The Holder's Dominion

The Holder's Dominion

Author	Genese Davis
Genre	Fiction, Gamer lit
Published	March 1, 2013 (Beaver's Pond Press)
Publication place	United States
Pages	392
ISBN	1592985807

The Holder's Dominion is a 2013 novel written by American writer Genese Davis. The book was published worldwide on March 1, 2013. It was Davis' debut novel and one of the pioneer novels in the new adult genre.

The novel is set in near-future Austin, Texas and begins with the discovery of a young man dealing with trauma inside a grocery store aisle. Subsequently, our hero, Kaylie Ames, discovers he is a long lost friend participating in some offline dares known as "morphis assignments" given to him by someone named "The Holder." Through this interaction, Kaylie sets off on a journey she never expected within the online video game, Edannair. After dealing with the death of her father, she hopes this journey will mend her real life.

Major themes in the novel are video games, mourning and death. It works to bring together video game players and non-video game players through a thrilling adventure.

Synopsis

After her father's death on a mountain rescue mission, Kaylie Ames watched her family shatter. She fled Tacoma for college in faraway Austin, figuring that even the worst campus drama would be a relief. But when her old friend Elliott turns up on his knees in the grocery store aisle, raving about something called a morphis, Kaylie feels compelled to enter Elliott's unfamiliar world.

Guided by Elliott and his friends, Kaylie signs on to the massively popular online game Edannair. There she discovers a world of beautiful vistas and magical creatures, where people from all over the globe step into the roles of warriors on fantastical quests. But a real-world evil threatens the players: the mysterious Holder, leader of the elite team known as Sarkmarr, is coercing his followers into traumatic offline dares known as “morphis assignments.” To save her friends, Kaylie must infiltrate Sarkmarr and survive the Holder's tests.

Will she find the courage there to hold her real-world family together?

Plot summary and main characters

Kaylie Ames chose to attend college in Austin. It was far enough away from home to create the distance she needed from a family in upheaval. Kaylie's father had been killed in a mountain rescue operation and her mother and brother each withdrew in their own ways. Kaylie chose the physical escape, assuming the distance between them would be the remedy she needed. Yet nothing changed, until the day she found Elliott.

She did not recognize her old friend at first. He was on his knees in the middle of a grocery store aisle. His eyes were shut and he looked ill, mumbling something unintelligible. When she recognized Elliott as an old chum, she helped him off the floor and brought him outside. He quickly recovered and although Elliott would not explain what had happened to him in the grocery store, he eventually let her into his circle of friends and into the world of Edannair.

Kaylie had never really been a gamer before, or even competitive for that matter, but as she became immersed within the online game, things began to change. Edannair is the universally popular, fantasy MMO (massively multiplayer online game) where you can build your own avatar, learn and develop the skills for the creature you choose as your avatar, explore a complex and infinite world, build alliances, forge online relationships with friends and new acquaintances and compete in battles and raids. In Edannair, Kaylie becomes Loxy and while she spends countless hours as Loxy, her real-world troubles begin to dissipate. Until she finds out about The Holder.

In Edannair, you can compete and show off your talent by joining teams. The highest ranking team, and most renown, is the team of Sarkmarr which is ruled by The Holder, an enigmatic character whose true identity is hidden for many reasons. The Holder tests his members through a number of online trials and dangerous offline, real-world tests called morphis assignments. It was a morphis assignment that had brought Elliott to his knees in the grocery store the day Kaylie found him.

As Kaylie learns more about The Holder and his manipulative and destructive morphis assignments, she becomes convinced that she wants to apply to become a member of his team. She wants to defend her friends by bringing him down and the only way she can accomplish her mission is to infiltrate Sarkmarr as Loxy. Her friends help and through tedious training, her application is accepted. But now she has to move up in the ranks, past the tiers to become a full-fledged Sarkmarr member, and that means passing all of the dangerous morphises that The Holder designs for her. She quickly learns that these assignments are tailored specific for each individual. The Holder is powerful, both online and off, and knows personal real-world details about every applicant. He knows exactly what scares you the most, and he uses it.

Characters

• Kaylie Ames, the main protagonist of the story, is driven by the loss of her father and separation from her brother and mother to go after The Holder.

• The Holder, the main antagonist of the story, leader of Sarkmarr.

Reception

“The Holder’s Dominion is a heartfelt, fast-paced thrill ride. . . . ” —Micky Neilson, New York Times-bestselling author

“You fall at once into Kaylie’s world. . . . It will keep you turning the pages.” —Christie Golden, New York Times-bestselling author of Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi: Ascension

“My secret hope is that [Davis’s] strong heroine’s experiences in such a rich gaming world inspires more women to enter the game industry. . . .” —Billy Cain, vice-chairman, International Game Developers Association – Austin

“Davis creates both an everyday world and a world of adventure, then she laces them together and pulls tightly.” —Richard Bartle, PhD, Professor of Game Design, University of Essex

“Gaming has never looked more intriguing . . . or inviting.” —Kristian Nairn, actor

“An imaginative outing. . . .” —Alan Kistler, author and host of Crazy Sexy Geeks Podcast

“A very good read. . . . eye opening.” —Timothy Mitchell, highly ranked World of Warcraft player

“Genese Davis is an author to watch.” —James Waugh, senior developer and entertainment executive

“A captivating adventure . . . a vivid fantasy realm.” —Jacob Horning, musician and video game expert

"Through Davis’ work, my fledgling relationship with ‘gamer’s lit’ has evolved into a full-blown love affair." —Seacoast Online

". . . despite not being familiar with this culture of gamers, I had no problem getting sucked into the story."—MariReads

". . .I can't wait to read [Davis's] next book"—Cheryl's Book Nook

"It is an amazing story that flows beautifully, catches the reader’s interest very quickly and leaves you wanting more.'—My Bookish Fairy Tale

Conception

Like Kaylie, Davis came to gaming pretty late in life. In fact, when she was a young girl, all of her free time was spent at a horse barn where she learned the art of dressage and show jumping. She never expected to become an avid video game enthusiast. She ventured into the world of MMO gaming as an adult and discovered a passion for in-game community, especially raiding teams. Working with industry professionals, she gained a deep understanding of video games and their artists, lore, culture, and development, and that's how the story for The Holder's Dominion was born. Davis wanted to write for gamers and non-gamers alike about the unpredictable and influential ways that video games change us and to share with others the amazing experience of collaborative video games and the communities that grow up in and around them. This fast-paced story aims to bridge the gap between families and friends of gamers who wonder about the allure behind their loved ones' fascination with video games.

Book trailer

The Holder's Dominion book trailer was one of the first live action book trailers ever. It won a Telly Award in 2013 for its writing and direction. It was co-directed by Eric Kieron Davis and Brian Horn with Davis penning the trailer adaption, and featured the voice talents of Anthony Bowling and Caitlin Glass.

External links

• Genese Davis' official website Information about the author
• The Holder's Dominion official website Information about the novel