Epilogue

A Novel

By: Lily Lashley, Etzoli

Narrated by: Michael Crouch, Ramon de Ocampo, Caitlin Kelly

Length: 11 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

Three teenagers return from waging revolution in a magical dimension—but someone is missing—in this devastating fantasy fans are calling “a must read” and “an instant classic.”

When Matt Westin opens his eyes, he’s back on Earth—and seven years younger than when he went to sleep.

For the last seven years, Matt and his sister, Jen, along with friends Carl and Blake, have been in the fantasy world of Cyraveil, revolutionaries fighting to overthrow a dictatorial empire. Now, they’ve suddenly returned to their quiet Oregon suburb, where they’re expected to go to high school and act like normal American teenagers.

But after all this time, and with the memory of war so fresh in their minds, how can they pretend to be kids again? How can they settle for routine lives when they’ve experienced adventure and magic? One thing’s for sure: they must keep their time in Cyraveil a secret. Nobody can know what happened to them there, because one of the four didn’t come home...

Only the survivors know Blake died back in Cyraveil, and with a missing teenager on the books, two detectives have launched an investigation. Can Matt, Jen, and Carl outsmart the authorities and learn to live as ordinary humans? Or can they somehow find their way back to the world in which they brought peace to an embattled land?

Winner of the 2018 NaNoWriMo Royal Road Challenge—with more than 400,000 views on RR—now available in professionally formatted audio.

©2022 Lily Lashley (P)2022 Podium Audio

One of my favorite stories yet!

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to read about the people returned to Earth after and adventure in another world? Like in Narnia, those who had been kings and queens suddenly thrust back into normal mundane life.... what would that be like?

That is the question Epilogue sets of to answer, in one of the best fantasy dramas I've ever listened to. The rotating first person narratives are handled beautifully, the readers are excellent, and the story itself is like nothing else I've ever read.

Highly, highly recommended, I can't say enough about how much I love this story. I'd love to hear a sequel, though it is excellent as a standalone.

Narnia but with PTSD

This book is exactly what it says on the cover - the epilogue of a story that destroyed three people and killed a fourth. It's well written, with amazing characters, good mystery, and skilled narrators. The conflicts are raw and brutal, and the characters very much feel like they're coming apart at the seams.

Unfortunately, watching three semi-friends be ground down by trauma is a bit too dark for me, and while I appreciate the skill with which I am made to feel depressed, I still don't like feeling depressed. I will have to drop this book half way through.

Despite that, YMMV significantly, so I still heavily recommend this book. It's good work.

Hooks you with the first couple chapters!

Honestly @Etzoli kept me on edge from the very beginning. Characters are patiently built with careful precision. In a way that sways you immediately to any of the mc's sides. You want to fight for Jen to be herself and help through her personality crisis. You want nothing more then for Carl to get his deepest wish even if you don't like the path he's choosing. Matt, well you cant help but to latch on and respect a charismatic, determined young leader that is desperate to keep close all the things he holds dear, regardless of what might come next. You want nothing more then for these kids to have a beatific ending, or maybe something idyllic? I apologize but that isn't the way things are sometimes. @Etzoli has created a story that pushes the typical YA trope to the side bringing forth a heart tugging psychodrama that will leave you feeling stunned. The only negative i can think of is the performance, three separate VA's makes the beginning a little awkward. However, after an hour or so you will get used to it. @Caitlin Kelly is superb, swapping back and forth between characters and accents and even nailing the male voices. Don't waffle about, you will never regret giving this book a read!

Phenomenal

Amazing character work. I loved all three narrators and I think they really brought a lot of charm to each of their characters.

The story doesn't end with happily ever after.

sometime the story doesn't really end after the last written word. This story is about what happened after the heroes save the day and go back home.

the writing is somewhat simple easily fitting into a YA novella, that being said it is well told.

A story to illustrate my issue with this book.

There are three people standing on a cliffs edge and one man hanging off the side. The man calls out for help and the first person says "Oh no he might fall! Someone should really help him up!" but looks to the second person for action. The man calls out again, and the second person says "You should get used to it, this is better for you". One final time the man calls, hoping against all that this final cry will herald a savior. The third person walks up and looks directly into the mans eyes, notes the ground far below, then walks over to the other two and says "If one of you don't pull him up, he's going to fall. And then he will die".

They do nothing.

The man falls. He dies.

The first person weeps and blames the second.

The second blames the man.

The third thinks it was never their problem at all.

Simply Brilliant

It's really wonderful when a great concept is executed flawlessly. I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll just say that if you've ever wondered how the Narnia kids coped with being fling back into normalcy after years "over there" then this is a great book for you.

AMAZING!

Etzoli blew me away with amazing character development, beautiful and well-descriptive world building, and a storyline that pulled me in within the first few minutes of listening. The narrators sounded believable as they spoke as mid-20 somethings stuck in their younger bodies, plus a whole foreign fantasy language to navigate, they made the listening experience easy even when I felt like I was on an emotional rollercoaster. I'm pretty new to the Isekai genre, but I would honestly recommend Epilogue to anyone who's in the market for a great listen.

Realistic fantasy

Amazing and haunting realistic take on old fantasy tropes. It brings the dirty twisted details of real life into a narnia-like plot through nuanced and honest characters.
Warning: heavy themes of trauma and violence

Absolute Masterpiece

This story is Chronicles of Narnia meets Game of thrones but told after the kids are returned home from their magical journey. All should be fine, they are back safe at last. Or are they?

What drew me in to this story was how masterfully Lily used the void to tell an even greater story. Never are there drawn out accounts of what went on. But the story is all that much better for it. This is one of my top 3 books of all time.