. The roots of their enmity lie buried beneath the wasteland of Har’muth, a place all three nations consider best forgotten.
However, an ancient power sealed within Har’muth has not forgotten them, and the descendants of those who fought on that field must now take a stand to rectify the mistakes of the past.
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