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My name is Duncan Gill. I was born in England, in Hemel Hemstead July 1987. I grew up in Pembrokeshire along the coastline and studied Art and Design/Graphic Communication in College and University for six years. I’ve worked in many industries, from farming, catering, hospitality, retail, administration, agriculture, teaching and film, where I served as an editor and lead runner for H Productions, but my true passion has and always will be with The Ancestral Odyssey, an epic fantasy series that has become my life’s work.
Naturally, I have always had a love of fantasy in all its forms, from medieval to everything science fiction, particularly horror. For as long as I can remember I’ve always had a vivid imagination, one that never let me rest and hungered for more, for something wild, beautiful, dangerous, colourful, dark, and otherworldly. I'm inspired by epic stories found in books, in games and in films. I love exploring the unknown and understanding the complexities of our hero’s, human or otherwise therein. Studying our origin stories, weaving through our own history, and breaking down mythologies is in essence the main source of my creativity, and should you decide to indulge in The Ancestral Odyssey, I feel like this will come across swiftly.
My goal is to bring readers such as yourselves something new, something that incapsulates what epic fantasy is at its core and to push the genre into bold new territories, to redefine the genre as a whole.
Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite
The Ancestral Odyssey: Rise of the Black Doves by Duncan William Gill is book five in the titular epic fantasy series. Books one through four advance as follows: Norkron City is devastated by an invasion, leaving its people scattered and fearful. Through the chaos, Isabelle, a selfless Star Caller, and Lethaniel, emerge as the last hope for victory. Lethaniel and his squad travel through Ledera to uncover the attackers and restore control, while Isabelle seeks aid from The Readers as Krondathia faces threats from the advancing Dovidian Covenant towards Xiondel City. Thao defends Korthak Bridge, Mathias and Braygon search for the war’s instigator, and Isabelle is put up against her past. Meanwhile, seven Star Callers rise to defend Starillia against threats and ancient evils alike. Now, The Star Callers leave New Xiondel City, with Alessa pushing through Krondathian lands while brushing up against the aberrant. Deacon and Nielata work to restore order in Xiondel, requiring primeval aid. Denzel and Jun hunt for proof against Professor Atheriax, and The Firehands repair the Hexagon before investigating the Silo.
“They’ve a fight coming, a fight that will test them both, ... a war, not between men, but between men and God…” The Ancestral Odyssey: Rise of the Black Doves is a continuation from book four, and Duncan William Gill leaps in with incredible rising action and foreshadowing. We know the troubles are not isolated and are part of a larger, more dangerous scenario, and the forthcoming battles push the plot forward. Gill's book is among the most skilled I've come across in not just world-building, but in full-scale geographical and environmental details. The standouts to me are Klaw’s northern swamps, the Illnio Stretch, and the Kludack Plateau which all contribute to an absolutely palpable, textured sense of the terrain. This carries over into the labyrinth of wet, living organic tissue in The Silo and it is spectacularly gross and brilliant. I swear I may never touch a wall in the dark again. I think that Gill ranks among the best blended fantasy-science fiction storytellers of the moment, and that is not an opinion I have given an author in years as an editorial reviewer. All things said, The Ancestral Odyssey is a masterpiece of a saga and Gill is a writer worth following. Very highly recommended.
