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The Realm of Light #2
Denizens Among Us - The Realm of Light Book Series Book 2: Prequel
KINGDOMS RISE, ONE PROPHESY AFTER ANOTHER
For the people of the Realm of Light, this has always been the mantra; a foreboding concept of both men and beasts. As prophesies speak of new leadership that will bring the realm into a time of perpetual peace, four Denizen Clans exist in a tension-filled truce beneath the shadow of war. The Kingdom of Buz-Perr-Addock, ruled by Lord Yrimwaque, Jacob Hunter and his Queen, Svet-Lan-Addock, rules in fear of rebellion from the other three. While Lord Yrimwaque’s heirs - Arctyrus Hunter and his twin Amyrith, along with their cunning, younger brother Vulktyramous Hunter – are being groomed to inherit the Kingdom of Buz-Perr-Addock, Arctyrus becomes concerned with rumblings of an uprising from his brother Vulktyramous, whose main goal is to destroy the other Denizen Clans of the realm by recruiting other armies to his cause.
Arctyrus forsakes the throne of Buz-Perr-Addock by attempting to warn the other clans of his brother’s impending attack in hopes of unifying them against Vulktyramous. By doing so, Arctyrus hopes to restore peace and end the tyranny between the Denizen Clans of the Realm of Light once and for all. But the prideful clan leaders refuse to heed Arctyrus’ pleas and attack Vulktyramous and his followers individually, minimizing Arctyrus’ cause and making Vulktyramous all the more powerful. Amyrith remains indecisive between choosing which brother to follow while struggling to follow the will of her father. But in love and war, everyone aligns with one or the other and the fate of the Realms will hinge on that decision, forever.
Denizens Among Us is a Prequel to James Merservy’s debut hit, The United: The Realm of Light Book Series.
For the people of the Realm of Light, this has always been the mantra; a foreboding concept of both men and beasts. As prophesies speak of new leadership that will bring the realm into a time of perpetual peace, four Denizen Clans exist in a tension-filled truce beneath the shadow of war. The Kingdom of Buz-Perr-Addock, ruled by Lord Yrimwaque, Jacob Hunter and his Queen, Svet-Lan-Addock, rules in fear of rebellion from the other three. While Lord Yrimwaque’s heirs - Arctyrus Hunter and his twin Amyrith, along with their cunning, younger brother Vulktyramous Hunter – are being groomed to inherit the Kingdom of Buz-Perr-Addock, Arctyrus becomes concerned with rumblings of an uprising from his brother Vulktyramous, whose main goal is to destroy the other Denizen Clans of the realm by recruiting other armies to his cause.
Arctyrus forsakes the throne of Buz-Perr-Addock by attempting to warn the other clans of his brother’s impending attack in hopes of unifying them against Vulktyramous. By doing so, Arctyrus hopes to restore peace and end the tyranny between the Denizen Clans of the Realm of Light once and for all. But the prideful clan leaders refuse to heed Arctyrus’ pleas and attack Vulktyramous and his followers individually, minimizing Arctyrus’ cause and making Vulktyramous all the more powerful. Amyrith remains indecisive between choosing which brother to follow while struggling to follow the will of her father. But in love and war, everyone aligns with one or the other and the fate of the Realms will hinge on that decision, forever.
Denizens Among Us is a Prequel to James Merservy’s debut hit, The United: The Realm of Light Book Series.
293 pages, Hardcover
Published April 30, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 25, 2020
This clean (but not bloodless) fantasy is a prequel to The United and should appeal to fans of that book, as it covers centuries in the lives of Arctyrus and Amyrith Hunter, mostly absent from but influential in The United. For newcomers to the series, it might be a confusing place to begin even though it is set chronologically earlier. But the author provides a comprehensive list of characters and terms that is helpful as a reminder or first introduction.
The denizens of the title are the immortal offspring of a mortal parent and a Creature of Rai (one whose mortality has ended) who has undergone “Second Birth,” a forbidden ritual that allows them to return to a mortal realm. Several denizen clans exist on the Realm of the Light (our world, more or less). Nearly all of the denizens are loyal to the Threat of Rai, but a few secretly or openly follow the Light of Rai. Three clans—Valhalla, Olympus, and Egyptian—have taken on the role of the local deities. The Rainmaker Clan exists to annihilate them, while the Hunter Clan was created to destroy the Rainmaker Clan once the other three were wiped out. There’s a lot of scheming, spying, and fighting.
Arctyrus and Amyrith Hunter are the only members of their clan to follow the Light. Awkward to say the least, because their father, Jacob Hunter (the villain of The United) serves as Sir Yrimque, the Threat’s military commander, while their brother Vulktyramous aspires to take their father’s place and conquer both the Realm of the Light and The Valley of the Light on the Realm of Rai. He is a villain through and through who can’t abide even his own denizen siblings. Arctyrus must pretend to go along with his brother’s plans while secretly doing what he can to save the other clans from destruction and protect the mortal realm from conquest by evil incarnate.
This book is a good argument against earthly immortality for human-like beings. Most of the denizens manage to make the most of their prolonged lifespan, with little care or regard for the mortals around them except as servants; our lifespans are so short, we might as well be disposable. Arctyrus is the exception. He sees all denizens as abominations who should never have been born. He treats mortals as his equal, making some deep friendships (with people whose descendants come into later stories in the series). He would prefer to be mortal himself, raise a family, grow old, and become a Creature of Rai. As a denizen, he is sterile and will long outlive any but a denizen wife. But his first true love is a mortal woman named Kestrel. I enjoyed how his brief marriage to her shaped his long life as he made political marriages that often turned into love matches (with the approval of Kestrel from the Realm of Rai). The onset of nearly all of these relationships is presented as comic relief, as either Amyrith or Kestrel advise and tease Arctyrus about his growing household. I lost count of how many wives he had collected by the end of the book, about a thousand years after the beginning. But it’s not all rom-com. The whole long book builds to a melee in the Colosseum, with denizens wielding all manner of weapons to behead their enemies and end their mortality. After the fight, the door is left open for further adventures.
The denizens of the title are the immortal offspring of a mortal parent and a Creature of Rai (one whose mortality has ended) who has undergone “Second Birth,” a forbidden ritual that allows them to return to a mortal realm. Several denizen clans exist on the Realm of the Light (our world, more or less). Nearly all of the denizens are loyal to the Threat of Rai, but a few secretly or openly follow the Light of Rai. Three clans—Valhalla, Olympus, and Egyptian—have taken on the role of the local deities. The Rainmaker Clan exists to annihilate them, while the Hunter Clan was created to destroy the Rainmaker Clan once the other three were wiped out. There’s a lot of scheming, spying, and fighting.
Arctyrus and Amyrith Hunter are the only members of their clan to follow the Light. Awkward to say the least, because their father, Jacob Hunter (the villain of The United) serves as Sir Yrimque, the Threat’s military commander, while their brother Vulktyramous aspires to take their father’s place and conquer both the Realm of the Light and The Valley of the Light on the Realm of Rai. He is a villain through and through who can’t abide even his own denizen siblings. Arctyrus must pretend to go along with his brother’s plans while secretly doing what he can to save the other clans from destruction and protect the mortal realm from conquest by evil incarnate.
This book is a good argument against earthly immortality for human-like beings. Most of the denizens manage to make the most of their prolonged lifespan, with little care or regard for the mortals around them except as servants; our lifespans are so short, we might as well be disposable. Arctyrus is the exception. He sees all denizens as abominations who should never have been born. He treats mortals as his equal, making some deep friendships (with people whose descendants come into later stories in the series). He would prefer to be mortal himself, raise a family, grow old, and become a Creature of Rai. As a denizen, he is sterile and will long outlive any but a denizen wife. But his first true love is a mortal woman named Kestrel. I enjoyed how his brief marriage to her shaped his long life as he made political marriages that often turned into love matches (with the approval of Kestrel from the Realm of Rai). The onset of nearly all of these relationships is presented as comic relief, as either Amyrith or Kestrel advise and tease Arctyrus about his growing household. I lost count of how many wives he had collected by the end of the book, about a thousand years after the beginning. But it’s not all rom-com. The whole long book builds to a melee in the Colosseum, with denizens wielding all manner of weapons to behead their enemies and end their mortality. After the fight, the door is left open for further adventures.
June 2, 2019
**Betrayal, dark schemes and the fight between good & evil**
I loved this story. You learned a lot more about the denizens and the events that lead up to the first book, The United.
What I loved most was all the evil scheming that 'Vamp' or also known as Vulktyramous Hunter did to prove his worth to his mother & father Jacob Hunter in the name of the Threat / Master. Though on the flip side Arctyrus Hunter kept me hooked wondering what he was going to do next to curtail his brother's evil plans and how he was going to defeat him.
The ending will surprise you. I won't spill the ending but I will say that if you LOVE a good story involving the battle of good vs evil and love & honor then this story is for you.
I loved this story. You learned a lot more about the denizens and the events that lead up to the first book, The United.
What I loved most was all the evil scheming that 'Vamp' or also known as Vulktyramous Hunter did to prove his worth to his mother & father Jacob Hunter in the name of the Threat / Master. Though on the flip side Arctyrus Hunter kept me hooked wondering what he was going to do next to curtail his brother's evil plans and how he was going to defeat him.
The ending will surprise you. I won't spill the ending but I will say that if you LOVE a good story involving the battle of good vs evil and love & honor then this story is for you.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews