Greetings, travelers. Our journeys into the Otherworld sometimes take us down roads where survival is measured one day, contract, or hidden secret at a time. Today, we venture to a realm where corruption spreads beneath the skin, and where old wounds refuse to remain buried. It’s here that people searching for salvation may be carrying dangers of their own. It’s here where three damaged souls find themselves drawn into a journey that promises far more than any of them could have anticipated. If you’re looking for a dark fantasy filled with mystery, danger, and a something hiding beneath the surface, read on to learn more about Ascaron: Ad Vocatus, Part 1.
In Ascaron: Ad Vocatus, Part 1, author Lee J. Pleimelding demonstrates a strong understanding of the atmosphere that makes dark fantasy so compelling. This dark fantasy epic immediately establishes a world where danger isn’t confined to the monsters lurking beyond the road. The author finds compelling ways to take hurt and pain and turn it into a driving force for the tale, and the scars left by character experiences help shape how both they and the reader interpret the world. Pleimelding also gives the setting a grounded, lived-in quality through small details. These layered details add a richness to the story that immerses as it captivates. It lends a feeling that the world is considerably larger and stranger than what the characters are aware of.
Months after escaping Cindhaëm, Laelyah survives by taking dangerous escort contracts and keeping her identity hidden. But there is something else she has to hide: black veins spreading beneath her skin, the remains of a corruption that should have killed her — and a condition that could get her executed if discovered.
Her only hope is a healer hidden deep within the forests of Ascaron. The price for reaching him: twenty gold pieces.
When her path unexpectedly brings her back to Erdogan, an old friend who barely recognizes the woman she has become, Laelyah is pulled toward the Althenaum and into a new journey. Then comes Blaise — a disgraced Valkh carrying his own spreading corruption and the consequences of stealing a royal artifact.
Three damaged people. One increasingly dangerous journey. And something buried beneath Ascaron that may be far more dangerous than any of them realize.
Ascaron: Ad Vocatus, Part 1 intrigues because of how it embraces the darker side of fantasy while keeping its characters firmly at the heart of the experience. There’s a sense throughout the tale that pain can shape people without defining them, and that those carrying the heaviest burdens can find unexpected connections along the way. Mystery, danger, and uncertainty give the story an undercurrent of tension, while the layered worldbuilding leaves plenty of room for discovery. This is a fantasy that understands morality is rarely simple, and that survival changes the people who endure it. Some of the most meaningful journeys are often the ones that force us to see the world, and ourselves, a little differently. If you’re looking for a darker journey filled with mystery, character, and a world waiting to reveal its secrets, keep one eye open. Preorder Ascaron: Ad Vocatus, Part 1 on Amazon today!
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Images provided courtesy of Lee J. Pleimelding.
