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Cargon Trilogy #1
Honour & Privilege
In a post-apocalyptic world, a lowly servant is at the front of a second renaissance.
Eve is born to the lowest caste, but her sharp mind brings her to the attention of the elite.
In an unprecedented move, she initiates a game of Cargon, the method elite use to rank themselves, and wins a place among them. From within, she sparks new ideas, ones that will literally enlighten her world.
Can she balance the sacrifices that come with her new privilege? Will she marry a partner that will bring her honor as well as love?
**Reading these books in order is not necessary, however it is recommended.**
Eve is born to the lowest caste, but her sharp mind brings her to the attention of the elite.
In an unprecedented move, she initiates a game of Cargon, the method elite use to rank themselves, and wins a place among them. From within, she sparks new ideas, ones that will literally enlighten her world.
Can she balance the sacrifices that come with her new privilege? Will she marry a partner that will bring her honor as well as love?
**Reading these books in order is not necessary, however it is recommended.**
204 pages, Paperback
First published May 15, 2011
About the author
Kimberly Gould
16 books39 followersOldest of three girls, raised in a small city surrounded by family, Kimberly was well acquainted with her imagination and started writing novellas in High School. She took a break while attending University, but returned to it soon after the birth of her daughter late in 2006. She has been married for 12 years, a mother for 5 and a published author for 1. She is looking forward to her future releases and new ideas.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 26, 2012
...and then, I left my usual comfort zone for reading material and tried something...
OUT GENRE!!!
...because sometimes you've got to go out genre.
Fantasy romance, because one of my friends wrote a fantasy romance one time and that's as good an excuse to explore one as I'll ever have! A pretty damn good one, too, if I can be trusted to judge the quality of fantasy romance. You can judge that for yourself...
Built around the central notion that life is fundamentally unfair, but that its unfairness can benefit as much as it harms you, it focuses on the board game from which it takes its title and the intricate system of castes and classes that surround it as viewed via outsider within the palace.
Tropes abound, a rags to riches story, falling in love with a prince, competition for the maiden's hand, but they blend together nicely and, by the time we reach the conclusion, it manages to play as both poignant and charming, setting things up nicely for a sequel.
The romance comes off as a little pat, though I can't help thinking that's a thing I'd wind up saying about pretty much any romance book I chose to read, and I could've used more explanation of how the game Cargon was actually played (is that a real comment on the text? Or merely an admission that I'm a gaming geek? Who can say...) but overall, the story was interesting, the characters were likeable, the world-building was hinted at rather than used as a bludgeon, and I was pleased to have read this.
Sometimes you've got to go out genre, and in this case I'm glad I did.
OUT GENRE!!!
...because sometimes you've got to go out genre.
Fantasy romance, because one of my friends wrote a fantasy romance one time and that's as good an excuse to explore one as I'll ever have! A pretty damn good one, too, if I can be trusted to judge the quality of fantasy romance. You can judge that for yourself...
Built around the central notion that life is fundamentally unfair, but that its unfairness can benefit as much as it harms you, it focuses on the board game from which it takes its title and the intricate system of castes and classes that surround it as viewed via outsider within the palace.
Tropes abound, a rags to riches story, falling in love with a prince, competition for the maiden's hand, but they blend together nicely and, by the time we reach the conclusion, it manages to play as both poignant and charming, setting things up nicely for a sequel.
The romance comes off as a little pat, though I can't help thinking that's a thing I'd wind up saying about pretty much any romance book I chose to read, and I could've used more explanation of how the game Cargon was actually played (is that a real comment on the text? Or merely an admission that I'm a gaming geek? Who can say...) but overall, the story was interesting, the characters were likeable, the world-building was hinted at rather than used as a bludgeon, and I was pleased to have read this.
Sometimes you've got to go out genre, and in this case I'm glad I did.
December 16, 2012
Original post here: http://offbeatvagabond.blogspot.com/2012/12/indie-book-review-cargon-honour-and.html
Cargon is the story about a board game like no other. Nothing is off limits when the game is played. Whatever is at stake, the loser must give up what is asked of them, no exceptions. It is all for honour. When a young server named Eve is promoted to wines, she witnesses the game of Cargon while serving the Elite. She gets noticed and due to her perception and wits, doors open for her. She soon rises beyond her the life of a server and is now struggling between her old life and her new life. Eve must figure out where she stands and who she will stand with.
This is quite a unique read. It is an unusual and beautiful mixture of Historical Fiction and Dystopian. The world we know now is gone and has backtracked to the times of no electricity, no skyscrapers and split classes; the Elite and the servants. I love the world Gould has given us. It is so interesting. The world-building alone is enough to check out this book. Gould did a wonderful job laying out the world for us. It is very elaborate. The one year that is mentioned in this book is 264. I am not even sure how far in the future this really is or what happened, but it is like the world has restarted or something. I like that a lot.
It only took a few pages before I was completely engulfed in this story. We follow Eve, who starts off as a quiet servant and see her become such a strong and smart woman. The more she learns from her growing positions, the more we see how brilliant. I love how willing she is to take advantage of the opportunities in front of her. I love witnessing how much she has grown. I especially love how she actually gets such a high position. She is plunged into a high powered role when she accidentally starts a game of Cargon against a man named Adam (yes, Adam and Eve, all the more significant to the world Gould has presented to us, but this isn't book isn't a religious ). But the more their love grows, there are many obstacles that seem to put a wedge between them. Some of those obstacles seem to be more than happy to make that wedge bigger.
The relationship between Adam and Eve was amazing. I love how much they grow together and separately. Seeing Eve's growth and the way she handles her new role makes you love her all the more. She was quite the role model. Adam was adorable. I love how smitten he was with Eve and I love seeing that he not only loves her but respects her. I think that may be because of his mother. I loved the mother-son relationship. Adam's mother is the head of the house and I love the way how she teases her son. They had such a great relationship, they made me smile a lot.
I don't want to reveal too much, but this book will take you by surprise. Gould is quite the storyteller. I love the reveal of the discovery that is made near the end. Gould has said there will be two books in this series. Thank goodness because the ending implies much more. I hope we get more of the outside world in the next book and learn about what happened to the world. Also I can't wait to see what Eve will do. Her smarts have opened up doors for the future and as mentioned in the book, she will change the world. I also need more on her and Adam. That hurt, but no way is that it. Nope, I won't accept it. If you are looking for a captivating and unique read, this is the perfect choice.
Cargon is the story about a board game like no other. Nothing is off limits when the game is played. Whatever is at stake, the loser must give up what is asked of them, no exceptions. It is all for honour. When a young server named Eve is promoted to wines, she witnesses the game of Cargon while serving the Elite. She gets noticed and due to her perception and wits, doors open for her. She soon rises beyond her the life of a server and is now struggling between her old life and her new life. Eve must figure out where she stands and who she will stand with.
This is quite a unique read. It is an unusual and beautiful mixture of Historical Fiction and Dystopian. The world we know now is gone and has backtracked to the times of no electricity, no skyscrapers and split classes; the Elite and the servants. I love the world Gould has given us. It is so interesting. The world-building alone is enough to check out this book. Gould did a wonderful job laying out the world for us. It is very elaborate. The one year that is mentioned in this book is 264. I am not even sure how far in the future this really is or what happened, but it is like the world has restarted or something. I like that a lot.
It only took a few pages before I was completely engulfed in this story. We follow Eve, who starts off as a quiet servant and see her become such a strong and smart woman. The more she learns from her growing positions, the more we see how brilliant. I love how willing she is to take advantage of the opportunities in front of her. I love witnessing how much she has grown. I especially love how she actually gets such a high position. She is plunged into a high powered role when she accidentally starts a game of Cargon against a man named Adam (yes, Adam and Eve, all the more significant to the world Gould has presented to us, but this isn't book isn't a religious ). But the more their love grows, there are many obstacles that seem to put a wedge between them. Some of those obstacles seem to be more than happy to make that wedge bigger.
The relationship between Adam and Eve was amazing. I love how much they grow together and separately. Seeing Eve's growth and the way she handles her new role makes you love her all the more. She was quite the role model. Adam was adorable. I love how smitten he was with Eve and I love seeing that he not only loves her but respects her. I think that may be because of his mother. I loved the mother-son relationship. Adam's mother is the head of the house and I love the way how she teases her son. They had such a great relationship, they made me smile a lot.
I don't want to reveal too much, but this book will take you by surprise. Gould is quite the storyteller. I love the reveal of the discovery that is made near the end. Gould has said there will be two books in this series. Thank goodness because the ending implies much more. I hope we get more of the outside world in the next book and learn about what happened to the world. Also I can't wait to see what Eve will do. Her smarts have opened up doors for the future and as mentioned in the book, she will change the world. I also need more on her and Adam. That hurt, but no way is that it. Nope, I won't accept it. If you are looking for a captivating and unique read, this is the perfect choice.
November 18, 2012
Personally, I think there’s something quite special about this book. I really enjoyed it, and since I devoured it in less than one day, I think that’s pretty meaningful. At first, I was hesitant to read it because it only had 15 ratings on Goodreads, but I’m glad I gave it a chance.
The writing of the book seemed a little rough at times and the editing also seemed to lack. I was able to overlook this since the story was so engaging. It tells the story of a young servant girl named Eve, who lives in a dystopian world that has reverted back to historical times. No electricity and the separation of the aristocracy from the servants gives us the impression of going back to the middle-ages. Society is divided into two major groups: the elite, who are wealthy and control society, and the servants, who are raised to follow the elites’ every order. A very strict line separates the two groups and it would be unthinkable for a servant to join the ranks of the elite, let alone gain an important status among them. However, Eve has unknowingly challenged someone in playing Cargon, a game that reminds me somewhat of chess and a game which can change society so drastically with just a few wrong moves (or good ones). As Eve gains a place among the elite, her world changes dramatically as she finds a way to adjust to her new position.
Throughout the book, we see Eve grow from an immature and naïve servant girl into an intelligent and strong-willed woman. Her fresh outlook on life has given her a real advantage in her new station but I think it’s her dedication to her studies that has helped her take on a leadership role. Any young girl would want to be Eve in this type of society and I think any girl would be envious of the relationship she has with Adam, one of the elites. That alone makes her a great YA protagonist. The romance and the affection between the two characters is quite enjoyable and very well developed. You can tell the relationship was really important to the author since it shows in the way she wrote every affectionate scene. However, one small thing that bothered me is the fact that the two characters are named Adam and Eve. I understand that they’re a part of something new and they might symbolize a new beginning, but the story didn’t need the biblical reference to communicate this.
I was surprised by how much this story caught my attention. The society and its hierarchy is very detailed and I think the world beyond the society we’ve been introduced to was left out for a reason. I’m anticipating the rest of the story since I wasn’t really fond of the ending. It left me wondering too much about Eve and Adam’s future together, and whether or not society will cause a rift between the two. This original dystopian/historical trilogy will surely please many YA fans of the genre. It does have some similarities with other YA series but I think it’s authentic enough to hold its own. Like I mentioned earlier, the writing does seem a bit unrefined but CARGON: HONOUR & PRIVILEGE shows a lot of promise as the first book of this trilogy. It saddens me that not many people are aware of it…
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨°º©©º°¨¨¨¨¨¨¨°º©©º°¨¨¨¨¨¨
An electronic copy was provided by the author
Also reviewed on Tynga's Reviews
The writing of the book seemed a little rough at times and the editing also seemed to lack. I was able to overlook this since the story was so engaging. It tells the story of a young servant girl named Eve, who lives in a dystopian world that has reverted back to historical times. No electricity and the separation of the aristocracy from the servants gives us the impression of going back to the middle-ages. Society is divided into two major groups: the elite, who are wealthy and control society, and the servants, who are raised to follow the elites’ every order. A very strict line separates the two groups and it would be unthinkable for a servant to join the ranks of the elite, let alone gain an important status among them. However, Eve has unknowingly challenged someone in playing Cargon, a game that reminds me somewhat of chess and a game which can change society so drastically with just a few wrong moves (or good ones). As Eve gains a place among the elite, her world changes dramatically as she finds a way to adjust to her new position.
Throughout the book, we see Eve grow from an immature and naïve servant girl into an intelligent and strong-willed woman. Her fresh outlook on life has given her a real advantage in her new station but I think it’s her dedication to her studies that has helped her take on a leadership role. Any young girl would want to be Eve in this type of society and I think any girl would be envious of the relationship she has with Adam, one of the elites. That alone makes her a great YA protagonist. The romance and the affection between the two characters is quite enjoyable and very well developed. You can tell the relationship was really important to the author since it shows in the way she wrote every affectionate scene. However, one small thing that bothered me is the fact that the two characters are named Adam and Eve. I understand that they’re a part of something new and they might symbolize a new beginning, but the story didn’t need the biblical reference to communicate this.
I was surprised by how much this story caught my attention. The society and its hierarchy is very detailed and I think the world beyond the society we’ve been introduced to was left out for a reason. I’m anticipating the rest of the story since I wasn’t really fond of the ending. It left me wondering too much about Eve and Adam’s future together, and whether or not society will cause a rift between the two. This original dystopian/historical trilogy will surely please many YA fans of the genre. It does have some similarities with other YA series but I think it’s authentic enough to hold its own. Like I mentioned earlier, the writing does seem a bit unrefined but CARGON: HONOUR & PRIVILEGE shows a lot of promise as the first book of this trilogy. It saddens me that not many people are aware of it…
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨°º©©º°¨¨¨¨¨¨¨°º©©º°¨¨¨¨¨¨
An electronic copy was provided by the author
Also reviewed on Tynga's Reviews
November 22, 2011
Reviewed by Susan
*Warning: possible spoilers ahead.*
Cargon comes to us from our New Author Reviews program, and I’m so glad SarahB thought of me when she got the submission. It’s probably one of the most unique and interesting things I’ve read in a very long time.
Eve lives in what I think is the very distant future of the US, although it is divided up into what operates like Medieval kingdoms. There are the elite class: Princes, Princesses, Ducat, Ducati, Vinca and Vanto. There is the Highest One and her Second, which is her eldest son, Adam. Eve is in the servant class and is overjoyed to discover that she has been picked for the wine service during dinner. Her first night, she discovers the perplexing game of Cargon.
Cargon is a game, not unlike chess, only a game is not played without a wager. The wagers can be something simple, but most of the time they are not. Women wager their husbands, and men wager their wives. They take chances at their stations, sometimes with disastrous results. When Eve displays a keen intellect she is mysteriously removed from her normal assignments and placed in the classes reserved for the children of the elite class and granted access to the libraries. Eventually, she waits until after dinner service one night and begins an open game of Cargon…not know that the Second was watching in the wings to take up the challenge.
This book is impossible to describe…you simply must read it. The author is very descriptive but at the same time very vague. We don’t know where they are, we don’t even know what time period this is in, we are simply given clues. For example, they talk briefly of stories told about buildings higher than the trees that look like skeletons and paths made of tar-like substances that seem to go on for miles and miles. The characters are regularly excited about things such the use of steam engines…it’s like a neo-steampunk era!
I only had a few minor quibbles with Cargon. The middle of the book seemed to lose it’s way a bit, and the ending left me wandering. It was definitely left open-ended and I rushed to ask the author if another book or two was planned. To my delight, she is currently working on a sequel! But to balance out my complaints, I have to say I loved that the elite class wasn’t completely overrun with a bunch of entitled snobs. For the most part they were polite, and grateful for their station, and it seems as though none of them took their positions for granted, because it could be lost in a second during a daring game of Cargon. The Highest One (sort of like the Queen) was a very pleasant and educated woman and befitting of her status. I disliked Louis, but began to soften toward him near the end, but I’m not sure if the reader is supposed to like him or not!
I give Cargon: honour & privilege a solid 3.5 fangs. I think the author did such a wonderful job of creating a new type of society while not revealing too much. I look forward to a follow up and think her writing is only going to get more compelling the more she writes. In short, make sure to put this title on your Christmas list! You certainly won’t regret it, and you’ll actually learn a thing or two while reading.
*Warning: possible spoilers ahead.*
Cargon comes to us from our New Author Reviews program, and I’m so glad SarahB thought of me when she got the submission. It’s probably one of the most unique and interesting things I’ve read in a very long time.
Eve lives in what I think is the very distant future of the US, although it is divided up into what operates like Medieval kingdoms. There are the elite class: Princes, Princesses, Ducat, Ducati, Vinca and Vanto. There is the Highest One and her Second, which is her eldest son, Adam. Eve is in the servant class and is overjoyed to discover that she has been picked for the wine service during dinner. Her first night, she discovers the perplexing game of Cargon.
Cargon is a game, not unlike chess, only a game is not played without a wager. The wagers can be something simple, but most of the time they are not. Women wager their husbands, and men wager their wives. They take chances at their stations, sometimes with disastrous results. When Eve displays a keen intellect she is mysteriously removed from her normal assignments and placed in the classes reserved for the children of the elite class and granted access to the libraries. Eventually, she waits until after dinner service one night and begins an open game of Cargon…not know that the Second was watching in the wings to take up the challenge.
This book is impossible to describe…you simply must read it. The author is very descriptive but at the same time very vague. We don’t know where they are, we don’t even know what time period this is in, we are simply given clues. For example, they talk briefly of stories told about buildings higher than the trees that look like skeletons and paths made of tar-like substances that seem to go on for miles and miles. The characters are regularly excited about things such the use of steam engines…it’s like a neo-steampunk era!
I only had a few minor quibbles with Cargon. The middle of the book seemed to lose it’s way a bit, and the ending left me wandering. It was definitely left open-ended and I rushed to ask the author if another book or two was planned. To my delight, she is currently working on a sequel! But to balance out my complaints, I have to say I loved that the elite class wasn’t completely overrun with a bunch of entitled snobs. For the most part they were polite, and grateful for their station, and it seems as though none of them took their positions for granted, because it could be lost in a second during a daring game of Cargon. The Highest One (sort of like the Queen) was a very pleasant and educated woman and befitting of her status. I disliked Louis, but began to soften toward him near the end, but I’m not sure if the reader is supposed to like him or not!
I give Cargon: honour & privilege a solid 3.5 fangs. I think the author did such a wonderful job of creating a new type of society while not revealing too much. I look forward to a follow up and think her writing is only going to get more compelling the more she writes. In short, make sure to put this title on your Christmas list! You certainly won’t regret it, and you’ll actually learn a thing or two while reading.
September 22, 2011
Thought it was a great book until I Cried at the end! All in all still a good book.
September 25, 2011
I'm really liking this author's style. Lots of stuff has been told and it's only page 15. But I don't feel like it's been rushed or forced.
December 29, 2011
It took me a little while to get into this book, but I enjoyed it.
The ending left me hoping that there would be a sequel.
The ending left me hoping that there would be a sequel.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews