Rise of the Ancients – Annuna by JC De La Torre is an intriguing fantasy that sprinkles ancient gods, mythology, theology, history, and world origins onto the pages and swirls it all into a philosophical adventure and an end-of-the-world apocalypse.This novel is the continuation of the Rise of the Ancients saga, which began in JC De La Torre’s novel Ancient Rising -Rise of the Ancients Book 1. In Rise of the Ancients – Annuna the story resumes directly after the events in the first book, (that book deals with the mythical city of Atlantis, the release of the god-like Dodekatheon and the annihilation of the world), and contains both Book II and Book III of the chronicle. In Book II, Ancient Destruction, the narrative alternates between the present as Dan and the rest flee the Dodekatheon to save what is left of the world and flashback tales told by Prometheus, detailing the history of the Annuna and the Dodekatheon. In Book III, Rise of the Annuna, Dan journeys to the home of the Annuna, a trip that eventually leads to the final showdown.
“Prometheus woke me just before daybreak and invited me to join him on the bridge of the galleon. I glanced at Doc, Mina, and Marty, each were sleeping soundly. It was good that they got their rest. I had a feeling things were going to be getting a lot worse. Once I reached Prometheus’ side, he smiled slightly.”
Rise of the Ancients – Annuna is an interesting take on fantasy tradition. It juxtaposes myths, legendary tales and modern religion, interlacing it with a good saga of heroes vs. villains. The characterization is excellent, with the intrepid heroes nicely flawed and all villains delectably ruthless. Throw in a heavenly host and a few demons and you get a fascinating narrative discourse.
“I backed out of the jungle and into the clearing. I glanced back toward Prometheus, who was engaged in titanic warfare with the other twelve Gods… and he was losing. Without thinking, I sheathed my sword, clasped my hands together and from them came a burst of energy that struck into the melee, knocking Ares on his primordial backside. The anger in his face was priceless.”
I enjoyed the book and found it appealing, although I did find the pace at times a bit uneven. Events that went previously are often explained, and while this does add to the narrative it also slows the story. In addition some of the flashbacks meander just a touch. Still, overall, the book’s storyline had a good flow, and held my attention.
I liked the ideas presented in this book, and found both the story and the perspectives offered to the reader engaging. I recommended it as a distinctive fantasy novel.
Author Website: http://www.jcdelatorre.com/
Be sure to check out his blog tour for the book.
You can find both books at Amazon.com
Rise of the Ancients – Annuna
Ancient Rising -Rise of the Ancients
And at Amazon.ca
Rise of the Ancients – Annuna
Ancient Rising -Rise of the Ancients
Note: In case any are wondering why I am reviewing the second book in this series and skipping over the first, the explanation is simple: I have yet to read the first book in the series. I received my copy of this book through the website LibraryThing and their Member Giveaway; of the prerequisites for requesting this book was to provide a review.
I did enjoy the story enough to buy the first novel, Ancient Rising, so hopefully a review of that novel will be forecoming soon.
