A READER'S GUIDE TO CHAOS

Artwork for A Chaos Of Souls Series by R.M. Garino

THE CHAOS OF SOULS SERIES

where monsters, magic & mayhem come to life

E'ine ( Eee - eyen ) : They are the parents of the Lethen'al. These guys were fractured into millions of fragments, called si'ru, during the mass exodus through Heaven's gateway. Their punishment; to be reformed into humanoids that are immortal, but will never be entirely their true selves because of the shattering of their si'ru. They can die from wounds or sickness, but not old age, and their aging process is agonizingly slow. They've retained some of their magical abilities, but because they are put together with random si'ru, their skills pale in comparison to their children, the Lethen'al. They do not retain knowledge from before The Fracturing. Think of them as the first Settlers in a new world, whereas the Lethen'al are more like the Pioneers who venture further afield.

Lethen'al ( Leth - en - all ) : Born from the E'ine (in the natural way in which mammals are born); they are more whole than the E'ine. Si'ru are naturally drawn to a pregnant Lethen'al. A Lethen'al can also die from wounds or sickness if there are no Magi around, but they do eventually die from age. They typically live for two thousand years. Because the Lethen'al are more whole beings, they are typically stronger and more adept with telepathy and magic than the E'ine.

Aesari ( Ah - sar - ree) : What the E'ine were before the exodus. Akin to angels, these beings resided in Heaven until something made them flee. They are full of magical might.

Lo'ademn ( Low - ad - dem ) : They are Aesari that had permission to pass through Heaven's gateway to hunt their wayward brethren. They were not torn asunder and retain their magical abilities and knowledge. They cannot exist on the physical plane without a physical vessel, however, so they take over and possess whatever poor body they find to occupy. They can be killed and shattered into si'ru should these physical forms be destroyed, although few figure out how to pull that off. Because of the order to hunt their brethren, and because of how long the Lethen'al evaded them, these Aesari have turned hateful and cruel in their wait. The E'ine and Lethen'al call them the Lo'ademn to differentiate between what they once were and the monsters that they now are.

Si'ru ( See - roo ) : When an E'ine or Lethen'al dies, their souls evaporate into tiny pieces of animated light that float around until a new Lethen'al is conceived. They attach themselves to the baby's sin'del until they form a full Lethen'al. A pregnant Lethen'al has hundreds of tiny lights around her by the end of her pregnancy. Talk about a pregnancy glow!

Sin'del ( Sin - dell ) : The visible life force of a Lethen'al or E'ine. Akin to an aura, their souls are so great that they extend outward from their physical form and surround them. They are pieces of Aesari, after all. A skilled Lethen'al can manipulate their sin'del to heal, perform magic, grow plants, and so on. Sin’del’s are a prominent part of the story, as it also shows the colorful emotions the characters might be feeling at any given time.

We got your back with insider information. Six little terms will get you ahead of the game.

Is it necessary for you to know them before you begin the series? Nah, because you would naturally understand as you read along like with any new fantasy book.

But this is a guide, and it's here for fun and ease.

let's begin with 6 basic terms for the series:

FYI

There is a glossary at the end of each book.

the series in a nutshell:

CHAOS

Why we call it the chaos of souls series: Why we call it the Chaos of Souls series: When the Aesari fled Heaven, they were fragmented into millions of tiny soul fragments called si'ru. They reformed into physical matter, but they were shuffled across a vast area and reformed with the si'ru in their vicinity, which weren't necessarily their own. They are a puzzle put together with the wrong pieces, and they may never be whole again. Hence, they are a chaos of souls.

character-driven: The arch of the story is defined by the emotions, thoughts and actions of the characters, not a ton of narration by me.

Action-packed: We like a good fight! Battles and duels abound in this series, but be warned, it can get dark and bloody at times. We've had readers say they could feel the pain like it was happening to them.

humor and banter: We also like to laugh, and so do these characters. They'll make you feel like you're part of the inside joke. Humor is laced throughout the series, sometimes inappropriately.

Nerdy magic: One form of our unique magic involves sin'del's (auras). Crystals feature as a form of communication and knowledge. There are many magical devices that will get you excited. Our main character Angus likes to geek out with magical theories and procedures. We balance out his beefy shoulders with an even beefier brain.

monsters & creatures: What fantasy would be complete without some cool beasties to fight and enchanting creatures to discover? We deliver on the monsters, magic, and mayhem.

Dynamic characters: Most of the narration is told through the characters' points of view, so you get the vantage of how they're feeling and what they're thinking. We've created well-rounded characters that you'll root for, love and love to hate.

Epic in scope: In this fantasy story there are immediate trials and tribulations, and then we have more overarching goals and storylines that might not be so obvious at first glance. Part of the world features are gates, portals, temples, magic, and monsters. We have six Houses that the characters are divided into which fuels some political intrigue and power struggles.

Sweet Romance: Some readers have called this a slow-burn romance. Sorry to disappoint if you're looking for something steamy. Nothing will throb here but your heart.

tropes: There are several tropes throughout this epic fantasy story, including, but not limited to: Friends to Family, Coming of Age, The Chosen One, The Dark Lord, Good vs Evil, Fated Love, The Mentor, Ancient Settings, All-Powerful Artifacts, Prophecy, An Inheritance / Hidden Truth, Training Sequences, and Conspiracy.

CRACK!

OOF!

BAM!

What is this book like?

This book brings you into the world during the Apostate's War, and before the creation of The Gates. It tells of the desperate lengths the E'ine (parents of the Lethen'al) go to in order to keep their race alive.

Our main character, Malachite, is the brains behind the operation. He comes up with an equation that he thinks will open a portal to enable their escape and secure their safety. They assemble an expedition, and the adventure begins ...

This one is dark, with all the bloody grit of birth and survival.

It's shorter than the others in the series, coming in at around 200 pages.

The prequel

Book Blurb:

The demons are hunting and the city of angels is under siege.

Malachite believes he has found the location of the fabled lost city of Raqui. It exists only as shards of mythology, relegated to mad ravings in obscure texts. But he believes this is the safe haven his people seek.

He recruits a small company for the expedition, but death hides amongst their numbers. Now, they must survive the fall of their homeland and destroy the Lo’ademn, to align the two realms and open the Gates of Golorath.

Inspiration behind this book:

This was written with the need to understand the second book in order for me to get in the head space of the E’ine (the parents of the Lethen’al). It evolved into its own story and it helped me to understand how The Gates of Golorath formed.

Random ramblings:

Many of the characters from this book will make appearances in the rest of the series. Some have a very prominent role once you get into the third book. So don't worry about getting invested and never hearing about them again ... cause they'll be baaack.

book one

What is this book like?

Meet Angus and Arielle, the True Souls introduced at the end of Requiem's Reach.

Join them and their misfit squads as they trip over their own feet to defy tradition and incur the wrath of the Blademasters.

The first chapter starts you in the present day, telling the tale of the Elder. He is connected to a powerful temple which he uses to help fuel the story.

This book is a beefcake at almost 600 pages and it's driven by the characters; we let them tell their story. That means we'd rather show you what's going on through actions and dialogue, rather than making you slough through a ton of narrative.

You’ll have fun in book one and you'll be able to fall into the world seamlessly. We have Houses, but they’re modeled after the Noble Houses of feudal Europe, and not a school House like Harry Potter. The Gates of Golorath has overarching storylines that span further than this first book, which, to me, is what makes it an epic fantasy.

Inspiration behind this book:

This book has been in the making for decades. I believe I was a preteen when the first ideas began blooming for this story. It has morphed quite a bit since then and even more, once I met my wife, Dorothy. The inspiration for the two main characters is from our role playing days.

Yes, we’re proud GEEKS! We made those characters and wanted them to live another life outside of the game play, so we incorporated them into the fantasy book.

It changed the storyline that I had been writing since I was ten, then we added the angelic elements and all the other fantasy goodies.

Inspiration behind this book:

I wanted to write about our ideal group of friends and show how they can become family. This group, who start off as rivals, grows into a tight-knit family unit. We think that’s a beautiful thing, and we wanted to show these relationships. They are, after all, the heart of the story.

What is this book like?

The path between prophecy and free will is narrow and full of thorns.

Arielle and Angus walk the forbidden roads that lead to secrets hidden for millennia. Finding the truth is difficult, but surviving long enough to reveal them is harder still.

We introduce a brand new dangerous dimension, and it picks up only minutes after the end of The Gates of Golorath. This time, though, you know the language, the world, and the characters. It's like you’re settling in to catch up with old friends.

What you learn here enriches the first book and the prequel tremendously. This book deepens all the plot lines and characters. One of the things we're noticing is that the book reviews all reference how much the readers love the characters, and refer to them by name; we can never get enough of that!

While still a fun and humorous read, there are some dark points and the characters experience growth and begin to come into their own.

book two

What is this book like?

A celebration turns into a struggle for dominion.

The secrets discovered in the wynds reveals plans hidden millennia ago, along with a weapon of mass destruction that could be the end of their existence. The Soul Chamber is activated and it's claiming lives.

This sucker once again, starts off where the last one ended. It's filled with turning points and big events.

We reintroduce you to the rest of the E'ine from the prequel and you begin to see how they fit into Angus and Arielle's storyline.

Book three is filled with intrigue, danger and has a doozy of an ending.

Inspiration behind this book:

This book made me realize there was a more sinister plot afoot. The villains were closer than I thought and the history these characters were taught didn't tell the whole truth. I ran with the idea and the Pride being the miscreants that they are, rushed to face it head on.

book three

I'll let you in on a bit of backstory here.

In July 2016, I was doing some hardcore gardening. More like ground clearing, or brush cutting. We live on a mountain and using a weed whacker on a more than 20 degree slope is not easy. It actually wound up giving me a heart attack. I had a stint put in and eventually had to have a quadruple bypass. It took me over two years to recover, but within that time my wife had an idea that made my soul happy; tick off a major bucket list wish and publish my book. I figured why the hell not. After all, I almost died. And so we proceeded with the adventure of publishing a book I started working on when I was ten years old.

High on life and the idea of sharing my world with others (never mind not having any idea of how to properly go about the process), we published The Gates of Golorath. With the cover a Shutterstock special and no professional edit in sight, we still had a really good response from readers. They were able to see past the errors and saw it for its potential; I will forever be grateful for that.

So with more research and development, we began to see where we could polish and began our journey of improvement. We commissioned professional covers by our fantastic cover artist Mirella Santana and were able to get a professional edit. The cost of editing for a book the size of Gates brings a salty tear to my eye. After that major edit, we realized that we still had a lot more work to do. Our editor at the time was sucked into the story and told us that she thought about the characters for weeks afterwards, so we once again had confirmation that this story had serious potential. We did not, however, have a serious budget, but we continued to put out book two (at that point it was Angels of Perdition).

While writing that book, I reached a point where I just couldn't go any further, so I decided to go backward. I went deep into the past and wound up writing what is now the prequel, Requiem's Reach. Once I was able to understand certain characters and the workings of the world, I was able to complete Angels. We had a pretty good reader base at this point and they wanted to know more about our character Logan, who made his appearance in book two. We were thrilled and began to write his story, The Gate of Fang and Thorn.

At his point we decided to make Requiem's Reach and Fang and Thorn a separate novella series based in the same world. That didn't go as well as the main series, but we rode it out for two years.

Then 2020 happened.

I was blessedly able to work from home and without my hour and a half commute both ways, I found myself with both time and energy to sink into my universe.

Present Day: we've reworked the novella series into the main series, made a free short story, and had all of the books professionally edited with professional covers and artwork. Now that the series has been reworked and polished, you can expect me to put out a book a year.

2020 offered me an opportunity to get the series redone and so no new content was put out. These big books take time, which was the initial rationalization to put out the smaller novella series, but I'm working on being able to put out larger content faster. Maybe soon it will be two books a year, but only if I can make it the same quality.

We will always work hard on Chaos of Souls. We hope that our labor of love stays in your hearts and that you continue to reach for the next in series.

Thank you for learning more about us! Now go do some work ... hahaha ok, ok, if that butt groove in your couch isn't letting you go so easy, consider falling into Chaos.