A Review of Axtelera Ray: The Chronicle of Astrone
Demitra Hecataki is a spirited street magician from Greece who longs to escape her boring life. Victor Garnett is a popular English schoolboy with a cocky attitude and an unusual secret. When both suddenly come into the possession of mysterious crystals, it sets in motion a chain of events that are far beyond their control.
Thrust into an unknown world, the teens will soon find themselves in the midst of an adventure worthy of the old myths. Magic and advanced science thrive in this strange land, and supernaturally-gifted individuals are as common as dragons or flying horses. However, little do Demi and Victor know that just as the legendary heroes of this otherworld once boasted extraordinary abilities on Earth, so do the Earthborn here.
Axtelera Ray is the creative collaboration of Alroy Jovi and M.J. Gallagher. The story was created by Jovi 2005 and developed slowly. Gallagher was added to the team in 2013 and took on the writing of the project. While the entire novel is not currently available, the Axtelera Ray team was nice enough to send me a 200 page preview of the first book in the series, Rise of Astrone.
In this preview we met Demitra and Victor, two very different people who have never met an even live in complete different countries. They're drawn together by a strange event almost simultaneously, being struck by a large bright stone. They're then transported to Octavia where the majority of the story takes place. What blew me away about both of these characters is how fleshed out and flawed these two main characters are. They're complex and well written. The same can be said for the secondary characters. It's clear that Jovi and Gallagher put a lot of hard work into the creation of their cast.
It's also obvious that they've been dedicated to the world they've created in this book. Octavia is beautifully written and imaginative. As Demitra is dropped into the world and encounters the diverse characters who inhabit it, it's all vivid and vibrant. This alone is an impressive feat, but what's also impressive is the authors' ability to even make our mundane world take on new life through their writing. Although the characters are only on Earth for a short time in the book, Jovi and Gallagher are not lazy in their descriptions. The lives and the world our characters live in before being thrust into their new life is just as exciting and interesting as Octavia.
If you're a fan of Fantasy or Science Fiction, Axtelera Ray is a series you're going to want to keep an eye out for. The intricate and exciting plot in addition to the amazing characters and settings are sure to pull you in. Right now, the first book is planned for release in 2019, but you can download a 90 page excerpt and follow installments through their Patreon page.