A stunningly imaginative contemporary fantasy novel, Enchanters introduces a new kind of magic, interwoven in an intriguing and sensitive story. Glys Erlendson is a committed environmentalist convinced that the planet is in grave danger. But she discovers another frightening truth: she is not human. Worse, there are Shadowling beings that wish her destruction. Unable to control her powers, Glys must follow Tarune, a Sylviir Enchanter, to Myradelle. But death awaits at every step and Glys must throw off her human facade to survive... but what lies underneath? She learns to unite with the forces of nature, tapping the flow for her magic. And once she reaches Myradelle, new and more desperate adventures await, as Guurm and the Witch of Four Directions seek to entrap her and her companion Shimmer. Caught in an intrigue between the hidden races, Glys and Shimmer must ultimately return to the human world, and then battle their way through the cavernous depths of the Underworld to stop a menace that threatens both the human and Enchanter world.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
Enchanters is a fantastic story about a young woman who discovers a beautiful, magical, and at times terrifying world in coexistence with our own. A high fantasy about the importance of love, the preservation of life, and the greatness of the natural world, Enchanters is enthusiastically recommended to fantasy lovers everywhere --Midwest Book Review
The book was incredibly engaging and the pages continued to turn to explore the deepening mystery set forth. The language is truly beautiful. David Bryan Russell will likely not be a new name in the fantasy genre for long. Rating: 4.5 stars (out of 5) --Carolynn Evans, Curled Up With a Good Book
The imagination, skill and depth that distinguishes his artwork, now enhances Russell's fine debut novel Enchanters, for which he traded his brushes, pencils and sketchbooks for pictures painted in prose. An astonishingly vivid and exciting fantasy adventure. Enchanters may be described as a fantasy novel, but should never be confined by the term. The story's social, spiritual and environmental themes are delivered directly and accessibly to the real world. And the result is deeply affecting --Michael Jacobson, Weekend Bulletin Paradise Magazine
The book was incredibly engaging and the pages continued to turn to explore the deepening mystery set forth. The language is truly beautiful. David Bryan Russell will likely not be a new name in the fantasy genre for long. Rating: 4.5 stars (out of 5) --Carolynn Evans, Curled Up With a Good Book
The imagination, skill and depth that distinguishes his artwork, now enhances Russell's fine debut novel Enchanters, for which he traded his brushes, pencils and sketchbooks for pictures painted in prose. An astonishingly vivid and exciting fantasy adventure. Enchanters may be described as a fantasy novel, but should never be confined by the term. The story's social, spiritual and environmental themes are delivered directly and accessibly to the real world. And the result is deeply affecting --Michael Jacobson, Weekend Bulletin Paradise Magazine
About the Author
David Bryan Russell is one of top Hollywood film illustrators and designers. Working closely with some of the most celebrated film directors of our time including George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Martin Campbell, Peter Weir and Baz Luhrmann, Russell created memorable sequences for major films, from Star Wars, Batman, The Color Purple, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, to Moulin Rouge, Master and Commander and The Chronicles of Narnia. Russell s seminars and master classes are acclaimed in the US, Europe and Australia. His film artwork is part of museum collections in the US and Europe, including the Smithsonian Institute. His website is www.dynamicimagesdr.com
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting read.,
By
This review is from: Enchanters (Paperback)
Environmentalist fiction has a way of creating two reactions in me: sudden interest and eye-rolling irritation. David Bryan Russell's Enchanters manages to bring a little of both, leaving me with a few mixed opinions.
Enchanters follows Glys Erlendson, a teenager vacationing with her family in Norway. She has a powerful connection to the environment, but only when she encounters something strange in the wilderness of Norway does she begin to understand why. Glys is no ordinary human being; she is one of the Enchanters, a magic people who live in a world parallel to our own. She has heard the Call and must make a decision: ignore it and face the consequences, or leave humanity forever and join the magic world of the Enchanters. And her decision will lead her on an adventure through a mystical world of light and darkness and mythical creatures made real. Russell has developed an interesting merger between environmental issues and "wardrobe world" fantasies (I'm coining the term to refer to secondary worlds that are accessed through our own, taking its name from C. S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia). I personally enjoy stories that try to connect the existence and power of magic in such secondary worlds to the conditions of our own world, because it establishes an exceptional limitation on magic. Further development of this world, however, would create a fuller experience within Russell's novel, but future projects may benefit from a more epic scope. One of the "rules" of Russell's world is that Enchanters cannot kill, and using that as a hindrance to characters in an epic setting could create some interesting situations. Enchanters' flaws are unfortunately related to its strengths. While the magic and the secondary world Russell has created are fascinating, the environmentalist message is a tad heavy handed. The characters of the secondary world have a particular distaste for humanity despite the fact that many of them were once human themselves. This wouldn't be an issue if humanity as a whole were unconcerned with environmental issues, but humanity is and always has been a species of grey. Glys hardly offers any support for humanity, and instead accepts the negative viewpoint of her fellow Enchanters with little question--there are scant moments where she actually questions her Enchanter brethren. While I understand the position, I think someone who has only just recently become one of these magic-using environmentalist should have something to say for humanity's finer points. Other issues stemmed from the format of the book, which reads somewhat like a collection of separate stories than a novel with a single plot. Perhaps that was the intention, though. I think the novel could have benefited from being about only one of the stories presented, because the relationships between the characters sometimes felt forced, rather than smooth and logical. Of course, Russell does a fine job of keeping the visuals of the world stimulating, which draws one away from some of the minor flaws inherent in the text. Overall, Enchanters is an interesting and easy read, with curious creatures and characters, and a unique take on the "wardrobe world" theme. Stylistically it is sound, and my eyes want to thank Freya Publishing for using a reasonably sized typeface. Those who enjoy environmental fiction will find Enchanters to be a refreshing change in scenery, despite its heavy approach to its environmental message. Those who don't might enjoy the non-epic nature of this fantasy. A good way to look at it is to refer to Enchanters as a fun fantasy, something that contains within its pages the makings of a serious tale and the awe-inspiring visuals that have made fantasy a fascinating and escapist genre for so long.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Enchanters is enthusiastically recommended to fantasy lovers everywhere.,
By Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Enchanters (Paperback)
The debut novel of film designer David Bryan Russell, and the first book of a series, Enchanters is a fantastic story about a nineteen-year-old young woman, Glys Erlendson, who discovers a beautiful, magical, and at times terrifying world in coexistence with our own. Drawn into the midst of struggle against her will, she must embark on a perilous journey to foil dark forces threatening her life and the existence of all humankind. A high fantasy about the importance of love, the preservation of life, and the greatness of the natural world, Enchanters is enthusiastically recommended to fantasy lovers everywhere.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Well worth the read,
By
This review is from: Enchanters (Paperback)
I found enchanters to be a compelling and thought-provoking take on the environmental issues facing the world today. The narrative follows Glys Erlendson, a 19-yr-old girl who discovers a mystical world in "co-existance" with earth. Glys finds herself caught up in a fight against an evil which seeks to destroy both the the enchanter world and earth. This book is a thrilling, well paced read which is both terse and evocative.
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