Etchings of Power (Aegis of the Gods Book 1) [Kindle Edition]

Terry C. Simpson (Author)

Book Description

A legendary killer without a memory, a gifted student who has lost his way, a vengeful assassin on an impossible mission, an old mentor whose only wish is to save her people. Kingdoms separate them but their fates are intertwined.

The opening stanza in a new epic fantasy series that delves into the themes of war, corruptible power, love, betrayal, and absolution in the world of Denestia.

Ryne Waldron, a living legend at the edge of madness is haunted by a murderous past and the voices of his power that whisper in his head. Hunted, he strives to defend a village he swore to protect. But his enemies might be closer than he could ever suspect.

Ancel Dorn, a gifted student, struggles with rejection and must accept who he is or perish to the creatures that stalk him and his parents. When he discovers he's targeted for death by beings that seemed to have stepped from the history of an ancient war, his only choice is to flee.

Irmina Nagel, Ancel's former lover, and an assassin sent to find Ryne, is mired in her quest for revenge on Ancel's parents, and must set aside her emotions or fail her final test. What she discovers may not only change her life but the world as a whole.

Caught between warring nations, vengeful leaders, magic and steel, myth and men, the fate of millions hang in the balance. Who can unite the kingdoms against a common threat? Who shall bring the power that drives the world to heel? Who will walk the knife's edge of harmony? If none can, then Denestia is doomed.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Etchings of Power is one of the best books I have read this year, which puts this book among Prince of Thorns, Kingkiller Chronicles and Best Served Cold. - Sam Browning - Goodreads Review

"Terry Simpson has now gone on my must buy list with Erikson and Esslemont." - Steve G Amazon UK review

"I have to say, I was really impressed by this book." - mytowerofbooks.blogspot.com/

"The world building is quite good, and well thought out, the characters vivid and easy to identify with, the plot is interesting." - UFReviews.com

From the Author

The culmination of ten years of worldbuilding, writing and rewriting, Etchings of Power is the opening stanza of the epic fantasy series, Aegis of the Gods, that is sure to leave you wanting more as you follow the trials, plots and growth of the characters and the world itself.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 1366 KB
• Print Length: 466 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Golden Arm Press; 2 edition (October 5, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B005T81CMI
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #43,113 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars AMAZING READ!! January 7, 2012

By Cassandra L. Stuart

Format:Paperback

For those of you who like a nice, quick review, I will say this to you - Read this book, you won't regret it, you'll love it I promise - it will become your new BFF!

Okay, now - on to other things. I've read Fantasy books for years, and one of my biggest pet peeves is when authors go on and on and on about something, making me eventually have to nap, which eventually led me to tend away from them. They could take something as simple and innocent as a leaf - give us the history of it, the exact color of it, what it had for breakfast, who it dated in high school, and how many kids it had - thereby destroying any love I may have had for it. I'm looking at you Terry Goodkind, and at you as well Steven!

Then Terry C. Simpson traipses into my life and the sun shown and the flowers wept. (not blood!)

I got halfway through this book before I realized that I hadn't ONE TIME skipped chapters or pages.

Then I wept!

It was at this very moment that I decided that this book - Etchings of Power - was MY new BFF. Clutching it to my chest, we hopped in the car, drove through town, stopped for latte's and were just so happy I could go smack the other Terry and Steven both.

I don't want to spoil ANY of this book for you, my reading friends - but I can say that very rarely do I read something with characters that are so amazingly fleshed out - ones that I would give my neighbors left leg to meet!

The plot? PERFECT! Not one hole that I could see. There are a few different stories in this book that of course come together seamlessly at the end and I can't say enough how impressed I was!...

Everything is in this book: Magic, giant freakin swords, giant freakin dudes to go WITH said sword, gods, war and superbad pets that will kill with one wrong look!

And CRAP that I have to wait for the next book! I won't survive! I need it yesterday!!!

Another pet peeve of mine is reviewers that go on and on and on - seriously, I can usually read the book in the amount of time it takes me to read the review, and so I apologize for gushing here guys, but this is an amazing book and I do tend to get a little excited when I see an author (first TIME author) that can blow the big boys out of the water! Read more ›

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Swords, Magic, and Legends October 20, 2011

By jt kalnay

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Ryne, Irmina, Ancel, and Sakari are leading mysteriously, magically, and deceptively intertwined lives. The intersection of their lives become critical as the Shade re-emerge, bringing along their minions of death and destruction. Creatures from forgotten times re-appear and threaten their entire world. While Ryne struggles against internal demons spawned from hundreds of years of violence, Ancel struggles against learning and accepting his destiny. Irmina also struggles, against the dilemna of satisfying revenge or advancing through her test. As each of them struggles, the fate of their world rests in the balance. Can they unite historical enemies in a common cause, the fight against the Shade? Or will their inner battles defeat them before the larger battles can even be joined? Etchings of Power is an epic read, and yet still feels like just the beginning. If swords, magic, legends, and spells are your genre, then Etching of Power is certain to satisfy.

JT Kalnay
Author of The Pattern and Mina's Eyes

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome read! August 28, 2012

By Bianca

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Let me start by saying this: I love fantasy novels. I read constantly. In fact, I'd love to be an editor or a "book reader," or something along those lines for a living. And let me tell you... books like this would make my life easy.

This novel is phenomenal. The world is so real, so vivid, so incredible--it is as if you live there. Many things set this novel apart from others in its genre. One interesting thing is that instead of explaining things to the reader--like what Mater is, or what Ryne's Scripts are--the author goes with the story and lets you figure it out. This novel is great, and waiting for the next novels is going to suck.

I think I read that it took the author ten years to create the world these characters live in, and by God, I believe it. I didn't want to sleep, eat, do homework... all I wanted to do was finish this book.

I must also raise a single concern...

SPOILERS

SPOILERS

SPOILERS

SPOILERS

SPOILERS ARE BELOW THIS LINE

... I really love Sakari. I thought he was friends with Ryne. After all they've been through together! But I was confused by the ending.. is he actually evil? The absolute heartache I felt at that time was unlike any other. It was late last night when I finished the novel, so perhaps I didn't understand. I was left with the impression that Sakari is evil, and I am deeply saddened and troubled by this. Perhaps someone could shed some light on this for me.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars UFR Reviews Etchings of Power December 7, 2011

By Kathryn S. Steves

Format:Kindle Edition

I am rather new to the epic fantasy genre (my husband is a huge fan and has been trying to get me into epic fantasy for years). I wasn't more than 3 chapters in when I knew this would be a book my husband would love. And truth be told by the time the book was finished it was a book I really enjoyed reading, and with any luck all the epic fantasy books I read will be of this quality.

The book takes place in the world of Denestia, which is made up of nations, and nations that not always get along. There world is being threatened, and that means that people who don't always get along or come from different backgrounds have to come together to fight against the enemy, the Shade.

I want to say first about this book that the writing is really good. In general, he was descriptive enough to paint a picture of what was going on but not so much so that the reader couldn't use their own imagination to create their own visuals to accompany. The plot was solid, although it could be mentioned that a lot of books incorporate a enemy that threatens the world, but that does not mean this book is not unique. The thing that makes this book unique is not the general plot like, but the characters within it. They all bring their own personalities, strengths, weaknesses, and personal demons to the reader in a way that allows the reader to empathize with them and create an interesting world and plot to read about.

Ryne is an interesting character while within the book he plays the part of the hero, he is a not a hero that doesn't have a past. Ryne doesn't remember a lot of his path, and often times within the book he has to stop himself from giving into what he refers to as "bloodlust". He often at battle with himself while trying to protect others.... I found him interesting from the beginning of the book, from just his physical description alone. He's an 8 foot tall man who is covered in tattoos, tattoos that you find out help to supply him with some of his power.

I also appreciated that the book had a woman character, I'm a girl so I appreciate finding men authors who write women in their books that are more than just the romantic interest and play no real part other than that. Simpson doesn't do that, which I appreciate. Irmina is every bit as capable as the men in the story, and she can hold her own.

Overall, I am going to call this an exciting read. The world building is quite good, and well thought out, the characters vivid and easy to identify with, the plot is interesting. There was seldom a moment while reading this book that I thought it lagged, it kept me engaged the whole way through. I think this book will be a good read for anyone who enjoys epic fantasy books. Read more ›

More About the Author

Talking to the characters I imagine has become an intriguing experience especially when they disagree with me. - Terry Simpson.

Terry grew up on the tiny Caribbean island of Barbados. He always had a love of writing for as long as he can remember.

Somehow, he grew to love fantasy more than any other although his early days were spent reading his father's books from Louis L'amour's westerns to Don Pendleton's Executioner series.

When Terry moved to New York in 1986 to live with his mother, his love for books developed into him reading and loving fantasy authors such as Robert Jordan, Jim Butcher, Terry Goodkind , Brandon Sanderson, George RR Martin, Brian Lumley, Laura K Hamilton and quite a few others.

Terry began building the world for what is now called the Aegis of the Gods series in 2001. At first, it was just a hobby because of his love for fantasy and the written word. Slowly, it became a part of his life. Finally, in 2010, Terry decided to sit down and pen the first book based in his world.

When he isn't writing, Terry enjoys reading, movies, gaming (especially MMORPGS), working out, watching sports, and playing with his beautiful daughter Kai.