The Chronicles of Ashinar

The Chronicles of Ashinar (Ashinari kroonikad) is an Estonian fantasy novel by Veiko Belials (and the very first of its kind). It follows the life and adventures of four generations of Ashinar's royal family. It is very fast-paced and extremely Troperrific.

The first part, "King Gorm", deals with the king of the same name, who returns from his travels after ten years. His kingdom is in danger of being usurped; if this is not enough, the Cynocephali barricaded behind the mountains may break through any time. Gorm, Urff the chieftain of midgets, and swordmaster Sir Orwick go to fight them. Gorm also has time to fall in love and marry Herret, Sir Orwick's best student.

The second part, "Asper, the prince of Ashinar", deals with the eponymous son of Gorm and Herret. He has to hold back another invasion. This time the attackers are barbarians from the south. In the progress he slays some dragons, wins the love of Daliran, a deposed princess of an alien land, and vanquishes Vanga, the witch who did the deposing.

The third part, "The Three Kings", is about the twin grandsons of Asper and Daliran. The elder, Marten, grew up in Los Angeles of our world, since Vanga was usurping the throne and sent the newborn prince somewhere far away. She wasn't aware of the birth of the younger prince, Ilvet, who grew up to become a Robin Hood-like hero. Ilvet is somewhat sceptical of his brother, calling him a killer, but they and their cousin Fridmar win a battle anyway.

The fourth part, "The White Knight", is still about Marten, who atones his crime by pursuing Amarhan, the son of Vanga and a demon Oberoth through several worlds and situations. He eventually becomes a White Knight who fights Darkness everywhere it can be found.


 * Arranged Marriage: Ethel, Asper's sister, and Waldegar, king of Uridor. Apparently it worked.
 * Avenging the Villain: Amarhan
 * Balance Between Good and Evil: The reason why.
 * Because I'm Good At It: Marten's reason for being who he is
 * Black Dude Dies First: Averted. Raggaba is alive and well when he leaves the story
 * Cool Sword The Twins, wielded by Sir Orwick, Herret, and eventually Fridmar. Even more Escelgun, wielded by Gorm, Asper and Marten.
 * Death by Childbirth: Alaia, Marten and Ilvet's mother. May have had a touch of Death by Despair
 * Evil Sorceress: Vanga
 * Fearful Symmetry: The Knights of Darkness employ this
 * Femme Fatale: Vanga, pretty much
 * Green Eyed Red Head: Herret
 * Happily Married Gorm and Herret
 * Hot Amazon: Herret has traits of this
 * Lady Land: Trent under Vanga's rule
 * Last of His Kind: Kaal, the Last Gnome
 * Last Stand Several times, some of them are interrupted.
 * Living on Borrowed Time: Sir Orwick
 * Love At First Sight: Gorm and Herret.
 * Love Will Lead You Back: Daliran and Asper
 * No Guy Wants an Amazon: Gorm and Herret would like to disagree
 * Perfectly Arranged Marriage: Ethel and Waldegar
 * Rescue Romance Asper and Daliran
 * Separated at Birth: Marten and Ilvet
 * The Hero Dies: The story spans several generations. It was inevitable.
 * The Obi-Wan: Kaal
 * Twin Desynch: Marten and Ilvet look similar, but their moral principles are way different
 * Thicker Than Water: Marten and Ilvet.
 * Who Wants to Live Forever? Not