Twilight Of The Gods: Cinatis

Rating:
Summary: Delightful fantasy for gay readers
Review: First acquainted with Donaghe's Common Brothers series, I was hoping his first attempt at the sf/fantasy genre would be as good. I was not disappointed. The work invites comparison with Grimsley's "Kirith Kirin" in a favorable way. The author brings his reader into a very different world, slowly introducing new ways of thinking, new words, new concepts.

Mr. Donaghe makes no secret in his works that the worst enemy of anyone's happiness is the regimented belief structure of organized religion, cut off from the strength, joy and beauty of nature and love. This book had me cheering throughout for the victories of men and women who love openly, whether gay or straight, and who care for one another without regard to personal gain.

Don't read this book expecting the intricacies of Dune or the grand scale of the original Foundation series. But be ready to have your heart warmed, and don't be surprised if you find yourself wishing "if only I could, too..."

Rating:
Summary: Delightful fantasy for gay readers
Review: First acquainted with Donaghe's Common Brothers series, I was hoping his first attempt at the sf/fantasy genre would be as good. I was not disappointed. The work invites comparison with Grimsley's "Kirith Kirin" in a favorable way. The author brings his reader into a very different world, slowly introducing new ways of thinking, new words, new concepts.

Mr. Donaghe makes no secret in his works that the worst enemy of anyone's happiness is the regimented belief structure of organized religion, cut off from the strength, joy and beauty of nature and love. This book had me cheering throughout for the victories of men and women who love openly, whether gay or straight, and who care for one another without regard to personal gain.

Don't read this book expecting the intricacies of Dune or the grand scale of the original Foundation series. But be ready to have your heart warmed, and don't be surprised if you find yourself wishing "if only I could, too..."

Rating:
Summary: The promise of a great fantasy
Review: I love Common Son and being also a sci-fi and fantasy fan, I acquire Mr Donaghe's latest endeavor at once. I am not disappointed. Great science fiction/fantasy with romance between same sex, in particular men, is rare. And I am pleased and delighted that Mr Donaghe has added a promising series to this rarity. The main characters, Jeru and Eril are lovers and soul mates. But there is no erotic sex scence. Their love making or more correctly bonding is abstract, delving into the mingling of their souls and essence, resulting in the joining and enhancemenet of their minds , strengths and souls. In Cinatis, Mr Donaghe has created an amazing world split into two types of humans/beings. You have the ones who live freely and close to nature while endowed with incredible abilities. And on the other hand, you have those slaves to conservatism and bigotry living with the mechanics of science. The struggle between these two races, the evils of a power hungry individual and Jeru desperately trying to come to terms with his growing power and responsibilities set the theme of the first book of a promising series. The only shortcoming I find is the lack of depth of character in Jeru and Eril which Mr Donaghe succeeded so beautifully with Joel and Tom in the Common Son. On the other hand this is a long series and I hope Mr Donaghe will add beauty to his two main characters and have them shine like Alex and Seregil in the "Nightrunner" series and Cal and Pell in the "Wraeththu". Looking forward to Volume two of Cinatis which I pray is not too far away.

Rating:
Summary: Life Viewed from a Different Angle
Review: I recommend *Twilight of the Gods: Cinatis*. The book is like a fun-house mirror... approach with a sense of fun and curiousity, but be aware that some will see a reflection they don't like.

The storyline and pacing are strong. It's mildly disappointing that the characters are allegorical (100% good or 100% bad... but nothing in-between).

As of today, this book is the first of an as-yet incomplete series. More, please!

Rating:
Summary: Life Viewed from a Different Angle
Review: I recommend *Twilight of the Gods: Cinatis*. The book is like a fun-house mirror... approach with a sense of fun and curiousity, but be aware that some will see a reflection they don't like.

The storyline and pacing are strong. It's mildly disappointing that the characters are allegorical (100% good or 100% bad... but nothing in-between).

As of today, this book is the first of an as-yet incomplete series. More, please!

Rating:
Summary: A grand adventure begins!
Review: I?ll forego the knee-jerk comparisons to Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter that all high fantasy receives these days and tell you the simple truth: novelist Ronald L. Donaghe has created a world unlike any other, but with constant echoes of our own. The names, the places, the cultures, and the beliefs all seemed familiar enough that I could relate to and imagine them. Yet their differences from our world constantly surprised me.

When young Jeru breaks away from his family in the search for what caused a plague upon Omoham, he embarks on a series of adventures and soon becomes involved with one person who will become his mate and several other people who will become their allies in seeking the cause of the plague. However, their journey to Cin?tis will involve them in much more, as Jeru finds himself entwined in a battle to rid Omoham of a violent group called the ?Ch?turc.?

The names become comfortable after a while, just like the dialects. If you set the book aside for a few days, you might need to check the handy glossary in the back of the book, but why would you set this book aside? Despite its length (much longer than what I usually prefer), Volume 1 breezes by, entangling readers in its mists (you?ll have to read the book to know what I mean by that).

It also ends at a satisfactory place. It left me wanting more, without leaving me angry that I have to wait a while before Volume 2. I look forward to reading that book, as well as the two other books in this fantasy series, which Donaghe named ?Twilight of the Gods.? Silver Dragon Books has taken on several authors who look promising, and I?m glad to see Donaghe now added to that list.

Rating:
Summary: Not what I expected
Review: Normally, I enjoy reading Ronald Donaghe because he writes fluffy, cute little stories. They are a great escape from the hum-drum world. And being a fan of the fantasy genre and seeing all of the positive reviews, I decided to check this book out. Unfortunately, within the first few pages, I realized something was wrong. In the novel, there is a city named Omoham'EYE. I kept looking at this thinking something wasn't right. Then it hit me, Omoham'EYE = I'm a homo. Then realized Dekan'RU (You are naked), the Ree'uq River (Queer River), Nu'ed (Nude) and my favorite, the evil country, Ch'turc (the Church). What started as a cute, fluffy fantasy novel turned into an annoying soapbox rant against the Church. Not that I have a problem with that line of thinking, but let's call it like it is and not mask it as a fantasy novel.

Rating:
Summary: Not what I expected
Review: Normally, I enjoy reading Ronald Donaghe because he writes fluffy, cute little stories. They are a great escape from the hum-drum world. And being a fan of the fantasy genre and seeing all of the positive reviews, I decided to check this book out. Unfortunately, within the first few pages, I realized something was wrong. In the novel, there is a city named Omoham'EYE. I kept looking at this thinking something wasn't right. Then it hit me, Omoham'EYE = I'm a homo. Then realized Dekan'RU (You are naked), the Ree'uq River (Queer River), Nu'ed (Nude) and my favorite, the evil country, Ch'turc (the Church). What started as a cute, fluffy fantasy novel turned into an annoying soapbox rant against the Church. Not that I have a problem with that line of thinking, but let's call it like it is and not mask it as a fantasy novel.

Rating:
Summary: An adventurous quest through an enchanting land.
Review: Ronald L. Donaghe's fantasy novel, Cinatis, begins as the central character, Jeru, is preparing to leave his family's farm for the last time. A reported plague, spreading from the southern reaches in the land of Omoham, is threatening the people, most of whom, like Jeru, are earth gifted. Fear of the plague has caused people to leave their homes in droves. Jeru's parents, Megan and Wanu-té, and his brothers, Joshu and Samu, have already fled the farm. Jeru, a stone felder like his father, is aware of deep disturbance in the ground beneath his feet...only a stone felder would be aware of such sensations. He's troubled by the rumblings, but continues his preparations to leave for the two day journey to the city of Cinatis, where he hopes to learn news of the plague. Spending his last night at home alone, Jeru senses a new presence, that of a stranger, but at the same time, he knows there is nothing to fear.

On the way to Cinatis, Jeru is attacked and injured by some men from the industrialized land, Ch'turk, to the north of Omoham. Ch'turk people are unwanted, unpleasant invaders, threatening and crude, spreading ever deeper into Omoham with their noisy, offensive, smoke spewing machines. Ostensibly, the Ch'turk enter Omoham to save the people from the plague, but they are taking over the abandoned homes and inns. Jeru is rescued from his attackers by Eríl, a Na-té.

Na-tés are an ancient race of people, living deep in the Miasma Forest, which runs along the eastern boundary of Omoham, beyond the unseen Na'ibel River. The earth gifted Na-tés wear no clothing, and are able to communicate over great distances through their mists. In a series of events, wonderfully told by Donaghe, Jeru realizes that Eríl is his ideal man--the stranger he's sensed, and seen in his dreams. Eríl, long smitten by Jeru--he had been watching Jeru as he worked in the fields--joins him on his journey to Cinatis. They become Té mates.

Once in Cinatis, Jeru and Eríl discover belligerent Ch'turk all over the city, their priests posting proclamations forbidding citizens to practice the art of felding, which they consider unnatural and evil. Other demands, counter to the Way of the Té, include no nudity (up to then clothing had been optional), no displaying of what Ch'turk believe to be unnatural affections, and other demands that, if not met, are to result in immediate execution.

Jeru and Eríl meet Ka-té, the sitting witch of Cinatis. Over one hundred years old, Ka-té, senses how special Jeru and his partner are and encourages them to embark on a quest to learn the truth of the plague. They are to travel to the other six major cities of Omoham, visiting the sitting witch in each of the cities. Jeru hadn't realized how powerful his stone felding abilities were until he and Eríl had an angry encounter with a Ch'turk priest, preventing him from setting fire to the Miasma Forest. Jeru was able to make the stone beneath their feet tremble. Further along in Donaghe's novel, Jeru's abilities strengthen. He becomes an exceptionally powerful stone felder... powers that may prove disastrous to the entire country of Omoham.

Before Jeru's family left home, Samu, his wood felder brother, had fashioned a staff for him. While in Cinatis, Ka-té left his hand print on Jeru's staff, gifting the staff with powers, thus allowing communication between Ka-té and Jeru. The sitting witch of each of the seven main cities of Omoham has an astral eye, allowing communication among the witches through astral mists. Ka-té senses evil in the mists coming from one of the other six astral eyes, but he has no idea what the evil is, or which city the evil mist is coming from. Ka-té keeps the information to himself as he encourages Jeru and Eríl to travel first to the city of Levi-dell, a moon wheel's journey to the south.

Their journey begins. Each night, Eríl prepares a nest where they consummate their love. Ka-té told them that Jeru's taking of Eríl's seed would enhance not only his stone felding powers, but would greatly enhance his mist awareness, and his Animas, or life force. Long before reaching Levi-dell, they realize something is very amiss in the land. They visit each city of Omoham, and all the sitting witches come to care for Jeru and Eríl. Almost all of the sitting witches, that is. Jeru and Eríl become fast friends with the fire felders of Nu-ed, who put on a spectacular fire show for their visitors; they meet the soil felders of Bender, and admire their beautiful glassine buildings. There is a surprise for Jeru in Bender when a person he cares for reenters his life. In each of the cities, Jeru and Eríl meet other earth gifted people, each with different felding powers, and they gain friends and allies as they come to the realization that the plague is not at all what they expected.

By the end of Cinatis, the realization of why Donaghe's series is called Twilight of the Gods comes into focus. It's easy to see why Cinatis was a 2004 nominee for the Imagination Award from the Stonewall Literary Society.

Five stars to Ronald L. Donaghe's Cinatis, a well-written and exhilarating journey through an enchanting land with new surprises on each page. His characters are richly developed, very believable and realistic considering the mysterious setting. Jeru and Eríl meet many people on their journey, the hes, the shes, and the shhes. I truly cared for the many likeable characters, hated the bad guys, and feared the unknown. The next book in the Twilight of the Gods series, Gwi's War, takes Jeru, Eríl, and their friends into the land of Ch'turk and promises to be just as exciting a novel as Cinatis.

Rating:
Summary: Fun Read
Review: This is a wonderful book and a refreshing relief from fantasy novels that too often rely on one battle after another to maintain their action. While there are fights and battles and certainly plenty of action, the book is a journey of growth and discovery, mystery and danger. It is well conceived, well plotted and well written. Donaghe has created some great characters. They have depth and notably the major characters continue to develop as the story unfolds. I enjoyed meeting them.

Welcome to the world of the Omoham, who live in harmony with the earth and its powers. Threatened by the Ch?turc and other dark forces, they must learn to use these powers to defend their peaceful way of life. Jeru, a young farmer and stone felder, sets out to discover what is causing disturbing vibrations in the earth. On the way he discovers himself, his te-mate, and an array of earth powers that become focused through him as he ends up in a struggle to save his world.

In this thoughtful and highly readable book, the author has created a marvelous new world. Donaghe has given us a wonderful and unique setting and point of view. I was saddened to put this book down and am anxious to pick up the next volume. Seeing the author move into the world of fantasy is a welcome addition to the genre.

Too often fantasy novels seem like clones all stamped out from the same machine with little variation. Cin?tis is a delightful exception and Donaghe an excellent storyteller.