Saturday, June 29, 2019

The Phoenix Ascension

The Phoenix Ascension


The tenth and thus far latest of author Joe Jackson’s Eve of Redemption series conveniently opens with a list of dramatis personae reminding readers of the identities, species, and whatnot of the multitude of characters that appear in his fantasy series. The story itself opens with protagonist Karian Vanador going over soldier records and facing the difficult decision of whether to rescue Seanada whilst risking the lives of many forces or just leave her to die with no risks taken. In the meanwhile, Master Maelstrom works on making a magical portal bidirectional so that forces from Irrathmor can visit Citaria.  

A romance gradually forms between Kari and her companion Kris, while magical fog envelopes naval forces for a few chapters. King Auremax’s consort further has a brush with death, and the undead serve as adversaries for much of the novel. The indirect siege of Aurun Ch’Gurra also begins, and the elf Yiilu effects a miracle that can transform deserts into rainforests. Traditional giant dragons play various roles throughout the narrative, too, and a battle with the Tempis’ra terminates the events, the relationship between Kari and Kris coming to fruition, with an epilogue written by one of the characters ultimately ending the plotline.

Overall, this was another enjoyable Eve of Redemption story, though as with its predecessors, one can find difficult the need to keep track of the various races, particularly the different breeds of anthro dragons, to which the characters belong, with definitions and descriptions of the appearances of the many personas definitely needed among the list of dramatis personae. Furthermore, while the series as whole is definitely an admirable effort of literature spotlighting animalian heroes and heroines, I wouldn’t mind breaking from it for a long while, and don’t think I could reread them again like I did when further entries appeared.

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