From the moment I began reading “The Guardians” by Tara Casalino, I was drawn to the characters, story, mystery, and magic of the fantasy world this first-time author has created. The story begins at an inn where Rafe and his companions await an earl who has hired them to get to the bottom of a mystery. Rafe and his friends, unknown to those around them, are Guardians, humans chosen to have special abilities and powers to protect the world. But when the earl walks into the inn with a mysterious woman named Ashera, Rafe realizes that the game is about to change because Ashera can immediately sense that they are more than human, and they also realize that she is more than human. , perhaps part of the Griffin breed. she was thought to be extinct until now.
The origins of the Guardians and the mysterious origin of Ashera, which even she cannot explain, transports the reader back in time to the beginnings of Casalino’s fantasy world as the story of its creation is told and how dark forces entered. in the world, and within that story unites the seeds of evil that the Guardians must now combat.
I don’t want to reveal the story; Suffice it to say that “The Guardians” has everything a great fantasy story requires, from beings with supernatural powers, through unicorns and dragons, a sinister and powerful dark force, and a well-paced narrative told by the protagonist Rafe. . The first-person voice is engaging, calm, and reassures the reader through a mysterious and sometimes dangerous quest to defeat the powers of evil. And since Ashera is my favorite character, Rafe’s descriptions of and interactions with her constantly held my attention. Here’s Casalino’s description of Ashera, through Rafe’s eyes in the opening chapter after an attack on the inn:
“The four men faced her again, weapons drawn, and as one, they charged. Mouth open, I watched as she simply stepped out of the way, drawing her swords in one smooth, fluid motion simply pulling her hands down. It happened too fast for me to see how he did it.
“As she streamed through the rays of sunlight, she seemed to glow. The sun built an aura around her; the dust motes, kicked up by her movements, twinkled and shimmered. Time slowed and stood still on an image of her , two swords outstretched, her face in shadow, a yellow light surrounding her.In that frozen moment, her shadow on the ground seemed to have wings spread in flight, and I was convinced that she was destined to join us.
“Time resumed, and what happened next was even faster. He spun and spun, taking down one man with a knee kick, another with a blow to the head, and forcing the latter two to freeze with the point of a sword below.” Their chins quickly dropped their weapons, at which point the inn guard came in, collected all the weapons, got a couple of patrons to grab the men, sent a boy to the town guard, and led the men outside . It took him less than a minute to disarm four men without seriously injuring any of them.”
I don’t think any male reader could dislike a kicking ass warrior and Ashera can put Xena to shame in my opinion. Additionally, Casalino does a masterful job of slowly revealing Ashera’s mysterious origins to the other characters and to the reader, so she’s not a stereotypical warrior but a well-rounded character questioning herself and who she is as she dedicates herself to life. role of her to protect the count.
At the heart of “The Guardians” is the psychological journey, including how giving in to fear can lead to evil and how overcoming inner fears can lead to victory. Casalino does an excellent job of exploring human foibles and those of even more advanced beings. He also draws from world mythology (Judeo-Christian, Greek, and other cultures) to create universal themes that all readers can relate to.
“The Guardians” filled the void for me when “Legend of the Seeker” was canceled on TV. Casalino’s fantasy world resonates with issues of loyalty, friendship, creativity, beauty, love, all those aspects of the human condition that we struggle with. To read “The Guardians” is to go on a hero’s quest and return home with a new understanding of how to live in the everyday world. I highly recommend it for an enjoyable, fast-paced adventure. Its visual scenes make me believe it would make a great movie, and I hope Casalino writes several more books, including more novels set in this fantastical world he has created in “The Guardians.”
