“Gevan shot up in the bed, heart racing, temporarily confused where he was. This wasn’t the first time he had heard this voice in his dreams. But this time, it was different; the message had an urgency to it.”

This short but captivating excerpt from the book World Unraveled: Book One of the Scorched Earth Saga aptly paints a concise picture of the entire novel, showing off the author’s rich narration and exciting vocabulary. The book, written by Anthoney Pavelich and published in 2019, falls into the unique genre of LGBT science fiction and fantasy.

World Unraveled tells the story of a beautiful young man, Gevan, whose was raised by his mum alongside his sister in the Kingdom of Ethas. “Ethas was the largest of the three known kingdoms of the world of Cruconia. It was also the most modern, thanks to being at the base of the largest mountain,” writes Pavelich,describing the fictional kingdom.

Gevan grows up thinking that his dad died before he was born, but this changes the day he has an unusual encounter with a strange old man. This encounter leads Gevan to discover that the man whom he thought of as his father was in reality his stepfather, and that his real father is a sorcerer of great power.

Gevan’s real dad overturns the young man’s world, separating him from his best friend Jack, his mom, his sister, and the person he has just fallen in love with. Gevan’s father gives him a gift with which he must harness abilities he didn't know existed. Subsequently, Gevan discovers the truth the three kingdoms of Cruconia have been hiding for a hundred years and moves to save the kingdom from the same threat Gevan's father did a century ago.

In the course of all these events, Gevan continually has dreams and visions of destruction and horror, and there is an unshakeable voice in his head talking about an inevitable meeting. He has to figure out if this voice is a friend or an adversary. The journey to save the kingdom will take Gevan to new parts of the only world he’sever known—parts he never knew existed.

World Unraveled is a fascinating story filled with wonderful ideas. The author is gifted with a unique voice that flows through the novelas it develops. The book tells a great story of hope and bravery, the courage to accept extraordinary powers within and move forward. The characters are strong and flow easily with the plot. Overall, it is a great and easy read. Hopefully the author will continue to develop the storyline and keep readers engaged.

The book’s author, Anthoney Pavelich, was born in Michigan in 1972.  He now lives in Canada with his husband and works as a project management consultant. Being a gay man himself, Pavelich tried to stay true to himself when coming up with character ideas, so he included LGBT characters. The author enjoys helping others escape into magical worlds through the world of science fiction.