EYES ON THE SUNSWORN UNIVERSE
For centuries, the Astral Union knew peace. The denizens of the galaxy enjoyed harmony under the protection of the elite Astral Templars and the watchful eyes of the mystical Disciples of Uul. Then the Violet Circle Came. The story is told in Sunsworn.
Sunsworn: Edge of Annihilation is a full-length novel that will introduce you to a universe full of compelling characters, rich settings, thrilling situations, and genuine escapist entertainment. Sunsworn: Wings of Vengeance is a supplemental story that takes place after Edge of Annihilation.
There’s action, intrigue, and developing characters you will get to know, as well as memorable villains and endless dangers lurking to challenge our heroes. Anyone who likes epic space fantasy adventures in an ever-evolving universe will enjoy Sunsworn.
THE CREATIVE TEAM
The novel “Sunsworn: Edge of Annihilation” is created and written by Steve Lee with cover art by Vinnie Tartamella (City of Venus, Through the Woods, Shadow of the Kraken) and Steve Lee, edited by Belle Manuel.
The graphic novel “Sunsworn: Wings of Vengeance” is created and written by Steve Lee. Interior art by Nyriam (Bonds), colored by Mika Fusco (Barbusco Studios), and lettered by Red Haze with cover art by Nyriam (main) and Vinnie Tartamella (variant). Starship Design by Lahkem Amiyr. Art Prints and Trading card art by Carla Tornielli (Grim Reaper, Witch Hunter), Nyriam, and Vinnie Tartamella.
THE BOOKS
Sunsworn: Edge of Annihilation is the first installment in this epic science fantasy story, packed with wondrous settings and characters you’ll love or love to hate. The story is told over 535 pages plus 8 pages of the first chapter of the next novel and 5 pages with the backers list The book was published by Red Gaze Studios and Steve Lee in 2017.
Sunsworn: Wings of Vengeance is a 70+ full-color page graphic novel including a credits page, an intro page, 58 pages of story, 9 pages of characters’ bio, and a page with the backers’ list titled Honorary Templars. The graphic novel was published by Blood Bond Books in 2020.
THE STORIES
SUNSWORN: Edge of Annihilation
The peaceful existence of the Astral Union comes to an abrupt end, as a forgotten foe emerges to lay claim to the galaxy. Centuries after the Titan War, the galaxy enjoys relative peace under the rule of the Astral Union. Its citizens want for nothing and the defense force, led by the famed Astral Templars, is more than a match for the few rogue elements that trouble them.
The Disciples of Uul, a pacifistic sect of crystal-wielding mystics- having vowed to never again use their uncanny abilities for bloodshed- keep watch from afar and record galactic happenings. They have a policy of nonintervention similar to the Starfleet Prime Directive. Working in conjunction with the Union and its Templars, the Uul’thar play an integral part in maintaining order. Harmony never lasts, though. Peace is an illusion. Something stirs from beyond the border, and within.
Draken Vyce, a former student of the Uul, and nearly his equal in power returned to take his vengeance. The Circle’s overlord brought the full might of the empire he built over five hundred years down upon his estranged home galaxy. Vyce struck hard. Planets were broken. Millions died. The Astral Union nearly fell. In the end, it was the heroes of the union and the grace of some unexpected allies that won the day and saved what was left.
SUNSWORN: Wings of Vengeance
Following their war with the Violet Circle, the Astral Union rebuilds under fresh leadership, the war was won at a hefty price. However, for some, the fight has only begun.
But, for some, the war is not over. A few Draken Vyce loyalists remain within the Astral Union, hellbent on vanquishing their overlord’s enemies. In a distant world, the Villainous K’Var plots vengeance in the name of his defeated master.
When the Union’s heroes discover a surviving ally in dire peril, they rush to her aid. Aztur Sunsworn and his companions venture to a remote resource world occupied by the Violet Circle extremist, an invading force that threatened the Astral Union in Edge of Annihilation. Here, they will face the sinister K’Var and his savage Drakhor minions as they attempt to retake the planet and rescue one of the last remaining Disciples of Uul, the Uul’thar. Are our battle-weary heroes prepared to face the threat that awaits them?
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
SUNSWORN: Edge of Annihilation
There is a lot happening in Edge of Annihilation. A very detailed World- and character-building. There are characters that I liked right away and wanted to keep reading about. But everyone gets a fair shot so sometimes I had to go through stuff that for me was not interesting but it’s obviously relevant to keep the story going.
Family, brotherhood, and loyalty I think are central themes in the story. We meet many characters but the ones that stood out to me were:
- Templar Aztur. He is mysterious and a quick thinker.
- Pilot Ginny. She likes to get things done, her quirkiness is very endearing.
- Servant Yuri. She is a great fighter and is loyal to her master. She seems to know more than she lets on.
- Princess Hraula. She wants to maintain peace but is not naïve. She understands that sometimes alliances are needed to get things done. Her interactions with Lord Vorath were interesting.
- Lord Vorath. He is intriguing as the bad guy but is he the villain or antihero? Because there seems to be another bigger treat.
By the end of the novel, we get a glimpse into the first chapter of the next full-length novel “March of the Dominion”. In that chapter, an invasion is just starting, and the invader says the following: Look at them. Fear is our most valuable weapon. Fear will destroy them. Then you will conquer them with your blade!”
As I read these words It’s very difficult not to think about how these words from a book published in 2017 resonate so well with what we experienced recently with the pandemic. Fear was used as a tool to divide us, blame each other, and separate us as a society. Feel free to skip this part and go to the first impressions of Wings of Vengeance. I apologize in advance but here comes my rant:
“People are still fighting to keep it together but the unchangeable consequences of what was done to the world remain for the records: kids are behind in their studies, people are less sympathetic to each other, the chronically ill that needed dialysis could not get the treatment they needed, those that had operations couldn’t be with their family members during such a stressful and difficult time, those that were trying to figure out what was happening by simply thinking critically were censored, etc., etc.
Most importantly the powers that be made it clear that they have control over finances, food, culture, and what is acceptable as the main narrative:
- The freezing of all financial assets was associated with the Canadian truckers’ protest at the beginning of this year.
- The closure of small businesses while the big guys (Amazon, McDonald’s, KFC, etc.) remained open.
- The complete neglect of the importance of natural immunity.
- The censorship of the origins of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, and the mention of its popular name on social media lead to people calling it the Beer Bug, Rona or Coef, etc, etc.
Not to forget the manipulation of information by the mainstream media: the case of Ivermectin, a Nobel prize-honored multi-faceted drug for human use that was purposely labeled as “horse dewormer” to devalue its worth making it seem like it’s only an animal medicine which was a lie. You don’t see them calling Penicillin “cow medicine” Do you? There is a human version and an animal version of each but no mainstream news anchor wanted to clarify that.” End of rant.
The moral of the story is that there will always be those who want to take what’s yours. Always be on alert, overcome fear with courage, study your opponent, gather information, stay sane, and make a plan. A very difficult but not impossible task to accomplish.
I found the experience of reading the novel very therapeutic. I like how Edge of Annihilation was printed and the choice of line spacing. Had no issues reading it at night.
SUNSWORN: Wings of Vengeance
In Wings of Vengeance, we follow our heroes as they travel through the galaxy looking for a surviving ally. This story is shorter than the novel, but it shows you how the characters look through the eyes of their creators. Some very similar, others very different from what I imagined reading Edge of Annihilation. The interior art of the graphic novel looks good with such vibrant colors.
EXPERIENCE WITH THE CROWDFUNDING PROJECT
When I finally decided to back this crowdfunding campaign, I chose the “Nyriam Main cover” tier which consisted of the Sunsworn: Wing of Vengeance Nyriam Cover, a NyRiam 6″x9″ Art Print, and a Vinnie 6″x9″ Art Print. And the Novel- War-Torn Reader Copy tie included a reader’s copy of the full-length novel. In addition to these, I also got 3 trading cards with character illustrations of Aztur, Tryp, and Hraula, a sticker, and a flyer. I found the campaign through Nyriam’s Bonds Vol.1 campaign which has the same publisher and the same packaging & shipping handler.
The project manager provided timely updates. This is an important task for campaign organizers and project managers to perform. The backers should be informed of the progress no matter how small and not left in the dark. A tracking number was provided, and everything arrived well. The packaging style is similar to Nyriam’s campaign. It looks great.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Sunsworn is a rich Space Fantasy Adventure full of action, drama, and suspense. Discover a new universe with interesting and intriguing characters. You‘ll go from finding hope, to losing it and gaining it again.
The quality of the printed books is good. It was a very good idea to establish the world and characters in a full-novel novel format first and give us a continuation in graphic novel format with the supplemental book. It’s a different approach than turning the full-length novel into a graphic novel and publishing it in installments.
Overall, I had a great time reading the story, it was more than I expected and a very welcomed distraction. It delivered new a universe full of compelling characters, rich settings, thrilling situations, and genuine escapism.
As of date, the crowdfunding campaign of Wings of Vengeance is “Closed” on Indiegogo. I’m not sure if there is an online store where you can find the books for sale but hopefully, they will be available in the next campaign for “Sunsworn: March of the Dominion”.
Interested in more titles? Check GRAPHIC NOVELS under the “EYES ON” series wherein I documented my experience with crowdfunding entertainment and shared my notes on the products I received.
My notes are all set. Let me know what you think.
See you on the next page!
