The Key of Alanar
by Rory B. Mackay
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Fantasy / Science Fiction
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Lasandria.
An ancient, advanced civilization, consigned to oblivion by the greed and power
lust of its own people. The coming apocalypse heralds a new evil that will
ravage the world of Alanar for an entire age. Yet on the eve of Lasandria’s
destruction, the ethereal overseers of the mortal realm grant a dispensation—a
promise of hope for the future.
That hope lies with an
orphaned teenager named David, born some ten millennia later; a boy whose
isolated and uncertain existence leads him on a journey upon which hinges the
fate of not just his world, but countless others.
On the run from a brutal
military force, David’s quest is one born of shattered dreams and tainted by
the thirst for revenge. As an inter-dimensional war that has been waged since
the beginning of time threatens to consume his world, the dark force that
destroyed Lasandria lurks in the shadows, ready to take possession of the one
thing that will either save Alanar or destroy it — David.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT:
Prologue: The End
Year of Atania, 4999
It took only seconds for an entire civilization to perish.
Ardonis watched as the shockwave tore through the city in
every direction. The golden metropolis was laid to waste with devastating ease:
the buildings collapsing into smoldering ash, scattered by the wind; the crowd
of thousands incinerated in the blink of an eye.
Fire and cinders spiraled from the rubble as a rising cloud
of smoke devoured every last trace of daylight. The only illumination came from
the object of the city's destruction—the gateway. Towering above the ruins, its
metal pillars stood miraculously unscathed, at the centre of which the
pulsating whirlpool of blue-violet light continued raining down sparks of
electrical charge.
His city was gone, but Ardonis knew that the worst was yet
to come. He watched with a sense of dread as an object emerged through the
portal: an airship puncturing the thin membrane between universes, shooting
into the sky above the rubble. Closely followed by another, and then another,
the black metallic craft soared over the ruins like carrion birds in search of
prey.
A stream of ground troops followed; wraithlike reptilian
creatures with gnarled, distorted faces, armed with rifles and blades. The
metal-clad soldiers marched through the gateway, spilling into the dead city
like an infestation.
Ardonis knew it was no coincidence these demonic creatures
had arrived in the aftermath of such carnage. He watched them feed off the
destruction around them; ingesting it as though death itself was a vital
nourishment. He could sense their hunger. Finally freed after eons of captivity,
they were ravenous and would not stop until their hunger was satisfied.
It wasn’t just Ardonis’s beloved city that had fallen. His
entire world had now been thrust into an unending age of terror.
Alanar was dead.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Rory is also an
animal and nature lover, music junkie, social and environmental activist, cake
enthusiast and generally rather chilled out guy. He sells his art online and
writes blogs on creativity, writing, philosophy, spirituality and whatever else
inspires him. He has written his own commentary on the classic Chinese text,
the Tao Te Ching and is planning a self-help book as well as a new series of
fantasy books called The Dreamlight Fugitives. ¬
Website: http://www.dreamlight-fugitive.co.uk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/amoyaan
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/AlanarAscendant
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6150732.Rory_B_Mackay
Interview – Rory B Mackay
Where are you from?
I'm from Scotland! I was
born in Glasgow but my parents moved to England when I was quite young, and
then after a few years back up north to Scotland. My dad worked for a bank and
we tended to move around quite a lot. I've lived in the North East of Scotland,
along the Moray Firth coast for most of my life now. It's a beautiful, scenic,
and a nicely secluded place for a writer.
What is the first book you remember reading?
One of the first books I can
really remember reading was 'The Phantom Tollbooth' by Norton Juster. We did it
at school and it left quite an impression on me. It was mind-bogglingly weird,
which appealed to me greatly, and highly entertaining. I haven't read it since,
but now that I'm thinking about it again I would really like to do so. I also
remember reading C.S. Lewis's 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' quite
vividly and Roald Dahl's 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' which enthralled
and unnerved me in equal measure.
Who are your favorite authors?
I love a lot of the classic
writers and prior to embarking on a new project I like to read books by the
likes of Herman Hesse and Aldous Huxley. I am greatly inspired by the way they
created works that captivated not only the imagination and senses, but also the
intellect and heart. I believe books should be about ideas; and that they
should challenge the reader in some way. There's a great quote by Ralph Waldo
Emerson I frequently contemplate: "the mind, once stretched by a new idea,
never returns to its original dimensions." I believe the same is true of
good books! I love any author whose work stretches my mind in some way, making
me think or see things in a slightly different way. To share ideas and to
enhance one's appreciation of life in some way is really the greatest gift an
author can give. I don't believe writers are simply here to entertain the
world. I think they are here to change the world in some way, and to change
lives.
What gave you the inspiration to write this book?
'The Key of Alanar' is a
story that's been with me most of my life. I began actively working on it when
I was 15 or 16 years old. I don't know where the idea came from or why it felt
so important to me, but it simply captured my mind and soul and wouldn't let me
go. I spent years developing the ideas, the characters and world of Alanar,
creating enough material to create dozens of stories. Initially I wanted it to
be a series of films or perhaps a serialized TV series. Not knowing how on
earth I would begin such an undertaking, I instead opted to create a book
instead. The initial idea for this book was quite simple. I envisaged a group
of people who had lost their home following an invasion or disaster of some
kind. The book chronicled their adventures as they travelled their world in
search of a new home; a mythical paradise spoken of in ancient legends. Along
the way, the story changed and became more complex and multi-layered. It became
a story of redemption and transcendence; of overcoming immense hardship and
learning to heal the past and push the limits of what it means to be human and
self-realized. I always wanted it to be a story about life; about how human
beings go through life, how we learn, grow and become all that we are capable of
being.
Where's your favorite place to write at home?
I write on my laptop, so
basically I can write anywhere. I really need peace and quiet, however. There's
nothing worse than being distracted when the words are flowing and I'm
completely in the zone. I tend to shut myself in my room and hope for the best.
It seems to work for me. If the weather is nice outside and the sun is shining,
I have been known to write outside. Working on my book and working on my tan at
the same time is surely a win/win!
What are you working on next?
As we speak I am working on
'Shattered Time', the second book in the Alanar Ascendant series. It's a direct
sequel to 'The Key of Alanar'. The moment I finish this book I will tackle 'War
of the Gods', the third and final book in the series. It's really fun and
exciting to be writing again. I also have ideas for two other fantasy/sci-fi
series that I hope to work on when the Alanar Ascendant is complete.
Buy link for
book: Amazon US
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE
Rory
B. Mackay will be awarding signed copies of both his novels, Eladria and The
Key of Alanar, (International Giveaway) to a randomly drawn winner via
rafflecopter during the tour.
Great to be featured on LibriAmoriMiei, had a lot of fun doing this interview, recollecting the first books I ever read and pondering my inspiration! :)
RispondiElimina