I received a copy of this book for free and am leaving this review
voluntarily.
When I learned about this book, and decided to read it, I wasn't sure what I
was getting myself into. I didn't know if I was going to get a fantasy or a
sci-fi tale. I am more of a sci-fi fan than and less of fantasy, but now and
then, I must step out of my comfort zone and try something different. In the
case of this book, I am happy to say I was enthralled by it!
The Dark Heart of Redemption (Dark Heart) is a Sci-Fi/Fantasy
tale that is utterly satisfying to people like me, who enjoy lots of action,
colorful descriptions, amazing characters, and epic battles. This tale has it
all. It runs a full gauntlet of emotions and is so well written, there is one
point at which I would recommend the reader keep a box of tissues handy.
Dark Heart is the second in a (so far) series of two books. The first
being The Engineer. I only wish I had read the first book in the series
before reading this one.
It took me a few chapters to get into the story. While the author included a
conspectus - a summary of the events from The Engineer - I still didn't know
the characters of the previous novel. But after just a few chapters, this book
captured and held my attention the rest of the way through. I lost track of
time while reading.
A structure in Redemption has come under siege by tribal invaders who would
be happy to destroy the entire Dominions' civilization. Prince Engineer Actaeon
Rellios Caliburn, his wife, Princess Eisander Rellios Caliburn of Raedell, and
several of their friends take on the challenge of keeping Redemption free from
oppression under forces who work against them at every turn. There is no rest
for Actaeon and his friends, as there is one attack after another, and the body
count rises to staggering numbers. As the author states in his blurb...
"Everything comes with a cost."
The Princess Eisander is a beautiful young woman, but not one to be dismissed.
She has some ire of her own. She and Act make a great pair of leaders in their
battles. The Princess is tough and well trained to fight her own battles. She
and Act are eternally devoted to each other, and they are loved and respected
by those they fight for.
My favorite characters are a pair of mercenaries, Wave and Trench, who have
become associates of Actaeon. They have devoted themself to the cause of saving
Redemption and are fiercely loyal to Act, Eisander, and to their cause. Trench
is a giant of a man who can hand out as much punishment as he can take while
wielding his huge maul. Wave, on the other hand, is the smaller of the two, but
can deal some deadly blows with his own rapier. The best part of reading these
two characters is their banter. They constantly pick at each other, but are the
closest of friends, and one would have no second thoughts about laying down
their lives for the other.
There is a plethora of other characters to keep track of, but Darran has
written them so well, each has their own characteristics and mannerisms, making
them easy for the reader to know. The good guys are all endearing. Their
enemies are the stuff of nightmares.
My favorite plot point in Dark Heart is the descriptions of the
several battles. They are detailed and sometimes disturbing to read. There is
death and destruction at every turn, and not just for the antagonists; many of
the heroic figures also sacrifice themselves to save others. One instance made
me set the book aside for a bit until I could work through a character's heroic
death scene. It brought tears to my eyes.
Another plot point I appreciated was how Actaeon was able to come up with
solutions to problems through reason. He was successful most of the time, but
sometimes his solutions don’t work as planned, which is also the mark of a
great character. Nobody's perfect, after all.
The thing that stood out for me the most was how willing many of the
characters were willing to sacrifice themselves for the good of the others.
Many paid the ultimate price. As we all know, this is not a new concept, but it
reminded me of this takeaway from the Bible...
"There is no greater love than this - that a man should lay down his
life for his friends."
And this from Sir Winston Churchill...
"Never in the field of human conflict was so much been owed by so many
to so few."
The Dark Heart of Redemption is a masterpiece by an author that bears
watching. He has created characters that will make a reader laugh and cry. But
they will also bring out a full spectrum of emotions in a reader. The
world-building is great and there are swerves in this tale that will have one
on the edge of their seat. It is just an all-around great book, and I look
forward to reading Darran's future work. He has numerous projects in the works,
and I have it on good authority, there will be yet another book in the Chronicles
of Actaeon series.
I give my highest recommendations for Dark Heart as a fine example of
Sci-Fi/Fantasy to stimulate the imagination!
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
You can find Darran on Goodreads, Amazon, and on Facebook at
https://www.facebook.com/ActaeonRellios
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