Duplicity of Power (Wild Heritance, #1) in GR Won't Let Us Delete This Group But It Ended July 1, 2022.

Jan 28, 2021 Gene Kendall rated it really liked it

Fans of Tolkien or 1980s-era role playing games will likely enjoy this. My tolerance for worldbuilding is lower than most, but if you’re a devoted fantasy reader, this is something you accept going in. The story begins with a rogue named Namid perhaps acting against her best interests and aiding a stranger. From there, Namid is drawn into an adventure, as the fantasy realm is explored with duels, unique magic, and appearances from this canon’s gods. The writer’s careful to give the leads distinc ...more

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Aug 04, 2023 E.K. Frances rated it it was amazing

Great read

Duplicity of Power follows an unlikely band in an initial quest to retrieve a blade for a sword. The story develops into something far more complex and crucial in the power struggle against the Dark Priests in the Six Realms.

It’s an exciting read which is full of action. The writing is very strong, with great worldbuilding, with the mixture of cities, Powers, and different groups. The city of Nazextas was done very well.

The characters are well developed and distinct; I really liked the ...more

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Jul 04, 2022 Rik Ty rated it it was amazing

MILD SPOILERS AHEAD.

Well, this book offers a pretty cool deal – you can pay $4.99, read for a half hour a night, and go on a two-week adventure with an expanding cast of enjoyable characters. Let’s go!

The pace of DUPLICITY OF POWER is steady and quick. The book starts out one night in a public part of town – a tavern. We meet a young woman, Namid, who is seated in her usual spot, with her back safely tucked against the wall, watching calmly whatever there is to watch. She observes a minor scuffl MILD SPOILERS AHEAD.

Well, this book offers a pretty cool deal – you can pay $4.99, read for a half hour a night, and go on a two-week adventure with an expanding cast of enjoyable characters. Let’s go!

The pace of DUPLICITY OF POWER is steady and quick. The book starts out one night in a public part of town – a tavern. We meet a young woman, Namid, who is seated in her usual spot, with her back safely tucked against the wall, watching calmly whatever there is to watch. She observes a minor scuffle between two patrons at the tavern’s entrance, and this interests her because Namid is sensitive to “power” (magic), and there is something “powerful” about one of the weapons the smaller of the patrons carries.

Namid interrupts the fight before it escalates too far, not truly out of altruism, but in order to learn a little more about the weapon if she can. Events play out naturally, and the characters we meet first, all begin the story as adversaries. The opening few scenes are very smart, giving us plenty of action and insights in very few pages – and before this little cluster of antagonists can completely go their separate ways, Helton puts the city under an attack – an attack that is very unusual, and very spectacular (I absolutely loved it). The attack leaves all characters running for their lives, trying to get to the city gates before the gates are closed (thrilling!).

After the gates are closed, life is instantly altered for most of the characters we’ve met. They are completely cut off from everything they are accustomed to, spilled out into the woods, trying to figure out how to survive, and what to do next. The character with the power-filled sword is on a mission in the local area (the same area where any survivors of the attack are likely to be). This person with the power-laden sword also has money that might buy food and provisions, so the adversaries put aside their differences and agree to help, laughing that they are now on a “quest”.

The quest targets areas in the local vicinity – expanded to include several neighboring lands. It involves a few cities, constant travel, and hardship. The author keeps the action steady. As the group of travelers grows, they scoff at the idea of prophecies, but live through enough coincidences to suggest the prophecy connected to their story might actually be true. The author structures the idea of quest and prophecy as something like a detective story – as every piece of the puzzle is uncovered, it comes with a price – either conflict with the group holding the puzzle piece, or with the groups whose territories the questors must travel through – something is always happening in this story, and the book is short. Helton doesn’t linger on any scene very long, even when the scene is spectacular. (There are four major cities in this story – two are normal (though one is overrun spectacularly), and two are outrageous (I just deleted my descriptions of them) – fantastic concepts! But again, not lingered on.) Let’s see if I can give some opinions without spoiling anything: I thought the Sy’shythys was great. I thought the scenes in Nazextas were amazing – fun to visualize, and fun to read. I thought the idea of how Corentris was constructed was a welcome surprise, and a perfect physical match for the character of the city – and I enjoyed all the twists and turns that happened between Namid and Aahems. There. Commentary without actual spoilers.

As the book neared its end, pacing suggested the story might conclude with a cliff-hanger. But it doesn’t. This is a valid stand-alone book. The ending, in fact, surprised me (always welcome). There is one thread left dangling at the conclusion, but it doesn’t have anything to do with the original mission. The story is complete. The band of survivors disperse. But…

…we’d like to know what happens next.

So yes, get this book! Take the adventure. The author never wastes your time and rewards it with plenty of great ideas. I’d mention them, but they’d be SPOILERS. I already gave some of the great ideas away, but there are plenty more. Enjoy!
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Aug 21, 2022 Susanne Leist rated it it was amazing

Namid, the book's heroine, is a minor leader of a group of thieves called the Shadowers. Content with her life in Rhadanthus, she keeps her dark past a secret. Then one day, a fight at a tavern has her defending a noble and allying with him to find the second half of a magical sword, a sword that brings ultimate power to the owner. When a magical fog destroys their city, the quest begins. They travel through four cities of the Six Realms of the Monarch, fighting battles and picking up additional ...more

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May 27, 2023 Isaac Nasri rated it really liked it

For those who enjoy fantasy and adventure, such as Lord of the Rings or The Witcher, Duplicity of Power is one that you can enjoy. The author does an excellent job of displaying the personality of its protagonists and antagonists. However, the setting and world-building are components that may leave you confused at first, considering there are many characters and terms in the story. On the other hand, once you continue reading, you’ll grasp how the story’s world operates. Duplicity of Power can ...more

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Jul 09, 2019 R.V. is currently reading it · review of another edition

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