Blog Archives
Legends of Perilisc
Legends of Perilisc is a collection of short stories created by Jesse Teller. This collection has eight different stories that all tie together along a timeline. While each story can stand alone there is a sense that it’s building up to something that we don’t get to in this book. Each title is subtitled with a phrase like “120,000 Years Before The Escape” (Teller p.7) and “Three Years Before The Escape” (Teller p. 197). While the preface lists the date as being after the Escape it offers no clue to who is escaping what. This leaves the author open to create many more books in this series. There is one character that reoccurs in most of the stories, Simon the Bard.
At first the beginning story sounds like a twist on the Greek Mythology stories from when the Gods battled for control of the world. While some of the names mentioned do link back to mythology, most of the characters are original to Jesse Teller. Their personalities and names differ from one story to the next. I think this lack of continuity is intentional and well done showing the different times and places in Perilisc. These stories are dark; they are not happy endings with moral lessons. It is a work of fantasy unlike anything I have come across. Each individual story tells of a quest, usually the quest is to find someone and kill them. Through these short stories you get so much detail though. The author does not waste words. Every line is important to character development, the action or setting.
Piecing together information from the different stories we learn more about Simon the Bard. He is the constant so far in the world created by Teller. He travels the word claiming to be a simple story teller, but is always in the right place at the right time to offer important information. He is immortal, and has magical powers but the reader does not discover just how deep those powers go.
As with any collection of short stories it can be frustrating to get small pieces of a story line and not see where they end up. Knowing that all these story lines interact building up to “the escape” is even more frustrating given the huge jumps in time. Chances are we may never know more about the characters we read about. One example is Konnon. His story is brief, we find out about his devastating childhood, his enslavement to an enchanted beast, and his revenge. His story takes place in one night, but we don’t know how this fits into the overall story line. It is just a good snap shot into the world and how it is developing through time.
Legends of Perilisc is a great collection for the reader looking for a fresh take on fantasy novels. It is not for the reader looking for a happy ending and a magical quest with elves and good wizards. This collection is dark, full of death and evil. Topics of patricide, cannibalism, adultery, rape and many more dark topics fill these stories. A good read with an open ending leaving the author free to continue this world and create many more stories to entertain and shock his readers.
Pages: 141 | ASIN: B01I7KD9O8
Love of Dragons
Angelina Kerner Author Interview
Deity’s Soulmate tells the story of Gardenia, a young goddess on her rite of passage. What was your inspiration for Gardenia’s character? Did you take anything from your life?
Gardenia is a character who was born when I was a freshman in high school. Since, I started creating her when I was a teen, it explains her childish traits that are present. I don’t think that if I started writing her in college, she would be that childish. I took my love of dragons and gave it to her.
I liked the in depth knowledge of Greek mythology you used throughout the story. Why did you choose to weave Greek Mythology through the novel?
I came to the United States when I was nine years old with no English (except for ‘cat’ and ‘dog’) and therefore it was difficult to find friends with a communication barrier. I spent a lot of time in the library of the elementary / middle schools, reading and trying to grasp the English language. Most of the books that I’ve found were about witches of Salem, dragons, ghosts, and on Greek mythology. One time, in class, my elementary school teacher, said that we would be creating a festival where we would be dressing up as ancient Greeks, cook their food, and enjoy ourselves. That was my first time when I enjoyed the ancient culture through the help of my teacher. After that I started doing research on the subject and like adding the Greek Mythology into my writing, brings back good memories. One of the stories that I am currently working on includes Ares as the main character.
I enjoyed the budding cross-species romance between Gardenia and one of her teachers. Was this a romance that was planned before writing or did this happen organically as you were writing?
It was not planned. The idea came to me after I wrote the first banter between them. It clicked in my mind that they would be perfect for each other and the best part… one of the twins gets romance! I mean seriously, normally twins are side characters, and in my novel, one of them becomes very important. It made me happy to explore the possibilities of the romance.
Gardenia decides to spend the next 100 years with dragons. Why do you think it was important for the characters development to have dragons as teachers?
In stories, dragons tend to be scary or friendly. They are considered to be all knowledgeable which worked in my favor, coming up with that idea. I wanted to depict dragons as a race more ancient than the gods and to show that they tend to keep to themselves after communicating with the younger race. Also, if dragons exist (and they do somewhere), I would totally love to be their student because they live long lives. Whenever knights kill dragons in stories, it sounds ridiculous to me because dragons are bigger, stronger, and more cunning. Having them quiet and take an educational role makes more sense to me.
Deity’s Soulmate is book 1 in the Goddess Training Trilogy. Can you tell us more about what’s in store for Gardenia and the direction of the second book?
Don’t want to spoil the ending of book 1, but Gardenia will really understand what it feels like to wear a different skin. Her lessons will continue, with an introduction of never before seen characters, and a battle that will determine the relationship between dragons, gods, and the Fates. There will also be more illustrations depicting the new characters that will have to do a lot with Gardenia growing up and becoming the goddess who she should be.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Website
Zeus’s Daughter 100 years of punishment. Gardenia didn’t ask for it. Yet the Fates brewed their plans ever since before she was born. On the day of gaining knowledge about what humanity truly is, Gardenia decides to do something stupid… create a galaxy without permission. Out of that childish choice, something breaks inside of her and she decides to spend her 100 years with dragons. After searching the stars, Gardenia finds her first teacher and then the next and the next. However, what does one do when one falls in love with your family’s adversary? When one falls in love with a dragon? And what if the Fates are ready to make their move? Imaginative, amusing, and adventurous, the Goddess Training Trilogy Book 1 is a tale that will possess you to want to travel the stars.
Deity’s Soulmate
Zeus’s Daughter. 100 years of punishment. Gardenia didn’t ask for it. Yet the Fates brewed their plans ever since before she was born. On the day of gaining knowledge about what humanity truly is, Gardenia decides to do something stupid… create a galaxy without permission. Out of that childish choice, something breaks inside of her and she decides to spend her 100 years with dragons. After searching the stars, Gardenia finds her first teacher and then the next and the next. However, what does one do when one falls in love with your family’s adversary? When one falls in love with a dragon? And what if the Fates are ready to make their move? Imaginative, amusing, and adventurous, the Goddess Training Trilogy Book 1 is a tale that will possess you to want to travel the stars.
Deity’s Soulmate tells the story of Gardenia, a young goddess on her rite of passage. She must create a world of her own with living beings that worship her as a god. The use of Greek mythology and detailed accounts of the stars demonstrate author Angelina Kerner’s vast knowledge on the subject. I enjoyed the budding cross-species romance between Gardenia and one of her teachers, which grows naturally and includes a twist that left me wondering what will happen next.
Pages: 250 | ISBN: 1518780466
LITERARY TITAN 