Tears of the Ancients

The Untold Story of Vidar, the True King of Vikings

Young Adult - Adventure
187 Pages
Reviewed on 03/01/2023
Buy on Amazon

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    Book Review

Reviewed by Maria Victoria Beltran for Readers' Favorite

Tears of the Ancients: The Untold Story of Vidar, the True King of Vikings by Calvin Crick is a fantasy adventure story written for young adults. Set in South Bend, a fascinating world populated by dragons, elves, and humans, it is about Loot, an orphaned boy. Adopted by Viking foster parents, he is a likable lad who would lend a hand without asking for anything in return. At seventeen, he develops a friendship with Safrin, the daughter of the king and queen of a town in a small, rich country. Chased away into the Smoking Mountains in the forest, home of the man-eating dragons, he finds himself in a hole together with a young dragon. Loot saves the life of the young dragon and in return, the Queen of the Dragons accidentally gives him the power of the great dragons. He will now become a dragon and will go on a series of adventures that will ultimately reveal his true identity.

Calvin Crick’s Tears of the Ancients has all the elements of a great adventure novel. The characters are likable and enchanting and it’s easy to empathize with Loot, our hero who starts out as an orphan. The tension in the story begins early on as he moves to an uncharted and dangerous environment in the home of the dragons. However, bigger risks await him in the next part of the narrative in his quest to save his village and his people. An easy and enjoyable read, this is a story about finding and fulfilling your destiny. This is a fast-paced fantasy with several twists and turns and an unlikely ending.

K.C. Finn

Tears of the Ancients: The Untold Story of Vidar, the True King of Vikings by Calvin Crick is a work of fiction in the fantasy, action, and adventure subgenres and is best suited to middle-grade and young adult audiences. In this thrilling adventure with plenty of fire-breathing action and exciting twists, we find ourselves following the life of Loot, a young orphan boy who is chased away from home. When an accident sees him fall into the path of a young dragon, the boy shows such kindness to the creature that he is given a gift by the Queen of Dragons, and Loot can use this unique gift to return and save his village and the people who raised him.

Calvin Crick has crafted a concise and charming novel that will certainly capture the imaginations of its intended audience. The writing style is straightforward and exciting in its pacing, delivering big action-adventure moments where Loot gets to shine, along with heartfelt dialogue-driven scenes where our young hero learns important lessons about the kind of person he wants to grow up to be. I liked the interweaving of real historical elements and fantasy storytelling as this provides atmosphere and clues for context to spark the imagination, which will help younger readers. Loot is a likable protagonist with a great, kind heart. Overall, I recommend Tears of the Ancients for teen readers to enjoy and find inspiration.

Ammaarah Seboa

Tears of the Ancients by Calvin Crick is a tale full of wonder and magic following the journey of young Loot as he fulfills an age-old prophecy. Despite being orphaned as a baby and offered up as a war prize, Loot continues to live a carefree life with his best friend until a misunderstanding lands Loot in a tricky situation. After coming face-to-face with fire-breathing dragons, Loot starts on a new adventure to fulfill a long-awaited prophecy and unite them all.

Attention all fantasy, mischief, and magic lovers, look no further for your next read! Tears of the Ancients by Calvin Crick reminded me of my favorite fantasy movies, from Legend of the Seeker to Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings. The story is fast-paced yet you can easily familiarize yourself with the characters, lands, and legends. Despite this beautifully crafted plot and amazing world-building, the story was a bit predictable in some parts, but that did not deter me from enjoying it. I was especially drawn to Loot, the hero of the story. He is a humble character with a thirst for knowledge and can easily manage this new weight thrust upon his shoulders. My heart broke at his story, but that only made me love his character more. I am looking forward to what else this series brings.

Essien Asian

Loot was only a baby when he was snatched from his home village during a raid by foreign invaders. He was given to a warrior as a share of their booty, hence his unusual name, but instead of killing him, the warrior and his wife raised him as their own in South Bend where he develops affection for the daughter of the king. Circumstances beyond his control force him to flee the kingdom in shame but a singular act of selflessness toward a creature that elicits fear in other men catapults him into fame in an adventure that will change his life. In a land where dragons reign supreme and mythical creatures abound, follow the adventures of young Loot as he fulfills his destiny in Tears Of The Ancients by Calvin Crick.

The plot of the story behind Tears Of The Ancients is somewhat intricate as Calvin Crick does an excellent job of explaining the origins of the characters in this fantasy story. The interaction between the characters is quite realistic with their emotions and motivations taking a prominent place in the conversations. Loot's adventures make very interesting subplots capable of standing alone in a much larger storyline while the mythical wyverns, fairies, and their cohorts were described vividly enough to tickle my imagination. For a story with so many moving parts, Calvin Crick does a lovely job of blending all the different aspects of this beautiful adventure to create a delightful reading experience worthy of my admiration.

Manik Chaturmutha

Tears of the Ancients by Calvin Crick tells the story of Loot, a young orphan boy living with the Vikings who has no memory of his past and whose future is uncertain. He has recently returned to his childhood hometown; however, his return is not met with joy; others believe he should be punished. They punish him but don't know he is the key to saving the world. He can save the human race and restore the ancient dragons to their previous power. As Loot's past is revealed, it becomes evident that he is much more than a helpless orphan, but before becoming a hero, he must confront his past and prepare for battle.

Tears of the Ancients by Calvin Crick falls into the fantasy genre, with dragons, humans, and war among them. The book has an engaging tone addressing readers directly and explaining everything in great detail. The author connects us to the main character using phrases such as 'my dear friend' and, 'my dear reader.' Crick does a great job of adhering to the main character's storyline and Loot's adventure in this fantasy world is so exciting that it forgoes the need for additional plot lines. The book entices the reader into an incredible world with a classic tale of one person as the key to saving the world. It has magical elements like earth, fire, water spirits, well-created lore, and world-building and explores the concept of dragons and what it takes to be the world's liberator. This book is recommended for young adults as it features an easy style of writing without too many complicated words. Readers who like fantasy are sure to love Tears of the Ancients by Calvin Crick.