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An avid peruser of general historical periods that he has often found most interesting, John enjoys looking into how life could have been in times the modern world often imagines about, via many media and entertainment sources.
He enjoys watching many movies and shows of various genres and quality, from Gladiator (classic) to Cowboy Bebop (another classic). Also playing many real-time strategy games (often failing), and narrative intense roleplaying video games such as Pillars of Eternity, Baldur’s Gate 3, and Spellforce 3 and expansions (Underrated, seriously!)
He enjoys reading from time to time, despite having most of his time consumed by life nowadays. Chronicles of the Black Company series by Glen Cook, The Brimstone Angels series by Erin M. Evans, and any Warhammer 40,000 Aeldari related audio books are excellent suggestions.
John lives a quiet I.T. life in Nashville when he is not writing/reading in his spare time.
Reviewed by K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite
Whispers of White Sapphire: Tales of Thearus by John Malone is an epic fantasy steeped in prophecy, warfare, and forbidden allegiance. We find ourselves watching the displaced U’skar Qi tribes advance on the crumbling Old Myrian Empire, and the fate of an entire continent hangs in the balance. We meet Ara Zakarian, a loyal warrior in a world of duty and empire, who is captured by the very enemy he was meant to destroy. But as he begins to understand the U’skar Qi’s motivations and forms an unexpected bond with the mystical Priestess Isra, Ara’s worldview is irrevocably changed. With shifting alliances and ancient visions stirring, Ara must choose between his allegiance to a dying empire and a new vision of peace, justice, and unity that defies everything he’s known.
Author John Malone has a knack for worldbuilding, but also for embedding characters realistically into that world through their attitudes and dialogue, and he weaves a tale of vast scope and emotional intimacy. It's no mean feat blending sweeping political drama with a deeply personal moral reckoning, but I was drawn into Ara’s journey not just for the battles and intrigue, but for the way his inner conflict mirrored the external chaos perfectly. The romance between Ara and Isra is beautifully restrained, too, offering a quiet power beneath the clash of armies and ideologies and a realistically slower-moving romantic storyline where every moment feels earned. Malone’s prose is rich and immersive, capturing both the grandeur of war and the fragility of hope in ways that make you want to dive into this world and stay there. Overall, Whispers of White Sapphire is a beautifully constructed, thought-provoking epic that blends love, loyalty, and legacy in a world as vivid as any in the genre, and I would certainly recommend it.
