Racism is, unfortunately, more consistent than people, a safety net for the stupid

Overview

Pages – 300pages

Author – William Stalkos

Genre – Fantasy

Untold deception by William Stalkos though a fantasy novel is a story of preserverance, one that provides an in-depth look into racial divide and segregation and a teenage boy’s fight to survive through the trauma and injustice life and society throws at him. Will his sense of justice and morality be enough to see him through the challenges that lie ahead?

Summary

After the great war an alliance was formed between Humans,Caltrons and Cyclops with the Tranvesus joining them later on as they formed a new country called Faslow leaving the rival races such as the Felis and Minyades as slaves even after the great war had ended. Salan Alkacheta is considered an abomination among his people because of his forbidden biracial background as a Felix/human but he also possesses rare powers as an Abundan.

Salan goes through discrimination everywhere he goes especially in school, it doesn’t help matters that he doesn’t know who exactly his father actually is. this is made a bit easier by Mr Finch who he considers a father figure and later on a fellow abomination called Seraculus who becomes his only friend in school.

As an abomination his mother is subjected to harsh punishments including having to pay twice the normal rent and this causes Salan to take action- this action of his will later change the entire direction of his life as his mother is killed as a direct consequence of this action.

Suffering from the loss of his mother Salan isn’t given much time to mourn as he’s forced to go on the run to avoid been caught by the same people that killed his mother and in the process loses a hand and an eye.But things only gets worse as he’s kidnapped to the Mucilber lab facility and forced to go into strict training with fellow abundans so as to become a strong soldier.

This experience is more of a nightmare as he and the others are subjected to terrible conditions and treatments by the Leader with no care for their welfare. During this time he cultivates friendship with a group of fellow abundans/abominations who’ve also been abandoned and treated unfairly at some point in their life.

His friendship with Cassiella soon develops into a relationship and soon they hatch a two-year wait escape plan with the help of the doctor but this proves to be another fatal mistake as once again this action of his costs him the life of his friends and the love of his life Cassiella.

Overcome by grief he begins his journey into the real world after being the lone survivor apart from the from from the facility. As is expected Salan is overcome by guilt for all the deaths around him and begins to see himself as a “black cat” who curses anyone that crosses his path. On his journey fate smiles on him and he meets a Bastil(a feared creature) who becomes his companion.

He’s soon captured again by the minyades and this time it just might be for good. The revelation of who his father really is shakes his very core and only serves to increase the flame of hatred for those who caused his mother’s death earlier on.

Despite all this his morality and deep sense of justice shines through and he becomes in every sense of the word ‘a hero’ as he helps prevent another war while bridging racial and economical gaps between each and every race and introducing a system of change in his society. His sense of commitment is commendable as he sets outs to complete the vision he once had with Cassiella to “make sure no other person goes through what they all had faced”.

Cons and pros

Cons

• Personally,it was difficult for me to keep up with the different names of the characters especially those species of those who were “abominations”.
• Content warning for those who are especially sensitive to issues of racism, murder, alcoholism, torture and slavery.
• The book isn’t well edited and one can come across minimal errors in punctuations while reading but in no way does it affect the overall readability of the book.

Pros

• This novel though a fantasy is a sort of reflection of the racial divide also experienced by people who the society today consider as “different” or as minorities.This book is sure to provoke thoughts in the readers that would call for self-evaluation.
• There was an equal mix of not just fantasy but romance and comedy as well all in good measure while maintaining the main plot.
• I loved how the author managed to intertwine and develop each and every one of the characters in this book though they all have their own distinct personalities. While also developing Salan’s character,it’s like reading your main character mature through each of the experiences in the book.
• The author perfectly described each issue that was raised in this book and was able to sustain the momentum of the book from the very first page to the last one with me at the edge of my seat wanting to know what happened next and I wasn’t in any way disappointed and I’m sure you won’t be too.
• The incorporation of quotes at the beginning of each chapter was literally the icing on the cake for me as it helped bring more perspective to the respective chapters.

Quotable quotes

• Never be afraid of what you are, but do be concerned about what you might become.
• Don’t become the monster they
  want you to be.
• Emotions are like a cold; they’re contagious and affect everyone around you.
• Hate brings on more hate, happiness brings on more happiness.
• Let me tell you something, being normal is an easy life. It’s a happier life, but it’s also a life without fulfillment.
• Those picking on you will make you a stronger person in the future.
• Blind faith in your country or
  religion will get you killed.
• Learning to read people is more important than learning to read any academic textbook.
• It is easy to be cruel, but it takes effort to be kind.
• Your brain will always get you out of a tough situation, and your heart will guide you through the morality of a situation.
• Racism is, unfortunately, more consistent than people, a safety net for the stupid.
• For when their world falls apart, people show their true colors.

Conclusion

I highly recommend this book to any and every fan of fantasy books, even if you aren’t a fan of fantasy novels this one is certainly going to make you change your mind. This is one book the reader can visually interpret,and it’s also one that remains engraved in the minds of the readers.

Stars; ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)

About the author;

I am a 23-year-old self-published writer with aspirations to continue Untold Deception. I hope to improve my online presence and become a full-time novel writer. For every purchase of my novel $1.00 goes to #TeamTrees.