Normal Chaos

Ledoma

Fiction - Fantasy - Epic
356 Pages
Reviewed on 08/26/2022
Buy on Amazon

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Author Biography

A.V. Smith is an athlete turned writer. With a passion for storytelling, he paints with words that captivate readers. Smith writes on an emotional level to empower readers to engage in deeper conversations about their past, their relationships, and their connection with the Universe.

With his first book, "Madison: God's Fingerprint 1.618", he won the 2019 Author Academy Award for Best Romance. Book two in the Madison series: "Madison: In the Presence of God", reached #1 Best Seller, and the third installment, "Madison: Vengeance Is Mine" also achieved #1 Best Seller ranking.

Smith took a break from romance and focused his literary talent on crime and social issues that divide our society with "OHIO 10" and "OHIO 10 II". Both books garnered #1 Best Seller upon release.

Normal Chaos: Ledoma Book 1 is his first Fantasy Fiction book. He strives to push the boundaries of creativity, realizing there is no box in writing fiction or our shared journey.

Through life and love, he has learned our steps are temporary, yet the journey intensely meaningful. This understanding led him to donate a kidney to his younger brother. As the father of three children, his desire is to see his children overcome the fear of success by being the best version of themselves. When he is not engaged in his passion, you can find him with a fishing pole in his hand, attending a local artist event or somewhere deep in the woods hiking and enjoying the gift of nature.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers' Favorite

Normal Chaos: Ledoma by A. V. Smith is a speculative metaphysical fantasy novel set in a time and place when the world is once again on the cusp of great change. The concept of the setting comes from the development of ages. The Earth is bound by seven ages in total and those on it, now six thousand years in descendency, are on the cusp of the seventh. This is a story familiar to many in a battle between Light and Dark, a link in Light to The Creator, and Dark, a force of evil that operates in black magic and chaos. The seventh age is almost upon Earth and what it will bring is unknown, including the ultimate outcome of six millennia of fighting between the Dark and the Light.

Normal Chaos: Ledoma by A. V. Smith is a complex novel with many philosophical ideals and human drivers that fuel the story, as well as the features of fantasy that lovers of the classics and epics will enjoy. It's not a simple story to get through and while making my notes in the world-building of a new series is the norm, Smith kind of took it to a new level for me, and, as my wife joked, my scratch pad runneth over. There are the elements of traditional fantasy such as a prophetic enigma of good called First Mother, and those who are fledglings in the power they possess, like Ransa, who I liked the most. To me, Ransa is reminiscent of Sophie in Charlie Jane Anders’ The City In The Middle Of The Night. This is a compliment of the highest degree and Smith is worthy of it. The conceptual aspects and character and world-building are exceptional. It is very rare to find a novel concept in fantasy literature and Ledoma is it. I expect mixed opinions on Normal Chaos where readers will either love it or not love it so much. I am definitely on Team Love and Light.

K.C. Finn

Normal Chaos: Ledoma is a work of fiction in the fantasy subgenre. It is best suited to the adult reading audience owing to some instances of moderate violence as well as sexual references and mild explicit language and was penned by author A. V. Smith. In this opening novel to an ongoing series that explores metaphysical fantasy, we are introduced to the birth of a fascinating world where the wild clash of elements gives way to a population of exciting fantasy creatures, all living under the guiding light of the Creator and the Light. But where there is light, some creatures will always fall into darkness, and the time for that to be tested draws near as the story unfolds.

Fantasy readers who are much more drawn to the worldbuilding of a novel than its characters are sure to love the construction of this work because author A. V. Smith goes to an incredible amount of effort to attune us to the interesting lore, theology, elemental balance and the shifting of the seven cycles. The language is vivid and descriptions are plentiful, and the world itself becomes a character in its own right as its powerful energies influence the smaller creatures that operate upon its surface. As such, Normal Chaos: Ledoma presents a slow-burning plot that takes a while to settle into, but once it gets going, readers are deeply rewarded by the twists and turns that take place. I would certainly recommend this novel to fantasy fans looking for a creative new author to discover.

Jamie Michele

Fantasy fiction comes to life in a showdown where the campaign between light versus dark concludes in Normal Chaos: Ledoma by A. V. Smith. The Earth began with a creation by The Creator, the Light of First Mother, whose legacy and fight against the darkness lives on thousands of years later in the Tree of Life. But the Dark is always there and the fight has intensified as each of the ages pass. It was foretold that the Earth has seven ages, each lasting a thousand years. At the time of the storyline, the Earth is six ages in, with the seventh to come. Transformations occur. Descendants of Light turn to the Dark, the magic and mobocracy. What the seventh age brings and how it will end is the unanswered question of time eternal. Until now.

Philosophy has not been my bag and so picking up Normal Chaos by A.V. Smith happened by pure chance. Or destiny? There's something about a rainbow ribbon that I cannot pass by without touching and after seeing the book cover that is how I got to this review. How pleased I am to have pushed the threshold of my comfort zone and trusted Smith with my time. Fantasy fiction is tricky because the world-building and the vast number of characters with names that are hard enough to pronounce, let alone remember, requires trust. The story is fantastic and while it takes some patience to find your footing, the prose is lovely from the start. I loved The Order of Petals, the rebuilding of sistership, and carrying on the legacy of Arjunai. This is a work with a lot of potential and it's exciting to see where Smith decides to take us from here.

Amazon Review

A new world of wonder and mystery
Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2022
In his finest work to date, A.V. Smith weaves esotericism and beauty into a new universe of his own. Readers of Smith’s previous tales such as the Madison and OHIO 10 series will be treated to a refreshingly different aspect of his abilities. His versatility and depth is on full display in Normal Chaos: Ledoma, which is hopefully the first installment of a grand saga in the vein of A Song of Ice and Fire, the Chronicles of Narnia, and Lord of the Rings. Without question, this is most beautiful work of Smith’s career. His artful use of certain phrasings and imagery demonstrates how he has taken his craft to a new level. A diverse cast of characters, political intrigue, and spirituality are all weaved seamlessly into the classic hero’s journey which will certainly continue to unfold in subsequent books. On a personal note, many of the metaphysical concepts that are addressed in this story seem to mirror aspects of my own spiritual development, resulting in a piece that speaks to me and readers like me in a unique, yet familiar tone. What I love most about this story is its potential. It can go in so many directions with so many different characters. I’ve deeply enjoyed Ledoma and I earnestly look forward to what is coming next

Grace

“Normal Chaos: Ledoma” by A.V. Smith is a crazy twisted plot where the author reveals weird contracts of nature and its objects like Earth, wind, and water. There is a battle between darkness and light. The theory that the Earth transforms every thousand years is prevalent and calls for so many questions and curiosity. There are supposed to be a total of seven ages, each age a millennium-long, out of which six have passed and caused a lot of trouble every single time. The dark has always wanted to seize all power and dominate the Earth whereas the light, with the help of the Earthly creatures has tried to count the evil forces. Now, the seventh age is coming and the unseen, unthought, and unexplainable is about to happen. Will the light win? Or will it succumb to the darkness?

The concept of this book is different from any other that I have read and is very engaging, let’s say captivating. The length of this book is 350 pages. The writing style is quite simple but at the same time, the narration is so gripping that the reader has to know what happens next. I couldn’t leave the book once the climax was reached. The ending will leave you baffled and that is what calls for hype. A.V. Smith has kept in mind the fact that graphic and metaphorical depictions now and then make the book interesting and keeps the reader engrossed. To rate this book, I’d say four stars. The characters are explicitly descriptive, leaving behind nothing which is beautiful as it helps the reader with the power to grasp the whole story. The execution of the plot is a ten on ten. Nothing has been written this precisely in a long time.

This book is recommended to any reader, especially those looking for something new and probably completely different from what they have read before. So, grab the book now and explore the new dimensions of fiction.

Andre J

I think what really kept me engaged in this was was the storytelling itself. I’m a huge fan of A.V. Smith and I’ve read some of his other work being “Ohio 10” which I highly recommend if you’re looking for a suspenseful and unique story. But Normal Chaos does an excellent job at immersing you within the world itself. I felt an emotional connection with each main character and even some of the minor ones had their moments that shined. As a huge fan of fantasy fiction, I love when magic is fun and exciting and I can visualize it and that’s another thing that’s this book does well. Overall, I’d recommend this to all my fantasy lovers and even my non as you might find a new love for it after this read.

Bill

This book grabs you with the first paragraph. The world that Smith created is magical! Can’t wait to see what he does next!

Erika Horton

First I want to say Fantasy Fiction is not my thing but since I loved the other two series of author A.V. Smith (Madison and OHIO 10) - I decided to take a leap of faith with his latest endeavor. The story is PHENOMENALLY written and the magic wasn’t too overpowering for me. The world the author has built is intricate and detailed, along with the relationships between the characters which bring it all to life. If you have never attempted Fantasy Fiction, try this. The spiritual and metaphysical undertones are brilliantly written not to overpower your senses. 5-Stars

Ericka Johnson

Normally not a fond of science fiction but this book grabbed my interest within the first few pages. Enjoyed this book!