Synopsis: The Rangers of Laerean are the protectors of the people, the heroes of Hir. Their exploits are legendary and their great deeds recounted in tales across the ages. These are the stories that will be told for generations.
When the Ranger Baric meets the exotic and alluring woman from Vaar’da, Whisper, he agrees to assist her on what seems a simple rescue mission that soon turns into something far more complicated than he expected. Seeking the source of her recurring nightmares, they discover an artifact of unimaginable power that was likely the cause of the Great Disruption, which destroyed all of Hir, over two thousand years ago.
Their journey soon becomes a deadly and suicidal quest into the Great Divide, an area of Hir where men fear to travel, into the realm of the demonic Manenase, who live under a great volcano in the center of the Boiling Sea. Gathering a small army of Rangers, they delve deep into the bowels of the volcano, Mount Scorch, on a journey to prevent another earth-shattering disruption that could destroy their entire world.
The fate of Hir depends on the courage and skills of the heroic Rangers and their small Vaar’da companion, as they struggle to save the world from impending disaster and face their greatest challenge, and where Baric must face the destiny he foresaw in a dream, many years before.
Review: A Whisper in the Shadows by Tom Fallwell was an immense pleasure to read. As a long-time Epic Fantasy fan, I was immediately intrigued by the blurb and impressed by the cover.
This action-packed novel begins with a meeting with the Rangers of Laerean and an extremely alluring Vaar’da woman named Whisper (Raimerestha). Although the Vaar’da are described as arrogant and even elitist (and not too fond of humans), the rangers agree to a meeting and ask for possible volunteers (Baric) to aid the Vaar’da.
Baric is immediately captivated by Whispers’ beauty, exoticness, and nickname. In fact, after learning first hand how that nickname was earned, he decided to aid her in this quest…an enigmatic quest that was deceitfully represented, delineated in mistrust, and inundated with dangers—both physical and supernatural.
A Whisper in the Shadows will titillate every fantasy fans’ senses with numerous epic battles, magical elements, awesome creatures, new species, shadow walking, and shadow beasts. However, author Tom Fallwell has managed to integrate meaningful, ethical lessons in a manner that flows with the plot, resting beneath the layers of a magnificently crafted story.
Highly recommended for not merely fantasy fans (and Tolkien lovers), but also readers who love a well-told engrossing tale. There’s even a hint of romance to tickle the hearts of readers while delving into the greater aspects of the story. I’m on to book II!
~The audiobook is magnificent. I truly enjoyed Douglass Pullar’s narration. He has fantastic range and brought this story and its characters to life~
Author: Born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 1951, Tom Fallwell spent much of his career as a software developer and programmer. Now retired from that field, he has taken up writing, which he had always loved to do, but did not have the time to indulge himself in. Now he is writing the stories he had always wanted to write. Still living in Oklahoma, Tom is active in church, running the sound system and sometimes teaching adult Sunday School. He has always had a love of fantasy and science fiction, both in reading and in movies. His love of story telling came as a result of playing table top role playing games with friends, in which he created adventures for the other players to experience.