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The River of Souls
"Reach beyond heavens veil; do not let death prevail. Instead, open the door through God's grace; let this not be his final resting place!"
Fawleen and Drogon fought what people called "The Endless War," as it went on for more than 300 years. The humans of Fawleen and the Dragonkin of Drogon clashed over borderlands, water rights, trade disputes, and the biased views of leaders on both sides of the conflict. Four generations fought and died in the war. That all changed when one sect of Drogon-the Oracles of Delphis Kai-joined Fawleen against their people and worked to end the war. The Oracles were healers and pacifists, the opposite of the Acolytes of Hecat Tei and their dark chaos magic that ruled Drogon. In the end, it was the deciding factor that brought peace to the troubled land.
Malcom Seger, a human Magi-Gunner, and his wife Alyssa, a dragonkin of the Oracles of Delphis Kai, moved to the parish of Fairhaven to begin a new life together. But just when they were getting settled in, Malcom succumbs to deadly "dragon dust" and lies near death. Grief stricken, Alyssa uses her magic to save her true love through the spell of restoration, powerful magic combining two souls into one.
Across the river of souls, the boundless cosmic lifestream that connects all worlds, a young man lay dying underneath a crumpled automobile. He hears a voice, crying out for help, begging not to be left alone. Desperate to make something of his life, he offers himself to God to cross the river of souls to be there for her.
Now begins their new life together in a world filled with distrust, bigotry, and hatred between races. Can two people from different worlds find love and peace to show what truly lies beyond THE RIVER OF SOULS.
Fawleen and Drogon fought what people called "The Endless War," as it went on for more than 300 years. The humans of Fawleen and the Dragonkin of Drogon clashed over borderlands, water rights, trade disputes, and the biased views of leaders on both sides of the conflict. Four generations fought and died in the war. That all changed when one sect of Drogon-the Oracles of Delphis Kai-joined Fawleen against their people and worked to end the war. The Oracles were healers and pacifists, the opposite of the Acolytes of Hecat Tei and their dark chaos magic that ruled Drogon. In the end, it was the deciding factor that brought peace to the troubled land.
Malcom Seger, a human Magi-Gunner, and his wife Alyssa, a dragonkin of the Oracles of Delphis Kai, moved to the parish of Fairhaven to begin a new life together. But just when they were getting settled in, Malcom succumbs to deadly "dragon dust" and lies near death. Grief stricken, Alyssa uses her magic to save her true love through the spell of restoration, powerful magic combining two souls into one.
Across the river of souls, the boundless cosmic lifestream that connects all worlds, a young man lay dying underneath a crumpled automobile. He hears a voice, crying out for help, begging not to be left alone. Desperate to make something of his life, he offers himself to God to cross the river of souls to be there for her.
Now begins their new life together in a world filled with distrust, bigotry, and hatred between races. Can two people from different worlds find love and peace to show what truly lies beyond THE RIVER OF SOULS.
Paperback
Published July 28, 2022
2 people want to read
About the author
Mark Piggott
10 books29 followersMark Piggott, a native of Phillipsburg, N.J., enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1982, beginning a 23-year career.
He served on four aircraft carriers and various duty stations as a Navy Journalist before he attained the rank of Chief Petty Officer. He retired from active duty in 2006.
His first novel, Forever Avalon, was published in 2009, followed by his second novel, The Dark Tides, in 2014. The Outlander War: Book Three of the Forever Avalon series from Austin Macauley Publishing was released in 2020. In 2021, he published the start of a new steampunk fantasy series with The Last Magus: A Clockwork Heart from Lulu.com. At the end of 2021, Mark signed with Curious Corvid Publishing as one of their new authors for this small, independent publisher.
His novels have won a slew of awards over the past years. The Outlander War won second place for fantasy in the 2021 Firebird Book Awards, The Last Magus won first place for steampunk, and in 2022, Forever Avalon won second place for fantasy. Additionally, The Last Magus won the Grand Prize for Fiction in the 2022 Authors Marketing Guild Indie Book Awards.
His latest fantasy novella, The River of Souls, in collaboration with poet Ashley Valitutto, was published in 2022 through Curious Corvid Publishing. Coming in 2023, get ready to dive into a steampunk historical fiction, Corsair and the Sky Pirates and the next book in The Last Magus series, Dragonfire and Steel, and the fourth book in the Forever Avalon series, The Prometheus Engine!
He has a variety of short stories published, including two through The Publishing Room and through Curious Corvid Publishing in the Magpie Messenger and their upcoming anthology.
He and his wife, Georgiene, live in Alexandria, Virginia. They have three children.
He served on four aircraft carriers and various duty stations as a Navy Journalist before he attained the rank of Chief Petty Officer. He retired from active duty in 2006.
His first novel, Forever Avalon, was published in 2009, followed by his second novel, The Dark Tides, in 2014. The Outlander War: Book Three of the Forever Avalon series from Austin Macauley Publishing was released in 2020. In 2021, he published the start of a new steampunk fantasy series with The Last Magus: A Clockwork Heart from Lulu.com. At the end of 2021, Mark signed with Curious Corvid Publishing as one of their new authors for this small, independent publisher.
His novels have won a slew of awards over the past years. The Outlander War won second place for fantasy in the 2021 Firebird Book Awards, The Last Magus won first place for steampunk, and in 2022, Forever Avalon won second place for fantasy. Additionally, The Last Magus won the Grand Prize for Fiction in the 2022 Authors Marketing Guild Indie Book Awards.
His latest fantasy novella, The River of Souls, in collaboration with poet Ashley Valitutto, was published in 2022 through Curious Corvid Publishing. Coming in 2023, get ready to dive into a steampunk historical fiction, Corsair and the Sky Pirates and the next book in The Last Magus series, Dragonfire and Steel, and the fourth book in the Forever Avalon series, The Prometheus Engine!
He has a variety of short stories published, including two through The Publishing Room and through Curious Corvid Publishing in the Magpie Messenger and their upcoming anthology.
He and his wife, Georgiene, live in Alexandria, Virginia. They have three children.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 14, 2022
This is not my usual genre…but maybe it should be! I absolutely loved this. Now I have a new author to follow and keep up with. I am a sucker for an authentic and genuine love story, and this delivered. I can tell I’m going to be thinking about this story for years to come. The morals and messages are timeless. A treasure.
May 20, 2023
The river of souls by Mark Piggott.
This is a new author to me introduced via my membership of the Fantasy Sci Fi Alliance. Many thanks to the author and the alliance for a review copy.
Thoughts... this is such a lovely novella, full of heart. Really made me smile while reading it.
An unusual couple, Malcolm a war scarred magi gunner, and Alyssa, a dragonkin - maker of medicines elixirs and herbs, are in love.
Malcolm has been reborn with 'resurrection magic,' and takes some time recollecting his memories.
To begin with, I had a little trouble imagining a union between a dragonkin and a human man! But the excellent storytelling and characterisation did a great job in convincing me!
"He was such an optimist, looking for the best in people, while Alyssa was a consummate pessimist, never knowing who to trust. They balanced each other in their relationship. That’s what made them so perfect together."
There is a backdrop of The Drogon Empire's war, aptly named the endless war, hatred, bigotry and violence against the dragonkin, and mention of seeking redemption for past wrongs.
It has a steampunk/magic feel with references to the Etherzine Land Cycle, Magi-rifle, Spell Caster, and Dragon Slayer sword and Dragon Dust.
The text is enhanced by beautiful poetic pieces by Ashley Valitutto, (as a poet myself this really attracted me, as did the dragon aspect!)
Fans of sword and sorcery, fantasy, poetry, steampunk, and forbidden love will enjoy this sweet, heart-warming tale.
This is a new author to me introduced via my membership of the Fantasy Sci Fi Alliance. Many thanks to the author and the alliance for a review copy.
Thoughts... this is such a lovely novella, full of heart. Really made me smile while reading it.
An unusual couple, Malcolm a war scarred magi gunner, and Alyssa, a dragonkin - maker of medicines elixirs and herbs, are in love.
Malcolm has been reborn with 'resurrection magic,' and takes some time recollecting his memories.
To begin with, I had a little trouble imagining a union between a dragonkin and a human man! But the excellent storytelling and characterisation did a great job in convincing me!
"He was such an optimist, looking for the best in people, while Alyssa was a consummate pessimist, never knowing who to trust. They balanced each other in their relationship. That’s what made them so perfect together."
There is a backdrop of The Drogon Empire's war, aptly named the endless war, hatred, bigotry and violence against the dragonkin, and mention of seeking redemption for past wrongs.
It has a steampunk/magic feel with references to the Etherzine Land Cycle, Magi-rifle, Spell Caster, and Dragon Slayer sword and Dragon Dust.
The text is enhanced by beautiful poetic pieces by Ashley Valitutto, (as a poet myself this really attracted me, as did the dragon aspect!)
Fans of sword and sorcery, fantasy, poetry, steampunk, and forbidden love will enjoy this sweet, heart-warming tale.
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June 29, 2023"The River of Souls" by Mark Piggott is a novella with a lovely concept: that souls can find each other in the ether. Ultimately it is almost a portal fantasy, in that a lost soul from our realm, taken from life too soon, finds its way to another, one with magic and demi-humans; its merging is like the confluence of streams.
The story is told from a more omniscient point of view, switching between the two main characters frequently as they re-learn their relationship. Having survived a war of brutal hatred and violence between races, they are an odd couple, and must face that bias together as they try to create a home in a human kingdom. I appreciate that Piggott did not shy away from the blind absurdity and ugliness of racism in this story. I would have liked to see a little less telling, and get closer to the individual characters rather than hopping amongst them.
The story is told from a more omniscient point of view, switching between the two main characters frequently as they re-learn their relationship. Having survived a war of brutal hatred and violence between races, they are an odd couple, and must face that bias together as they try to create a home in a human kingdom. I appreciate that Piggott did not shy away from the blind absurdity and ugliness of racism in this story. I would have liked to see a little less telling, and get closer to the individual characters rather than hopping amongst them.
September 12, 2022
This novella was easily read in an evening. I'm not usually a novella fan, but considering I have read and enjoyed several by this author, I gave it a read. I like longer reads where I can get immersed in a book but this one did a very good job of giving enough character development and storyline to keep my interest. There are a lot of issues arising and while the story had closure I can see so many questions as to what happens next. Alyssa is living and dealing with being different and facing prejudice, yet even she finds an instance when her preconceived thoughts lead to her intolerance. The author shows that how biases are dealt with is also important.
August 25, 2022
This was a delightful and heart-warming novella about the power of love, and how it can stretch and endure through different worlds - even death. A cleverly woven tale mixing fantasy and steampunk, and reflecting on topics that are all too current, from hatred to bigotry and life after war. I thoroughly enjoyed this moving, fast-paced book. Magic, swords, crossing different realms and mystical beings - what more do you need for an engaging read.
March 1, 2024
Loved reading it. Easy to read. Has a nice pace. The romantic pair is sweet and they compliment each other well. We get decent backstory and themes of racism.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews