Kindle Edition; 193 pages
Published Jan 2014
The Historian chances upon Surac, a land where people's destinies are defined by powerful pendants they have from birth, called Stones. Those whose Stones give them useful skills call themselves Creators, and isolate themselves from all others with a wall that splits the entire continent. When Aric, a Creator blacksmith, has a son born with a Stone that marks him for violence and destruction, they find themselves in danger from those they called their friends.
When the boy, Sadavir, is ultimately banished, he discovers secrets far darker than the villagers' petty prejudices. On the far side of the wall, he learns the origin of the Stones' magic and a war that dates back centuries. As he uncovers the true power locked in the Stones, he must find a way to unite ancient enemies in order to save his family. To stop a genocide, Sadavir must face his own destiny of violence.
The Price of Creation is a very engaging read. There are not a lot of books that had kept me reading until the end. This one by Lance Conrad is an exception. The story kept me interested from start to finish. The musings of the historian kept me on my toes, so to speak.
This enchanting tale begins with the Historian who traveled far and wide and soon found himself standing in-front of a great wall. He entered the land of Surac and discovered a whole new world. Surac was a place protected by an impenetrable wall and inside this wall lived a group of people whose lives were guided by the Stones. While their predetermination are characterized by powerful pendants they have from conception, these Stones also provided them with the identity of being known as Creators. Interestingly enough, when one is born with an opaque Stone, he is considered a Destroyer, one who steals and kills Creators.
The Historian, barefoot and all, was not initially welcomed by the Surac people. But a kind-hearted man named Aric, a blacksmith took him under his wing, but the rest of the townspeople still considered him an outsider. He was given the name Amar and he lived with Aric and his pregnant wife, Lauriel. When Lauriel gave birth to a son with a black stone, the villagers condemned Aric's family and called the newborn child, Destroyer. Sadavir, the boy who was considered a Destroyer, possessed both great & peculiar qualities, which made him the constant subject of bullying, mockery and hatred as he grew up. A seemingly growing rock and a cage were his constant companions; he didn't have any friends at all. The time came when he was forced to flee his home, along with the Historian and move to the other side of the wall, to be with the Destroyers and never to go back to Surac, ever again. Soon, Sadavir & the Historian discovered the truth about Destroyers and Creators, a nagging truth that dispelled all that he had ever believed in.
The characters of Sadavir and the historian/storyteller himself are unique and quite complex. Each personality holds fundamental secrets. As the book unfolds, I couldn't help but appreciate the sheer depth of the characters and the complexities the author has woven into the story. There's a lesson to be learned in every chapter, something a reader would be able to relate to. This is definitely worth reading to the end.
1 comment:
Is this dystopian or fantasy?
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