Valcia, a mythical land existing side-by-side with the
Ancient Greeks, is a place where young 'commoners' (mortals)
may audition for a place as a Yet-God, perhaps to someday
take their place with the Eternals themselves. External
beauty is the overriding virtue, cruelty and mockery the
accepted response to anyone who fails to meet that standard.
THE MYTH OF VALCIA is about two sisters, Selza and Delthi,
who trigger the collapse of their civilization by revealing
the lies at its heart.
The best aspect of this book is the author's imagination.
Imaginative elements are interspersed with jarring scenes
containing varying degrees of violence. A strong moral theme
is carried throughout the narrative.
The premise, while not unique, was a fairly solid starting
point, and the plot had some unexpected twists.
Unfortunately, the author's skills do not yet match his
ambition. Sprawling dialog and description diluted the force
of the narrative. A few disjointed essays having nothing to
do with the story are inserted after the main book, along
with author's notes that reveal the author's lack of
experience. The book would have been better if these
sections had been omitted.
Self-published books can be rare gems, or they can sit on
the shelf like heavy lumps of bread not given the time and
attention to rise before baking. The frequent misuse of
words (e.g., except for accept, there for their, etc) and
grammatical errors was disappointing and distracting. As a
reviewer, I rarely mention grammatical or spelling errors
but in this case it seems germane as they disrupted the flow
of narrative. I feel this book would have benefited from
major editing to tighten the plot and focus the storyline.
Cameron Glenn has an imagination worth nurturing and may yet
become a professionally published author if he learns from
appropriate feedback and improves his knowledge of
structure. I applaud his hard work and bravery at continuing
to pursue a career as a writer.
Sister's Selza and Delthi are both admired and reviled for
their beauty and talents among their beauty worshiping
culture on the island of Valcia in the times of the ancient
Greeks.
When Selza is selected by the Eternal god Pezek to become a
yet-god and live with the other yet-gods atop Mount Olpous,
events unfold which will forever change their civilizations
ideas of what truth and beauty are.
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