Gary CaplanRezensionen

Rightful Heir – A review of the novel ‘The Return of the Ancient Ones’

“Whatever most captures your mind controls your life.” – Kare Anderson

In author Gary Caplan’s book ‘The Return of the Ancient Ones’ we return back to the land of Illúmaril. It has become an area that resembles an extended battleground with various forces and foes battling each other to reign supreme. It’s also a land that is awaiting its destined leader Gideon to employ the Sword of Order and vanquish the dark forces known as Thatos and his army. Gideon and his gang get unexpected help from an enemy group called the Darkspawn after they are betrayed by Thatos. An under threat Illúmaril’s future rests on the skills of one man.

The Return of the Ancient Ones (hereafter referred to as TROTAO) is a complex story involving multiple important heroic characters and numerous soldiers fighting on the side of both good and evil. Connoisseurs of topical popular culture will immediately make a connection between the storyline of TROTAO and that of Star Wars. But here’s where it one-ups the latter; this thought itself might be blasphemous to some, but if someone had wondered what would happen if full-on magic were introduced to the Star Wars empire – TROTAO would be the answer. The narrative introduces telepathy, spell-weaving, skyships, powerful crystals, swords, beasts & demons to an action packed story that’s full of combat and the revelation of the purpose behind the main hero’s life.

Staying true to the genre, the narrative is highly descriptive and builds up the land of Illúmaril and its various inhabitants vividly in your mind. In fact Mr. Caplan must be appreciated for utilizing his imagination to the hilt and coming up with such diverse characters and then arming them with unique powers and accompaniments like special swords and amulets. You also get to experience the story from different perspectives as the author tells the story from multiple characters’ point of view.

The novel gives equal weightage to both characters and story. The character of Gideon coming to grips with his destiny and forming an alliance to take on a much powerful enemy is explored nicely. And the plot moves along steadily leading to a big and expected clash at the end where the identity of the victor won’t leave anyone surprised. The characters, be it Draeborn, Almaren, Gil, Bernord and Gideon’s other friends grow and develop as the plot moves along. These characters appear honest because they aren’t afraid to portray fear & doubt. And it’s their honor, courage and camaraderie that make them heroic.

There’s not a lot here that you could underscore as bad, especially if you’re into this genre. But for some, the sheer number of names of geographical locations, Knights, Lords and demons might be overwhelming; as might the battle scenes that run the risk of being slightly repetitive.

In the end, the action in TROTAO keeps the story moving forward at a consistent pace and provides for an engrossing read. The novel has won the Indie excellence award for fantasy.

Space Battles – A review of the novel ‘The Phoenix Rising’

“If you will not die for us, you cannot ask us to die for you.” – Jacqueline Carey

Author Gary Caplan’s novel ‘The Phoenix Rising’ is set in a futuristic time period hundreds of years from now. Planet Earth and the various nations as we know today are history and in their place are space faring civilizations, doing what all great civilizations do best – explorations and combating for supremacy. Alliance of Worlds is a huge group in space, made-up of more than 250 civilizations engaged in space explorations for resources and defending their vast assets against enemy infiltrations and misadventures. And there’s no dearth of it as groups like the Varlons and the Accadians harbors dreams of space dominance. Recently promoted Commodore Robert Allen Sheppard has his task cut out while manning the Phoenix ship and going into battle against such enemy forces.

It is as much a story about the main character’s journey as it is about a civilization’s journey to expand and also protect itself from enemy incursions. Often, the various thought processes and actions undertaken by the space civilizations and their leaders will remind you of the actions and decisions taken by various nations and their leaders here on Earth. The description of the space combat scenes, especially the strategies and tactics used by the opposing and defending forces will lights up the battle scenes in your mind. But it’s not just mindless action that fills these pages, as the book also delves into the actions taken by the political and military leadership and fills the narrative with political intrigue.

Robert Allen Sheppard has many attractive qualities in him that makes him a great leader. He is smart and is a brilliant tactician, but he is also a compassionate individual who is well aware of his own mortality. His interactions with his crew members also reveal a lot about the character.

The quality of a book can generally be judged by the words in it, in addition to its story. It's not just what you say, but how you say it that matters. Taking off from this ‘The Phoenix Rising’ can be judged in two distinct ways. Firstly, it handles the theme of space battles and culture quite well. The detailing in this fully imagined world and the description of it manages to paint a lively picture in the minds of the reader. But alternatively it’s the same point that gives the novel a feel of an overwritten work. Fantasy/Military fiction genre books are generally more descriptive than others but you still feel this story could have been narrated more succinctly.

The setting and the characters have enough in them to warrant a sequel adventure story or even a prequel explaining how they all got here in the first place. If the writing can shrug off the extra weight it displays here then it can become a good adventure series.

Despite the numerous intricate and technical descriptions ‘The Phoenix Rising’ by and large is an entertaining read. That is if you are willing to overlook a few glitches here and there and are not expecting a life altering novel here. The plot, the setting, the characterization, and the writing all have a simple objective and that is to provide you with mindless entertainment and in that respect the book succeeds.

Mirage of hope – A review of the novel ‘Talcon Star City’

“It is often in the darkest skies that we see the brightest stars” - Richard Evans

Prolific science fiction author Gary Caplan’s novel ‘Talcon Star City’ is the sequel to the 2009 release ‘The Phoenix Rising’. Painting the same vast expanse of space and its futuristic civilizations as revealed in the previous book, the new book too narrates the tale of such space faring people. A massive and powerful amalgamation of numerous civilizations, Alliance of Worlds is under constant threat of war and hostility from enemy civilizations who are hell bent on taking over this alliance. And their only hope is in the hands of a stalwart leader in Commodore Robert Sheppard who must not only rely upon his every intuition and skill but also seek help from a couple of new allies to fight the combined evil forces of Varlon and Accads. But he must do so before it’s too late for mankind.

While the space race led to nations competing with each other to send rockets and spaceships, what it also did was to introduce the power of science and create a spark of imagination amongst thousands of young minds, intriguing them about space and the role of man in them. This soon led to a parallel genre in fiction which later came to be known as space opera. And continuing from that initial spark which ignited our imagination, these novels inspired us to think outside of our little planet and become aware of the vastness of space and the potential that it contains. It has also given writers an opportunity to explore the theme of inequality that continue to exist among the different classes of people and the politics of colonizing space which hasn’t brought people closer as initially expected.

The Alliance of Worlds operate under an uneasy truce, with heavy prejudices on all sides and with multiple alien cultures in a race against time and each other to occupy it. And it is huge cast of characters within the vast expanse of space and time that we get to meet here, with a host of returning characters and a few new ones. And no decision of any character goes in vain as we get to see the ramification of their each decision in scenes that come later. It is perhaps the bane of this genre that makes its authors think that their books need to have its share of didactic moments and Talcon Star City is no different in that regard but unlike a lot of other books, Gary through his characters and his tone ensure that such moments are softened by the overall pace of the story. And after a slow start, the book develops and gradually builds up with bigger and better action. The engaging action, great dialogues and well developed characters with Robert Sheppard at the centre of it all rounds off the novel quite nicely.

Talcon Star City is a surprisingly quick read even with its sometimes wordy passages. This is mostly due to both the content and the voice narrating the story. Gary Caplan as a writer tends to use his prose and words alternately to paint a vast picture of the universe and also to get to the point faster than other novels in this genre. By placing political, social, and cultural theorems within a readable science fiction atmosphere, Gary has come up with a novel that is highly engaging to say the least. Sometimes deep with subtle symbolisms, it explores the basic human drive to explore the unknown and the dangers that lurk in them. And as it has always been for mankind, the greatest danger it faces is a mix of external threats and internal ideological struggles.

Sword of Order – A review of the novel ‘Advent of Darkness’

“Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions” - Albert Einstein

Storytelling is a much envied skill, a story well told can make us laugh and weep, we become one with the characters and it can change even everyday moments into those of epic proportions.

This is what author Gary Caplan sets out to do with his novel, ‘Advent of Darkness’, the first book in the ‘The Chronicles of Illúmaril’ series of fantasy fiction. And for this he has created one of the most intricately original and fascinating fantasy world that you will ever see. One day John Gideon, a war veteran finds himself taken away from his home into a different world, a world full of magic and illusions, science fiction and the reality of war. This new world, Illúmaril is said to be that of his ancestors and he soon learns that in spite of the many mythical creatures that inhabits this new world, it mirrors his old home in many ways. And when evil forces threaten to disrupt peace, he must seek help from the wizards like Ragan and a host of others to discover not only his true lineage but also his destiny as the saviour of this new land.

What Gary does nicely from time to time is to layer the main story with subtle commentary on the state of affairs of our ‘real’ world in relation to the made up one. The author is at his lyrical best when he describes the various mythical creatures and the numerous battle scenes. Even though there are a lot of characters and places and hence a whole lot of names, as you get into the story you will realize that you needn’t memorize the name of each and every person to really enjoy the story as the languid and free flowing writing keeps you thoroughly entertained.

Highlights worth mentioning are the excellent prologue, which very neatly captures the reader’s attention and you will be hooked on for the rest of the book. The book also comes with a trove of supporting materials, the original maps and illustrations are a nice touch and further heighten the fantasy experience for the reader. There is also this portion in the end which is shown as Gideon’s journal entries, explaining in detail various information and basically serving as a reference tool for fans wanting to know more about this fantasy world, this is pure ingenuity at its best and will be a haven for the obsessed. John Gideon’s journey to discover his power and his coming to terms with his fate is nicely done and is written with such mastery and skill that it is bound to have your rapt attention throughout.

Like the author himself has mentioned in the beginning of the book, the author’s friend Basil Varian deserves special mention for coming up with a lot of ‘exotic’ character names along with the author. Advent of Darkness has deep, intelligent characters, who are accompanied by smart and innovative writing and use of language. This novel shows that it can stand on its own in this genre and is the perfect example of a modern epic fantasy. The grand battle scene at the very end is the perfect finale you could have hoped for until you pick up the second book in the series, ‘Return of the Ancient Ones’.

Another Great Fantasy Novel by Gary Caplan

Advent of Darkness is another great fantasy novel by Gary Caplan. His writing style is amazing and all of his titles are fascinating and enjoyable.

This particular book was captivating and full of wizardry and fantasy. It was a page turner. This is the first book in the The Chronicles of Illúmaril series and I'm ready for the next installment.

Great, Great Read!!

Wonderful Science Fiction / Space Opera Worth Reading

Talcon Star City is the second book in the Alliance of Worlds sci-fi series.

This interesting indie book is a story of bravery, revenge, aliens, and interstellar swashbuckling.

The author has done an amazing job with character and storyline development.

The first book, The Phoenix Rising is also a great read.

Talcon Star City has been honored as a "Finalist" of the 2012 International Book Awards in the "Fiction: Science Fiction" category.

The Phoenix Rising was also a finalist in the 2010 Indie Excellence Awards.

Talcon Star City is a highly recommended Science Fiction, Fantasy, Spacer Opera Novel!!

Wonderful Science Fiction / Space Opera Worth Reading

Talcon Star City is the second book in the Alliance of Worlds sci-fi series.

This interesting indie book is a story of bravery, revenge, aliens, and interstellar swashbuckling.

The author has done an amazing job with character and storyline development.

The first book, The Phoenix Rising is also a great read.

Talcon Star City has been honored as a "Finalist" of the 2012 International Book Awards in the "Fiction: Science Fiction" category.

The Phoenix Rising was also a finalist in the 2010 Indie Excellence Awards.

Talcon Star City is a highly recommended Science Fiction, Fantasy, Spacer Opera Novel!!

Wonderful Science Fiction / Space Opera Worth Reading

Talcon Star City is the second book in the Alliance of Worlds sci-fi series.

This interesting indie book is a story of bravery, revenge, aliens, and interstellar swashbuckling.

The author has done an amazing job with character and storyline development.

The first book, The Phoenix Rising is also a great read.

Talcon Star City has been honored as a "Finalist" of the 2012 International Book Awards in the "Fiction: Science Fiction" category.

The Phoenix Rising was also a finalist in the 2010 Indie Excellence Awards.

Talcon Star City is a highly recommended Science Fiction, Fantasy, Spacer Opera Novel!!

Great Science Fiction Read!

The Phoenix Rising is the first book in the Alliance of Worlds sci-fi series. This interesting indie book tells the story of war battles from the 250 assorted civilizations in the Alliance of the Worlds. The author has done an amazing job with character and storyline development. The second book, Talcon Star City is also a great read.

The Phoenix Rising was a 2010 Indie Excellence Award Finalist in Science Fiction.