My literary fiction explores the deepest questions of human existence — consciousness, free will, spiritual growth, and the search for meaning in a fractured world.
I have not marketed them much because of health issues and my occupation with my Tetris guidebook series.
Here is what readers and reviewers have said about my work.
In a Nutshell
“I am so impressed with Aquila Goh’s writing and stunningly beautiful prose that elevated the spiritual-philosophical fantasy books to unbelievable heights.” — S.G. Blaise, 5-time award-winning novelist & 2-time Eric Hoffer Finalist of The Last Lumenian novel series.
“Your writing is beautiful and artistic, I love it! I like your prose, poetry, and spiritual wisdom. Astoundingly high standard! Your book is topnotch!” — Samantha B, Adra, ASEAN scholar, translator of The Lotus Sutra, and author of Tara Zenyora.
“Aquila Goh is one of the most creative and intelligent, newly emerged writer that shakes the literature scene of Singapore.” — Muhammad Amirul Amru, TCK Publisher novel award nominee, and acclaimed author of First Under Heaven & A Song for Zenith.
“Thought-provoking and beautifully crafted, the Eternal Reflection marks an incredible debut from Aquila Goh.” —C.M. Lackner, author of the acclaimed Path of Darkness novel series.
“Riveting and profound. A tour de force.” — Goh Yi Han, Law Professor.
Entire The Eternal Reflection Series Reviews
“I am so impressed with Aquila Goh’s writing and stunningly beautiful prose that elevated the spiritual-philosophical fantasy books to unbelievable heights.”
By S.G. Blaise, Multiple Award-Winning Author of The Last Lumenian Sci-fi Fantasy Series:
The Eternal Reflection Volume One consists of four books with a gorgeous cover. The writing style is florid and evocative. These books were such a pleasure to read. Each book flows wonderfully with an immense world building, tremendous philosophical depth and layered plot—all merged into one masterful volume of stories.
Ni’vim is a female avian humanoid of the Sha’reena race whose POV we follow most of the time, alternating with other characters’ POV that is clearly marked in the beginning of each chapter. Ni’vim’s character arc progresses in each book, going from innocent and powerless to a strong hero, leading her people to safety by the end of book 4.
In each book there are 5-7 arcs the readers can track with a multitude of characters like Bebiu, Ni’vim’s childhood friend or Ni’vim’s father Seg’niu, Tema and Shanyrria, just to name a few. Many plot lines were introduced in each book (like the creature Qeazor, the portals and the White Malady) and I really liked how the author wove them together and gave explanations to each. I especially enjoyed watching Ni’vim and Shanyrria learn from their past mistakes, traumas and overcome them, showing such personal growth.
There are beautiful illustrations throughout the books. They can be also found on the books’ website, which provides invaluable explanations of the overarching themes, philosophies and even plot summaries to help the reader immerse themselves deeper into the fantastic world of The Eternal Reflection. The website is a truly worthy companion to the books.
I am so impressed with Aquila Goh’s writing and stunningly beautiful prose that elevated the spiritual-philosophical fantasy books to unbelievable heights. It is abundantly clear that the author has spent many years honing his craft to perfection, creating a wondrous world that showcases his love and passion for these stories. It was a pleasure to read volume one with these four books. I would highly recommend it to all spiritual-philosophical fantasy lovers who enjoy epic character and theme driven stories!
“Aquila Goh is one of the most creative and intelligent, newly emerged writer that shakes the literature scene of Singapore.”
Muhammad Amirul Amru, TCK Publisher novel award nominee, and acclaimed author of First Under Heaven & A Song for Zenith:
Aquila Goh is one of the most creative and intelligent, newly emerged writer that shakes the literature scene of Singapore. His novel discusses themes not commonly read in many books and although it may not be appealing for all, the book gives an important insight to philosophical ideals, suggestions, and themes that may leave the reader thinking. I think that is his goal from my perspective and his answer to an ever-changing world. The only issue I have with his work is that it is extremely long, longer than some works that I enjoy and wish for a physical copy to be distributed in volumes which to my knowledge has not yet been done. Overall, reading this work and still reading, discovering this masterpiece is certainly an eye-opening experience. Indeed, one can say that this is his magnus opus.
The Eternal Reflection Book 1 Reviews:
S.G. Blaise, Amazon
★★★★★
Author Aquila Goh has written a masterpiece of a series with his Eternal Reflection Saga. The first book is a spiritual and philosophical dark fantasy that presents many themes to readers in an entertaining way. The books are character-driven, but each has a substantial plot.
In Book 1: Zelkova Rising, we meet Ni’vim (a pensive avian girl) and Shanyrria (her friend). They live in a harmonious paradise, Phos’rrah, until demons appear through mysterious portals and destroy everything in their path without mercy. Now our hero must “combine the teachings of a sacred book with the divine symbol’s wisdom” to overcome this experience and her grief. A promise she made to her father so she would overcome this tremendous loss.
This stunning work is full of philosophical teachings presented to us in subtle and interesting ways; there are beautiful illustrations throughout the book; and maps.
The prose is easy to read, yet an amazing literary art at the same time. It was such a pleasure to explore this story with its florid and evocative style.
The world building is immense and I cannot wait to discover what this masterful saga holds in store for me.
I would highly recommend it to all philosophy/fantasy lovers who enjoy epic character and theme driven stories!
Elliott, Amazon
★★★★★
An incredibly in depth and thought-provoking series – must read!
I was looking for a new series to read when I was contacted by the author to receive the arc for a review and I am very happy that he did!
These days I read mostly sci-fi over fantasy because of how it handles more mature themes. Because of this, I was hesitant to invest time in this series but eventually nostalgia for my childhood hunger for fantasy novels pushed me to give this series a shot. I have to say that this novel has completely changed my view on the genre and the type of literature that can spring from it!
The Eternal Reflection has been my favorite novel series this year because of the way it explores psychological and spiritual themes with both tact and an easy to understand approach that still leaves plenty of room for reflection and further exploration by the reader.
The four books in this arc all interconnect in a way that is only apparent once the reader reaches the last book, leading to a very satisfying climax. As the reader progresses through the book, the plot becomes more mature and philosophical and while the plot alone is complex but memorable, the real star of these books are the characters. Each character is fleshed out and brings the whole world alive.
I wish I could waffle on about the plot and the many twists that kept me on my toes throughout my entire journey reading this arc, but that would spoil this amazing series – do yourself a favor and go in mostly blind!
I’ll leave you with a favorite quote of mine from Socrates (with a little addition of mine):
“I cannot teach anybody anything. I can only make them think.” And this novel will make you think!
Steph Warren, Amazon:
★★★★
A thoughtful epic/high fantasy adventure exploring philosophical/spiritual ideas
*I received a free DRC of this book, with thanks to the author. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*
I want to start my review by just giving you a little more information on this book, as it is one of the most unusual books I have read.
The book was originally epically long and mainly consisted of philosophical and spiritual teachings, but the author took note of feedback from early readers and has now split that original novel into four separate volumes, each with their own interconnected story arcs, with more focus on plot and character than in the previous incarnation.
As a result, this book alternates quite dramatically in tone and content in places – at times, slow and contemplative, and at other times action-packed and quite brutally gory. That said, it does work. While unevenly paced, the action sequences break up the enlightened educational material and carry the reader from lesson to lesson along with Ni’vim, the central protaganist.
Ni’vim is a fascinating character. The book alternates mainly between chapters from her point of view and occasionally her father’s, with the very occasional section of third person narrative or from another character. But it is always clear that Ni’vim is our main character and this is her journey, and that of us, the reader.
I have never taken more notes for a fiction review! I have pages and pages of notes and Kindle highlights. The reason for this is that to get the best from this story’s philosophical and spiritual elements, the reader must deeply engage with the text and grapple with the concepts presented. For me, this meant long periods where I put the book down to make my own notes and get my head around what I was reading before continuing. So, it isn’t a quick, easy read; it is a complex exploration of some of the biggest questions in our experience. There are strong elements of Platonic or Socratic teaching in places, as Ni’vim struggles to understand how to find light and oneness in a world that is as dark and divided as our own.
The worldbuilding, too, is complex. The author helpfully includes a glossary, charts and detailed explanations of numbers, years, seasons and planetary movements at the end of the book, as there are a lot of new words to assimilate along with the ideas. I definitely agree with the decision to split the book into shorter tomes, as the challenging material and slower pace in the contemplative passages definitely benefit from a more measured approach, with regular pauses to reflect, and splitting the story makes this less intimidating.
I can see comparisons to books like Sophie’s World, Mitch Albom’s novels, Ted Dekker’s Circle Trilogy or The Shack, but this series is more high/epic fantasy in content and style than any of those mentioned, with the language quite archaic and ornate, and the magic system a mixture of innate spark, learned incantations, scrolls and artefacts, which I didn’t fully understand the mechanics of by the end of this book – I didn’t get a clear idea of Ni’vim’s magical capabilities for example, so never knew whether she was outmatched in a battle or not.
The story is peppered with symbols, parables, diagrams, quotations and illustrations – many taken from the fictional spiritual text Thus Spake Oneness. The author has drawn together a huge database of spiritual information from every source imaginable and condensed it for the reader into accessible and digestible chunks which Ni’vim reads and then relates to her own experiences. It was quite entertaining to see someone poring seriously over quotes from Marissa Meyer’s Lunar Chronicles alongside the great Eastern or classical philosophies, but as Ni’vim’s father points out, the source of wisdom is less important than what you learn by engaging with the ideas within it.
Between the peaceful scenes of learning and elucidation the battle/attack scenes are quite gruesome and visceral, with flesh ripped or melted from skeletons, and Ni’vim suffers some very traumatic losses through the course of the plot, so you shouldn’t just expect this to be a sedate philosophy lesson! Aquila Goh shows the reader, through Ni’vim, that spiritual enlightenment needs pain and suffering as well as reflective thought, as you cannot have the light without the dark to contrast with it. By the end of the story, Ni’vim is emotionally and physically depleted, but resolved to continue on her path and rise (like the zelkova) from her misfortunes. This decision then leads into the next volume in the series, The Ei’lari Legacy (review to follow in the new year!), where we can continue to follow Ni’vim’s progress in fighting monsters and finding inner peace.
In addition to all of the useful worldbuilding resource at the end of the book, the author offers some bonus material from Thus Spake Oneness that didn’t fit neatly into the plot, and summaries of the main plot points and philosophies presented in the book, which I found very useful to refresh my understanding of what I had read and how the ideas all fit together as a whole.
To summarise: I recommend this novel for anyone looking for a deep exploration of philosophical and spiritual ideas spanning from Eastern Taoist thought to modern pop culture exemplars, or to anyone looking for a thoughtful epic/high fantasy adventure that is on the dark and grisly side. If you want a light, easy read then this one isn’t for you!
Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
‘Book 1’s fundamental moral lesson is to perceive life as a whole and never its parts. Although we may be bereft with many tribulations, the story would end if we glimpse only parts of it and forsake the rest. The value of a life must be fathomed as a whole, and we must never give up.’
– Aquila Goh, Zelkova Rising
Amanda, Amazon:
★★★★★
Beautiful Book. Great Read.
*I received a free DRC of this book, with thanks to the author. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*
Reading The Eternal Reflection has been a great and memorable experience. I love how the author paints this new world so beautifully. Captivated by every detail, Aquila makes me feel as if I were walking alongside each character on their spiritual journey. The storyline is complex and mature, perfectly woven together through all 4 books, it leaves the reader entirely satisfied. The characters are well thought out, and I could feel their growth and evolution through the course of the series. The theme of spirituality, and the power of love are explored in a unique way that makes the reader contemplate their own beliefs about life and death. The inclusion of diverse characters adds another layer of richness to the story, and the pacing of the plot kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end. Overall, The Eternal Reflection is a must-read for fans of spiritual fiction, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a thought-provoking and engaging read.
J.D, Amazon:
★★★★★
Good book well written
Cleanly written book with nice philosophy throughout, lots of fantasy, mixing nonfiction with fiction, I am still getting through it but so far it has been a good read, hope he keeps up the good work!
Donnatony Jenkinson, Goodreads:
★★★★
I have found this book to be well written but not an easy read as there is so much going on so much to follow I am reading on ebook so not used to illustrations in the books this I like it’s a very imaginative book that takes you on a journey when I say it’s not an easy read it is not something you can pick up and not think about I enjoyed this book immensely and I’m looking forward to reading the next one but will probably give my mind a couple of days to recuperate
S. Jeyran Main, Goodreads:
★★★★
Zelkova Rising is the first book of the ‘Eternal Reflection’ series. Ni’vim lives in a world where the skies are green, plants are blue, and mythical creatures coexist with dark elementals. She is an avian girl and has to marry the inspirational teachings of a sacred book that provides symbols of wisdom; however, there is a lot more at stake besides the promise she has given to her father.
What I appreciated most about this novel was how much care and love the author has put into creating the series. It combines so many elements and genres that genuinely enable you to understand the skill and penmanship existing in its creator.
While the first book provides the foundation of the storyline, you also get to develop an understanding of the world and its characters for future reads.
There is much happening in the story, so you know from the start to pay attention as these little details are most likely going to matter in the sequel reads. The book ends, providing enough closure but wanting more.
I look forward to reading more from this author.
NuclearAgent, Goodreads:
★★★★★
An incredibly philosophical and spiritual collection of Books, The Eternal Reflection is a mystical, yet fictional Novel that philosophizes life’s deepest thoughts. Each of the 4 books are divided into Arcs that explore an array of creative themes, such as spirituality, existentialism and psychological depth. These fascinating subjects are explored through captivating stories, mystical realms and meaningful character development. The characters and stories they tell convey the author’s understanding and philosophical view of the world and humanity’s place in it.
Through these 4 books, the author expresses a powerful and timeless message that humans are here for a reason and that their innate talents, while usually taken for granted, can and should be cultivated for the greater good. The author conceptualizes humanity’s boundless potential and suggests that our innate gifts are not to be squandered.
The Eternal Reflection is the book that combines the most fascinating and esoteric topics (i.e., artificial intelligence, mathematics, consciousness, cosmology) and attempts to quantify them through deep psychological and emotional dialogue. The books are filled with spiritual lessons which can be absorbed throughout. Although each book stands independently in terms of the plot and stories, the collection of the 4 books tie in a general narrative and spiritual theme of the book that we are all compelled to seek our place in the cosmos. The Eternal Reflection is designed to be a timeless work that guides the reader through a mystical journey which can perhaps even lead to a journey of self-discovery and reflection. In essence, one of the main themes of the book is that we need not be concerned with what society thinks of us or how to become spiritual beings as humans, but that we should realize that the answers to our life’s biggest secrets lie within ourselves, including the ability to awaken our spirituality and its purpose in the cosmos.
I recommend this book to anyone interested in deep introspection, spiritual awakening and intellectual growth. If you’re looking to satisfy your curiosity with a breadth of fascinating topics, The Eternal Reflection is an exploration you’ll want to see through once you’ve started. Whether you’re early on in your journey of spiritual awakening and self-discovery or looking to add to your collective wisdom, The Eternal Reflection is instantly a timeless gem—this is the adventure you never knew you needed.
Yihan, Goodreads:
★★★★★
This is an excellent book with lots of twists and turns. Eternal Reflection combines both philosophy with spirituality. To add to the experience, beautiful illustrations from maps to plans adorn the entire book.
Readers should set aside a week to read this but it will be an entirely worthwhile experience!
Amanda Quimpo, Goodreads:
★★★★★
Hello, I have received an ARC for review.
Reading The Eternal Reflection has been a great and memorable experience. I love how the author paints this new world so beautifully. Captivated by every detail, Aquila makes me feel as if I were walking alongside each character on their spiritual journey. The storyline is complex and mature, perfectly woven together through all 4 books, it leaves the reader to think and reflect personally. I appreciate all the extra insight on the novel’s website, philosophies behind the book, illustrations, and even plot summaries. You can really see all the time and effort put into creating this masterpiece. The Eternal Reflection was definitely worth the read, I would highly recommend.
Myorinda L, Goodreads:
★★★★★
With beautiful prose and poetry throughout the book, The Eternal Reflection is a wonderful fantasy fiction series packed with Eastern philosophical wisdom. It’s indeed rare to encounter fantasy fiction that is interwoven with thought-provoking philosophical ideas and a strong heroin as a protagonist. The other work that is similar to The Eternal Reflection is Tara Zenyora and the Seven Jeweled Lighthouse by Samantha B. Adra. If you are someone who enjoys reading literary fiction with the Eastern philosophical theme, do not hesitate to give yourself a chance to experience the beauty and wisdom of The Eternal Reflection.
Juan Cena, Goodreads:
★★★★★
The first thing I noticed about this book upon reading, was how it draws you in. The descriptiveness, the pacing of the plot, the characters, everything comes together so well. Highly recommend.
The Eternal Reflection Book 2 Reviews:
S.G. Blaise, Amazon:
★★★★★
This is the 2nd in a 12 book series, and an amazing continuation of the storyline with our pensive avian girl hero, Ni’vim.
She is unsure and ravaged by the tragedy that had befallen her people. She lost her paradise-like home, Phos’rrah and was wrecked with grief and pain. The village where she seeks refuge, Hoskiuros, unfortunately, is far from being harmonious or welcoming. It is full of discrimination and religious bigotry against our hero. They call her the “white malady” and want to kill her.
Ni’vim trains with her mentor, (what a great twist here!) to unlock the secret of the language. However, she gets infected with a darkness that seeps into her. She must overcome this darkness, unravel the language before it’s too late.
This book has the same beautiful style of florid and artistic writing. Author Aquilah Goh, weaves many themes and character-driven plots together to create an entertaining and vast story world. It was so much fun to explore this book and discover many twists and turns that I didn’t see coming.
I’d highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a rich philosophical fantasy adventure.
Steph Warren, Amazon:
★★★★
Not an easy read at all, but it is both educational and enjoyable
*I received a free DRC of this book, with thanks to the author. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*
Firstly: definitely read book 1, Zelkova Rising, first! These books have been written to form a long, cohesive narrative arc, then broken into smaller, digestible volumes, but you won’t get the full picture of story, setting, characters or the underpinning spiritual morality without following Ni’vim’s journey through from beginning to end.
Next: keep a pen and paper handy while you read! Even with the ‘highlight’ feature on my Kindle, I’ve never made so many notes as I have while reading these books. There are lots of moral and religious ideas presented, along with symbols and diagrams, and relevant quotations – it is a lot to absorb, and requires the reader to bring attention and focus to their reading.
Now to the story.
We find Ni’vim where we left her at the end of the previous book, but where she was filled with determination to power on with her quest, now she is filled with doubt and hatred. This is exacerbated by her persecution by members of her new village, who are afraid of the ‘white malady’ she carries.
There follows some exploration of monotheistic religion in juxtaposition with Ni’vim’s more reasoning-based ideas of spirituality, covering ideas of dogma, ritual, blind faith vs. tangible proof, and so on. This is revisited throughout the story as one of the village’s religious leaders, Tema, and Ni’vim find themselves taking up oppositional viewpoints.
More exploration of Ni’vim’s belief system is also presented through her training with Shanyrria, who takes up the mentor mantle from Ni’vim’s father, but offers much more hands-on learning, as Ni’vim has to face up to physical representations of her own inner ‘demons’. And this is the core of the plotline here. Ni’vim is full of hatred, anger, fear and grief after her experiences so far and her desire for revenge on those who have hurt her continually overpowers her ability to think rationally and follow the tenets her teachers encourage her to adhere to.
What could be more relatable?! Who hasn’t doubted their beliefs, or raged against their God/the world/a particular, blameworthy individual when faced with a terrible loss or defeat? Who hasn’t imagined that paying back someone who hurt us will help soothe that pain? It is hard to imagine being faced by someone who killed a loved one and greeting that individual with love and understanding, whatever religious or spiritual beliefs we adhere to in better, calmer times. But that is the crux of what is being discussed here. Without finding a way to lay those darker feelings to rest, how can any of us live in the light we wish to – whether that be the light of a specific religion, or simply a ‘good’, peaceful life?
This is not to say I necessarily agree with every idea presented here. Ni’vim battles various representations that are fairly easy to interpret as various mental illnesses, including depression and schizophrenia, and the narrative advice is that such illnesses of the mind can be controlled by willpower, meditation and positive thinking, and that medication is not required. I don’t agree, and feel that both approaches have an important role in treating mental illness and that medication can be literally lifesaving when used appropriately and under the care of appropriate medical professionals. My agreement is not necessary though, for me to still appreciate the value of this book/series; as Ni’vim eventually begins to learn, we can disagree respectfully and learn from each others viewpoints, and by reading the ideas Aquila Goh offers, I can challenge and develop my own beliefs.
I feel that the moral lessons are more smoothly integrated in this instalment than in the previous book, with the ideas being presented alongside the action rather than moving back and forth between the two. There is more worldbuilding detail here too about the history of various races and the White Malady, and the way that the magic functions, and the author helpfully provides detailed resources at the back of the book for both worldbuilding (years, months, seasons etc) and analysis (summaries, themes, plot arcs).
While the majority of the characters here are (necessarily) new, Ni’vim remains our constant and yet continues to constantly develop and evolve as we witness her journey to enlightenment. And I definitely feel like I am learning alongside her. This is not an easy read at all, but it is both educational and enjoyable and I am interested to see how the author continues to develop his ideas and main character as the series progresses.
Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
The Eternal Reflection Book 3 Reviews:
S.G. Blaise, Amazon:
★★★★★
The Epic Saga Continues!
This is a fantastic addition to the epic saga of The Eternal Reflection.
It’s getting harder to write a review without spoilers, but suffice to say Author Aquila Goh delivers time and again with these masterfully written stories.
This book continues the journey of Ni’vim, our pensive avian girl who is making great progress in her quest of uncovering the secret teachings of Ei’lara. Now she must get excerpts of an ancient and sacred tome if she wants to keep her promise to her father.
However, Ni’vim uncovers her mentor’s past that provides a “cascade of crises and conflicts” with her mentor. Qeazor, the evil demon, tries to influence our hero with its darkness. If Ni’vim can unlock these excerpts from the sacred tome, internalize its teachings, she has a chance to save her mentor, someone dear to our hero, and dispel the demonic forces.
The already vast world building keeps getting deeper and more layered as this masterful saga continues. The writing style is easy to read and artistic–it blends literary elements with genre fiction masterfully.
I tremendously enjoyed this addition to the series and would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a deep and meaningful sci-fi adventure.
Steph Warren, Amazon:
★★★★
Complex and thought provoking
*I received a free DRC of this book, with thanks to the author. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*
If you haven’t been following my reviews of book 1 and book 2 in this series, I strongly urge you to read these in order as this is one continuous tale broken up into separate volumes for easier digestion.
This volume dives straight back into main character, Ni’vim’s continuing journey to complete the spiritual text Thus Spake Oneness. She continues her lessons in language, history, philosophy and spiritual thought with her mentor, Shanyrria, facing various physical and spiritual tests along the way. But it becomes very clear to the reader, and eventually to Ni’vim, that Shanyrria is facing trials of her own.
The lessons Ni’vim (and the reader) studies in this book are mainly based around the idea of freedom – what it means and how one can achieve it. The text considers essentialism (the notion that our base selves are fixed and immutable) versus our free will to change and grow from our experiences. Ni’vim must work out how to conquer sins such as pride, greed and wrath by facing avatars (Kosh’ree) with these qualities in battle and succeeding.
Meanwhile, we follow Shanyrria’s own battle with her hidden past, which results in a climactic battle in which the student must save and free the teacher (with a trigger warning for suicidal ideation, as Shanyrria attempts to sacrifice herself to escape her sins). It really highlights just how far Ni’vim has developed already, although she still retains the familiar qualities of impatience, impulsivity and quick temper that we have seen from the start.
As before, the text is peppered with relevant quotations, along with diagrams, symbols and illustrations, all geared towards helping Ni’vim and readers understand the complex thoughts presented. You may need a pen and paper to process what you’re reading as you go along! Also, there is bonus content at the end of the book, in the form of background lore, arc summaries and thematic explanations, which is really helpful for both worldbuilding and understanding the philosophical and religious concepts that underpin the narrative.
Even as the language seems to be become more ornate and archaic with each instalment of this series, the story becomes better balanced in terms of the action and intrigue plot elements and character development integrated with the academic materials – we see that Ni’vim must marry theory with practical experience in order to progress, and this in turn makes a smoother fiction experience for the reader.
That is not to say that this is an easy-read, because it is not, but it is a complex and thought provoking series of books which rewards the full engagement and close attention of readers looking for a deep, mentally stimulating reading experience and are open to spiritual education.
Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
The Eternal Reflection Book 4 Reviews:
S.G. Blaise, Amazon:
★★★★★
A true masterpiece!
The series is titled The Eternal Reflection because it’s not enough to learn the philosophical teachings, but one must also reflect on these new meanings.
Now that our avian girl hero, Ni’vim fulfilled much of her promise to her father, she is not unsure or without confidence anymore. She is a changed person. She has accomplished much during her journey.
Ni’vim’s world is once again under threat from the demon Qeazor, and the leader of its army, Raielas. They are ready to destroy Ni’vim, her kind and all life. Now Ni’vim, along with her dear mentor, is in a race to shelter her people in an ancient fortress.
If Ni’vim can unlock the sacred symbol’s power, she can save her people.
I am in awe and very impressed the way the author brings all the themes and plot lines together. These stories are character-driven, yet entertaining.
I loved the illustrations and maps throughout the books. There are even more on the author’s website, providing invaluable explanations of the overarching themes, philosophies etc. The website is truly worthy companion of these books.
Author Aquila Goh’s beautiful prose truly elevated these sci-fi/fantasy stories to unbelievable heights. It is abundantly clear that the author has spent many years honing their craft to perfection, creating a wondrous world that showcases their love and passion for these stories. It was a pleasure to read these stories and I cannot wait for the next books to be published.
I’d highly recommend this epic dark paranormal adventure to anyone who enjoys deep and layered philosophical stories.
Steph Warren, Amazon:
★★★★
Thought-provoking spiritual fantasy adventure
*I received a free DRC of this book, with thanks to the author. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*
This is the fourth book in The Eternal Reflection saga by this author and forms the final part of the first ‘block’ of the story. It is therefore really important to read books 1-3 first, as you would have absolutely no chance of catching up on the story, characters and ideas contained here without following everything through from beginning to end. In fact, these first four volumes originally formed one book and were split into four to make them more easily digestible for readers.
The story continues from where Darkness Unveiled left off. Having faced some of the issues within themselves and their pasts, Ni’vim and Shanyrria begin to look outward to some of the dangers facing their world, including repeated incursions by Raielas and Quazor and their dark forces and the impending collision of worlds. Their search for Ei’lara and Kol’lara continues as well, but Ni’vim has to decide how to prioritise this apparently abstract and esoteric learning when her people are faced with present and physical dangers.
Scattered throughout the whole of the book are relevant illustrations, diagrams and symbols to aid understanding of the philosophical ideas presented as the story unfolds, and at the end of the book, the author provides resources related to both the worldbuilding detail of his story and the philosophical ideas and tenets underpinning it.
That’s not to say this is a dry, academic text, however! Ni’vim has to solve puzzles, face her inner demons and fight many, many external foes during the course of the story, whilst also uncovering more information about the history of her world and her people. And the reader gets to find out a secret that is withheld from Ni’vim, related to her own personal history and her great enmity with Raielas, who destroyed everything she held dear in book one, causing Ni’vim to set off on this epic quest for enlightenment and revenge.
The main theme running through the whole of this volume is the importance of consciousness and the individual, conscious self when considering the ‘oneness’ of the cosmos. Aquila Goh explains these ideas in different ways throughout the text and then provides additional questions and answers at the end of the book, for those who wish to further their understanding of these concepts.
As always, I recommend you read with paper and pen handy, because you will want to make notes as you go along. The reader is really expected to bring their attention and, yes, their full consciousness to these books, as it is only through deep engagement with the ideas within (whether you agree with them or not) that the reader is able to join Ni’vim on her journey towards enlightenment and understanding.
Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
The Eternal Reflection Book 5, 6, & 7 Reviews:
Books 5, 6, and 7 have not been marketed or reviewed due to health issues at the time of their publication. I intend to market them in the future, but am currently busy marketing the How to Tetris book series.
Comments from Advance Review Copy Readers
“Your prose is amazing. Extremely evocative, vivid, and a rather visceral quality which reminds me of the style of Patricia McKillip.” — From a Singaporean fantasy novelist I worked with, by coincidence, via the same Reedsy coach (talk about fate!)
“Omfg, that book is definitely intense like seriously some deep thought within it … I love it for sure. I feel it’s very enlightening and the deep process of which your mind can comprehend the words in this book is absolutely mind blowing … dude your mind is something else I didn’t even realize you are this deep.” — From an affluent American reader.
“I’m amazed at your writing. It has the blend of fantasy and spiritual, yet inspirational. I believe you can draw in all the readers who love this kind of books. You are already a good writer.” — From a Singaporean writer
“Your writing is beautiful and artistic, I love it! […] I like your prose, poetry, and spiritual wisdom. […] Astoundingly high standard […] your book is topnotch!” — From a Singaporean novelist, ASEAN scholar, and translator of the Sutras to English. She found the Buddhist themes very similar to her own philosophy. She likewise found them very deep and accurate. Will update more testimonies from her. She has many more laudations.
“The integration of the verse is also very nice. I always like reading poetry.” — From a late-teenager.
“God damn, it flows so well. Nice pacing!” — From a British writer.
“I love it, it’s very unique to other books I’ve read. Part of it is the word choice you don’t see, and there’s also a part I can’t really explain. It really is captivating to read. I’ll be honest, I’m reading through it slowly because it makes books more enjoyable for me, and your book is super great for that because of how thought-provoking it is. As for plot, I think what I have read was well thought out and seems to leave certain parts out to make it even more interesting.” — From a late-teenage reader.
“I like it so far, it’s not a hard read.” — From an avid reader of many books, especially Stephen King’s works.
“It’s been a while since I’ve read fantasy because at some point I realized that fantasy is a lot more targeted to younger audiences and seems to have less mature themes (I am aware of Game of Thrones, but because of their length and the apparent inability of George R. R. Martin to finish the series, I never started reading it. Because of that, I switched to reading mostly sci-fi but The Eternal Reflection has changed my view on fantasy as a genre. While many fantasy authors still don’t explore more mature and complex topics as much as in sci-fi, The Eternal Reflection has really been one of my favorite books this year because it tackles psychological and spiritual themes with tact and an easy-to-understand approach that still leaves plenty of room for reflection and exploration by the reader.” — From a late-teenager. Great news, because it means my works are accessible.
“Well-written with good plot development. Very deep lessons.” — From the dean of a local well-known Singaporean law school.
“I just wanted to let you know I’ve finally had a chance to go more in depth with your book and it’s really fantastic! I love the spiritual/philosophical theme. I think your background in sociological studies is perfectly paired for something like this. Your quotes, wisdom and philosophy are ingrained with this masterpiece […] You literally perfected this. Everything from the message, the artwork and just the entire package. The marketer needs to know this is a diamond in the rough. Also, I think it’s genius that you made this into a fictional story, but at the same time allows you to explore different through processes flawlessly.” — A well-known Twitch streamer.
“Loving your book so far. I am really enjoying getting to know the lovely young lady who is embarking on finding meaning for her life. She seems to represent a lot of us who want to feel there is more to life than mundane restrictions that have [been] placed on us by our societies. I look forward to learning more of her journey and the importance of her tattoos.” — An Advance Review Copy reader.
“I have honestly loved the way it has been written. Several of the philosophies have helped me during moments of self-doubt and anger.” — An Advance Review Copy reader.
“So far I am enjoying all the complexities of the characters very interesting[ly]. Our heroine is strong and I am looking forward to see how all her gifts will get her through all the battles against evil and hoping to find her growing for herself and what she will pass on for her own peoples’ customs in the future. So far it seems like it would be a great source for a visual experience if it were ever made to be a screenplay experience. That may be getting ahead, but all the descriptions, hieroglyphic type languages, and excitement of the battles would be quite interesting to see.” — An Advance Review Copy reader.
“It’s a very in-depth story but it was [a] very interesting and wonderful story.” — An Advance Review Copy reader.
Aquila Goh 