A page-turning dark fantasy with a compelling cast…
Woodruff presents a dark fantasy series starter, featuring an unlikely hero struggling to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders. The Earth has become an apocalyptic hell, with legions of otherworldly creatures wrecking havocs all around. Xavier and his love, Melissa, after being caught in the middle of the destruction, team up with a group of people and set out on a journey of survival. The stakes rise when Xavier learns about an ancient secret that ties him to the destiny of the whole world. With the war between good and evil in full frenzy, Xavier must decide which side he is going to take. Woodruff’s mythological world is crafted with depth and complexity, enlivened with shifting realities and times, the realms of dreaming and magic, and populated with struggling humans, fierce gods, and hordes of demonic creatures. Although the prose’s choppy quality occasionally makes the befalling darkness less frightening that it could be, Woodruff’s descriptions still make it memorable: “Flying high above over the legions, an apparition covered on chains and swords, holding a scepter, led them forward. From behind him, the fog billowed out over the earth.” The pacing is consistently brisk, and the action has a cinematic feel to it, full of magic and fire, vicious individual fights, and even a fierce battle between armies, adding a larger-than-life element to the psychological conflicts and political posturing of gods and humans involved. The ending leaves plenty to explore in the next installment, including Xavier and certain other characters’ fates. An epic fantasy saga of conflict, magic, and intrigue.
Alpha and Omega: Awakening
Peter J D Woodruff
Archway Pub
Pub date January 9, 2023
ISBN 978-1665733274
Price $45.95 (USD) Hardcover, $12.88 Paperback, $9.49 Kindle edition