A Little Bit About My Guardian Trilogy…

Not counting the prologue (which gives us an insight of the Elemental Crystals and how the forces of darkness are seeking them to be used as weapons of mass destruction), our story begins with the obliteration of the Loreladian army. Invaded by the Cullach — a half man, half boar-like race — the Loreladian people had little time to prepare and found the numbers of the Cullach to be overwhelming. Only four survive the battle, two of them Nasharin warriors (members of a supposed accursed race but live in peace with the Loreladian people). One of the Nasharins, Mirabel Luthais swears to the fallen king that he will lead the Loreladian civilians into safer lands before the Cullach arrive to claim the city, where death would surely follow.

As this journey takes place Mirabel senses the presence of another Nasharin, something he had been sensing since the Cullach invasion, only now it becomes much stronger. He finds it strange because only a handful of Nasharins remain in existence and have lived in Loreladia for the last century. Still, he cannot deny this feeling, this…pull from another living Nasharin — one whose inner power feels extraordinary.

With the help of a fellow warrior (and a horde of beasts this warrior communicates with), Mirabel rescues this Nasharin from a Cullach sacrifice. The Nasharin is just a babe, not old enough to mutter a word. And yet…the power within the child frightens Mirabel. He is not frightened of the child per se, but of what the child means, and the times they could possibly be in, or heading toward, the Prophecy of the Guardian and the Second Great War…

And so begins this magical, heartful and at times brutal story of Darshun (the Guardian) and friends!

I began writing this epic tale many years ago. Finally, it was published under an independent company in 2012. When it first came out, I was warmed by the attention it received. There were a lot of great reviews for it (and of course, some negative ones, but even within them words of praise were mentioned. I’ve learned a lot since then). What I loved the most was how people found them to be inspirational and not just another story about how many spells can this wizard or that sorcerer cast. At first glance it seems like your average, typical fantasy of Good versus Evil — and it is, to an extant… However, once you are enveloped within the world you realize it is not so typical at all and carries its own flair, especially the Nasharin warrior race. Lots of battles, lots of emotion and suspense; perhaps the greatest of all is that by the end one feels like they have made friends with the characters. At least that is what I’ve been told from readers and reviewers and to this day it still warms my heart.

I have written two more novels since I finished with the Guardian books. And of course…life happens. Raising a child, having a laborious job, responsibilities etc. etc. Not to mention a great depression I fell into (and thankfully climbed out of) but that’s also part of life, right? Experiencing and learning!

Anyway, I decided to go back to my Guardian books (my babies) and give them a revision that’s been long over do. Not only that but create a map of Seventh-Realm Earth and a character and creature list. Most of all make it a trilogy, my original idea from the very beginning. The publisher I was with back then wanted me to make the books into a five-book series. I never really liked that idea but I went along with it. Now that I’m on my own, and with the help of an editor and artist I hired the books are now a trilogy. I’m really happy with this revision and I hope many new potential readers will enjoy the adventure. It’s one roller coaster of a ride, I promise!

Here are some reviews from the books back when they were first released, when the story was a five-book series. The warm words melted my heart and made me ever so thankful that I could give others a pleasant reading experience.

Moirae the Fates book reviews

“This book started off running and it never stopped! I loved it! I found the book to highly original and a book where you sit down to read one chapter and 100 pages later, you’re still reading. It was one of the hardest books to put down, I have read this year.

Like many others, I also loved the Nasharin race, the background of the wizards was also a very original concept.
I think what I liked most about the book is the fact that I found all the situations and all the characters to be very believable. Baccaro has very strong dialog and I found the descriptions to be very well written. I really liked the character of Darshun don’t want to say too much there, or I’ll give the whole thing away!

I think that fans of Terry Goodkind would find this to be enjoyable.”

Amazon customer — Harriet Klausner

“This is an exciting fun to read quest fantasy starring a confident young warrior who believes strongly in his skills and hopefully wise enough to not give in to temptation of the Dark short cuts especially when he sees teammates he has known all his life die and has to face their family; think of Truman’s ethical dilemma of not using the A-bomb just after the Battle of Okinawa. The story line is action-packed from the onset though it enables the audience to observe the Nasharin belief system which is a critical element in the thriller.”

DJ Weaver — T Lane

“Darhun Luthais is one of the last Nasharin warriors left and along with a few companions; they set out on a journey to find the Wizard Crystals of the Elements before they fall into the wrong hands of the evil Abbadon and destroy the earth. Darhun must avoid many temptations and learn to accept his calling to be the Guardian while battling many races, monsters and his own temptations.
This novel was a very good fantasy read. The characters were very likable and the storyline was very easy to understand and easy to follow along. Had so much action going on I was not bored and the tale is fast-paced and intriguing. This book would be great for any young or old reader. JW Braccaro has taken on a big challenge writing this series and I can’t wait for the second installment. I’m giving this book a 5 spider rating and I will say this book will keep you entranced and turning pages!!”

Jennifer Rodriguez

“J.W. Baccaro continues with an amazingly strong series. More new characters have been introduced to us and much more has transpired. This is the most exciting, magnetic and intriguing of the series thus far. It has me hooked!

Talvenya finds out her dream has come true and by the hands of none other than Darshun. We also get to learn a lot about Talvenya, how she came to be and who (as well as what) she really is. She is fighting herself because of how and whom she was raised by. The light is trying to take her back. But she is resistant because of all of the anger and hatred she holds deep.

So far this is my favorite in the series (The Coming of the Light). While there is much sadness within. It is evenly balanced with happiness. All of the original characters (that remain) have progressed, matured or gotten stronger from the beginning and all are very impressive in their ways of the light. My favorite part of all.. We get introduced to a dragon! That’s right and he is one mighty creature that I’m very happy to see is on the right side.”

Cynthia Ellen Jones (A Hippie’s Bookshelf)

“One man’s choice to love a son… a son that is not really his, and their legacy, a Nasharin legacy, is truly dying out. It is the father’s hope that the legacy will live on in this baby, even though the baby does not really belong to him. As the baby grows into a young man, father and son will stand together in battle. The father will teach and the son will experience lessons that test his wills, his strength, maybe even his level of light against his level of darkness. They are not on the side of the dark and they are not on the side of the light, and so they are feared by all. It is that which is not understood completely that is feared the very most.

This choice, a choice to save a baby and to love that child will one day be questioned as many will be massacred with the very survival of that one, the one that is deemed the guardian, and the one to save the world.

Prophecy of the Guardian is a fantasy, and with all the bloody battles and dark magic, it is easy for me to call it a dark fantasy. The gore is not too explicit however, I would not call this a light hearted read. The message is good over evil but good does not win over easily without the price of death and blood. With the length, time-line and character numbers, this book does not stray far from Lord of The Rings and Eragon, in its genre or its story telling.

I absolutely loved book 1 of this series. It is deep. The pages are action packed with the leading character Darshun facing his destiny with tribulations that at times favor Homer’s Odyssey and Iliad. The characters are likeable, even the darker ones. In this book 1, the author is giving us a taste, teasing us with the darker side while mainly we see the characters rally together and fight for the good of earth, and in fact to save the world.

It was involving, meeting Darshun as a baby, watching him grow as a young boy into an adolescent, learning to fight, learning who he is, and learning to love. Darshun does not take to his destiny very well, and does not truly accept or believe any of it until what might be considered sacrifices made on his behalf. Darshun is a strong and mighty warrior, living in denial with sensitivity, curiosity, pride and great passion. In fact it is this character’s passion for life itself that distracts from the darker points of the story, and possibly the tell-tell sign of much more to come. While his loving is tender, there is also a strong sense of his being naive and I have a feeling Darshun has a lot to learn in his quest.”

Laurie P (Romance and Fantasy Reviews)

“This book’s richly built, finely detailed fantasy world and its cast of characters brought to my mind the epic worlds of The Lord of the Rings books or the Star Wars movies. If you are a lover of epic fantasy series, this book must be on your read list. It is a timeless tale of good versus evil.

In this story we have Light versus Dark, Wizards, magic and bizarre creature all living here. The cast of characters is wild and diverse. Boar faced Cullachs, Elves, Sorcerers and so many more.

Following a battle that killed their King, one of the few returning soldiers, Mirabel Luthais, takes over as leader telling the Loreladians that their new home is in danger from the Cullach and that they need to travel to a new land. That he will lead them on this journey.

Mirabel is a Nasharin, and he believes there are only a handful of his kind left in his world, until he senses another. So begins his search for and finding of a baby named Darshun. He is Nasharin and he is the Guardian, and book one follows his growing up and training. Darshun is one of those characters that you love, hate and want to yell at, but at the same time hug.

The book started slowly but it wasn’t very long before I was pulled into the battle of Light and Dark Forces and the search for the Elemental Crystals of Air, Water, Fire and Earth. There are a few mildly erotic elements in this book which I found enriched this tale. Since this is book one and was so well written, I am looking forward to the next book and seeing where this author takes us next.

Most books I sit down and read pretty much straight through. This series is one that I find myself reading slowly and savoring. I want to make it last. It is written with characters, plot and world building so well done, so real and easy to visualize. This third book is every bit as great as the two prior ones. And as before, this picks up the story line flawlessly and moves it forward.

In this the third story, there are epic battles, with all of the carnage of war in gory detail. The author shows the horror that is war and the damage done not only to people but the land as well. I loved the way the contrast between the beauty of the land, its people and the ravages of war were written.

The four crystals are in the control of Abaddon, The Dark Lord and his Queen. The balance of power is theirs now, right? And yet things are not going as they had both hoped it would. Questions are arising about the power between the King and Queen, as it’s faltering and if it’s really working.

You also start to worry about the Light side, with the crystals in the hand of Abaddon. Does it spell the end for them? Will they survive the coming battle? Darshun is going to have to take the battle to Abaddon’s kingdom. And to get there he must destroy a fallen angel throne, which is the key to Asgoth’s rule.

In this story, one of the new characters is Darshun’s sister, Minevara, who is every bit the warrior her brother is. Where Darshun is fire, Minevara is ice. And as a character, I fell in love with the feisty elvish Minevara. And all of the other characters here too — the witches, elves, sorcerers and assorted bad guys, along with Mirabel and the others that travel with Darshun.

These books are so well written, with fully developed characters and a plot that moves you forward. I can’t wait to read the next in the series.”

Moirae the Fates book reviews (reviewing one of the original books back in 2012 when it was under a different title and part of a five-book series instead of a trilogy)

“As these books progress the review process gets more and more difficult, in a good way. It gets harder to write a review without giving away anything from the current or previous books.

Like the others, this book is packed with everything a reader can ask for, magic, action, adrenaline. Paranormal creatures, suspense. In short, it’s awesome, like Hunger Games awesome. The more I read about Darshun, the more and more I love him. (I even tried to get my sister to name her son Darshun..she said no.)

What I find so neat is how Baccaro is able to keep the story flowing through out so many books and how he keeps your attention even between books. I always want to know more, what’s next for Darshun and company? Will he survive? Will he fail? What. Is. Going. To. Happen?!

This one picks up after book four and we get to see Darshun face new challenges and obstacles. The ending surprised me and had me flipping over and over again hoping it would magically change and there would more to it. It was one of those WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?! Freak out endings. (Which I admit I secretly love especially reading them in public.)

This series is a fabulous adult series. I’ve said it before if you like Terry Goodkind, you really should give these books a try. You can find them at Amazon and on Whiskey Creek Press. What are you waiting for, start reading them today!” (less)

A.R. Von (reviewing one of the original books back in 2012 when it was under a different title and part of a five-book series instead of a trilogy)

“I’m sad to see the series at an end (or is it the end?) But so very glad that I can reread as many times as my heart desires! What a fantastical adventure I went on until the very end with the Guardian Of The Seventh Realm. This is a very strong written series that a fantasy lover does not want to let go of. Watching the Guardian grow and develop throughout the series was an experience I will never forget. So much sacrifice, love, fun, emotions of various sorts, heroism, action, adventure, success, failures, creatures of beauty and some of ugliness. All balanced out into one excellent series that I highly recommend for a great escape!

Darshun has become a being none of us could ever phantom. He has grown and developed in so many ways since he accepted his calling of Guardian. The great war is still upon them and many lives have been taken. Some have return to assist in the success of the light in battle. Many have reunited as should be and became the best of friends, brothers and sisters. Fighting on the same side for victory and peace. The Demon Lord Abaddon is not an easy foe to defeat. But the light will not give up until the task is done!

J.W. Baccaro, you have gained a fan. I will look for more of your works in the future for I am always looking for a great escape” :)

Larry B Gray (reviewing one of the original books back in 2012 when it was under a different title and part of a five-book series instead of a trilogy)

“Rise of the Guardian” Part V of the “Guardian of the Seventh Realm” was as good as it gets. This is a great book and a fantastic ending to this series.

The series “Guardian of the Seventh Realm” is one of the best written fantasy epic sagas I have read in a long time. Each book builds on the story of the previous book and on the excitement of the adventure. The characters and story line were well developed and believable.

I really liked the fact there were many plots in the story line but you did not get lost trying to keep up. This was a book I found I could easily become an unseen character that followed / became a part of the action and plots. I loved getting involved in the book and story. This makes for a great read.

Thanks J.W. for a great story.”

For anyone who read this far I thank you. There’s something about another reviewing your work. It’s like…the individual is reaching into your mind and viewing (or perhaps judging) you. It is a lovely experience, and also something to learn from…

If anyone is intrigued to check out this epic tale (revised version) please visit here:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08FQNJDRD?ref_=dbs_dp_rwt_sb_tkin&binding=kindle_edition

Thanks again for reading!

~Jason W Baccaro~