Review: Paschia's Hidden Journals - Volume I: Awakenings and Aeveaternity by Sam Paisley

Blurb:

Billions of years before the first Sentient life existed, The Keepers – the Children of Time – were stewards of the universe. Paschia, the most powerful Keeper of all, spent his life focused on only one thing: discovering his purpose.

Through a series of journal entries, Paschia documented his awakening, growth, philosophy, and the eventual rift that tore him and his siblings apart. In his wisdom, he coded secret messages into his journals, and hid them so that only his most trusted allies might one day uncover the secrets of his life’s work.

Discover the untold history of The Keepers, and the origins of the universe itself, in this first entry into a new prequel series:
Paschia’s Hidden Journals - Volume I: Awakenings and Aevaeternity

“To you, I leave everything, should you wish to inherit it…Just remember, knowledge is never a replacement for wisdom.”

~ Paschia

Review:

This story is like finding a treasure tucked away on a dusty shelf, something that feels meant for only your eyes. Getting a better glimpse into the Aevaeternity, as Paschia processes his own existence, purpose, and the greater intentions of his Father, was a wonderful way for Paisley to build the lore, deepen these god-like characters, and entertain us thoroughly while uncovering just as many questions as the answers he reveals. And that’s what I love about The Elements of Time. It’s a rabbit hole of a world you can’t help but feel has just grazed the surface of it’s own depths, while still feeling immensely satisfying and rich. Paschia's Hidden Journals: Volume I is no exception. 

Written in a true journaling style, we awake with Paschia, on the cusp of his consciousness. As he rationalizes who he is and, more difficultly, why he’s here, we dive deep into the inner workings of the universe. I’m not going to lie, at the beginning of this story I struggled a bit rationalizing a realm of pure time. I’m not the smartest cookie on the cooling rack when it comes to conceptualizing time and space and what happens when they’re absent of each other. But I didn't need to be, as Paisley very quickly made it palpable. And with it came some great new perspective into this series. You feel like you get to unravel a few more of the secrets you’re left pondering after The Winds of Change.

“What you must know is that the truth to all that I have learned is hidden within my writing. Of the countless pursuits I have given my time to, I consider my journals to be among the most important.”

I am convinced Paisley's world building depths know no bounds. With every book my expectations grow exponentially. He has an extremely fleshed out world we’ve only just begun to traverse. Paschia’s Hidden Journals, planned as an ongoing series, is like being handed a skeleton key for your adventure into The Elements of Time, better explaining the history you longed for and the structure of it’s realms. 

“Just remember, knowledge is never a replacement for wisdom.”

Learning about the siblings at a more fundamental level also got my gears turning for what might be to come. As Paschia’s own purpose unfolds, we watch his siblings start to break into the gods we see in The Winds of Change. Serenya and her tapestry was a big curiosity for me and I love the understanding I gained both about her and her work. That's how it went for all the siblings, for the most part, though I can't wait to dive into more detail as this project progresses, especially with some. But the development of Paschia and his gifts was by far my favorite aspect. His connection to his father was really compelling and the themes in identity, purpose, loss and fear elevated the story in really cool ways.

“Why has he named me such, and imbued me with a curiosity for answers that do not yet have questions?”

I loved the unique writing that feels like we've discovered the journal hidden away, just waiting for it's forbidden entries to be discovered. Paisley is a master at taking something that could feel like an info dump and delivering it in such an enjoyable, digestible way. The first person inner dialogue worked well, and though Paschia has a complex sense of speech I never felt too out of my depth. 

I think that whether you're new to this series, or you're counting down the days until you're able to grab the next book, Paschia’s Hidden Journals: Volume I is an amazing addition to your shelf. It's all a part of Sam’s upcoming Kickstarter that you won't want to miss!