A world divided.
A greedy kingdom.
An ancient god awakens.
The Archmagus has ruled Atlantis for a thousand years. Still hungry for power, Sin, the High priest, must find the legendary Dragon Runes to rid the kingdom of the ancient mythical monsters--so he sends a special Rune Hunter apprentice, Sephonei, to the Mainland to scrape her way to the crypt of Hades in the Land of Darkness.
Across the Atlantean sea, Roeg has trained all his life to be a Clan hunter, but is forced to make a choice that could see his life unravel. An outsider, and raised as an orphan by the Clan chief, Roeg is different--and everyone lets him know it. Relentlessly teased for his differences, and with the Great Hunt approaching, Roeg's disability almost ensures he won't be chosen and must prove himself worthy if he's to fulfill his destiny.
Lord of the Rings meets House of Hades in Legend of the Dragon Runes, an illustrated dragon book for teens. Kids who like art and writing will love the captivating world of Heroes of Atlantis.
A world divided.
A greedy kingdom.
An ancient god awakens.
The Archmagus has ruled Atlantis for a thousand years. Still hungry for power, Sin, the High priest, must find the legendary Dragon Runes to rid the kingdom of the ancient mythical monsters--so he sends a special Rune Hunter apprentice, Sephonei, to the Mainland to scrape her way to the crypt of Hades in the Land of Darkness.
Across the Atlantean sea, Roeg has trained all his life to be a Clan hunter, but is forced to make a choice that could see his life unravel. An outsider, and raised as an orphan by the Clan chief, Roeg is different--and everyone lets him know it. Relentlessly teased for his differences, and with the Great Hunt approaching, Roeg's disability almost ensures he won't be chosen and must prove himself worthy if he's to fulfill his destiny.
Lord of the Rings meets House of Hades in Legend of the Dragon Runes, an illustrated dragon book for teens. Kids who like art and writing will love the captivating world of Heroes of Atlantis.
A wild-eyed woman, filthy and panting, stumbled out of the bushes and fell to her knees.
Extending her hands, she thrust a swaddled, blue-haired baby at Unn, as if to say, ‘take it’.
Startled, Unn faltered back. Not knowing what to do, he bared his teeth, extending the butt-end of his staff between them, and waited.
He’d never seen anyone like her before, especially not on the Great Spirit Mountain; a mountain he’d climbed since he was a youngling.
Crying and pleading, the woman lurched forward again, obviously distressed or deranged; Unn wasn’t sure which.
Her words made no sense, but her body language sent chills through him, and the hair on the back of his neck prickled. Trembling, still aiming his staff at the woman, Unn stepped back, not wanting any part of this encounter.
Attuned to primal ways, the stench of her fear assaulted him. It was overpowering, and now Unn’s senses were heightened to a disturbance from the path below.
Tears of desperation streaked down her knotted face as she too heard the rustle of bushes behind her.
Unn shook his head and held his hand up to indicate to her that he didn’t want her child. Suddenly an arrow hissed through the air and pierced her.
Dazed for a moment, Unn stood motionless, but when she started to flop over, he leaped to her, scooping the baby from her arms, and ran.
It wasn’t long before he heard footsteps in pursuit behind him.
Looking up the worn path, Unn knew the ground was wet from the rains and his tracks could easily be followed. He also knew that the path led to a dead-end at the top of the mountain.
Looking out to the thick mountain forest, Unn shuddered at the thought of leaving his well-worn path, well aware of the dangers that lurked.
Another arrow screeched by his head, almost piercing him as it had the woman. The hunters called out, yelling in the woman’s tongue, but to Unn it meant nothing. He made a quick decision and leaped into the bushes.
The forest quickly grew dark and thick, but soon the hunters’ voices grew faint, and Unn knew if he kept running, he’d be safe–at least from the hunters.
Questions raced through his mind. He’d never seen hair the color of the sea on a child and didn’t know of their Clan. Should he raise him as his own or try to find the child’s people?
Finally, deep enough into the forest, Unn stopped running to catch his breath. An old man already, Unn was used to trekking, but it was usually at a much slower pace.
Wailing now, the blue-haired child fussed under the tattered cloth.
Moving some cloth aside, Unn saw an odd, red rune in the baby’s hand. It was shiny and barely fit in the small child’s fist. About to pluck it from the baby’s grasp, it suddenly lit up as if a fire burned inside of it.
Feeling an intense heat, Unn yanked his hand away from the rune. That’s when he heard the branch crack behind him and saw the colossal shadow looming above.
Turning, Unn dropped his staff in fright and called out to the Great Mother.
Towering over them was a massive cave bear, reared up and ready to strike.
The moment I saw Heroes of Atlantis: Legend of the Dragon Runes, it instantly grabbed my attention. Since I was a kid I have been fascinated by all things Atlantis, so I knew I had to read this novel and I’m glad that I did. This was a wonderful story that can be read by children, young adults and even adults who have an interest in Greek Mythology.
The author does a great job at capturing the reader’s attention with a well-paced and wonderfully written story, that keeps the reader wanting more. It is clear within the pages of Heroes of Atlantis: Legend of the Dragon Runes, that the author is passionate about this story. There are beautiful illustrations throughout the book that only serve to enhance the reading experience and personally, I love illustrations in fantasy books. They help me feel more familiar with the world and characters, so for me they are never bad. The story itself is wonderful and engaging. I never found myself feeling bored or feeling that nothing was happening. Even when things were slow, the story found ways to keep my attention and that’s great! You never want to feel like the story you’re reading is going nowhere. Furthermore, the cast of characters that are introduced are pretty great. Sure, I like some more than others, but that is by no means a bad thing. We are all attracted to different characters when we read a story and that’s fine. Though, they really are all interesting characters to follow.
Personally, I was pleasantly surprised by this novel and I can’t wait to read more. From my understanding this is the first installment in a series, so I will be keeping an eye for what is yet to come. Moreover, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in fantasy or mythology. This story is a wonderful addition to the genre and the elements of Greek, and even Norse, mythology used are enjoyable. And as someone who has spent too much time reading about both, Greek and Norse Mythology, I loved it!