Village Gamer

Double Dragon Publishing has re-released Toronto author Richard A. Valicek’s previously-titled Alamptria: Red Moon Rising. Originally published in 2011, the newly renamed, expanded and revamped Alamptria 1: Bloodstone Crypt journeys through mythical lands, transporting readers to another time and place, one that is filled with magic and intrigue. Fans of the horror/fantasy genre and lovers of exciting, powerful writing will thrill equally as they sink into the story and fight alongside knights with amazing powers seeking to vanquish the evil threatening their peace-loving lands.

No ordinary mortal is a match for the dark Lord Makoor, leader of the vampire cult of Mount Drone. He plots with his henchman Tyrus Clore to overtake the humans of the land of Elysium and convert every last one to the undead. The Seaton brothers refuse to stand down, however. They undergo intensive training brought to them by the wizard Grongone and emerge with their claymores of extraordinary power capable and ready to take out this evil scourge. The undead are stealthy, though, and the brothers must rely on magical creatures and each other in this epic battle as they endeavor to save their people from almost certain extinction. When the youngest brother, Dragus, is bitten during hand-to-hand combat with a vampire and begins his transformation to the undead, it’s up to the others to beat time, fulfill the quest set out before them, and save their brother’s life– before it’s too late.

The archetypes, metaphors and themes of this novel make it extremely relevant in today’s fractious times. Loyalty, love, loss, and power all rage together and threaten to boil over. Heroes shine and anti-heroes emerge from the small and meek to the oppressed, finding their ultimate power and triumphing. Loss from broken hearts also lends the book its own essential heart. This novel speaks to the full experience and articulate expression of love in a way that is authentic and striking.

Valicek counts Bram Stoker’s seminal work Dracula as a model upon which he built his classic but also very modern tale. “I went back to the original tale and built on its complexity and history to give readers something that’s entirely new,” says Valicek. Readers liken the prose and story to work by the modern masters of fantasy fiction J.R.R. Tolkien (creator of The Lord of the Rings trilogy) and J.K. Rowling (creator of the Harry Potter books). The novel when originally published garnered a Buzillions Reviewers’ Choice Award and was hailed by readers as innovative, exciting and well written.

Alamptria 1: Bloodstone Crypt is published by Double Dragon Publishing. It is available as a trade paperback and online for the Nook, iBook, Epub, Kobo, Sony eReader and Kindle at retailers throughout North America.