MEKONNEN The Warrior of Light, Part 1 Awarded the Star Seal of Excellent Merit!

In August 2024 my illustrated novel MEKONNEN The Warrior of Light, Part 1 was awarded the Seal of Excellent Merit with a very positive review, this time from Hollywood Book Reviews book critic Anthony Avina!

URL: https://www.hollywoodbookreviews.com/mekonnen-the-warrior-of-light-part-1-of-2

Here is an excerpt from the review:

"A major obstacle in any person’s life is finding a path or purpose to follow. No matter what a person’s faith or belief may be, or the lack thereof, there comes a point in which a person must decide what their life will look like. For some, they make their own path, utilizing their own experiences and interests to determine that path for themselves. For others, they find a calling or sense of destiny awaiting them, and follow a path that has been laid out for them, no matter the cost."

In the tales and legends of old, that sense of calling has always been the path given to the hero, often called the hero’s journey. In author Jerome Matiyas’s Mekonnen: The Warrior of Light (Part 1 of 2), the author explores an epic tale of destiny and the battle of good versus evil. Infusing elements of Ethiopian and Eritrean mythology and lore into a grand fantasy setting, the story follows a young warrior named Mekonnen, who fights for the Kingdom of Aksum in the 6th century A.D. The young warrior becomes the central figure in a fight between the Armies of Light and the agents of Darkness.

The attention to detail the author paid to the Ethiopian and Eritrean cultures, even going so far as to use elements of the ancient Ethiopian language Ge’ez, as well as words in the Agaw and Afaan-Oromo languages, makes the readers feel totally immersed into the setting and feel the tension and atmosphere within Mekonnen’s journey. "

I need to clarify that in the story Mekonnen is actually fighting for the lives and freedom of All the people and nations of the lands of Ethiopia and Eritrea in 6th century AD. His adventure just originates in Aksum, then he ventures in many other regions.

Check out the review in the link here and the books on Amazon.

Blessings!

Jerome Matiyas

2/12/2025

Awarded the Seal of Excellent Merit from Hollywood Book Reviews, August 2024.