"The Leaves of Dusk"

The Leaves of Dusk by Mattius C.S. White

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


“Knights – Dragons – Beasts, Oh My!”

‘The Leaves of Dusk’ is the second of a two-part epic fantasy adventure by author, Mattius C. S. White – author of ‘The Exiled Son’. The journey continues as Tallic, the son of Lasech, continues his father’s quest to destroy evil and retain a balance of peace across the land.

Tallic and Dirlan struggle but lose their battle with the SangreLin army and are taken captive. We enter the collapsed entrance of the cave where we find his allies – the band of the Forghonyi, Santeris, Von Whitager, Shad, and the love of his life, Iolore, bloodied and bruised. Von Whitager takes the torch and leads them down into the deep cave in search of Tallic and Iolore’s infant son where he laid in the grips of the beast – a beast capable of not only taking life but restoring it as well. Iolore stood looking upon the beast who had given life back to her precious infant son and listened as he muttered his last words, “In the autumn of this green world, leaves always show their brightest colors at the dusk of summer, when they are faced with the darkness of approaching winter. The leaves of this world are falling. Let your colors shine bright and true in these dark hours, my friends, the Leaves of Dusk.”

While captive, Tallic has a wonderful vision of a past he had not lived, one without war and prejudice. However, he is quickly awakened by Dirlan’s deathly screams. Tallic glared up at his captor, Clybanus, as he held his wounded friend in his arms. Beat and broken, Tallic does not waver in the fact that his destiny must be fulfilled, but he mourns at the thought of – at whose expense.

Will Tallic be able to save himself and Dirlan from the band of evil tyrants? Will he be united with his love, Iolore, and their young infant? Will the band of Forghonyi cease to exist at the hands of wicked and vile beasts? Will those oppressed by the old SangreLin ever be freed?

Author, Mattius C. S. White, has managed to fulfill his reader’s thirst for the utmost fantasy adventure in a magical realm full of colorful, descriptive, and unique characters. I feel I should apologize for not mentioning all of the essential characters in this well-rounded tale, as they are many, and each play a fundamental role. I can truly say that I have never read a fantasy saga that had such intensity – one with a pivotal underlying message as such. Mr. White knows his genre and draws on his imagination to create a magnificent piece of literature – and magnificent it is.

In conclusion, I give ‘The Leaves of Dusk’ five stars for its uniqueness, well-defined characters and just all around joy to read.

Review by Barbara Watkins




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