The Road Of Silk: A Fantasy Novel

By Barbara Dysonwilliams

The Road of Silk is a fantasy novel that chronicles the adventures of Queen Yasamin of Gwendomere. The young queen is forced to marry King Amir, who threatens her weak yet peaceful kingdom. In... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0974764469
• ISBN13: 9780974764467
• Release Date: January 2005
• Publisher: Synergy Books
• Length: 332 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 1.3" x 6.5"

Customer Reviews

The Road of Silk

Yasamin is the beloved queen of Gwendomere. After the death of her mother, young Yasamin took over the throne with a will to protect her people no matter what sacrifices she needed to make. She is even willing give up her throne to become second wife to King Amir of Dragonval to assure that Amir wouldn't attack Gwendomere or kill her people. Stubbornly in her desire to save her people, Yasamin set off to Dragonval guarded by Goliagoth, a stoic solider steadfastly focused upon his duty to the king. Yasamin's only other companions were a loyal old woman, a renegade child, and a mysterious prisoner. Unbeknownst to this assemblage, however, destiny also wanted a say about the future of each of these individuals. The Road of Silk is fantasy filled with adventure, magic, and hidden mysteries. Very early in the book, the reader is introduced to the concept of the road of silk, just enough to pique interest and make the reader wonder how the Yasamin will learn more about the forces behind this phenomena and how she will make use of this knowledge. Immediately, the reader starts developing theories. Nonetheless, these theories are thwarted by a series of well planned, creative twists and turns that take the reader to an unimaginable end.

More of an Eastern than European feel

This fantasy story is about Queen Yasamin of Gwendomere, who agrees to marry King Amir of Dragonval in order to save her kingdom. She is to become Second Wife to Amir, because Medusimia, Queen and First Wife, has yet to produce an heir. Medusimia is irate at this "competition," so she conspires with Vulmire, a man-beast who lives in a deep cave, to make sure that Yasamin has an "accident." A freak storm sinks the three-ship convoy taking Yasamin to Dragonval, killing everyone except her, Arash, a prince from another kingdom, and Goliagoth, the head of the military escort from Dragonval. After several weeks without rescue (the sailing route was known, so they shouldn't have been that hard to find), the three start walking. During a battle with skeleton warriors, Yasamin meets Mosesra, a man who totally changes her outlook on life. He tells her that a major battle between good and evil is coming, and she is the focus. Many demons are waiting for her in Dragonval, so she needs to watch her back at all times. She makes it to the castle, and marries Amir. Medusimia is able to convince Amir that she was unfaithful, many times, with Arash and Goliagoth, and Yasamin is thrown in prison. Amir may be King of Dragonval, but he is not the person in charge. Many years earlier, Serpata, who is Yasamin's grandfather, made a deal with the devil for power. Now, he is kept in chains in a darkened dungeon cell, but Serpata still has plenty of power. The three escape the castle, but Yasamin goes back, in an attempt to turn Amir away from the "dark side." This one is very good. It has more of an Eastern than European feel, the characters are well done, and the authors have left room for a sequel. This is well worth the reader's time.

"...an adventure fantasy, with mystical & magical elements."

"The Road of Silk is an adventure fantasy, with mystical and magical elements and a high energy feel to it that any reader will enjoy. Although this novel is written for an adult audience, I believe anyone over the age of 10 could easily become immersed in its pages. This is a co-written work between Matt Afsahi and Barbara Dysonwilliams, who have written many of their own books in the past. In The Road of Silk, they successfully combined their wide range of knowledge in journalism, art, archaeology, literature and languages into a wonderful piece of work. Six main characters play important parts in this battle of good against evil - where there is little hope of survival. Running is not an option, as it would only result in a gruesome war. Queen Yasmin, a stunningly beautiful young woman, is more than willing to sacrifice herself and marry an evil King whom she cannot love for something bigger than herself - the safety of her people. For her, war is a tragedy to be avoided at all costs, even if it means sacrificing love and happiness. Queen Yasmin finds love where she did not expect it, and learns hidden family secrets that alter her future forever. She discovers a great power within herself and the journey helps her to find the strength and confidence that will help her rule justly and wisely. Along the way a deep friendship develops between unlikely characters that breaks through belief systems and ingrained feelings of duty. Forced to make choices in challenging situations helps the six main characters grow into better (or sometimes worse) people. They all end up facing their greatest fears and their choices will determine their fate. The Road of Silk was definitely an entertaining read. It had a smooth story line with interesting characters and had a sense of fun and energy to it throughout. I felt the authors were trying to tell readers that friendship and honor will seek us out when we live consciously. Living is about choices, after all - and few of the choices are easy." (...)