OVERVIEW: A young man named Gennai discovers that he is part of something larger, part of a world where angels and demons exist
ITEM REVIEWED: Chapter 1 of “The Guardians of Heaven & Earth: Rise of the Grey One”
LENGTH: 35Pgs* (we were given the first chapter to review)
RELEASE DATE: TBA
AUTHOR: Tecoya George
PUBLISHER: TBA
GENRE: Fantasy
QUICK SYNOPSIS: Gennai is the son of the great warrior Murron and the Priestess Alue. In the first chapter of the book, you soon see that there are dark forces against him, and all the stories of his Uncle Z (also known as Zaron) and his family are real.
Content Guide
VIOLENCE: there are a few fight scenes between demons, angels, and of course the Demon Slayers
SEXUAL CONTENT: None
DRUG/ALCOHOL USE: None
SPIRITUAL CONTENT: The chapter deals heavily with angels and demons. This might be cause for concern of parents with younger readers, as these scenes can be intense and are fictitious representations of things that we as Christians believe to be true. It is unclear if this chapter is talking about Christianity or if this is a fictitious religion with close ties.
LANGUAGE/CRUDE HUMOR: There is roughly 16 swear words that make it into the list, such as d***, a**, and B***S***, with only one appearance of the word F***.
OTHER NEGATIVE CONTENT: The Head Demon Stride questions the Arch Angel Jinn about the hardships and frustrations of being restricted by his god, the whole world of the book feels dark and almost dingy.
POSITIVE CONTENT: Uncle Z (Zaron) is an uplifting figure in an otherwise intense and dark world. Throughout the chapter, you see he truly does care for Gennai as his own son and tells him that he is proud of him. The angels and demon slayer are portrayed as “the good guys” without being stereotypical.
REVIEW:
Before we begin, we do want to make it clear that this is a review of a preview chapter to a book that will be coming out soon. To be honest, as I started the intro to this chapter I was sceptical as to if it would be the style I would enjoy. History storytelling is never my favourite unless it is being told in person and the intro to “The Guardians of Heaven and Earth: Rise of the Grey One” is told very much as a historical intro to the story you are about to read. While this threw me for a loop and made me sceptical I have to admit that it really was the best way that T. George could have started the story. I was hooked as soon as I got into the first paragraph.
Because this being the first chapter we are not able to do a complete review, but I have to say, I already want more. Gennai is a likeable character, and I am left wanting to know more about him. The others we have been introduced to (Zaron, Jinn, and Strider) have given just enough away that we feel we know their character type, but I truly think they will have more to them than what meets the eye.
The author hints at the religion of this world, and it is intriguing, though I always am fascinated by fictitious religions so that may attribute to the fascination I feel. The unanswered questions I feel will surely be resolved in the rest of the book and new ones brought up, but this chapter has me thinking. To the point that I found myself mulling over the possibilities and hints that are left for future story development.
Overall this world that T.George has built is intriguing, well thought out, and most of all, believable. In fantasy books, you tend to have to suspend reality to be ok with what is happening and with this world, you really do not have to do that. The angels and the demons are written in such a way that you are pulled in and believe that everything in this is true, the descriptions are written so well that you feel as if you are there, you can see it, feel it, breathe it in.
I look forward to reading the rest of this novel, and the following series and definitely recommend it to anyone except the younger audiences.
If you’d like to connect with Tecoya George and receive updates as to when “The Guardians of Heaven and Earth” is released, then follow the links below to his Facebook and Twitter.
https://www.facebook.com/tcgeorge0419/
https://twitter.com/TecoyaGeorge
Thank you guys so much for this.
It was our pleasure!
If there is anyone that would like to read the chapter send an email to tcgeorge0419@gmail.com. Thanks.