Book Title: The Silver Forest, Book Two by J.D. Rasch
Category: Adult Fiction 18 yrs +, 438 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Lamina Press
Release date: July, 2024
Content Rating: PG: Brief, non-explicit scenes of battles and one brief, non-explicit sex scene
"A respectable and compelling novel of accomplishment and discovery that introduces engrossing concepts accompanied by a moral and ethical fiber that compliments the story’s adventure." — Midwest Book Review
Will the young wizard Asmar decide his own fate?
Asmar continues his quest to defeat Malzus and retrieve the powerful golden pulcher staff. Aided by a mysterious figure known only as the Wanderer, Asmar must combat the many types of influences that try to control his mind.
But Asmar is yet unconvinced of the Great Council’s true intentions when they sent him on this quest. Again, he wonders if he must follow the path created for him, or forge his own.
The Silver Forest is a literary fantasy adventure exploring magic, morality, and self-determination. Please note that Book Two is the direct continuation of Asmar’s story, and should only be read following Book One.
Book Title: The Silver Forest, Book One by J.D. Rasch
Category: Adult Fiction 18 yrs +, 466 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Lamina Press
Release date: May, 2024
Content Rating: PG-13: Non-explicit mentions of sex, and non-graphic battle scenes.
Asmar, a young and naïve wizard, is sent on an impossible quest—to stop the renegade wizard, Malzus, from finding the tree of wisdom.
The Great Council of wizards, desperate to find the golden pulcher tree, the source of all knowledge, sent nine wizards over the impassable seas to the far away land of Bracat—only to face years of frustration and failure.
Until one of their own turned against them.
Armed with a golden staff to amplify his power, the rogue wizard Malzus fled the wizards’ city of Dolcere and began a ruthless hunt for the tree.
Meanwhile, in the small, protected village of Tuland, Asmar, a misfit, is suddenly called to Dolcere. There, he learns that he is to become a wizard, tasked with stopping the death and destruction caused by Malzus.
The Great Council tasks Asmar with not only defeating Malzus but returning the golden staff to them. But Asmar doesn’t trust the wizards and their influence over him. Can he break the cycle of violence and selfishness and determine his own destiny?
J.D. RASCH is a writer, artist, social activist and author. His debut fantasy series, The Wanderer, explores social, political and religious themes. His writing, like his painting explores the mysteries of the world and our place in the greater scheme of the universe. For many years he worked in international finance, both in developed and emerging economies. Even in his work in finance he was interested in social justice, developing ways to assess the social behavior of companies. He also serves on a number of not-for-profit boards in an attempt to make the world a better place.
Connect with the author: website ~ instagram ~ goodreads
Aug 5 – Liese's Blog – book spotlight of THE SILVER FOREST – BOOK ONE
Aug 5 - Country Mamas With Kids – book review of BOOK TWO / giveaway
Aug 6 – Liese's Blog – book spotlight of THE SILVER FOREST – BOOK TWO
Aug 7 – Diane’s Book Journal – book series spotlight / giveaway
Aug 8 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book review of BOOK ONE / giveaway
Aug 13 – Ilovebooksandstuffblog – book series spotlight / giveaway
Aug 14 – Cover Lover Book Review – book series spotlight / giveaway
Aug 15 - China Sorrows – book review of BOOK ONE / giveaway
Aug 15 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book review of BOOK TWO / giveaway
Aug 19 – WELCOME TO MLM OPINION'S REVIEWS – book review of BOOK ONE / giveaway
Aug 20 – WELCOME TO MLM OPINION'S REVIEWS – book review of BOOK TWO / giveaway
Aug 20 - China Sorrows – book review of BOOK TWO / giveaway
Aug 21 – Kim's Book Reviews and Writing Aha's – book review of BOOK ONE / giveaway
Aug 22 – My Tangled Skeins Book Reviews – Book Review of BOOK TWO / giveaway
Aug 23 – Kim's Book Reviews and Writing Aha's – book review of BOOK TWO / giveaway
INTERVIEW:
The Silver Forest, Book Two by J. D. Rasch
Author Interview: Books R Us
1. If you could put yourself as a character in your book, who would you be?
Definitely Remer. Asmar is too much of a commitment and the others are a bit too serious. I like the fact that Remer is self-effacing, and he also gets to have a love interest.
2. Where do you get inspiration for your stories?
The inspiration for my stories comes from wanting to explore questions that I have. At one point I was thinking of writing an essay on ethics, but that seemed too dry and uninteresting. Instead, I thought that I could write a fantasy novel and put my characters in different situations and think about how they would react. So, much of the inspiration for my stories comes from politics, religion, social justice, and science.
3. Do you ever get writer’s block? What helps you overcome it?
I live with writer’s block, but I used to listen to other author’s talks and what they did to overcome it. Everyone seemed to have the same solution – write. Don’t worry if it’s any good as you can always go back later and redo it. So, if I hit a point where I don’t know what to say, I just keep writing and eventually it becomes clear. Then I go back and edit out the fluff.
4. Why do you write fantasy? If you were to write in another genre, what would it be?
I write fantasy because I think it’s the best format to explore social issues. I like the fact that I make the rules, I control the environment of the characters, and nobody can tell me that something doesn’t really exist if I got it wrong. I’ve thought of some ideas that would fit in better with SciFi and may someday pick up that story. My background is in economics and I have been fascinated by our financial system and how people believe that money actually means something and that there’s a reason why we should have such a divide between rich and poor. I find writing SciFi more daunting as it involves trying to forecast technology and you’re bound to get that wrong. So, we’ll see.
5. Can you talk about the next book in The Wanderer series?
I don’t want to talk too much about the next book as I don’t want to give away plot lines. But The Silver Forest, Book Two continues the quest Asmar and his friends are on. There are a few plot twists so I hope there will be some surprises along the way. But the book isn’t really about surprises, but rather getting readers to think about the choices they make. If I can do that through my writing I’ll consider the books successful.
