The Return of Innocence: A Fantasy Adventure [Paperback]

This was a really fun fantasy book. I loved the world Simolke created, because it has the traditional "medieval" sort of feel what with how it took place in villages where people bartered and traded, but it had many modern elements that I appreciated. In my opinion, I'm sick of fantasy books with sexist mindsets where women are regarded as second class citizens, who literally have to fight for their right to be warriors, and the men are the ones who get to go out and have fun adventures. So "The Return of Innocence" was very refreshing to read. Even if the main character hadn't been female, but everything else stayed the same I still would have really enjoyed it. I recommend it to anyone who is sick of reading books in the "Game of Thrones" fashion, but still want a great story to read

In 'The Return of Innocence', Duane Simolke once again proves his writing mastery. Populated by at least two dozen characters, the story focuses on Sasha, a young female swordswoman, and her quest to destroy the evil Tay-lii. With well-fleshed out characters at her side, Sasha (or Innocence) goes on a classic fantasy adventure through the world of Theln, which exists right along the dimensional edge of another one of Duane's stories called 'Degranon'. So, along with his other offerings in the genre of contemporary fiction and sci-fi, Duane has produced this fantasy story; again proving his ability to write in any genre he needs.

To me, the mark of an excellent writer is the ability to write in a voice not his own - and to stay consistent in that character. Duane achieves that in spades by writing from the point of view of a young female warrior and taking it to its inevitable conclusion in 'The Return of Innocence'. Another mark of an excellent writer is the ability to shift genres when necessary to achieve an aim. I have read stories from three genres that Duane has written in and I've found them superb. This is an author you don't want to miss!

It isn't easy writing a fantasy/adventure novel. I say that from personal experience, having written several myself (under one pseudo or an other) and, each time, half way through (or even before that), realizing that I'd possibly bit off more than I could chew. It requires a good-good-good deal of imagination and concentration to construct, in literary format, a whole separate world/dimension, inhabited by places and characters that, more often than not, have nothing whatsoever to do with the universe in which you and I (AKA the reader) exist.

Unlike science-fiction which at least comes with some "scientific" parameters - an editor once having explained to me how a form-changer of mine simply couldn't stretch the laws of physics by converting into a shape containing more mass than the form-changer had in its original format - fantasy worlds come complete with defy-all-science dragons that breathe fire, wizards that turn base metal into gold, and magicians who can metamorphose flesh, or freeze-time, or transport from one phantasmal plane to another. In fantasy, there is always the fine line that has to be walked by an author, or his readers will sneer when they should be excited, will laugh when they should be frightened, will be distracted when they should be engrossed, will be so unable to associate with the worlds and characters created that they'll remain unbelievers from beginning to end and, thus, be excluded from the equation which should have included them from the get-go.

Luckily for fantasy fans, Duane Simolke in his new book (with Toni Davis), THE RETURN OF INNOCENCE spins an all-involving tale of fantasy worlds in turmoil, fratricidal wizards, deposed blood lines, Male versus Female, Good versus Evil, degradation versus Innocence ... dragons and spells running amuck ... that pulls in the reader as successfully as the sorcerer(s) of the story (more than one) cast spells to propel unlucky exiles through time and space.

Simolke, the author of the sci-fi DRAGANON and the editor of THE ACORN GATHERING (the latter's author royalties donated to the American Cancer Society - making it a should-be buy, even if it wasn't worth the price of admission), has once again proved himself an engrossingly successful story-teller, this time in a genre that many writers try to master but usually fail.