Road to Shandara by Ken Lozito

From Earth, A Hero Will Rise…

My name is Aaron Jace. Until a few months ago I’d never heard of the world Safanar or a place called Shandara. I was a normal guy about to graduate from college and now….now I’m being hunted, even in the solace of my dreams. My life has been a lie and I’ve been pulled into a war that spans worlds. I am the last scion of the house Alenzar’seth, the lords of Shandara. The ones on the hunt are after the one thing that will grant them ultimate power over the world….Me.

Aaron Jace is about to graduate from college when his grandfather unexpectedly dies. He finds a mysterious note that tells him he is a descendant from an ancient and powerful family called the Alenzar'seth, the Lords of Shandara. Along with the note is a family heirloom with a magic all its own, and two mystical swords forged as if they were made for him. The problem is he has never heard the name Alenzar’seth or of a place called Shandara. With the death of his grandfather, Aaron is thrust headlong into a war where the enemies of Shandara have the power to reach across worlds to pull him into the fight. He is being hunted and his family is in danger as Tarimus, a demon sentinel from the world of Safanar, leads the charge to steal the power of the Alenzar'seth before Aaron has a chance to learn his full potential.

In a race that begins on Earth, Aaron will journey to Safanar launching him on a thrilling fantasy action adventure in search of the fabled land of Shandara and learn that while some nations hold the Alenzar'seth in high esteem, others rejoice in its demise and are still searching for the source of power laid hidden amidst the ruins known only to a powerful few.

Aaron will discover that the world of Safanar is built upon the stuff of legends and fantasy with dragons and castles, to cities closely resembling the modern cities of Earth with hints to science and technology that even surpass that of Earth. The Road To Shandara is an epic tale of action adventure with ancient and powerful families on distant worlds involving sacred allegiances and loyalties that span lifetimes.

My Thoughts: 

Let me just say: I love the fact that this is a great story without having a ton of unnecessary language thrown in.  It’s really hard to find that nowadays, and that bothers me.  But I digress.

Our story starts with Aaron Jace, a soon to be college graduate, driving to the stables near his home when he is greeted by the flashing lights of police cars.  He runs into the home to find his grandfather in a back room, lying on the ground.  He crouches down beside his grandfather, who hands him a medallion tells Aaron to keep it safe.  Aaron holds his grandfather as he takes his last breath.  Cue the destruction of Aaron’s life as he knows it.

We follow Aaron as he learns things about himself and a past and future that he never, in a million years, would have thought for himself.  The training that his grandfather has been giving him all his life is about to take on a whole new meaning. 

Now, Aaron finds himself in another dimension, on another planet, hunted by Tarimus, a demon trapped between worlds and doing the bidding of a far more sinister person.  And that’s only the beginning!  While on his journey to his realm of Shandara, his true home, Aaron comes across the smooth talking Verona Ryder, sent by a guardian of Shandara to help Aaron on his journey.  Verona brings Aaron to his friends and after the initial suspicion, Aaron is accepted by them.  Later, Aaron meets a beautiful, cast aside princess, Sarah, and they fall for each other.  While I figured there would be some romance in this story, it seemed a little cliché at times, but oh well.  It’s not bad.  Sarah betrays her own to help Aaron and his band of friends to right the wrongs set in motion by forces unlike anything they can imagine.  At the same time, Sarah helps Aaron discover more about himself and the powers that he has.

I’m not going to spoil it because I think that it is a truly wonderful read for fans of fantasy books, and definitely worth it!  I feel like this book should be more popular than it is.  

Quotes I liked:

“What are we without our honor? Nothing but bloodless barbarians and chaos driven at that.” – Verona

“Anger clouds the mind even for those with the purest of intentions.” – Aaron

Sexual Content: None
Language: Very mild
Violence: Heavy
Drugs/Alcohol: Mild