The Boy and the Peddler of Death - The Tale of Onora

Definitely worth the read. The book was a great set up to a great story. I hope that it continues to be just as good as the promise of this first book. I really enjoyed how it juxtaposed our current society and the problems therein. The philosophical questions and statements were lovely and the set up of the fantasy world was bang on. It was a bit convoluted to begin with but I got the hang of the style pretty quickly. I liked how I was sucked into the story and just wanted to know what happened next. I really want to know what happens next!!

Beautiful word choices and technically flawless writing. The author has mastered the use of imagery and like so many of us writers, he is guilty of over embellishing at times, but when the exposition is this good we can forgive him. There were lapses of showing rather than telling but the loving attention to quality held my interest. The author has a distinct and compelling voice which is something I always look for, because so much of what is published nowadays is identikit nonsense. The action is well-depicted and there is depth to the narrative which tackles real world political issues in its fantasy setting. You may need to persevere until you adapt to the elaborate style but please ensure you do. Overall this is a very good ebook and a worthwhile purchase.

This book takes you on a magical journey that allows you to completely leave the real world as you dive deeper and deeper into the story. I was hooked from the first line. The author's descriptive words fills the pages, weaving together a story with twists, turns and emotional encounters that any Sci Fi fan would appreciate. I was immediately pulled into the world the author created and found it difficult to put it down. My imagination mocked up every little detail laid out between the pages. Invading my head, the story left me dreaming of a world where magic isn't divided so neatly into good and evil. I look forward to reading his next books!

This book grabbed me from page one, the finely tuned and crafted characters, the mystery, the plot...took me on a journey didn't want to end. The story is woven beautifully and draws you into the time and the lives of the characters in it. I can't wait to read the next one

I do not give a book five stars lightly, but this one swept me away to another world. The descriptions are so beautifully crafted that you actually can see the different worlds and hear the battles. I wanted more and was disappointed that it ended so abruptly. I cannot wait to see how this series develops. I'm not one for fantasy books, but I will definitely be reading the subsequent works of this author.

This book is outstanding in many ways. In about 100 pages it leads swiftly into a vast world full of mysterious places, corrupt empires and diverse characters. With all this pluralism, depth must inevitable suffer a little. Some characters and places stay vague and many interesting concepts are easily forgotten after the turn of a page. Anyways, for fans of epic fiction in the style of The Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones this book must be recommended. It certainly leaves many open questions for many more volumes. - In short: A great book with overwhelming diversity.

The entire fantasy world is created in such a way that resembles real life emotions perfectly and combines those emotions with a little fiction flavor. The way of narrating flows nicely and concentrates only on the most important things and that really helps in keeping your interest from the beginning to the end. A very captivating story presented in a very light and entertaining way.

This first book gets off to a slow start, and seems a bit dark. Then it picks up tempo and seems to become lighter and engaging. There are some places that don't flow well, but easily forgiven. The stage is set for the next book. I can't wait to see how this new writer matures

I've always been a fan of light reads that read quickly and not burden you with boring stuff. The Tale of Onora is very short and yet it contains a lot of interesting events to follow. The concept around the book is very well organized and the entire process of ''growing up'' the main character goes through is quite intriguing.

A fast reading novel that amazes the reader with the movie-like descriptions of the background and the poetry of the style: "The thunder of hooves spread across the landscape in an ever-moving echo of fright". A well written and well developed plot that leaves you wanting more and always surprises you. The author's imagination paints an extraordinary world, an epic world, with believable characters, effective dialogues and battles that seem to happen right in front of you. I can't wait to read the next book.

If you want to get lost in a land far, far away, where 'snowflakes fall like angels from heaven' and the 'black deeds' of wizardry fuelled by the 'vengeance of hell' 'wonder the halls of your dreams', then this carefully crafted tale is for you. The detail is spectacular and the themes of life, love and truth are presented in a fabulously thought-provoking, almost enigmatic way, that makes you feel like you have been let into a wonderful secret.

Definitely something to read 'when the dark swallows the light.'

If you like a quick and entertaining read, full with very detailed, vivid descriptions of people and places and a very STRONG storyline, then you must read this book!
There are a few things I'd like to point out, though. The intro is awesome and till chapter two is good but then it gets a little confusing. Too many shifts of view, too many races and details are thrown at the reader at once! And I get the feeling that Dylan very much dislikes the way the world is today, but the usage of so intens philosophical stuff could ruin such a promising series.
On the more positive note, I like the particular description of The Great War, which is very detail oriented but not too overwhelming. Just right. And the ending of this 1st book is really smart: it makes you want more!
Overall a very good job Dylan!

Elena B.

This is a truly epic, fantasy, tale. If you are a reader that is into tales of the magical fantasy kind, then this book is for you! His attention to detail and wild imagination create a fast paced book that is hard to put down. It is as entertaining as it is thought provoking. Can not wait to read the next book in the series!

Dylan Saccoccio uses the depths of his imagination in this amazingly descriptive book. The book has a magical and mystical aura and each word that is used to describe the boy's journey makes you yearn for more! I highly recommend this book for all! Looking forward to more books from this author!

This is not my normal preferred genre of book, but the language is so eloquent and the story so captivating I was drawn in from the first few pages. For innovation and narrative as well as a beautifully written story I couldn't recommend this book more highly. 'Winters breath dusted the landscape with icy snowdrifts...' it immediately cast my mind back to rural Scotland, where I grew up and I wanted to be in front of a roaring fire as I read....

An excellent journey into a fantastic world. Great well-rounded characters, and a riveting plot join together to reveal a marvelous and exciting read. I highly recommend this book to those who love fantasy genre titles.

Dylan Saccoccio had me the oment the dark cloaked figure at the walls began insolently causing destruction of epic proportions that only studio created natural disaster movies offer viewers today. I was able to feel the eloquently woven roots and branches of the emotions that created this figure so bent on ultimate revenge. Turning to other characters, their histories, in brief and the emotions and magicks that were part of their daily lives, and losses, sparked my imagination and hunger for completing the read. I am sold. Dylan's literary world, characters, their histories, the roots of their stories and their motivations have me aching for more! Well done!

This deserves so much more than 5 stars! Fellow Harry potter fans and games of thrones fans sink your teeth into this! Have not finished it yet but completely hooked......Dylan Saccoccio is solely responsible for my not having any sleep tonight!

This deserves so much more than 5 stars! Fellow Harry potter fans and games of thrones fans sink your teeth into this! Have not finished it yet but completely hooked......Dylan Saccoccio is solely responsible for my not having any sleep tonight!

I was so glad when I was asked to read this novel. From the first paragraph of the foreward I was hooked. The way the author writes is completely captivating. You can feel for the characters and its like you are in their world. I am an avid Harry Potter fan and I feel that this book is next to follow in those footsteps. It won't be long in my opinion before this author is at the top of the world and this book and the rest will be everywhere. Once I picked this novel up in a couple hours I finally finished it and put it down immediately telling fellow friends and relatives that love to read to check it out. Really looking forward to reading more from Mr. Saccoccio.

I'm usually more of a period drama reader, but there is something about Dylan's way of writing. The way he describes the souroundings, the characters and so on really gets to you, it's like your a part of their world. He just steals your attention and leads you into his universe, it's a gripping story and a fantastic book! It's a must read for anyone who likes to read. It's that simple. So make sure to find yourself a copy, you wont regret it.

I've barely started your book, but already it's got me so engrossed. I can't seem to put it down, if I do it's not for long. It's very well written and love the in depth details. Amazing work , I'll be buying more books in the future, of that much I'm sure. :-)

I immensely enjoyed reading this, it is beautifully written, and once I had started reading it I didn't want to put it down. The book is fast paced, and the characters and descriptions of the different places draw you in, and leaving you wanting more. I would definitely recommend ToO, and I cannot wait for book 2.

I have a soft spot for writing that is able to pull me entirely into a story. Dylan Saccoccio has spun a web of words allowing the reader to taste the salt of hate, smell the magic woven into the air and hear the prophecy passed down in whispers through the generations. I anticipate many great reads to come!

An enchanting debut by a talented and promising new author. Dylan Saccoccio’s highly imaginative worlds and the principles by which they operate are captivating in their detail and social implications. Complex and enigmatic characters lead us to question the nature of right and wrong, which can too often become indistinguishable, both in their world and our own. I loved the rich and evocative imagery in this book: “Without the amity of timing, a person who would have loved you more than anything, forever, may sail right past you and into the ocean of what could have been, and you are left wondering while you drown in the void of your solitude.” Truths revealed through beautiful language get me every time - I can’t wait to read the next installment of this spellbinding tale!

The author's writing style had me hooked by the end of the foreword. The journey I went on next was the icing on the cake. This story is certainly not superficial as there are so many underlying meanings to the author's carefully chosen words. It makes this book a true pleasure to read. I am looking forward to reading more books from this author, so I hope I wont have to wait long for the next.

What an amazing story! Dylan Saccoccio has the talent of creating a story so magical that you feel as if you're transported there with the beauty of his words. I loved all of the different characters that were introduced in this installment. I'm looking forward to the next one!

You will be taken from reality to such a fantasy world!! If you liked Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter or Game of Thrones, you would love that one!! I cannot wait for the rest of the adventure! I recommend!!

Never in my life has the written word drawn me in so completely. From the very first word my reality was realigned and I was at once all and none of the characters at the same time. It was almost as if the author had taken my life and set it in a fantasy world. This isn't you typical review because this novel turned out to be such a personal experience for me. I will say that this a novel that I will return to over and over again as I believe something new will be revealed to me each time I read it. I'll leave you with these words from the novel as a teaser, words that I am sure I will be pondering for days to come.

"Did you become the man you wished to be?" the boy asked.
The man was quick to shake his head. "No, I couldn't be further from it."

Do yourself a favour and take the risk, you might find more that you expected to.

This story is so well written it nearly bring tears in my eyes. The words are like an enchanting melody that get you captured in this world you never wanna leave.It's very easy to picture the surroundings since Dylan is such a great painter with words!The storyline is compelling and besides being a great story, there is a lifelesson to learn. I won't tell you,you need to find out yourself! It's an adventure that makes you think and rethink your own values....this adventure ended far too soon! Looking forward to the next book! So what are you waiting for??Buy it and join the adventure!

Note taking is recommended while reading this book for best understanding and experience of the author's creativity and eloquent genius for weaving great human insights and truism into fiction that can weave a tapestry of experience into recorded events such that you not only can feel the scene, but experience the range of emotions and underlying political intrigue all swirling in your mind as you read. This is rare among even the great authors thru history, but is occasionally found when you least expect.

The author acknowledges many people and events in his life, including love of outdoors and love of acting and performance. These are great attributes for an author, and trace their way through this book. I am moving on to the next book in the series as quickly as possible while this creation still swirls in my head.

SUPERB!! Just fantastic. Beautifully written. It makes you escape completely, it transported me to a whole new world that i never wanted to leave. I couldn't put it down. for anyone who ives to read just give it a go you will not be disappointed!! happy reading.

Acting on an impulse / hunch I decided to push this book up in my books-to-be-read list. After all I'm an Aquarian and impulses and hunches are part of my life. Once again I'm happy to have followed my heart.
This book is filled with so many histories within stories. It has an aura of magic and mystery that it is as palatable as a good meal. I really hope the author will write more books in this enchanting universe.
Every time that there was a change of point of view, I was left craving and craving for more details, for more of everything. I had and still have so many questions to be answered, so many corners to be visited, so many details to be discovered.
My favourite character is the fairy Dani. As a Catholic, I grew up with the stories about we all having Guardian Angels, so I was instantly drawn to her. Though all the characters are really intriguing and real at the same time. I even cried a river for one of them at some point. Do not worry, I'm not going to tell you when, because this is spoilers free, you must read and find that moment for yourself.
Therefore look no further, grab this book plus a good cup of tea, and be prepared to be immersed in an unique universe you will not want to leave. Fair warning: you will not be the same person as you were.

I was sent a copy of this book by the author for an honest review; but even if the author decided not to send me a copy, I would’ve forwardly accepted buying a copy, as this book did not fail to live up to the many other 5-star reviews it already has.

OhMyGod. This book was pretty much, literally perfect. The words and sentences throughout the whole book were written so beautifully and so fluidly that putting down the book or to stop reading was un-acceptable; the book called to me to read more and I did.

The first half of the book (which is made up of a prologue and two chapters) sets the scene of the world that the book envelops.
We are introduced to a world full of different races; different magical species, different landscapes and one un-kind flow of destiny that inter-connects the entire world together.

The main focus of the story is set on A Man and A Boy having a conversation; we do not know these peoples names as they are not mentioned; but these characters seem to have quite the impact without having a simple relatable signature for us readers to identify them by; which I liked very much.
The Man wants The Boy to see what has happened in his past and advises him to chose a chalice from his mantle-piece, The Boy chose’s a chalice which is infused with Shadowlight, a special sort of aether in this world. When The Boy drinks from the chalice he is transported back in time but only via memory.

What the boy witness’s is the start of The Great War, a war that happened decades before his birth; a war which changed the face of the world forever; when the world was a battleground the Oussanean’s and the Caliphan.

This first half of this book was amazing; it was full of beautiful sentences which really-really allowed for an in-depth imaginative building of the world and a great creative depth for us readers.
The way the characters were portrayed throughout the Prologue and the first Two Chapters was really well done and I don’t believe that I have been so intrigued and so excited about two characters without names before… so that was a fresh new feeling J

The second half of the book, which just consisted of Chapter 3, was pretty good; I enjoyed it just as much as the first half, but there was one main problem I endured all of the way through.
The problem is that the plot is literally the exact same plot as The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. I’ll do a little list explaining the differences and similarities.

The differences being:
· The names of the characters.
· The names of the species and the types of species.
· The names of the areas.

The similarities being:
· Forest Children with Fairies as their guardians.
· A wind instrument called a Xun (The stand-in for the Ocarina)
· The main character Aithein’s dreams are the same as Link’s
· The evil guy holds his fist up to show a triangle shaped sigil glowing on his hand, which is then put into more descriptive detail that there are two other triangle which can be harnessed either individually or all together…
· And two side-characters; one having to clean rocks out of a front lawn and another character guarding a tunnel saying that people can only leave the forest if they have a sword and shield…

Now, don’t get me wrong, but this did not destroy the story at-all. The story itself was crisp, fresh and beautifully descriptive; but every-time I went to imagine these characters I would think of the LOZ counterparts. For example: In LOZ Link’s fairy is called Navi, in this book Aithein’s fairy is called Dani…
I could not shake the thoughts of the game or the games story line being made into book form…
I even showed my little Brother who is a bigger Nintendo-fan than I am, and even he picked all of the same similarities and other ones out that I had missed…

Though, it did say in the product description box on the store that ‘if you’re a fan of The Legend of Zelda you’ll be a fan of this’
I didn’t think it meant literally though…
It could just be that I’m thinking too much of LOZ (As LOZ is possibly one of my favourite game series of all time) when I read parts of this story though… meh.

The ending was perfect though haha! I love The Man and his attitude towards the boy; how he can be so cold and distant but all the while still be so loving and open.

Overall, I loved this book and I am very gracious, happy and grateful that the author (Dylan Saccoccio) sent me a copy to review. Thank you!
Joe (Bookolio

This book definitely reminds me of the Hobbit story, but instead of the focus on Bilbo its focused on Thorin. Just less orc an gobliny, if you will. I did enjoy it, I thought it was well written and very creative. For a fantasy it was well paced as your being drawn into the story. As with most fantasy novels your going to have a lot of unusual terms and names, which does add to the story, so if your looking for a Bob or a Brittney, your not gonna find it.

The Tale of Onora starts out introducing a man called Woden Caliph who's a nutcase if you ask me. He's bent on destroying people who most would consider "free thinkers". He's a magic user who's ruthlessly destroying kingdoms and entire races of people. This introduction is pretty important because it changes the entire world, which leads into the rest of the story. I'm considering this to be like the prestory, an explaining this because I noticed a few people who weren't sure how this all connected. Woden is the cause for how the world is in Aitheins time.

The story then focuses on a boy called Aithein Shadowlight who's the son of a Nordac royal woman named Olwyn. Aithein leaves his mother though to be trained by his father, and become a more powerful magic user. There are better terms used in the book, but I'm not going to get into that.

If you wanna know what comes next, your going to have to read it for yourself. I'm not gonna give anymore away, I just wanted to clear a few things up;). On a side note, this book does jump POVs so you get a better understanding of the world an story. I don't think its hard to follow, but you do need to pay attention to catch all the little details that connect the dots. That was one of my favorite things in this book, I loved picking up on the subtle hints.

Altogether, I think the author is extremely talented and has a very unique story on his hands. Maybe this will be the next Lord of the Rings or even Wheel of Time story, who knows. Honestly though, I think the descriptions in this book are far better an paint a better picture of whats happening. I'm glad I picked this up, and will probably pick the next one up as well. I'd recommend this to fantasy lovers, and to readers who want a story thats a bit more involved.

What a most luxorious treat this was. The many races of Caliphweald also boast differing uses of magic. With varying viewpoints, this didn't make me dizzy one bit. The author creates an intense, descriptive world and it's fitting to see it through different characters.

"Magic does not allow those who possess it to remain anonymous. It craves renown. It is alive whether one chooses to harness it or not, and like all things living, magic wants to be loved. It yearns to manifest itself and be displayed, which is why elementalists also make the best performers."

Great quote which sums up how some of the featured characters use magic to their own devious or dutiful ends.

I highly recommend this and look forward to the next chapter.

Easy to enter into this slipstream of fantasy.. I felt compelled to continue reading after a somewhat poetic foreword and dramatic, mysterious opening scene. Quickly establishing our intriguing new world, this interesting Author examines the morality and intention of every character as part of an epic (indeed beautifully described) tale of Onora. A thought through, imaginative story that correlates in many ways with our world today, we the reader are required to be active in our participation: the recognition of our socio global responsibility as well as the exploration of spiritual development or transcendence, we are asked to question our own understanding of personal enlightenment with open minds. If I had one disappointment it would be that the complete series wasn’t confined to just one book, but then confines can constrict creativity! I’m deeply curious to find out more in the second book and will anticipate the finale of the third, so far, so good!

As someone who enjoys reading fantasy based on reality, I highly recommend reading this book. It’s more than just an epic fantasy, there is a message within this story. In the world of ToO you’ll realize & quickly relate to the lives of the elven characters from different nations that are striving for the same goals we want most in life.
The author’s quotes are truly mesmerizing and captivating. His style of writing is both metaphoric and poetic, it’s like reading beautiful sonnets that were placed in each paragraph which I found to be very unique. For example one of my favorite quotes is “It is said that the entire world is a stage and every person is merely an actor playing his part in the grand performance of life.” Which is a creative way to compare a person’s purpose in life. I also applaud the author for being very creative with the names of the characters, the name of the Elven races, and their mystical language. Everything in this book is opening a chest filled with wonders. If you love reading stories inspired by Celtic or Norse Mythology and want to get lost in a spellbinding world, this is the perfect book for you.

This is one of the best books I have ever read. The author's use of brilliant and visual description left me breathless and wanting to read more. I cannot wait for the second volume in this sequel.....This author is a truly talented writer....