Kelvin, a fisherman,lived his whole life in the city of Triopolis, a peaceful place between the mountains and the sea. The people of Triplolis think they are the only civilization on the planet.

Kelvin's first clue that all might not be as he's been taught when he discovers an old book warning about a mysterious figure called Luther who seems to have been carefully erased from the history of Triopolis, but there are others who are aware of these secrets.

Elizabeth, princess of Westville is locked in a loveless and arranged marriage, but is determined to find some way out. Her city, one of the few on the planet, has conquered any other city that has posed a threat.

When fate brings Kelvin and Elizabeth together they realize there's a lot more going on than the elders of either city would have them believe. Before long they are on the run, desperately trying to save themselves and their cities from dark forces in both cities. They have allies and enemies, but telling one from the other is only half the battle...

Beyond the Red Mountains is an epic fantasy novel that avoids the cliches of 'epic' fantasy. While there is certainly a quest,there isn't a darkness threatening all of existence. It seemed that all the characters were well developed having their own reasons for their actions in support of or against the main protagonists.

There are many twists and turns and the story doesn't let itself get too bogged down in long naritive, letting the story unfold natually. Not every decision Kelvin and Elizabeth make is the right one, but it is always made with the best intentions. Even the secondary characters were well developed and believable.

The romantic connection between Kelvin and Elizabeth is not overplayed and unfolds very naturally and is not overstated. The prose is this story is very simple, aimed at a young adult audience, although some of the themes and scenes would seem to contradict this. As an introduction to lengthy fantasy tales this works very well though. The ending is a real cliff hanger and definitely makes me want to read the sequel.

I won a copy of this book and would certainly recommend it to anyone who wanted to tackle a an epic fantasy novel with a twist.

Jack Murphy ( )

A book that combines both adventure and fantasy by creating a story about men and women, who are living in a time after the downfall of modern technology. Humankind has rebuilt itself by the gifts of two groups, which control the behavior of the remaining population. Gods are believed to have walked among humans in the past and to have created a massive kingdom. Outside the kingdom is a world of chaos and destruction. Citizens are taught that the land is filled with savage beasts that live off of lost humans and other smaller animals. It is better to stay in the controlled environment of the kingdom than to be killed. Little do the people know that the outside world is not as savage as they believe? Instead it is a place that has other communities and another kingdom. It is a place where wild creatures roam, but have also been tamed to a degree. Gods are not gods and people are not whom they seem. There is drama amongst the royalty and deceit amongst the ton. The very foundation of the kingdom is false and a small trickle of truth is starting leak into the eyes of the people.

This was a wonderful book to explore. Although it took me a while to read it, I have to say that it was due to personal issues and not in any way related to the story. I absolutely loved the story line and thought it was well written. I enjoyed how the author had the concept of restarting civilization after a great disaster. It would be interesting to see how society would recreate itself and to see how people would redefine what a god figure would be. I found it interesting how people recreated faith and learned that it is the simple truth of things that set people free. I found the characters enjoyable and also liked the twist in sexual identity that was given to one of the characters. I thought this was really different and also realistic. I also liked how the author showed the difficulty that this brought into a marriage and a friendship. However, the author demonstrated how people can come together to reconcile their differences. Overall this book was very good and I highly recommend it. I must thank the author for the book and Goodreads, since this book was won in a giveaway. It has been a nice distraction while I have been in the process of going through an unwanted, but necessary divorce. ( )