The First Tome

The Legend of Eloh, Book 1

By: Alan Delahay

Narrated by: Joseph Brinnon, Dansare Marks, Dee Brinnon

Celestial warriors; cruel, fallen rulers; love’s immortal spell; the ancient artifact that will break the curse over them all.

The hallowed mountain was unclimbed, dangerous, and forbidden - but Ross Blair was unyielding.

Sacred laws and their consequences be damned; he would not be denied his conquest. Yet Ross was unaware of the long-forgotten reason why no one was allowed to step foot on the mountain.

Having fallen and now trapped in a deep cavern, cut off from the outside world, Ross has no choice but to go deeper into the chasm. The journey leads to the bewildering and mysterious realm of Shuk - a realm in trouble. To find his way home, Ross must rely upon a company of strangers and an immortal being. A mythological female warrior, spirits, winged soldiers, realm warriors, and beacons of light - all come to Ross’ aid, but not necessarily to help him home.

There is a prophecy concerning a foreigner who would come to reclaim an ancient artifact. The dark ones who rule over this hidden realm also know of this prophecy. As Ross now treads upon their domain, they will stop at nothing to ensure the prophecy remains unfulfilled. With a force of enslaved dragons and grotesque beasts, the stakes are high, and evil is unrelenting.

If Ross can’t face his inner demons and find the courage to wield a sacred weapon, what will become of this mysterious realm?

©2020 Alan Delahay (P)2020 Alan Delahay

Didn't hold my interest

This audible read just didn't hold my attention, It took me about 5 days to finish. And then I had to force myself to listen to see if it got any better. The performance was good but the storyline was just not enough to have me listen for hours at a time. The story seemed to be some end times of days in a different universe with bible quotes throw around. The main character was the only one who seemed to cuss and the other good characters where more mature.
Ross was very immature with little growth throughout the listening.. He was rude and uncaring about the friends that he made and was just weird. I am going to return it because I know that I will never read it again or continue with the series. I know that the author is new but he is just not to my taste. Audible will not let me exchange this book for the credit I used. SAD

I would have returned it...

I would have returned it, but I actually finished it out so it didn't feel right. I've seen other reviews describe it as an adult Narnia book. Nah, don't bother. The characters are underwhelming and the worldbuilding is little to none.

Somebody throw away the author's thesarus

This author will never use one word when 4 are possible. If a one syllable word would have effectively conveyed an idea, you get a sentence instead.

Another pathetic MC

This book was hard to listen to and finish. The MC is so pathetic its painful.

Additionally there is poor editing when it comes to the narration.

Overview,

This book is about a journey to free the worlds from evil. With that said there is only one real battle/fight. The majority of the book is about the journey/travel. However there is no hunting or training or anything one would think of during a long journey to rid the worlds of evil. The group walks from one point to another and when it comes time to camp the emotional turmoil begins. The majority of the book is about dealing or unable to deal with emotions, self analysis and/or having deep introspection moments trying to figure out how they ended up there.

Minor Spoilers,

Yes his friend and GF died but they chose to adventure and climb. It only disrespects their memory to act a fool as the MC does. So many suicidal thoughts and actions, So much crying from seeing a stuffed animal to a tree. It makes it next to impossible to feel anything towards the MC but animosity.

WOW! This was a great audio book!!

The author has created a compelling fantasy world that captured my imagination. Cannot wait for book 2. This is a wonderful and unique book!

An adult Narnian style book

This is an epic adventure that kind of combines the journey from LOTR with Narnian like new worlds and more modern struggles that are easier to associate with. The main character is kind of lost in his life and his journey helps him find his purpose. The legend of Eloh website has illustrations of some of the characters so that made picturing them easier. The Narrator does some really great accents, just like the book describes. I like that there are multiple voices too. I loved the story and can’t wait for the next book!

Intriguing and addictive!

While not the genre I was expecting, I was quickly drawn into the story. The characters are well developed, and you feel as if you know them quickly. The plot line is challenging to follow at times, but flow smoothly into a comprehensive plot that you see clearly.
Overall an amazing book and I look forward to the next installment!