Title: Echoes of the Lamp – Part 1: Chains of the Slave
Author: Kerry Scott
Publisher: XlibrisUS
ASIN: B07KWRFXJV
Pages: 72
Genre: Science Fiction
Reviewed by: Thomas Macolino
Pacific Book Review
Kerry Scott’s novella, Echoes of the Lamp- Part 1: Chains of the Slave, is an explosive book, in that it contains about the same number of energy beams as your average Star Wars film, about the same number of destroyed planets too, for that matter. Echoes of the Lamp is centered around Naredical and Naydalt, heroes of an alien race referred to as Humanoids. However, despite their near-godlike powers, they find themselves unable to protect their planet when it is attacked by a creature called Echo and his four servants. As their planet splits apart around them, the two separated warriors must fight for their very lives against powerful foes as they try to uncover the mystery behind their world’s destroyer and his goals.
Scott’s passion for his project is evident. He enjoys writing fight scenes, and he writes what he enjoys. To say that Echoes of the Lamp has more actions scenes packed into it than a can of sardines would be an insult to the comparatively spacious living arrangements of sardines. The fight scenes begin on page three and simply do not stop. The scenes are written in a vivid, simplistic style, in the vein of stage directions or a screenplay. Scott has a talent for writing sentences that paint strong mental images; it’s rarely going to be difficult for a reader to visualize a scene in Echoes of the Lamp.
Reading this, I was strongly reminded of Dragon Ball Z and similar anime series, and I am willing to bet Scott has seen his share.
However, passion is not a substitute for experience. In his eagerness to deliver powerful action scenes, Scott has abandoned character development and plot. Likewise, the prose, while strong in visual description, leaves room for polishing. Ironically enough, it was Naydalt, the novel’s protagonist, who actually best encapsulated my thoughts while reading Echoes of the Lamp, “It’s almost a story… but huge chunks are missing.” Yet given the relatively few pages, it packs a lot of excitement!
All skills take time to develop, writing more than most. Scott’s work is something I recognize like the things I wrote when I first started writing, just like what other authors I know wrote when they first decided to create a story from nothing more than the ideas in their mind. While Echoes of the Lamp is a shaky first step, it is nonetheless a good step forward, and I look forward to seeing Scott’s stories, and skills, grow and develop in the future.
