Shaygan Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

This is the second book I have read from this author, and I love the worlds that he is trying to create. Unfortunately, this book really needs some proof-reading and editing. There were a lot of misused words, disjointed scenes that switched POV's rapidly and without warning, and a lack of creativity when describing characters. Also, I would like to kindly and constructively point out to the author that there are other words to describe a character saying something loudly or excitedly besides "shout." I actually got so tired of the characters "shouting" all the time that I almost put down the book and didn't finish. Try words like "exclaimed," "declared," or "stated." Also, after reading the entire book, I still don't have a clear picture of what any of the characters look like other than vague descriptions of hair color like "brown," "red," and "blond." I don't know what color most of their eyes are, how tall they are, what age any of the characters are, if they are muscular, wiry, or chubby, etc. The words "stout" and "voluptuous" were used a couple of times but that was pretty much it. If your readers are unable to form a clear mental picture of your characters, there is little chance they will like the book and it definitely won't be memorable to most.One last note: using words that are very similar to words used in the Lord of the Rings books is distracting from the original world created in this book. So, Gondar (Gondor) and Palantir (direct steal on that one) need to be changed to something less recognizable.

Shaygan by Joshua Dyer is the story of Allek, a headstrong young warrior, and the quest he shares with an older mage, Layol, to find a cure for a terrible virus that has affected both their lives. This soon becomes a quest to save the entire world--or worlds.In Shaygan, Dyer presents what appears to be the fruit of extensive world-building. Not one, but two worlds fill his pages, worlds that may truly be called fantastical. Here magic and science, such as they are defined in this book, are equally present and valid. This poses the question for the reader, then, of what genre Shaygan belongs to. It is not science-fiction; it is not conventional magic-and-medieval fantasy; it is both and neither.What Shaygan truly is, in the opinion of this reviewer, is a fantastical thriller. If the reader goes in expecting a conventional epic fantasy, he or she is likely to be disappointed--despite its length, Shaygan does not have the same scope or depth as The Lord of the Rings or A Song of Ice and Fire, and it does not present itself as trying to break new ground in character-building or the portrayal of relationships. What it does aim to do, however, and does fairly well, is to tell an adventure story in a world that we cannot at all call familiar, and on these grounds it succeeds.Perhaps the chief criticism that I would level at Shaygan is that it was simultaneously both a touch too long and far too short. As a "fantastical thriller," it dragged in a few places that could have been removed or shortened without affecting the story. As the story, however, that took care to let you know who its major characters were, it did not spend as much time as it might on the arc of the major characters: several stages of Allek's journey from beginning to end of the book pass quickly, sidelined in favour of the action. The complaint here might be that Dyer has attempted, from the start of Shaygan to its end, to both tell a moving story and to keep the pace of his thriller moving.Provided that the reader enters into the book expecting a fantastical thriller, he or she will not be disappointed. Shaygan does not make it hard for the reader to press on from page to page or chapter to chapter, and Dyer's world does not fail to be an otherworldly fantasy.THREE STARS

A sci-fi mix of Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and a touch of Star Gate. A very easy to read book that keeps one turning the pages to see what is happening next.