After an event that came to be known as the “Great Apocalypse”, the world has been overrun by magick and demonic monsters. Humanity has retreated to Axio where the three surviving republics of Vanixian, Maarin, and Renaultian share an uneasy peace as they struggle to maintain their individuality in a cramped and segregated city. Each republic proudly maintains their own codes of conduct and their own military. They may be allied in order to keep the monsters at bay but they are discordant on most everything else. There are cracks in the triumvirate and rancorous disputes threaten to shatter the city. Following the shock assassination of her father, the Vanixian Regent Lord, trusted military leader Airis Vanixi is the last hope for the resurrection of the Vanixian Republic. Her task is to corral her dispirited allies and travel across the blighted land of Terae where they will mount an assault on a previous held fortress in the hope of regaining a home for their persecuted people. Travelling alongside her are fellow soldiers, magicians, rangers and priests each with a particular skill set that will prove vital as the adventures unfold.
THE RISE OF CHAOS: Genesis is the first of a trilogy of books featuring the exploits of Airis Vanixi as she seeks to keep her people safe and revive the Vanixian Republic. The book is an example of the relatively recently evolved micro genre known as LitRPG which are creative works of fiction that use the tropes and mechanisms of role paying games both in the structure of the narrative of the novel and in the way that work is presented. At various points in the novel the Airis character will activate a runic symbol tattooed on her arm which results in a table of statistics being presented in the text concerning her health, vitality, dexterity and numerous other attributes. This representation of data will be familiar to those used to role playing games and also recalls the popular choose-your-own-adventure paperbacks of earlier eras (though here the information is entirely passive and there is no facility for the reader to interact with or in anyway alter the narrative).
Numerous illustrations by rean_kidd show the characters in the style of RPG avatars and author Aeyla Reed does a reasonable job of keeping the momentum going as the characters embark on their quest. While the presentation of data in tables and charts can serves as a quick and easy reference to show character development, it rather hampers the flow of the prose. Reed’s writing is therefore a little labored on occasion as it struggles to adhere to the confines of the hybrid format she has chosen for her fantasy. That said there is much to enjoy in THE RISE OF CHAOS: GENESIS which takes a conventional fantasy adventure quest and presents it in a new way.
For those absorbed in the lore of role playing games THE RISE OF CHAOS: Genesis will provide a familiar and engaging environment in which to join in the adventures of Airis Vanixi. For more casual readers the book provides an interesting first step into the genre of LitRPG.
~Kent Lane for IndieReader