Saga of Lyn

The Reawakening

Young Adult - Fantasy - General
238 Pages
Reviewed on 11/28/2014
Buy on Amazon

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Author Biography

Aric Carter was born the youngest of three brothers in 1974 in Ft. Walton Beach, Florida but grew up in El Reno, Oklahoma. After reading Tolkien’s The Hobbit at age 9, Carter was hooked on science fiction, fantasy and thrillers. He also enjoys role-playing games, including MMORPGs.
After a high school career that included stints on the soccer, swim, wrestling and cheerleading teams, he also spent six years as a competitive gymnast. During this time he qualified and trained twice as an Olympic hopeful. His varied background also includes two years of ballet and a year of jazz training.
Upon graduating from high school, Carter joined the U.S. Navy, serving five years aboard the USS Enterprise as a Nuclear Machinist Mate and a year as a Navy recruiter. He is a veteran of Bosnia Conflict, Desert Storm and Desert Shield. Upon receiving his honorable discharge, he returned to Oklahoma to work in the power generation field. Currently he is a System Operator for Oklahoma Gas & Electric (OGE)
Carter enjoys learning, and spending time with his 17-year-old daughter, who lives with her mother in Wisconsin. He is a licensed private helicopter pilot, certified SCUBA diver, personal trainer, actor, and writer. He has an AAS in nuclear power technology from Bismarck State College, ND.
He currently lives in Moore, Oklahoma.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Michelle Stanley for Readers' Favorite

Saga of Lyn: The Reawakening is a young adult fantasy by Aric Carter. Tegain Hostler’s happiness is shattered when his family is murdered and his business destroyed by a mysterious stranger. He retains his sanity with the support of his friend, Karl Dunmire. Karl, a former Marshal of the Royal Wayman Dragoons, sells Tegain a rusty sword and teaches him to use it. When attacked by mythical Grimbles, Tegain discovers the sword is possessed by Princess Lyn’s soul when she enters his mind. He and Karl defend Folsum village against more Grimbles, but villagers try to snatch the sword and Tegain escapes. They arrest Karl and Folsum is invaded by Vilekins, so he secretly trains the defenseless guards. Tegain has his own terrifying battle to fight with the Boogluns, and he has become attracted to Lyn. Lyn’s caring guidance prepares him to face his unknown enemies, while seeking answers for his personal tragedy.

I’m always thrilled when I read about new dimensions and strange mythical creatures like the ones Aric Carter created in Saga of Lyn: The Reawakening. Young adults will be fascinated with this pseudo-medieval story. The author’s terrific writing enabled me to see those monsters in close proximity, especially the Vilekins, who were the most repulsive ones to me. I'm fond of Tegain, who endures his grief and unfamiliar challenges well. Karl brings excitement into every dangerous situation with his humorous Old English speech and leadership skills, so I think this made me enjoy Aric Carter’s novel even more.

K.C. Finn

Saga of Lyn: The Reawakening is an epic fantasy novel by Aric Carter. The central character is tavern owner Tegain Hostler, who begins his story with the devastating loss of not only his business, but his beloved wife and child. Taking the advice of trader and former soldier Karl Dunmire, Tegain sets out on a quest to bring the murderer of his family to justice, which swiftly spirals into a plot that may well threaten the whole civilisation of Tulane. Magical weaponry and mythical creatures join the duo on their journey, coupled with a powerful tale of love and loss and plenty of up-close action in a vivid fantasy world.

Aric Carter has created a masterful world which is fully realised, and fantasy fans will enjoy being immersed in deliciously rich descriptions, well thought out politics, and the truly human and relatable pain that our hero Tegain goes through. Saga of Lyn: The Reawakening has everything you could desire: a fully fleshed out fantasy tale, from lavish locations to excellent and useful magic, with enigmatically described beasties and realistic characters to populate the world. The complex plot takes several interesting twists along the way as our hero and his sidekick learn new skills and gather intriguing allies, and every step is masterfully narrated with Carter’s beautiful prose; not a word out of place. Overall, I’d say that Saga of Lyn: The Reawakening is a highly accomplished and professional fantasy novel, worthy of a place on the shelves of any Tolkien, Barker or Pratchett fan.

Ray Simmons

Saga of Lyn is good, action packed epic adventure at its best. The saga is full of surprises and I'm sure there will be more. Aric Carter is very good at adding little twists and features that give Saga of Lyn a unique take and feel in a genre where many great writers have raised the literary bar. One difference is that there are two very different protagonists, each worthy of a book of his own. I liked and empathized with the innkeeper Tegain and his tragic story, but I loved his friend Karl and his no-nonsense approach to life and war. Karl is my kind of soldier and I think any military veteran will recognize his Sergeant Major personality. One reason Saga of Lynn moves so swiftly is that Aric Carter alternates the pace by separating the heroes and moving their struggles along with their own chapters. There are plenty of bad men and horrible monsters in this fictional world for both protagonists and the action never stops.

The single most interesting difference in Saga of Lynn is its sword. Not since Michael Moorcock's Elric, the doomed albino prince, picked up Storm Bringer has there been such an interesting weapon. I won't go into details because surprise is a critical aspect of enjoying Saga of Lyn. Just let me say that the heroes and the sword make for a delightful, well written and fresh new voice in the epic fantasy genre.

Lit Amri

When a mysterious visitor destroys Tegain Hostler’s tavern, killing his beloved wife Shae and daughter Gwyn, Tegain is devastated. His friend, the trader and former marshal Karl Dunmire, advises him to travel to the next-largest town to seek legal assistance in tracking down and bringing the murderer to justice. Karl agrees to accompany Tegain and sells him a rusty old sword. Tegain discovers how special the sword is when it kills a creature called Grimble with a single blow, and he needs to learn about the sword to unleash its real power.

Saga of Lyn: The Reawakening by Aric Carter is an intriguing fantasy with excellent world building and well fleshed out characters. Tegain’s quest to avenge his family is much more complicated than he expected, as the entire civilization is in peril. I’m sold on Carter’s handling of the story – there are plenty of tantalizing twists. The strong prose also gives the story an added dimension. It’s easy to connect and root for Tegain and Lyn. On the other hand, the character Karl took a little longer to grow on me; it took me a while to familiarize myself with his way of speaking. Carter keeps the action and the story flowing smoothly, making effective use of the fast-paced plot. I also love the illustrations at the beginning of each chapter.

The Reawakening is an excellent debut for the series. It has originality that brings a fresh perspective to the genre and would definitely satisfy readers. This is a solid work from Carter and I look forward to the next book.