Epilogue

A Novel

By: Lily Lashley, Etzoli

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

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

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.

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.

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.