Life on the Road

The Divine Talisman is the final volume of the Legend of Asaheil trilogy by newly-minted novelist Eldon Thompson (he’s a cutie, ladies!).  It follows The Crimson Sword: Book One of the Legend of Asahiel and The Obsidian Key: Book Two of the Legend of Asahiel.

Eldon and I actually go back a long way…  We went to grad school together, studying screenwriting at U.C.L.A. 

He was writing the Legend of Asaheil as a movie.  It seemed a little frustrating to him, as many of our classmates offered critical feedback that was totally off-base due to their lack of interest in the fantasy genre.  I love fantasy fiction, and loved his screenplay — but I told him it was too big for a movie, and he should write a novel.  (Sure, now they’ve done Lord of the Rings, but figure the odds…)

Time went on, and I had the pleasure of working with Eldon on several Internet development projects doing Requirements Analysis and Technical Writing (did you know we were geeks, too?).  On top of being a great writer, he’s really easy to get along with.

Then one day I got a surprise in my email box - The Crimson Sword had been published!  What a thrill!

Nick and I eagerly read our autographed copies, and were thrilled when Eldon asked us to read and give him notes on the draft of The Obsidian Key.

Eldon is quite the busy author these days, attending conferences and publicity to-dos.  Luckily, he has squeezed in the time to write the final episode, and we were again fortunate enough to read and offer our thoughts on the draft.

Sure, if you’re not a fan of fantasy fiction, you won’t like it - think Terry Brooks, David Eddings, Anne McCaffrey.

Personally, I have really enjoyed reading the whole trilogy and watching Eldon’s development as a writer. 

In the first book you can clearly see the influence of Terry Books, a mentor and inspiration of his.  It’s a great story, but Eldon doesn’t have a very strong “voice.”

In the second book, you see Eldon coming through.  It’s a little dark, as the middle of a trilogy often is (Empire Strikes Back, Two Towers), but compelling.

Now it all wraps up in the dramatic conclusion - and Eldon is an established novelist!  Nothing like being in on the ground floor…