Title: Mekonnen: The Warrior of Light (Part 1 of 2)
Author: Jerome Matiyas
Publisher: Amazon Kindle Direct Publisher
ASIN: B07R5GXSWZ
Pages: 428
Genre: Christian Fantasy / Religious Science Fiction  
Reviewer: Anthony Avina 

Hollywood Book Reviews

A major obstacle in any person’s life is finding a path or purpose to follow. No matter what a person’s faith or belief may be, or the lack thereof, there comes a point in which a person must decide what their life will look like. For some, they make their own path, utilizing their own experiences and interests to determine that path for themselves. For others, they find a calling or sense of destiny awaiting them, and follow a path that has been laid out for them, no matter the cost.

In the tales and legends of old, that sense of calling has always been the path given to the hero, often called the hero’s journey. In author Jerome Matiyas’s Mekonnen: The Warrior of Light (Part 1 of 2), the author explores an epic tale of destiny and the battle of good versus evil. Infusing elements of Ethiopian and Eritrean mythology and lore into a grand fantasy setting, the story follows a young warrior named Mekonnen, who fights for the Kingdom of Aksum in the 6th century A.D. The young warrior becomes the central figure in a fight between the Armies of Light and the agents of Darkness. When those agents of Darkness, including dark creatures and a powerful sorcerer practicing the dark arts, begin working to resurrect an ancient Serpent-King who terrorized the kingdom years earlier, Mekonnen must raise allies, discover hidden and powerful artifacts, and face the forces of evil as he prepares for a spiritual, physical and mental battle that will test him in every way possible.

Immediately the commanding nature of the author’s writing style sticks out for the readers to see. The opening chapters of the novel are written almost as a gospel of sorts, relaying the history and mythos of the kingdom of Aksum in a way that showcases the grand nature of the forces Mekonnen faces. The unique illustrations found in the book and the imagery in the author’s writing style really sold the power and high stakes of the forces on both good and evil’s sides, from the various archangels to the Serpent-King and more. 

For readers who truly enjoy fantasy novels, especially those who enjoy Christian fantasy and religious-based mythological stories, this is the novel they will want to get lost in. The attention to detail the author paid to the Ethiopian and Eritrean cultures, even going so far as to use elements of the ancient Ethiopian language Ge’ez, as well as words in the Agaw and Afaan-Oromo languages, makes the readers feel totally immersed into the setting and feel the tension and atmosphere within Mekonnen’s journey. The emotional and spiritual exploration of Mekonnen as a character and the evolution they go through, even in his dialogue with the royals he serves, made this a compelling narrative overall.  


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