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Emaneska #1
The Written
Game Of Throne meets Die Hard in this explosive epic fantasy, packed with tattooed mages wielding unbridled spells, meddling gods, dragon-riders, and twisted Norse mythology.
Only half the recruits that undergo the Ritual survive to become Written mages. Only they can wield the fiercest of magics, to protect the Arka, until either death or the madness takes them.
Five scholars of Arfell have been assassinated. A spellbook has gone missing – a powerful summoning manual from the time of elves and fire-born daemons. The Arkmages are running out of time and options, and the world is once again on the brink of war with the Siren dragon-riders.
It falls to Farden – one of the Arka's most powerful yet troubled Written mages – to keep Emaneska from falling into chaos. Entangled in a web of lies and politics, Farden is tasked with hunting down the assassin, and recovering the spellbook before it falls into the wrong hands, and the world is cast into shadow.
It will mean fighting his way across savage Emaneska and back, a land infested with wyrms, marauders, and betrayal. It will take every fibre of his will, every scrap of magic in his bones, and if he falls, so shall the world.
Welcome to Emaneska.
The Written is the first volume in The Emaneska Series, a fast-paced, epic and norse-inspired fantasy saga perfect for fans of Joe Abercrombie, Steven Erikson, Will Wight, and George R.R. Martin. Join over 100,000 other readers and delve into the iron world of Emaneska.
Only half the recruits that undergo the Ritual survive to become Written mages. Only they can wield the fiercest of magics, to protect the Arka, until either death or the madness takes them.
Five scholars of Arfell have been assassinated. A spellbook has gone missing – a powerful summoning manual from the time of elves and fire-born daemons. The Arkmages are running out of time and options, and the world is once again on the brink of war with the Siren dragon-riders.
It falls to Farden – one of the Arka's most powerful yet troubled Written mages – to keep Emaneska from falling into chaos. Entangled in a web of lies and politics, Farden is tasked with hunting down the assassin, and recovering the spellbook before it falls into the wrong hands, and the world is cast into shadow.
It will mean fighting his way across savage Emaneska and back, a land infested with wyrms, marauders, and betrayal. It will take every fibre of his will, every scrap of magic in his bones, and if he falls, so shall the world.
Welcome to Emaneska.
The Written is the first volume in The Emaneska Series, a fast-paced, epic and norse-inspired fantasy saga perfect for fans of Joe Abercrombie, Steven Erikson, Will Wight, and George R.R. Martin. Join over 100,000 other readers and delve into the iron world of Emaneska.
438 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 25, 2010
928 people are currently reading
6574 people want to read
About the author
Ben Galley
51 books849 followersBen Galley is a British author of dark and epic fantasy books who currently hails from Vancouver, Canada. Since publishing his debut Emaneska Series, Ben has released the award-winning weird western Scarlet Star Trilogy and standalone The Heart of Stone, the critically-acclaimed Chasing Graves Trilogy, and the new Scalussen Chronicles.
When he isn’t conjuring up strange new stories or arguing the finer points of magic systems and dragon anatomy, Ben explores the Canadian wilds, sips Scotch single malts, and snowboards very, very badly. One day he hopes to haunt an epic treehouse in the mountains.
Find all of Ben’s books or join his Discord and Patreon at: www.linktr.ee/bengalley
When he isn’t conjuring up strange new stories or arguing the finer points of magic systems and dragon anatomy, Ben explores the Canadian wilds, sips Scotch single malts, and snowboards very, very badly. One day he hopes to haunt an epic treehouse in the mountains.
Find all of Ben’s books or join his Discord and Patreon at: www.linktr.ee/bengalley
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 331 reviews
January 25, 2012
Unfortunately, I was not overly impressed with this. The cover art is great, which is why I picked it up. I think it has more cons than pros, alas.
So let's start at the good points:
- The idea of tattoos giving someone power, and different tattoos giving different powers, was really neat.
- I liked the bond shared between dragon and rider, which altered the rider's appearance. Though, this is not the first story I've read where dragon and rider become inexorably linked.
- The theme of addiction, which is rarely explored in fantasy, is well done here. You don't see the main character as a drug addict in fantasy. It's also interesting to see the author's take on the relationship between power and madness, which ties into the addiction theme.
- Genesis 6:4 is quoted in the beginning, which starts an overarching idea of a greater mythology behind the story, with giants and gods and whatnot. Kinda cool, though I've seen this in three other books lately. Not his fault though.
- The world is populated by a large number of supernatural and fantastic beings. Dragons, dark elves, werewolves, hydras, titans, phoenixes, and vampires (sorry, vampyres). This made the story interesting, but also made it muddled, genre-wise.
The cons, on the other hand:
- The writing really isn't very good. The author uses the phrase "all of a sudden" a couple of times, fight scenes are described awkwardly, and there are many over used cliches through out, ie "wolf's smile" and different ways of describing blonde hair. Also, all the ways he has of describing Farden, the MC. The brave mage, the powerful mage, the strong mage, the stoic mage, blah blah blah. I'm really sick of the word mage. The writing does get better as the story progresses, which gives me hope for later books I may or may not read.
- The spelling of the word vampyre. Really? And lycan? What is this, Underworld?
- The main character is an ass. I think the author might have been trying to write him as a bad ass, like a Durzo Blint, or Ezio Auditore from Assassin's Creed, but he just comes off as an asshole. He has a short fuse, a violent streak a mile wide, but he's so powerful and awesome no one seems to care. It kind of seems like the author one time played a sorcerer/fighter in a D&D campaign and this is the result. The Written are an extremely skilled and powerful set of mages, but Farden treats Cheska's male friend with disrespect, which doesn't jive in my mind. If this guy is powerful enough to become a Written, wouldn't Farden know better? It would be like a Navy Seal treating another Navy Seal like a little kid.
- The quickdoors and Weights allow for fast travel, which is nice because I don't have to read long passages about Farden running for days at a time like a super hero, but on the other hand, this loophole allows for him to be present at the center of the action everywhere. I think it would have been more interesting for the reader, and more challenging for the author, for this not to have been the case. He can simultaneously lead an army, talk to the vampyre, uncover conspiracies, etc, all within the same day.
-
I really hope this series improves, because I can tell the author has a real love of fantasy. I wish him the best in his endeavors!
So let's start at the good points:
- The idea of tattoos giving someone power, and different tattoos giving different powers, was really neat.
- I liked the bond shared between dragon and rider, which altered the rider's appearance. Though, this is not the first story I've read where dragon and rider become inexorably linked.
- The theme of addiction, which is rarely explored in fantasy, is well done here. You don't see the main character as a drug addict in fantasy. It's also interesting to see the author's take on the relationship between power and madness, which ties into the addiction theme.
- Genesis 6:4 is quoted in the beginning, which starts an overarching idea of a greater mythology behind the story, with giants and gods and whatnot. Kinda cool, though I've seen this in three other books lately. Not his fault though.
- The world is populated by a large number of supernatural and fantastic beings. Dragons, dark elves, werewolves, hydras, titans, phoenixes, and vampires (sorry, vampyres). This made the story interesting, but also made it muddled, genre-wise.
The cons, on the other hand:
- The writing really isn't very good. The author uses the phrase "all of a sudden" a couple of times, fight scenes are described awkwardly, and there are many over used cliches through out, ie "wolf's smile" and different ways of describing blonde hair. Also, all the ways he has of describing Farden, the MC. The brave mage, the powerful mage, the strong mage, the stoic mage, blah blah blah. I'm really sick of the word mage. The writing does get better as the story progresses, which gives me hope for later books I may or may not read.
- The spelling of the word vampyre. Really? And lycan? What is this, Underworld?
- The main character is an ass. I think the author might have been trying to write him as a bad ass, like a Durzo Blint, or Ezio Auditore from Assassin's Creed, but he just comes off as an asshole. He has a short fuse, a violent streak a mile wide, but he's so powerful and awesome no one seems to care. It kind of seems like the author one time played a sorcerer/fighter in a D&D campaign and this is the result. The Written are an extremely skilled and powerful set of mages, but Farden treats Cheska's male friend with disrespect, which doesn't jive in my mind. If this guy is powerful enough to become a Written, wouldn't Farden know better? It would be like a Navy Seal treating another Navy Seal like a little kid.
- The quickdoors and Weights allow for fast travel, which is nice because I don't have to read long passages about Farden running for days at a time like a super hero, but on the other hand, this loophole allows for him to be present at the center of the action everywhere. I think it would have been more interesting for the reader, and more challenging for the author, for this not to have been the case. He can simultaneously lead an army, talk to the vampyre, uncover conspiracies, etc, all within the same day.
-
I really hope this series improves, because I can tell the author has a real love of fantasy. I wish him the best in his endeavors!
July 8, 2015
So I'm not going to lie, this book was one i've had my eye on for years because of the beautiful cover designs for the books. Considering that this is a self-published book and series, I think the fact that the covers are so beautiful is a great asset to the books because otherwise the likelihood of me buying the book or hearing about it would have been much less. With that said, it's not just a pretty cover, in fact there's actually a very wonderful story contained within the pages of this book!
So this is Ben galley's debut book and I think you can tell that with the fact the everything and anything is thrown into the story and it's fast, magical and furious throughout. Some may say that the amount of magical elements and ideas that Galley has woven in are too many, but for me I love magic and that's why fantasy is one of my favourite genres and for me the amount of magical stuff within this was fabulous. We have Werewolves, Dragons, Elves, Mages, Creepy Prophecy, Voices in Your Head, Journeying, Bad Guys, Betrayal and much more besides. We get to see a lot of the culture of various parts of the world, and we follow a kick ass main character who knows his stuff and is very powerful.
The story of this book is set in Emaneska. We see that the world is divided between men and dragons when the book begins and has been for many years. Whilst they are not at war they are hostile and hate one another but when the story opens with a violent killing spree of some of the old Scholars and a powerful thing goes missing from the Library of Arfell there may be a cause that could unite the two races once again.
The Arka is a magical academy where the Mages of this world are trained and some, only the best, go on to become The Written. The Written are a group of elite Mages who each have a book inscribed and tattooed onto their back which if you read it will make you go insane. Within this inscription are hidden runes of certain powers, making those who survive the ordeal some of the most deadly Mages on Emaneska, and the time has come for them to once more face a new evil threatening the world.
Our main character is called Farden and he's a member of the Written. He's a very powerful Written and he's descended from a line of very strong and powerful Mages. He's clever and resourceful, but he has a strong desire to prove himself and get himself out of the cloud from his Uncle (who went insane after being one of the most brilliant and deadly Written ever). He's got his secrets and he's certainly running a fine line between breaking the rules and being discovered, but ultimately his power and skill make him pretty fun to read about. He definitely faces some tough calls and sad situations in the book, but I liked the way his character unfolded to us and revealed his past and ideals slowly, despite the numerous action fight scenes.
One element of this book which I did enjoy was the immense amount of magic within this world. There's a lot of magic and it's a part of the world, characters and story wherever you go, there's no shying away from bringing in all the best parts of fantasy and this makes it both surprising and fun at all times.
We also have such fast and energetic pacing to this book right from the outset and the story itself is enjoyable to rush through and get swept up by. I definitely felt that some points were a little too rushed, but I also really enjoyed seeing the way that everything was happening and the lengths our main character had to go to in order to try and stop the problems of the world.
My only small issue with the book was that the ending is left rather open and not everything was fully resolved. Of course there are more books in the series and so I assume that they will pick up straight after the ending of this one, but I do wish it had been a little more rounded and not quite so abrupt.
Overall this was a seriously fast and fun read whenever I got the chance to sit and read it and I will certainly want to continue on with the series in the future. I would give this a solid 4*s and I look forward to seeing what will happen next as the danger mounts and more problems inevitable face the world of Emaneska!
So this is Ben galley's debut book and I think you can tell that with the fact the everything and anything is thrown into the story and it's fast, magical and furious throughout. Some may say that the amount of magical elements and ideas that Galley has woven in are too many, but for me I love magic and that's why fantasy is one of my favourite genres and for me the amount of magical stuff within this was fabulous. We have Werewolves, Dragons, Elves, Mages, Creepy Prophecy, Voices in Your Head, Journeying, Bad Guys, Betrayal and much more besides. We get to see a lot of the culture of various parts of the world, and we follow a kick ass main character who knows his stuff and is very powerful.
The story of this book is set in Emaneska. We see that the world is divided between men and dragons when the book begins and has been for many years. Whilst they are not at war they are hostile and hate one another but when the story opens with a violent killing spree of some of the old Scholars and a powerful thing goes missing from the Library of Arfell there may be a cause that could unite the two races once again.
The Arka is a magical academy where the Mages of this world are trained and some, only the best, go on to become The Written. The Written are a group of elite Mages who each have a book inscribed and tattooed onto their back which if you read it will make you go insane. Within this inscription are hidden runes of certain powers, making those who survive the ordeal some of the most deadly Mages on Emaneska, and the time has come for them to once more face a new evil threatening the world.
Our main character is called Farden and he's a member of the Written. He's a very powerful Written and he's descended from a line of very strong and powerful Mages. He's clever and resourceful, but he has a strong desire to prove himself and get himself out of the cloud from his Uncle (who went insane after being one of the most brilliant and deadly Written ever). He's got his secrets and he's certainly running a fine line between breaking the rules and being discovered, but ultimately his power and skill make him pretty fun to read about. He definitely faces some tough calls and sad situations in the book, but I liked the way his character unfolded to us and revealed his past and ideals slowly, despite the numerous action fight scenes.
One element of this book which I did enjoy was the immense amount of magic within this world. There's a lot of magic and it's a part of the world, characters and story wherever you go, there's no shying away from bringing in all the best parts of fantasy and this makes it both surprising and fun at all times.
We also have such fast and energetic pacing to this book right from the outset and the story itself is enjoyable to rush through and get swept up by. I definitely felt that some points were a little too rushed, but I also really enjoyed seeing the way that everything was happening and the lengths our main character had to go to in order to try and stop the problems of the world.
My only small issue with the book was that the ending is left rather open and not everything was fully resolved. Of course there are more books in the series and so I assume that they will pick up straight after the ending of this one, but I do wish it had been a little more rounded and not quite so abrupt.
Overall this was a seriously fast and fun read whenever I got the chance to sit and read it and I will certainly want to continue on with the series in the future. I would give this a solid 4*s and I look forward to seeing what will happen next as the danger mounts and more problems inevitable face the world of Emaneska!
May 24, 2013
Ben Galley's The Written is graced by a spectacularly striking cover. Rather than trying to dummy up a cover himself, as a lot of self-published writers do, he went to a crowdsourcing site, Crowdspring, where he was able to offer a precis of his book and have a number of designers submit book cover proposals. The one he accepted, by designer Mikael Westman and artist Claudia West, really stands out from the crowd of self-published books and would be no surprise coming from any leading publisher. For $200, Ben Galley got more than his money's worth, and he's used the same team to do the covers for further books in this fantasy series; I believe that's called "branding". Smart move on Ben's part.
Unfortunately, the cover is the best thing about the book. The MacGuffin of the novel is yet another Evil Book of Evil Evilness. The protagonist is yet another bad-ass warrior-mage. The background is yet another generic fantasy landscape, with dragons, AND vampires, AND werewolves.
Other writers have all done that before, and better. Much better. The characters, even the main character, feel stereotyped and flat; their personalities seem painted on, rather than arising from inside. One thing I noticed about Galley's writing is that he tends to over-write his scenes. A character comes into a room. He walks over here. He walks over there. He picks something up. He puts something down. He sits down. He stands up again. Et bloody cetera. Very little of which advances the plot or reveals character. My fingers kept itching for a red pencil as I read the first few chapters.
Full disclosure: I didn't get beyond the first three chapters. I looked at some of the reviews on Goodreads, and a lot of people gave high praise to the book. (Rule of thumb for ratings on Goodreads: Deduct at least one star to adjust for irrational exuberance.) I might have liked the book better, and possibly kept on reading, if I was forty or fifty years younger and hadn't, essentially, read books just like it a hundred times before. For some people, it might be fresh and interesting material; to me, it's just stale.
Read free as author's promotion.
Unfortunately, the cover is the best thing about the book. The MacGuffin of the novel is yet another Evil Book of Evil Evilness. The protagonist is yet another bad-ass warrior-mage. The background is yet another generic fantasy landscape, with dragons, AND vampires, AND werewolves.
Other writers have all done that before, and better. Much better. The characters, even the main character, feel stereotyped and flat; their personalities seem painted on, rather than arising from inside. One thing I noticed about Galley's writing is that he tends to over-write his scenes. A character comes into a room. He walks over here. He walks over there. He picks something up. He puts something down. He sits down. He stands up again. Et bloody cetera. Very little of which advances the plot or reveals character. My fingers kept itching for a red pencil as I read the first few chapters.
Full disclosure: I didn't get beyond the first three chapters. I looked at some of the reviews on Goodreads, and a lot of people gave high praise to the book. (Rule of thumb for ratings on Goodreads: Deduct at least one star to adjust for irrational exuberance.) I might have liked the book better, and possibly kept on reading, if I was forty or fifty years younger and hadn't, essentially, read books just like it a hundred times before. For some people, it might be fresh and interesting material; to me, it's just stale.
Read free as author's promotion.
October 20, 2018
I got a free e-book copy of The Written by signing up for Ben Galley's VIP mailing list and I'm pleased to say that I enjoyed the book.
For a debut novel, I thought this was well done. The storyline was good, though the characters are somewhat over-powerful but then why have a hero if he or she can be killed by the flick of the wrist? Early on in the tale, the travelling is very fast, though this is later explained by 'quick-doors' which enable fast travel.
I like the involvement of dragons in this story. Their relationship with their riders does bear a strong resemblance to the way Christopher Paolini portrayed it in his novel Eragon, though that wasn't a bad thing, in my opinion.
I like the idea of The Written. Powerful magic-users who draw their powers from the books tattooed on their backs'. Farden (the main protagonist) is one such Written and a very powerful individual. This book follows his exploits and his journey towards understanding the threats of the people around him who are competing for power and knowledge.
Of the main characters I would say that my favourites in no particular order are:
Durnus (Vampyre)
Farden (Written)
Vice (Undermage)
Bane (King)
Farfallen (Dragon)
Eyrum (Siren)
There is a romantic element for those of you who like that sort of thing. There is a great deal of combat (mostly using magic) and it is on a pretty epic scale. There is the underlying plot of who the bad guys really are. All in all a good debut.
If you like your fantasy to have dragons in it then you can't go far wrong with this book. If you like the idea then try visiting Ben Galley's Facebook page or sign up to his VIP-club for more. I will certainly be giving his future novels a try; right after I escape from the maze that is my TBR mountain!
Happy reading, everyone.
For a debut novel, I thought this was well done. The storyline was good, though the characters are somewhat over-powerful but then why have a hero if he or she can be killed by the flick of the wrist? Early on in the tale, the travelling is very fast, though this is later explained by 'quick-doors' which enable fast travel.
I like the involvement of dragons in this story. Their relationship with their riders does bear a strong resemblance to the way Christopher Paolini portrayed it in his novel Eragon, though that wasn't a bad thing, in my opinion.
I like the idea of The Written. Powerful magic-users who draw their powers from the books tattooed on their backs'. Farden (the main protagonist) is one such Written and a very powerful individual. This book follows his exploits and his journey towards understanding the threats of the people around him who are competing for power and knowledge.
Of the main characters I would say that my favourites in no particular order are:
Durnus (Vampyre)
Farden (Written)
Vice (Undermage)
Bane (King)
Farfallen (Dragon)
Eyrum (Siren)
There is a romantic element for those of you who like that sort of thing. There is a great deal of combat (mostly using magic) and it is on a pretty epic scale. There is the underlying plot of who the bad guys really are. All in all a good debut.
If you like your fantasy to have dragons in it then you can't go far wrong with this book. If you like the idea then try visiting Ben Galley's Facebook page or sign up to his VIP-club for more. I will certainly be giving his future novels a try; right after I escape from the maze that is my TBR mountain!
Happy reading, everyone.
May 15, 2018
Giving this a 3.5* rounded up to 4*. Very good concept, good world building, nice use of 🐉 and vampires 🧛♂️. Nice to see different magic performed by the various magic users.
Liking the maturing character but waiting to see which way he’s going by the author.
Will be buying the other books in this series and I will be adding the author to my keep me informed shelf.
Liking the maturing character but waiting to see which way he’s going by the author.
Will be buying the other books in this series and I will be adding the author to my keep me informed shelf.
November 24, 2022
* You can find my full video review here: https://youtu.be/B8efGudibQw *
The Written is the debut novel from Ben Galley, and as of the end of October 2022, the entire four-book series is now available for the first time in audio. For Audible members, book one, this one, is free as well (dependent on local Audible agreements), so it’s a perfect opportunity to try out the series.
The narrator is Steven Cree, who some might recognise from the TV show Outlander, among other acting credits. I really enjoyed his narration, he has such a soothing voice for an epic fantasy like this, but he also has the right intensity where required and a good range of character voices, and a great narration like this makes a world of difference.
For the book itself, I also really enjoyed the story. There are some good characters, an interesting world and magic system, and plenty of intrigue and betrayal. In this world you have all sorts of fantasy creatures, and to list dragons, wyrms, vampyres, lycans, and all the others makes it seem perhaps a bit much, but I didn’t feel overwhelmed by them at any point—it all felt in proportion given the scale of the story and the world.
The magic is not unique, but is pretty cool. The powerful mages of this world, the Written, have a book carved into their backs with raw magick in the script, and it’s a three-day process only half of the candidates tend to survive.
As one of the Written, our main character, Farden gives us access to a lot of magic over the pages of the book, and he interacts with people at both ends of the scale, so you see the wise and powerful Arkmages but also candidates who are on the verge of going through the Ritual to become Written themselves.
I love the vivid imagery when magick is being used here, in particular there is a part where a mage is tearing through the defences of non-mages that was particularly epic and made me think of a certain scene on the Profundity at the end of Rogue One.
This was one of several passages that left me with questions, but I found that they were generally answered quite quickly, even if that sometimes threw out more questions in turn. I love that there was plenty of betrayal in here, which also played its part in those questions being raised. Where some of this is not obvious but not exactly unexpected, there are then other betrayals that came out of nowhere, and I like the ability to throw that sort of surprise.
Overall, The Written is full of fantasy goodness, with dragon riders, magical travel, love and loss, and there’s even a good old heist thrown in as well. It all pulled together really well for me, with good writing and great narration in the audio. I’m happy that I finally got to this one, but at the same time, I’m also happy I waited until it was available on audio.
The Written is the debut novel from Ben Galley, and as of the end of October 2022, the entire four-book series is now available for the first time in audio. For Audible members, book one, this one, is free as well (dependent on local Audible agreements), so it’s a perfect opportunity to try out the series.
The narrator is Steven Cree, who some might recognise from the TV show Outlander, among other acting credits. I really enjoyed his narration, he has such a soothing voice for an epic fantasy like this, but he also has the right intensity where required and a good range of character voices, and a great narration like this makes a world of difference.
For the book itself, I also really enjoyed the story. There are some good characters, an interesting world and magic system, and plenty of intrigue and betrayal. In this world you have all sorts of fantasy creatures, and to list dragons, wyrms, vampyres, lycans, and all the others makes it seem perhaps a bit much, but I didn’t feel overwhelmed by them at any point—it all felt in proportion given the scale of the story and the world.
The magic is not unique, but is pretty cool. The powerful mages of this world, the Written, have a book carved into their backs with raw magick in the script, and it’s a three-day process only half of the candidates tend to survive.
As one of the Written, our main character, Farden gives us access to a lot of magic over the pages of the book, and he interacts with people at both ends of the scale, so you see the wise and powerful Arkmages but also candidates who are on the verge of going through the Ritual to become Written themselves.
I love the vivid imagery when magick is being used here, in particular there is a part where a mage is tearing through the defences of non-mages that was particularly epic and made me think of a certain scene on the Profundity at the end of Rogue One.
This was one of several passages that left me with questions, but I found that they were generally answered quite quickly, even if that sometimes threw out more questions in turn. I love that there was plenty of betrayal in here, which also played its part in those questions being raised. Where some of this is not obvious but not exactly unexpected, there are then other betrayals that came out of nowhere, and I like the ability to throw that sort of surprise.
Overall, The Written is full of fantasy goodness, with dragon riders, magical travel, love and loss, and there’s even a good old heist thrown in as well. It all pulled together really well for me, with good writing and great narration in the audio. I’m happy that I finally got to this one, but at the same time, I’m also happy I waited until it was available on audio.
March 17, 2022
Very good first book in this series! I have a feeling this is going to be a wild ride and I am fully invested. Solid world building, interesting characters, and all kinds of creatures and beasts. This is my first book I've read that has vampyres, lycans, and dragons all in the same world. It was very interesting and actually worked quite well.
The world building wasn't over the top, but very well balanced. This really allowed me the time to absorb these places as they were described. Oh! And the map helped immensely as well. :)
Most of the story is told in 3rd person POV through the main character Farden. There are some chapters that focus on side characters, but this is definitely Farden's story. This type of POV can be tricky for me sometimes. I tend to get lost in translation as to who is talking or thinking when their are multiple characters interacting. I will admit that did happen to me a few times in this book. But, overall it wasn't an issue and didn't hinder my enjoyment of the story.
Vampyres, lycans, and dragons...oh my! If you like a good book with mythical creatures or paranormal monsters then you will definitely enjoy this. Some are featured more than others, but the concept of having them all in one world is something I haven't came across before. Very fascinating and well thought out.
I would absolutely recommend this for ALL fantasy readers. In my opinion you really can't go wrong with all this book has to offer in the genre. Go pick it up!
Actual Rating: 4.5 stars ****
The world building wasn't over the top, but very well balanced. This really allowed me the time to absorb these places as they were described. Oh! And the map helped immensely as well. :)
Most of the story is told in 3rd person POV through the main character Farden. There are some chapters that focus on side characters, but this is definitely Farden's story. This type of POV can be tricky for me sometimes. I tend to get lost in translation as to who is talking or thinking when their are multiple characters interacting. I will admit that did happen to me a few times in this book. But, overall it wasn't an issue and didn't hinder my enjoyment of the story.
"I am not becoming someone different. I am simply getting to know the person I already am."
Vampyres, lycans, and dragons...oh my! If you like a good book with mythical creatures or paranormal monsters then you will definitely enjoy this. Some are featured more than others, but the concept of having them all in one world is something I haven't came across before. Very fascinating and well thought out.
I would absolutely recommend this for ALL fantasy readers. In my opinion you really can't go wrong with all this book has to offer in the genre. Go pick it up!
"Follow the dragons!
Actual Rating: 4.5 stars ****
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June 13, 2024
‘I am simply getting to know the person I already am.’
Oh this was so good!! I finished it in one day, just to give you an idea of how enjoyable it is! Also, the narration was 10/10.
☆ Book Reviews | Bluesky | Twitter | Threads ☆
Oh this was so good!! I finished it in one day, just to give you an idea of how enjoyable it is! Also, the narration was 10/10.
☆ Book Reviews | Bluesky | Twitter | Threads ☆
May 5, 2022
Ben Galley needs no introduction. Arguably, only a handful of other self-published fantasy authors have the combination of name-recognition among readers, influence in the Indie fantasy scene, and acclaim that Galley enjoys.
Galley's books have racked up awards such us Booknest Fantasy Awards, Library Journal Book of the Year, and numerous Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off (SPFBO) semi-final and finals placements. A self-publishing consultant, he's also been a guest speaker in prestigious locations such as the London School of Economics. Galley is considered an influencer in the indie fantasy sphere, has published more than 13 books to-date, and is highly successful. But every illustrious writing career begins with one book, and for Galley that book was "The Written", Book One of the "Emaneska" Series.
I always like to read the first book ever written by established authors, even if I have heard their later works are a vast improvement, as is typical as writers grow and evolve. In this case in the month of April 2022, I was dedicated to reading four of the most lauded Indie grimdark writers, Galley being one of them. Thus, April 2022 became my #Grimdarkmasters reading month. So, due to all this, I read Galley's first book, "The Written", last month.
While his debut novel, the talent of Galley is plainly on display in "The Written", and I can see why this book launched Galley's current fame, assuming he has improved his writing since this first entry.
"The Written" begins as a bit of a murder mystery. A powerful mage from the land of Arka, whose identity is unknown, is summoned by five scholars who have uncovered something extremely dangerous in a powerful spell book. This is no uncommon danger, but an existential threat to humankind. But the mage, incomprehensibly, brutally slays the scholars, and steals the book.
Enter our protagonist, Farden. Farden is one of the brightest stars, one of the most feared mages and fierce fighters, and most seasoned and heralded veterans among all the mages. The mages in the book are an ancient order of warrior / magicians, who have spell books inked on their backs in the form of elaborate tattoos (amazing concept). Farden is tasked to find out what happened to the book, and who slew the scholars.
His journey takes him across the lands of Emaneska, where he encounters daunting magical adversaries, conspiracies, attempts to overcome ancient prejudices and hostilities to form alliances for the good of the world, and faces unseen betrayals and double-crossing. While he is by nature a bit of a loner, Farden needs the assistance of trusted long-time allies, and new, more shaky alliances, and his own formidable skills, to survive, and attempt to stop those who would risk destroying the world, to serve their own lust for power.
I found Farden to be a very interesting character, and a good lead for the book. We get several other POVs, in smaller snippets, but Farden is the focus of the narrative. The mage is at moments recalcitrant, impulsive, brash, and is moody, mercurial, and also somewhat introverted and brooding. Yet he is very much dutiful, loyal to his friends, and courageous to a fault. He can also show humility, along with some pettiness at moments, that made him a very believable person.
There were some great secondary characters, but Farfallen the old dragon was definitely my favourite, with the vampyre Durnus and Svarta the Siren Queen also stand-outs.
Galley richly populates his Emaneska world - seemingly loosely based on our own world, with Albion standing in for Britain, for example - with every manner of beloved fantasy creatures from our favourite tropes. Wyrms, dragons, vampyres, lycans, and more (storm giants???!!!) appear on the pages of The Written, which will delight many a fantasy fan. The worldbuilding feels rich, including the magical school of the mages in the Arkan capital of Arfell.
On a special note, I mentioned: dragons. Many of us love them, and we want to see them well-done and Galley does an exceptional job here, and with all the supernatural creatures in the story. They all have their own unique feel, culture, idiosyncrasies, customs.
The fight scenes are plenty furious, breathtaking, and the magical element added to these combat sequences really made for some thrilling reading. With a very intricate and hard magic system, where the reader will develop an excellent understanding of how magic is wielded, its consequences, who has more magical power than who, and what is a talisman rather than what or who can independently use magic without needing a conduit.
In terms of the themes, I can see now where the genesis of Galley into truly dark fantasy began. For example, the school for the Written is no cake-walk, but a brutal, unforgiving trial, where many young aspirants don't survive. The Arkmage / Undermage politics I found very compelling and ruthless, and that was awesome, as I love me some great political intrigue. And I particularly found the lycan story to be very dark, emotive, and I felt sorry for him, and wanted to know even more about him.
Here I must comment on and give credit to Galley for his fabulous prose. I was enamoured of it from the book's lovely opening lines:
"It was snowing outside. The white flakes drifted lazily in the chill night breeze, dusting the rocky mountainside with an ivory blanket. Ice crystals flurried and spun, dancing through the cold night air, skittering along the windowsill. By all rights, it was a foul night for Arfell."
"The Written" is an invigorating, very well-written, character-driven epic fantasy, and checks all the boxes in terms of being epic in scope, filled with magic, creatures, heroes, sword fights, betrayals, murder, and intrigue. This is yet another example of a book where the tropes are done so well, it does not matter a hoot that there are tropes.
The ending of the book was fantastic, and surprising, and I am all in for continuing the Emaneska series.
4.5 stars for "The Written"!
Galley's books have racked up awards such us Booknest Fantasy Awards, Library Journal Book of the Year, and numerous Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off (SPFBO) semi-final and finals placements. A self-publishing consultant, he's also been a guest speaker in prestigious locations such as the London School of Economics. Galley is considered an influencer in the indie fantasy sphere, has published more than 13 books to-date, and is highly successful. But every illustrious writing career begins with one book, and for Galley that book was "The Written", Book One of the "Emaneska" Series.
I always like to read the first book ever written by established authors, even if I have heard their later works are a vast improvement, as is typical as writers grow and evolve. In this case in the month of April 2022, I was dedicated to reading four of the most lauded Indie grimdark writers, Galley being one of them. Thus, April 2022 became my #Grimdarkmasters reading month. So, due to all this, I read Galley's first book, "The Written", last month.
While his debut novel, the talent of Galley is plainly on display in "The Written", and I can see why this book launched Galley's current fame, assuming he has improved his writing since this first entry.
"The Written" begins as a bit of a murder mystery. A powerful mage from the land of Arka, whose identity is unknown, is summoned by five scholars who have uncovered something extremely dangerous in a powerful spell book. This is no uncommon danger, but an existential threat to humankind. But the mage, incomprehensibly, brutally slays the scholars, and steals the book.
Enter our protagonist, Farden. Farden is one of the brightest stars, one of the most feared mages and fierce fighters, and most seasoned and heralded veterans among all the mages. The mages in the book are an ancient order of warrior / magicians, who have spell books inked on their backs in the form of elaborate tattoos (amazing concept). Farden is tasked to find out what happened to the book, and who slew the scholars.
His journey takes him across the lands of Emaneska, where he encounters daunting magical adversaries, conspiracies, attempts to overcome ancient prejudices and hostilities to form alliances for the good of the world, and faces unseen betrayals and double-crossing. While he is by nature a bit of a loner, Farden needs the assistance of trusted long-time allies, and new, more shaky alliances, and his own formidable skills, to survive, and attempt to stop those who would risk destroying the world, to serve their own lust for power.
I found Farden to be a very interesting character, and a good lead for the book. We get several other POVs, in smaller snippets, but Farden is the focus of the narrative. The mage is at moments recalcitrant, impulsive, brash, and is moody, mercurial, and also somewhat introverted and brooding. Yet he is very much dutiful, loyal to his friends, and courageous to a fault. He can also show humility, along with some pettiness at moments, that made him a very believable person.
There were some great secondary characters, but Farfallen the old dragon was definitely my favourite, with the vampyre Durnus and Svarta the Siren Queen also stand-outs.
Galley richly populates his Emaneska world - seemingly loosely based on our own world, with Albion standing in for Britain, for example - with every manner of beloved fantasy creatures from our favourite tropes. Wyrms, dragons, vampyres, lycans, and more (storm giants???!!!) appear on the pages of The Written, which will delight many a fantasy fan. The worldbuilding feels rich, including the magical school of the mages in the Arkan capital of Arfell.
On a special note, I mentioned: dragons. Many of us love them, and we want to see them well-done and Galley does an exceptional job here, and with all the supernatural creatures in the story. They all have their own unique feel, culture, idiosyncrasies, customs.
The fight scenes are plenty furious, breathtaking, and the magical element added to these combat sequences really made for some thrilling reading. With a very intricate and hard magic system, where the reader will develop an excellent understanding of how magic is wielded, its consequences, who has more magical power than who, and what is a talisman rather than what or who can independently use magic without needing a conduit.
In terms of the themes, I can see now where the genesis of Galley into truly dark fantasy began. For example, the school for the Written is no cake-walk, but a brutal, unforgiving trial, where many young aspirants don't survive. The Arkmage / Undermage politics I found very compelling and ruthless, and that was awesome, as I love me some great political intrigue. And I particularly found the lycan story to be very dark, emotive, and I felt sorry for him, and wanted to know even more about him.
Here I must comment on and give credit to Galley for his fabulous prose. I was enamoured of it from the book's lovely opening lines:
"It was snowing outside. The white flakes drifted lazily in the chill night breeze, dusting the rocky mountainside with an ivory blanket. Ice crystals flurried and spun, dancing through the cold night air, skittering along the windowsill. By all rights, it was a foul night for Arfell."
"The Written" is an invigorating, very well-written, character-driven epic fantasy, and checks all the boxes in terms of being epic in scope, filled with magic, creatures, heroes, sword fights, betrayals, murder, and intrigue. This is yet another example of a book where the tropes are done so well, it does not matter a hoot that there are tropes.
The ending of the book was fantastic, and surprising, and I am all in for continuing the Emaneska series.
4.5 stars for "The Written"!
August 7, 2024
3.5/5
This wasn't groundbreaking but it was fun.
This feels like classic fantasy. The MC tries to look like morally gray but he's the picture of a hero. "Oh but I kill people" yeah but you kill the bad guys and sacrifice yourself for the good of the world.
The world has dragons, elves, demons and other creatures, which gives the DnD vibes of the classic fantasy.
The "revelations" were kind of expected and the magic system is a bit all over the place but I enjoyed the monsters.
It reminded me of The Traitor God but without the creepy MC.
I'll definitely keep reading this series and see where it leads to.
This wasn't groundbreaking but it was fun.
This feels like classic fantasy. The MC tries to look like morally gray but he's the picture of a hero. "Oh but I kill people" yeah but you kill the bad guys and sacrifice yourself for the good of the world.
The world has dragons, elves, demons and other creatures, which gives the DnD vibes of the classic fantasy.
The "revelations" were kind of expected and the magic system is a bit all over the place but I enjoyed the monsters.
It reminded me of The Traitor God but without the creepy MC.
I'll definitely keep reading this series and see where it leads to.
Want to read
September 26, 2013I have hard such great things about this book that I can't believe I've not gotten around to it yet. Ah well, so many books, so little time. Got a friend invite from the author and that will definitely move it up on my TBR stack.
March 31, 2023
3.5 stars (rounded up)
Ben Galley is one of those authors that has been on my radar for about as long as I can remember, so I honestly have no good excuse as to why it took me this long to finally dive into his works. He has built up quite an impressive back catalogue over the years, but I decided to go back all the way to the beginning and start with his debut, The Written. And honestly, I think that was a great choice! This debut novel was already quite strong, compelling and promising, so I have a feeling that I am in for an exciting ride as I make my way through all of his works and watch him grow as an author.
Anyway, onto the actual review. The Written introduces us to the world of Emaneska, which is filled with (talking) dragons, werewolves, vampyres, elves, mages and many more interesting fantastical creatures. Though, don’t expect your typical traditional fantasy fare here, this story is much more of a murder mystery/political intrigue story set in an epic fantasy world, which makes this book feel fresh and exciting! The world building was just so immersive and I loved the concept of tattooed mages whose powers can quite literally drive them (and others) crazy. Talk about raising the stakes!
I was personally very compelled by the murder mystery, you can just feel the tension building as more and more hidden truths slowly start to come to light. What I liked most is that some twists are foreshadowed enough that you can pick up the clues if you pay close enough attention, while other reveals will undoubtedly make your jaw drop to the floor.
Also, the way the mystery is tied up into the larger political conflict of this world was very impressive to me. This book is full of clever schemes and brutal betrayals, which made for such a thrilling read.
Though, as much as I enjoyed this engaging reading experience, there were some things that I hope to see improvement on in the sequels.
My main struggle with this book was the protagonist, Farden. Well, not necessarily him as a character, but more my level of investment in him and his journey. In theory, I should’ve loved this troubled and lone wolf mage, but for some reason I just couldn’t connect to him. I felt like I was being kept at arm’s length and that really hindered my emotional investment in the story.
That said, there did come a point in the book where he shifts from being a mere pawn to becoming a real player in the game, and from that point onward I started to root more for him. And luckily, there were some fantastic side characters that I instantly latched onto, so that really kept me going!
There was also a bit of a lull in the pacing for me around the middle third of the book, but I am happy to say that the explosive ending mostly made up for that.
While the main mystery of this novel is wrapped up, there are some interesting threads left open and some intriguing questions left unanswered, so now I am fully hooked in for the next instalments.
Overall, I think this was a promising debut novel and I am very excited to dive into more of Galley’s works now!
If you like your epic fantasy with a dose of mystery and political intrigue, then you have come to the right place! Also, there are tattooed mages, meddling gods and talking dragons… do I really need to say more?
Ben Galley is one of those authors that has been on my radar for about as long as I can remember, so I honestly have no good excuse as to why it took me this long to finally dive into his works. He has built up quite an impressive back catalogue over the years, but I decided to go back all the way to the beginning and start with his debut, The Written. And honestly, I think that was a great choice! This debut novel was already quite strong, compelling and promising, so I have a feeling that I am in for an exciting ride as I make my way through all of his works and watch him grow as an author.
Anyway, onto the actual review. The Written introduces us to the world of Emaneska, which is filled with (talking) dragons, werewolves, vampyres, elves, mages and many more interesting fantastical creatures. Though, don’t expect your typical traditional fantasy fare here, this story is much more of a murder mystery/political intrigue story set in an epic fantasy world, which makes this book feel fresh and exciting! The world building was just so immersive and I loved the concept of tattooed mages whose powers can quite literally drive them (and others) crazy. Talk about raising the stakes!
I was personally very compelled by the murder mystery, you can just feel the tension building as more and more hidden truths slowly start to come to light. What I liked most is that some twists are foreshadowed enough that you can pick up the clues if you pay close enough attention, while other reveals will undoubtedly make your jaw drop to the floor.
Also, the way the mystery is tied up into the larger political conflict of this world was very impressive to me. This book is full of clever schemes and brutal betrayals, which made for such a thrilling read.
Though, as much as I enjoyed this engaging reading experience, there were some things that I hope to see improvement on in the sequels.
My main struggle with this book was the protagonist, Farden. Well, not necessarily him as a character, but more my level of investment in him and his journey. In theory, I should’ve loved this troubled and lone wolf mage, but for some reason I just couldn’t connect to him. I felt like I was being kept at arm’s length and that really hindered my emotional investment in the story.
That said, there did come a point in the book where he shifts from being a mere pawn to becoming a real player in the game, and from that point onward I started to root more for him. And luckily, there were some fantastic side characters that I instantly latched onto, so that really kept me going!
There was also a bit of a lull in the pacing for me around the middle third of the book, but I am happy to say that the explosive ending mostly made up for that.
While the main mystery of this novel is wrapped up, there are some interesting threads left open and some intriguing questions left unanswered, so now I am fully hooked in for the next instalments.
Overall, I think this was a promising debut novel and I am very excited to dive into more of Galley’s works now!
If you like your epic fantasy with a dose of mystery and political intrigue, then you have come to the right place! Also, there are tattooed mages, meddling gods and talking dragons… do I really need to say more?
June 25, 2019
Actual rating: 4.5
This review was written for my blog, RockStarlit BookAsylum!
The Written was the 4th book I’ve read from Ben Galley and I managed to do that in about 7 months. I think it was only the first 5 Harry Potter books that I’ve read in less time. Interestingly, I’ve read Galley’s latest trilogy, The Chasing Graves first, then continued with his debut. Normally people do it in reverse order. On the other hand, it gives me the opportunity to see how far he had come in the past 10 years or so. Of course I won’t compare the two series as they are completely different and besides that wouldn’t be fair. Despite the fact that lately I’ve been in a reading slump and started to get tired of epic fantasy, I really enjoyed The Written. It has some flaws, sure, but it also had some ideas I was really digging.
But first things first. Our MC, Farden is one of the famous Written. They are powerful mages, all of them carrying a Book on themselves. To be a Written is a privilage and not everyone survives the Ritual where one becomes one of the elite. Farden is one of the most powerul one and the one everyone fears. Farden is that kind of hero who stays in the background, does his job and doesn’t complain. Which doesn’t mean he isn’t battling with his own demons. He is far from being perfect – he is quick to anger, sometimes acts without thinking and likes to bend the rules. I found myself screaming in my head at him to stop being an idiot at times. Which shows that I got invested enough to have such strong reactions, and that’s always a bonus!
Farden is a lone wolfe type, but loyal to a fault toward a few people he cares about, and toward his people, the Arka. Thus when an important relic, a spellbook gets stolen, the council and the Arkmages turn to him for help. And Farden starts his journey to solve a mystery, to identify a traitor, to prevent a disaster and to forge a new alliance which seemed impossible for decades. All the while he not only sets out to save Emaneska but at the same time he discovers some new truths about the world he used to know and himself as a person. Admittedly, this road is not full of joy and laughter, especially when you have to face mortal danger and betrayal in every corner.
Besides Farden, we meet a large set of characters. Most of them are pretty well fleshed out. One of my favorites besides Farden were Eyrum a Siren warrior, Cheska a candidate to be a Written, Durnus the vampyre and Farden’s friend, Lazy the cat and Farfallen. Oh and let’s not forget about Vice either. Eyrum intrigues me for some reason, the fact that he and Farden find common ground pretty fast and forge a friendship, makes them a unusual pair. I really hope he’ll get a bigger part in rest of the trilogy. Cheska provided one of the surprises that actually caught me off guard. I really, really wish I could go into details (or share my notes I made during reading), because I want to rant so much. Let’s just say, even though I’ve guessed most of the twists, hers were one of the few that I didn’t see coming.
And since I’m talking about twists. The plot is really well crafted, but then I didn’t except anything less from Galley. It’s a bit predictable – or it was for me anyway – but The Written is nothing sort of enjoyable. Especially because Galley threw in quite a few fight scenes, and a couple of fanged clawed creatures to keep up the level of entertainment. There were a few ideas that I was really digging – the storm giants, for example. I’m pretty fascinated by storms and I’ve been toying with short story ideas featuring storms, though I suspect I wouldn’t be able to pull it off quite as well. The other thing I loved – besides anything about Nelska, seriously, read this book for the inhabitants of Nelska alone – was the Book of the Written. I’m a sucker for tattoos so I was all in for this idea. I wish it was a bit more explained how it works and the whole process of choosing magic schools and stuff, but hopefully – as they were a few hints and comments about the Book – there will be enough time to do that in the rest of the trilogy.
One thing that amazed me about The Written, was the worldbuilding. Emaneska is a vast place with Empires and countries covering it. There are the 3 ruling nations: Arka, Nelska and Skölgard with a few smaller ones besides, like Albion where Farden lives in one of the Arkabbeys, under Durnus’ command. We have Krauslung, the main city of the Arka where the council is ruled by the two Arkmages and the Undermage. Near to it there is the Spire, the home of the Written. Then we have Nelska, home of the Sirens and their dragons. Skölsgard haven’t got much role in The Written, but the ending predicts that they won’t be idle bystanders.
Although the main mystery of the book got solved – namely who was behind the attack on Arfell and the scholars – there are quite a few questions left open and plotlines which need to be resolved throughout the trilogy. And I’m totally here for it. Even though The Written is Ben Galley‘s debut novel, it already showed that he is a pretty skilled author and can create a vivid, cold – literally – world with full of life and magick. It already shows his affection toward dark fantasy, though he is not quite there yet. Admittedly, there is plenty of blood flowing and he doesn’t shy away from violence – hell, one of the characters pretty much enjoys it.
The Written is a character driven epic fantasy which features magic, swordplay, dragons, mythical monsters, betrayal and badass tattoos. If you haven’t tried Ben Galley yet, this is a good place to start, and if you did, well, then you know what you can expect. An exhilarating ride from start to finish.
This review was written for my blog, RockStarlit BookAsylum!
The Written was the 4th book I’ve read from Ben Galley and I managed to do that in about 7 months. I think it was only the first 5 Harry Potter books that I’ve read in less time. Interestingly, I’ve read Galley’s latest trilogy, The Chasing Graves first, then continued with his debut. Normally people do it in reverse order. On the other hand, it gives me the opportunity to see how far he had come in the past 10 years or so. Of course I won’t compare the two series as they are completely different and besides that wouldn’t be fair. Despite the fact that lately I’ve been in a reading slump and started to get tired of epic fantasy, I really enjoyed The Written. It has some flaws, sure, but it also had some ideas I was really digging.
But first things first. Our MC, Farden is one of the famous Written. They are powerful mages, all of them carrying a Book on themselves. To be a Written is a privilage and not everyone survives the Ritual where one becomes one of the elite. Farden is one of the most powerul one and the one everyone fears. Farden is that kind of hero who stays in the background, does his job and doesn’t complain. Which doesn’t mean he isn’t battling with his own demons. He is far from being perfect – he is quick to anger, sometimes acts without thinking and likes to bend the rules. I found myself screaming in my head at him to stop being an idiot at times. Which shows that I got invested enough to have such strong reactions, and that’s always a bonus!
Farden is a lone wolfe type, but loyal to a fault toward a few people he cares about, and toward his people, the Arka. Thus when an important relic, a spellbook gets stolen, the council and the Arkmages turn to him for help. And Farden starts his journey to solve a mystery, to identify a traitor, to prevent a disaster and to forge a new alliance which seemed impossible for decades. All the while he not only sets out to save Emaneska but at the same time he discovers some new truths about the world he used to know and himself as a person. Admittedly, this road is not full of joy and laughter, especially when you have to face mortal danger and betrayal in every corner.
Besides Farden, we meet a large set of characters. Most of them are pretty well fleshed out. One of my favorites besides Farden were Eyrum a Siren warrior, Cheska a candidate to be a Written, Durnus the vampyre and Farden’s friend, Lazy the cat and Farfallen. Oh and let’s not forget about Vice either. Eyrum intrigues me for some reason, the fact that he and Farden find common ground pretty fast and forge a friendship, makes them a unusual pair. I really hope he’ll get a bigger part in rest of the trilogy. Cheska provided one of the surprises that actually caught me off guard. I really, really wish I could go into details (or share my notes I made during reading), because I want to rant so much. Let’s just say, even though I’ve guessed most of the twists, hers were one of the few that I didn’t see coming.
And since I’m talking about twists. The plot is really well crafted, but then I didn’t except anything less from Galley. It’s a bit predictable – or it was for me anyway – but The Written is nothing sort of enjoyable. Especially because Galley threw in quite a few fight scenes, and a couple of fanged clawed creatures to keep up the level of entertainment. There were a few ideas that I was really digging – the storm giants, for example. I’m pretty fascinated by storms and I’ve been toying with short story ideas featuring storms, though I suspect I wouldn’t be able to pull it off quite as well. The other thing I loved – besides anything about Nelska, seriously, read this book for the inhabitants of Nelska alone – was the Book of the Written. I’m a sucker for tattoos so I was all in for this idea. I wish it was a bit more explained how it works and the whole process of choosing magic schools and stuff, but hopefully – as they were a few hints and comments about the Book – there will be enough time to do that in the rest of the trilogy.
One thing that amazed me about The Written, was the worldbuilding. Emaneska is a vast place with Empires and countries covering it. There are the 3 ruling nations: Arka, Nelska and Skölgard with a few smaller ones besides, like Albion where Farden lives in one of the Arkabbeys, under Durnus’ command. We have Krauslung, the main city of the Arka where the council is ruled by the two Arkmages and the Undermage. Near to it there is the Spire, the home of the Written. Then we have Nelska, home of the Sirens and their dragons. Skölsgard haven’t got much role in The Written, but the ending predicts that they won’t be idle bystanders.
Although the main mystery of the book got solved – namely who was behind the attack on Arfell and the scholars – there are quite a few questions left open and plotlines which need to be resolved throughout the trilogy. And I’m totally here for it. Even though The Written is Ben Galley‘s debut novel, it already showed that he is a pretty skilled author and can create a vivid, cold – literally – world with full of life and magick. It already shows his affection toward dark fantasy, though he is not quite there yet. Admittedly, there is plenty of blood flowing and he doesn’t shy away from violence – hell, one of the characters pretty much enjoys it.
The Written is a character driven epic fantasy which features magic, swordplay, dragons, mythical monsters, betrayal and badass tattoos. If you haven’t tried Ben Galley yet, this is a good place to start, and if you did, well, then you know what you can expect. An exhilarating ride from start to finish.
May 26, 2012
Overall Rating = 3 & 1/2 Stars
Review originally at Fantasy Book Critic
ANALYSIS: The Written is a debut book that I had no clue about but thanks to Mark Lawrence, I was clued to its existence. Usually it’s said never judge a book by its cover but in this case, I was ready to make an exception. The understated cover really drew my eye with its stark color usage, so in this case I was ready to make an exception. The book blurb didn’t really do justice or give any idea about the plot content. But I was truly curious about what this book would be about.
The book is set in the world of Emaneska, a land of old magic and dragons and in this world are the mages called the Written. The curious thing about them is the presence of certain written words on their back that is supposed to be unique to each individual. One such individual is the protagonist Farden who is said to be one of the strongest crafters of their type of magic as well as one of the scariest people around. He’s also a bit aloof and shares his weird skills with a vampyre who loves history and older legends. His idle life is restructured due to events happening in the city of Arfell wherein a precious book containing several dark legends is stolen and no knows exactly who did it. Fingers are pointed at the dragons with which a current shaky stalemate has been achieved but all is at stake as the book needs to be reclaimed to save the world from ultimate chaos.
The author has a very distinct style of writing about his world, it is a world cloaked in mystery and one whose legends are not exactly the whole truth but there’s no one to confirm or deny it. The world’s layers are slowly peeled and the reader is as confused as the main protagonist as he’s faced with mysteries at every step. The pace of the story is another plus point as things are constantly happening that will propel reader onward, the pace never lets up and this also mirrors the rising tensions in the plot. Going on to the main protagonist, Farden as a character is supposed to be this big, bad and scary mage who has every one spooked. However the reader never gets the feeling entirely based on his actions as through out the story he often stumbles and falters in his path. Perhaps the author’s efforts to present him as a dark, badass warrior mage haven’t quite come out as envisioned by the author. I as a reader felt that he lacked that special factor that is so thoroughly advertized in the blurb and through out character conversations.
One good thing about the book is that there are certain twists that will surprise the reader by genuinely coming out of the left field, the story however doesn’t quite live up as it often takes a predictable route. A good example of this would be how the story unfolds towards the discovery of the villain however what happens in the end is what really makes the reader excited for the next book. The characterization is definitely a plus but the author has work cut out for him in the forthcoming books as there are some characters that are interesting however don’t get much page time and therefore they only enchant the reader for a little time.
I was thoroughly intrigued by the revelations about the world’s magic system and back history however it wasn’t thoroughly explored in this book and this could be done purposefully by the author since this is his debut and the start of the series. Lastly the book also has some good action sequences that show the twisted imagination of the author and the final sequence involving dragons is probably the highlight of the climax besides the end twist. Overall this book does have its shortcomings but it also has some silver points to it that make it stand out and fill me with hope for the sequels, I’ll be looking forward to the Pale Kings, as it promises to one up its predecessor and also provide a through background about the world’ s history. As a reader I can’t ask for more…
CONCLUSION: Ben Galley’s The Written shows a spark that is admirable, the talent might not match the execution entirely but it's there and it will be heartening to see how this young author manages to learn and hone his craft with the upcoming books, I’ll definitely be taking an interest in them to follow through and see how he develops his skills.
December 1, 2011
I won this book through Goodreads First reads.
I have just finished the first chapter and I have decided that I will not read any more because:
1. The first chapter reminds me of my college freshman creative writing workshop class...and that is NOT a good thing.
2. Actions taken by the characters were summarized rather than described while the setting or inanimate objects are overly described.
3. There are cliches - "He smiled like a wolf..."
4. The word(s) "Suddenly.." or "All of a sudden..." were used too frequently (they shouldn't be used at all).
5. The honorifics change from one page to the other: first it's "your Mage" then it's "mage" then "Sire" (all in reference to the same person).
6. The person I take to be the main character faces a dragon and is wounded in a way that he loses a lot of blood and can still manage to slay the dragon, get up with a sigh and walk away.
7. The vocabulary used was unimaginative and repetitive.
8. There was no discernible author voice.
There is more but I'm not going to waste any more of your time. If you want to read a book which shows the dangers of self publishing then read this one.
Again, I only read the first chapter and the story may get better but I have skimmed other sections in the book at random and the writing doesn't.
Certain teenagers may find this story and it's writing absolutely fascinating and if it gets teenagers reading then I'm all for it. It also might be that they are the targeted audience. However if you are not in that age group I would recommend passing on reading this book. Of course, you can read it and decide for yourself...but don't say I didn't warn you.
I have just finished the first chapter and I have decided that I will not read any more because:
1. The first chapter reminds me of my college freshman creative writing workshop class...and that is NOT a good thing.
2. Actions taken by the characters were summarized rather than described while the setting or inanimate objects are overly described.
3. There are cliches - "He smiled like a wolf..."
4. The word(s) "Suddenly.." or "All of a sudden..." were used too frequently (they shouldn't be used at all).
5. The honorifics change from one page to the other: first it's "your Mage" then it's "mage" then "Sire" (all in reference to the same person).
6. The person I take to be the main character faces a dragon and is wounded in a way that he loses a lot of blood and can still manage to slay the dragon, get up with a sigh and walk away.
7. The vocabulary used was unimaginative and repetitive.
8. There was no discernible author voice.
There is more but I'm not going to waste any more of your time. If you want to read a book which shows the dangers of self publishing then read this one.
Again, I only read the first chapter and the story may get better but I have skimmed other sections in the book at random and the writing doesn't.
Certain teenagers may find this story and it's writing absolutely fascinating and if it gets teenagers reading then I'm all for it. It also might be that they are the targeted audience. However if you are not in that age group I would recommend passing on reading this book. Of course, you can read it and decide for yourself...but don't say I didn't warn you.
January 29, 2022
I wasn’t expecting either of those betrayals. Especially that last one! Dang. I didn’t like that person anyway. Decent characters and an interesting story made for a good read. I would have liked more from some of the side characters though. It was a little slow at times but picked up in others. Not bad. 4 stars.
March 8, 2023
This was a fun and highly entertaining book. I was not prepared for the amount of fantastical creatures we would encounter along the way, but found after a while it really grew on me. Vampires, werewolves and dragons all in the same book is wild but Ben makes it work.
There is a twist towards the end that I didn't feel was well executed, as there was no real foreshadowing of the event. However, I'm also not mad about it (mad at the character though). Other than that, I found this book to be fun, fast-paced and a little quirky which is all I can ask for.
There is a twist towards the end that I didn't feel was well executed, as there was no real foreshadowing of the event. However, I'm also not mad about it (mad at the character though). Other than that, I found this book to be fun, fast-paced and a little quirky which is all I can ask for.
December 14, 2012
Sometimes your initial expectations of a book can leap twofold simply by its cover, this is one of those books, a mage walking away or into battle, sword in one hand and a fireball in the palm of his other hand. Thankfully the book didn't disappoint in the slightest.
This novel is set in a world called Emaneska, the Arka are ruled from their capital city Krauslung by the magick council & the Arkmages. To become a mage one must first go through the intense school of training and finally undertake the ritual, where words of power are tattooed across the shoulders and back. A dangerous undertaking as not all pass the trials.
The majority of the story is told from the viewpoint of the protagonist Farden, a quick tempered, formidable and powerful mage, with complex tattoo's. The tattoo's can eventually drive a mage to madness and Farden was the last to have the words of four of the key elements written on his body. Even reading a mage's tattoo's can bring on the madness.
The scholars have discovered an old book of magic at the libraries of Arfell from the time of the Elves, a spell prevents the book from being opened, a dangerous book of summoning magic that can release daemons and an entity that if released could destroy the world. The book is stolen and five scholars are dead, the magick council enlist Farden to track down the stolen book. Entangled in a web of lies, Farden must travel far and enlist the help of the old enemies, the dragons and together they must search for an old well of magick needed by the unknown enemy for the summoning spells to work.
The interaction with the dragons and the Siren race are well described and a pivotal part of the story, Farden brings an uneasy peace to the two races and returns a tear book to the dragons on which is stored many years of memories.
This is a debut novel and there are flaws, introductions of Fardens close friend a vampyre and also a lycan follow well worn threads. Also the use of a banned drug used by Farden which deadens his talent is a little hard to digest but overall this is a well written story, fast paced with plenty of action, encouraging a quick read.
The plot twists and turns very well, friends and lovers are not all they seem and the final battle against an unstoppable assailant is an excellent climax.
I enjoyed this enough to continue straight away with the second novel.
This novel is set in a world called Emaneska, the Arka are ruled from their capital city Krauslung by the magick council & the Arkmages. To become a mage one must first go through the intense school of training and finally undertake the ritual, where words of power are tattooed across the shoulders and back. A dangerous undertaking as not all pass the trials.
The majority of the story is told from the viewpoint of the protagonist Farden, a quick tempered, formidable and powerful mage, with complex tattoo's. The tattoo's can eventually drive a mage to madness and Farden was the last to have the words of four of the key elements written on his body. Even reading a mage's tattoo's can bring on the madness.
The scholars have discovered an old book of magic at the libraries of Arfell from the time of the Elves, a spell prevents the book from being opened, a dangerous book of summoning magic that can release daemons and an entity that if released could destroy the world. The book is stolen and five scholars are dead, the magick council enlist Farden to track down the stolen book. Entangled in a web of lies, Farden must travel far and enlist the help of the old enemies, the dragons and together they must search for an old well of magick needed by the unknown enemy for the summoning spells to work.
The interaction with the dragons and the Siren race are well described and a pivotal part of the story, Farden brings an uneasy peace to the two races and returns a tear book to the dragons on which is stored many years of memories.
This is a debut novel and there are flaws, introductions of Fardens close friend a vampyre and also a lycan follow well worn threads. Also the use of a banned drug used by Farden which deadens his talent is a little hard to digest but overall this is a well written story, fast paced with plenty of action, encouraging a quick read.
The plot twists and turns very well, friends and lovers are not all they seem and the final battle against an unstoppable assailant is an excellent climax.
I enjoyed this enough to continue straight away with the second novel.
Read
July 11, 2012I was already getting that old 2 star feeling when Dark Elves were mentioned, and then on page 13:
I expect this is the single worst book I will read this year. No stars, and my Cino help the soul of Ben Galley.
'Haha, and without you, old fools, I would have nothing.' The smile was instantly gone, replaced by thin lips and a narrowed gaze. With a sudden burst of immense speed the mage drew his sword in a silver blur and furiously slammed the blade into Innel's chest."
I expect this is the single worst book I will read this year. No stars, and my Cino help the soul of Ben Galley.
March 13, 2023
"Beware the monster behind the door
Watch out for the spiders all over the floor
Be brave like your father, proud warrior and all
Something is gnawing at bones in the hall"
This story is set in the world Emaneska, which has been divided into three main hostile factions. We follow Farden, a mage who has been tasked with uncovering a murder mystery and theft of a magical item. Farden is one of The Written, a group of mages who undergo the process of having "a book" of rune magic tattooed onto their backs.
The magic system includes vampyres, werewolves, mages, prophecy, dream voices and dragons. There's plenty of intrigue and betrayal, a heist, love and shock. The story was really well paced; quick, but balanced.
And I can't not mention the cover. I really like the art style and clear theme that runs throughout the series and sequel series. The cover stands out from others on my shelves and really draws the eye.
Watch out for the spiders all over the floor
Be brave like your father, proud warrior and all
Something is gnawing at bones in the hall"
This story is set in the world Emaneska, which has been divided into three main hostile factions. We follow Farden, a mage who has been tasked with uncovering a murder mystery and theft of a magical item. Farden is one of The Written, a group of mages who undergo the process of having "a book" of rune magic tattooed onto their backs.
The magic system includes vampyres, werewolves, mages, prophecy, dream voices and dragons. There's plenty of intrigue and betrayal, a heist, love and shock. The story was really well paced; quick, but balanced.
And I can't not mention the cover. I really like the art style and clear theme that runs throughout the series and sequel series. The cover stands out from others on my shelves and really draws the eye.
May 16, 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3.5-75
The story starts with thief of a mysterious book by an unnamed assailant and expands into an epic adventure of action, twisting betrayal, love and, most importantly, dragons!
Five scholars are dead. A country is once again on the brink of war, and the magick council is running out of time and options.
Entangled in a web of lies and politics and dragged halfway across icy Emaneska and back, Farden must unearth a secret even he doesn’t want to know, a secret that will shake the foundations of his world. Dragons, drugs, magick, death, and the deepest of betrayals await.
I am very excited that this is a debut as it shows the immense skill Galley has, and I’ve heard his story-telling only improves in subsequent books!
The cunning plots and revelations and twists kept this book moving and enticing. The end blew me away, and will immediately force you to grab the next book, or look to get it.
Bookstagram
The story starts with thief of a mysterious book by an unnamed assailant and expands into an epic adventure of action, twisting betrayal, love and, most importantly, dragons!
Five scholars are dead. A country is once again on the brink of war, and the magick council is running out of time and options.
Entangled in a web of lies and politics and dragged halfway across icy Emaneska and back, Farden must unearth a secret even he doesn’t want to know, a secret that will shake the foundations of his world. Dragons, drugs, magick, death, and the deepest of betrayals await.
I am very excited that this is a debut as it shows the immense skill Galley has, and I’ve heard his story-telling only improves in subsequent books!
The cunning plots and revelations and twists kept this book moving and enticing. The end blew me away, and will immediately force you to grab the next book, or look to get it.
Bookstagram
August 10, 2023
This was such a disappointing read for me.
Pros:
1. I loved the world that the author build. As I'm new to Adult Fantasy Genre so this world was quite new and unique to me which may not be the case for long time fantasy readers.
2. The Dragons were awesome especially because they play a significant role in this story and not just used as a plot device.
3. Both magic systems i.e. magic used by the Written as well the magic used by the Sirens.
Cons:
1. I hated the writing style! The dialogues were so cringe worthy and the action scenes were written like a low budget superhero action movie where the evil guy twirls his mustache and goes on an elaborate self ego boosting monologue. The female characters were just there to either swoon at our protagonist and be overly dramatic (wailing and pearl clutching) when there is even a hint of danger or be overcompensating hard to show the main character that they are TOUGH! Don't get me started on the Dragon Queen's dialogues and attitude - it was ridiculous!
2. I hated all the characters (except the dragons) especially Farden and the Dragon Queen (Forgot her name already!). Farden behaved like an immature, egotistical teen bad boy. The villain was so cartoonish.
3. The plot was quite predictable and the identity of the villain was very obvious. I liked the action scenes but I think Farden's decisions or strategies were so ridiculous that it bordered on disbelief. I would like to highlight two instances where although the action scenes were well executed, it was unnecessary and quite life threatening even for Farden and all other bystanders.
Firstly The story started loosing interest to me after that.
Secondly
Oh I forgot one more instance!
4. The audio narration is one of the worst I've ever listened to.
I'm not gonna be continuing this series because I can't stand Farden at all. Hopefully this author's new releases will have better writing and characterization because I'm really interested in picking up the The Scalussen Chronicles books as I liked this world a lot. Thankfully the audiobooks for The Scalussen Chronicles are narrated by a different narrator.
Pros:
1. I loved the world that the author build. As I'm new to Adult Fantasy Genre so this world was quite new and unique to me which may not be the case for long time fantasy readers.
2. The Dragons were awesome especially because they play a significant role in this story and not just used as a plot device.
3. Both magic systems i.e. magic used by the Written as well the magic used by the Sirens.
Cons:
1. I hated the writing style! The dialogues were so cringe worthy and the action scenes were written like a low budget superhero action movie where the evil guy twirls his mustache and goes on an elaborate self ego boosting monologue. The female characters were just there to either swoon at our protagonist and be overly dramatic (wailing and pearl clutching) when there is even a hint of danger or be overcompensating hard to show the main character that they are TOUGH! Don't get me started on the Dragon Queen's dialogues and attitude - it was ridiculous!
2. I hated all the characters (except the dragons) especially Farden and the Dragon Queen (Forgot her name already!). Farden behaved like an immature, egotistical teen bad boy. The villain was so cartoonish.
3. The plot was quite predictable and the identity of the villain was very obvious. I liked the action scenes but I think Farden's decisions or strategies were so ridiculous that it bordered on disbelief. I would like to highlight two instances where although the action scenes were well executed, it was unnecessary and quite life threatening even for Farden and all other bystanders.
Firstly The story started loosing interest to me after that.
Secondly
Oh I forgot one more instance!
4. The audio narration is one of the worst I've ever listened to.
I'm not gonna be continuing this series because I can't stand Farden at all. Hopefully this author's new releases will have better writing and characterization because I'm really interested in picking up the The Scalussen Chronicles books as I liked this world a lot. Thankfully the audiobooks for The Scalussen Chronicles are narrated by a different narrator.
June 26, 2019
The Written was tough for me to get into at first for a couple of reasons: 1) we are immediately thrown into fast paced action, but there isn’t much background information to orient us to the story and 2) the explanation of what Farden is as a Written mage doesn’t come for a few chapters, so it was unclear to what his role was.
The story takes place in the world of Emaneska, which consists of all sorts of magical creatures from lycans to vampyres to dragons, etc. Amongst these magical creatures are mages called the Written. They are so affectionately called this because each of these mages has a special inscription/spellbook (following an incredibly torturous Ritual that not all mages survive) that is literally etched into their backs.
Farden, our MC, is one of the the most revered and feared of the Written since his talents for the craft are legendary as well as his scare tactics. Farden is a bit anti-social and only prefers the company of Chaska, a fellow mage and Princess to another kingdom, but the Written are forbidden to mate, so they are forced to keep their relationship in the shadows. Farden returns from a mission to seek information regarding the mysterious disappearance of an ancient spellbook, but due to unpopular views of Farden, the council begins to suspect that Farden may have been involved in stealing the precious spellbook, so he is sent away to track down its whereabouts.
I really enjoyed the magic and world building of this story because it was so incredibly detailed and well done. Once I was able to orient myself to all of the different characters as well as the kingdoms, I was hooked. It’s not very often that you see authors integrate so many different types of magical creatures and watch them come together in a beautifully, cohesive story.
This is one of those stories that has a little something for everyone. You’ve got epic battle magic, dragons, really old and sarcastic vampyres, adventure, and even some romance. It amazes me that this is Ben Galley’s debut because it definitely did not disappoint. I can’t wait to see what happens next in the Emaneska series.
Thank you again to Dave for the invitation to take part in this epic tour. Thank you to Dave and the author for providing an ebook for review. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.
The story takes place in the world of Emaneska, which consists of all sorts of magical creatures from lycans to vampyres to dragons, etc. Amongst these magical creatures are mages called the Written. They are so affectionately called this because each of these mages has a special inscription/spellbook (following an incredibly torturous Ritual that not all mages survive) that is literally etched into their backs.
Farden, our MC, is one of the the most revered and feared of the Written since his talents for the craft are legendary as well as his scare tactics. Farden is a bit anti-social and only prefers the company of Chaska, a fellow mage and Princess to another kingdom, but the Written are forbidden to mate, so they are forced to keep their relationship in the shadows. Farden returns from a mission to seek information regarding the mysterious disappearance of an ancient spellbook, but due to unpopular views of Farden, the council begins to suspect that Farden may have been involved in stealing the precious spellbook, so he is sent away to track down its whereabouts.
I really enjoyed the magic and world building of this story because it was so incredibly detailed and well done. Once I was able to orient myself to all of the different characters as well as the kingdoms, I was hooked. It’s not very often that you see authors integrate so many different types of magical creatures and watch them come together in a beautifully, cohesive story.
This is one of those stories that has a little something for everyone. You’ve got epic battle magic, dragons, really old and sarcastic vampyres, adventure, and even some romance. It amazes me that this is Ben Galley’s debut because it definitely did not disappoint. I can’t wait to see what happens next in the Emaneska series.
Thank you again to Dave for the invitation to take part in this epic tour. Thank you to Dave and the author for providing an ebook for review. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.
June 14, 2017
I liked this book for very simple reasons: it is a thoroughly unpretentious, unashamedly florid punt at a good old-fashioned sword and sorcery/high fantasy novel. Yes, it could have used a copy editor, but as a fellow indie author I was really encouraged by this valiant attempt at a first novel on a self-publishing ticket. Ben Galley's success in this department has been well documented elsewhere, and he is clearly going from strength to strength as a writer and consultant.
As for a round-up of the book itself, suffice to say here that anyone enjoying visually descriptive language that strongly evokes a fantasy setting will love this book. I liked the names of the dragons best of all, which usually combined an adverb with a verb in the past perfect tense to great effect - Farfallen, for example. It's also heavy on the magic, so if you don't take issue with wizards blasting each other to smithereens with lightning bolts and fireballs, you'll find plenty to enjoy here pretty much from the get-go.
However, if you are intolerent of inconsistent grammar, graphic sex scenes, and rather obvious plot 'twists' then you might not like everything you read. But overall, a very promising start from a young genre author whose energy and enthusiasm for writing fairly flies off the page. One for the impure purists among fans of the genre, as it were!
As for a round-up of the book itself, suffice to say here that anyone enjoying visually descriptive language that strongly evokes a fantasy setting will love this book. I liked the names of the dragons best of all, which usually combined an adverb with a verb in the past perfect tense to great effect - Farfallen, for example. It's also heavy on the magic, so if you don't take issue with wizards blasting each other to smithereens with lightning bolts and fireballs, you'll find plenty to enjoy here pretty much from the get-go.
However, if you are intolerent of inconsistent grammar, graphic sex scenes, and rather obvious plot 'twists' then you might not like everything you read. But overall, a very promising start from a young genre author whose energy and enthusiasm for writing fairly flies off the page. One for the impure purists among fans of the genre, as it were!
December 26, 2019
🌸🌸🌸 FOLLOW ME ON MY BOOKSTAGRAM!🌸🌸🌸
Ben Galley’s debut novel from almost a decade ago, The Written, is a fine specimen of his powerful writing. I was provided an electronic copy of this book by @bengalley and @thewritereads in exchange for my honest review.
The plot of this novel is extremely fascinating and is full of a lot of mystical creatures – dragons, vampires, warewolves, mages, etc. The writer’s imagination and creativity is definitely commendable. The world building is so detailed that I felt like a movie is playing in my mind.
The character growth as well as the story line progression were extremely enjoyable. One thing that I felt I could do more with was humor. In my opinion, if the novel included some funny moments, it would make a perfect read. But then again, the story itself is so intense and serious, I guess adding humor could make it seem unnecessary.
I am glad I got the opportunity to read this book which I might not have picked otherwise because I usually get so lost and mesmerized by new releases. This is a charming read and it is difficult to believe that it’s the writer’s debut novel.
Ben Galley’s debut novel from almost a decade ago, The Written, is a fine specimen of his powerful writing. I was provided an electronic copy of this book by @bengalley and @thewritereads in exchange for my honest review.
The plot of this novel is extremely fascinating and is full of a lot of mystical creatures – dragons, vampires, warewolves, mages, etc. The writer’s imagination and creativity is definitely commendable. The world building is so detailed that I felt like a movie is playing in my mind.
The character growth as well as the story line progression were extremely enjoyable. One thing that I felt I could do more with was humor. In my opinion, if the novel included some funny moments, it would make a perfect read. But then again, the story itself is so intense and serious, I guess adding humor could make it seem unnecessary.
I am glad I got the opportunity to read this book which I might not have picked otherwise because I usually get so lost and mesmerized by new releases. This is a charming read and it is difficult to believe that it’s the writer’s debut novel.
September 14, 2015
The main reason I bought & read this book was the cover... I mean just look at it O.O! It just looks good in my small personal library. Besides that, the story was a bit average. Action packed with a lot of cliffhangers, but still average. I couldn't really connect with any of the main characters. They all felt so distant. It was to be expected from a young author making a debut in the fantasy genre.
Did I like reading it? Yes.
Did I like it enough to continue the other books? Nop.
Did I like reading it? Yes.
Did I like it enough to continue the other books? Nop.
March 6, 2023
I picked this book up because I backed the hardcover Kickstarter. And I am so so so glad I did!
What a deadly character driven novel with the focus on our favourite troubled mage, Farden. The worldbuilding is really well done and didn't feel like info-dumping and the magic system is really unique.
4.75/5
I will probably binge the rest of the series shortly.
What a deadly character driven novel with the focus on our favourite troubled mage, Farden. The worldbuilding is really well done and didn't feel like info-dumping and the magic system is really unique.
4.75/5
I will probably binge the rest of the series shortly.
July 22, 2019
I have had this one for a wee while and I thought I had better give it a go.Well this is a brilliant debut that had me hooked from the beginning.
Mr Galley has written a wonderful start to what could be such a brilliant series.
It flowed seamlessly and at times beautifully and I couldn't put it down.The main characters are brilliant and drawn quite wonderfully by someone who knows how to write a good story.On my way now to get book 2.
Mr Galley has written a wonderful start to what could be such a brilliant series.
It flowed seamlessly and at times beautifully and I couldn't put it down.The main characters are brilliant and drawn quite wonderfully by someone who knows how to write a good story.On my way now to get book 2.
January 18, 2012
The Written is the debut novel from British author Ben Galley. It's a typical fantasy story with the usually expected characters that go with the genre. The book is a little rough in places with some silly typos and grammatical mistakes that should be caught with tighter editing. However it does get progressively better as Galley grows more confident in his writing.
Farden is a member of the Written, a group of elite mages with special words of power tattooed on their backs. He is charged with the investigation into a stolen book of great power that has him travelling across Emaneska. Along the way Farden discovers the true nature of the book and must put an end to the culprit before he uses it to complete a summoning ritual that brings about the destruction of the world.
There are a few things that I didn't like so much. The beginning conversation between Farden and Durnus feels like a scene in an RPG where the mage would ask a simple question and his mentor would proceed to describe in detail what the mission is and what he must do. Maybe the reason for this is because Galley wrote this scene early on and hasn't quite found his voice yet. When compared to the dialogues in the latter parts of the book, you can tell that they flow much better and fit better into the story.
Another thing that bothered me is that in the book Farden is described as a man in his thirties but sometimes his actions and speeches make him appear more like an angry teenager rather than a hardened fighter. I understand that Farden is supposed to be edgy but some of the things he says just don't sit well with me. Even the use of profanity feels out of place to me.
Although The Written is a fairly straight forward story, Galley has given enough of the big picture to keep me interested in the fight for Emaneska's survival. There are also some good action scenes and the idea of tattoos that enhance the different powers of a mage is pretty neat.
In the future books, I would like to see Galley going further with his ideas and moving away from the established materials to create something more unique to his world. At the moment it feels a little too generic and that's a shame because there's so much more story to tell.
(Repost from http://www.paperlessreading.com/2012/...)
Farden is a member of the Written, a group of elite mages with special words of power tattooed on their backs. He is charged with the investigation into a stolen book of great power that has him travelling across Emaneska. Along the way Farden discovers the true nature of the book and must put an end to the culprit before he uses it to complete a summoning ritual that brings about the destruction of the world.
There are a few things that I didn't like so much. The beginning conversation between Farden and Durnus feels like a scene in an RPG where the mage would ask a simple question and his mentor would proceed to describe in detail what the mission is and what he must do. Maybe the reason for this is because Galley wrote this scene early on and hasn't quite found his voice yet. When compared to the dialogues in the latter parts of the book, you can tell that they flow much better and fit better into the story.
Another thing that bothered me is that in the book Farden is described as a man in his thirties but sometimes his actions and speeches make him appear more like an angry teenager rather than a hardened fighter. I understand that Farden is supposed to be edgy but some of the things he says just don't sit well with me. Even the use of profanity feels out of place to me.
Although The Written is a fairly straight forward story, Galley has given enough of the big picture to keep me interested in the fight for Emaneska's survival. There are also some good action scenes and the idea of tattoos that enhance the different powers of a mage is pretty neat.
In the future books, I would like to see Galley going further with his ideas and moving away from the established materials to create something more unique to his world. At the moment it feels a little too generic and that's a shame because there's so much more story to tell.
(Repost from http://www.paperlessreading.com/2012/...)
June 26, 2019
Farden is a member of The Written, an elite group of magicians. When a book of dark magic is stolen from a group of scholars, it brings Emaneska to the brink of war. Farden is tasked with finding who is behind it. But who can he trust?
Goodness me, The Written is a rip roaring adventure, full of magic, mayhem and talking dragons!
I feel like it’s a real balancing act with the start of a fantasy series, getting the right amount of world building coupled with introduction of characters and leaving enough unanswered questions or storyline threads for the next novel. Ben Galley manages this so well with The Written. It’s jam packed with vivid imagery, great world building and action that I really enjoyed.
My favourite aspect was of course the talking dragons. I love dragons in general, but the way they were written was a new an interesting way, at least to me. Each dragon has their rider, a siren, and they have an unbreakable bond which I thought was kind of sweet.
Now, the main character Farden is not all that likeable. He has a cocky attitude and lone wolf mentality but I think the author explain why he is the way he is well and I still ended up wanting to succeed and actually liking him a bit.
A little warning for those of you who don’t enjoy swearing, drug usage, blood or violence this may not be the novel for you. I personally had no problem with it as it wasn’t too overdone.
I have to be honest there was a bit of predictability with the story, I sussed the bad guy out quite early on, which meant for me certain parts of the story dragged a little, especially near the end but of course that’s just my opinion.
This is such a good start to a series and I’d recommend this to anyone who loves action packed adventures, even if you’re not a fan of fantasy novels.
Goodness me, The Written is a rip roaring adventure, full of magic, mayhem and talking dragons!
I feel like it’s a real balancing act with the start of a fantasy series, getting the right amount of world building coupled with introduction of characters and leaving enough unanswered questions or storyline threads for the next novel. Ben Galley manages this so well with The Written. It’s jam packed with vivid imagery, great world building and action that I really enjoyed.
My favourite aspect was of course the talking dragons. I love dragons in general, but the way they were written was a new an interesting way, at least to me. Each dragon has their rider, a siren, and they have an unbreakable bond which I thought was kind of sweet.
Now, the main character Farden is not all that likeable. He has a cocky attitude and lone wolf mentality but I think the author explain why he is the way he is well and I still ended up wanting to succeed and actually liking him a bit.
A little warning for those of you who don’t enjoy swearing, drug usage, blood or violence this may not be the novel for you. I personally had no problem with it as it wasn’t too overdone.
I have to be honest there was a bit of predictability with the story, I sussed the bad guy out quite early on, which meant for me certain parts of the story dragged a little, especially near the end but of course that’s just my opinion.
This is such a good start to a series and I’d recommend this to anyone who loves action packed adventures, even if you’re not a fan of fantasy novels.
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