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The League of Elder #4
The Machine
The Temple of the Exploding Head Saga continues...
Lord Kabyl of Blanchefort, his cousins Sarah and Phillip and their friend Lord Lon of Probert quest to recover the three pieces of a fabled machine lost for centuries: The Oberphilliax. Their quest will take them beyond the safety of the League to the Xaphan city of Waam where an ancient Black Hat and her vile army of Spectre henchmen await their arrival with great anticipation.
Lord Kabyl of Blanchefort, his cousins Sarah and Phillip and their friend Lord Lon of Probert quest to recover the three pieces of a fabled machine lost for centuries: The Oberphilliax. Their quest will take them beyond the safety of the League to the Xaphan city of Waam where an ancient Black Hat and her vile army of Spectre henchmen await their arrival with great anticipation.
320 pages, Paperback
First published July 13, 2011
1 person is currently reading
50 people want to read
About the author
Ren Garcia
25 books145 followersRen Garcia, the author of the League of Elder Series, graduated from the Ohio State University with a degree in literature. He enjoys playing volleyball and ice hockey and lives in Columbus, Ohio, with his wife and their four dogs. You can check out Ren’s website at http://theleagueofelder.com/, or his blog at http://thetempleoftheexplodinghead.wo... .
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 17, 2011
I was looking forward to reading the fourth book in Ren’s The League of Elder series, having really enjoyed the first three books, the last of which had been left with a cliffhanger. Ren offers a delightful mix of space fantasy and steampunk with multi-layered characters in all of his books, and The Machine was no different. I was happy to return to the escapism of his strange worlds and stranger people with the kind of larger-than-life heroes one would typically find in the old-fashioned serials, making his stories seem both very old and very new at the same time. Lord Kabyl, after surviving a near-death experience, must follow through on the Trials that will allow him to reunite with his love, the hauntingly beautiful Sam. With the help of family and friends, and against the wishes of his mother, he sets off to complete this task, leaving his parents behind to investigate the phenomena that almost killed him. This had all the qualities of high adventure: mystery, thrills, action and discovery. The entire book is great entertainment, but once the heroes reach Waam, it gets particularly exciting and the detail in his world-building is tremendous. I once again recommend this imaginative series, a must-read in speculative fiction.
June 10, 2013
Ever since I read The Dead Held Hands I have been hooked on Ren Garcia's tales. This prolific writer is an excellent story teller, delivering a reader on a journey intertwined with twists and turns. His characters live in a dangerous world and, at times, have to make the right choice to survive. Pick up a copy of one of his books and give it a read, it is sure to please any sci-fi, fanatasy or steampunk fan.
March 27, 2013
This book was absolutely freaking awesome! I loved it:) The pros- great characters, awesome cover, fantastic and just right amount of action.
Cons- the book ended, leaving me wanting more!
Cons- the book ended, leaving me wanting more!
June 3, 2018
Monsters are always more of a believable matter when they are real and right there in front of you. What if you had to face monsters every day? Whether it be physical or mental, a monster isn’t always evil is it? It is human nature to throw around the term very loosely for something that is claimed to have a look or talent of monstrous proportions. Garcia brings all of his monsters into this novel, allowing his readers to fear the unknown. With space travel, creatures, death and so many creations within his world, this story is mesmerizing and something of vast originality.
Lord Kabyl of Blanchfort is attacked by something in the grove that resembles his younger sister, Lady Hathaline. Unwilling to believe that their daughter could be responsible for nearly killing her own brother, Captain Davage and Countess Sygillis go to Hoban to seek answers while Kay and his cousins, Sarah and Phillip, along with a friend named Lon have their own mission in Xaphan space to attend to. Kay has to go through trials in order to save his beautiful Monoma, Lady Sammadorin, from the Horned God. Through the trials, Kay improves his newly-found abilities as a Shadow Tech Male which leads him to Waam, the darkest and vilest city in Xaphan Space, filled with Black Hats all intent on destroying Shadow Tech Males. Can Kay pass his trials or will the last test be the one that breaks him? Can the Horned God and their servants be on the rise after almost wiped out ages ago?
Garcia has a superb story-line and complex characters that are unbelievably creative and strong. The content is truly amazing by the sheer originality and descriptiveness, while the pace is fast and easy to read. There are a few spelling and grammatical errors throughout the read, but this should not hinder enjoyment of the novel at all. If you are a reader of fantasy and science fiction, this may be perfect for you. It is strongly advised that since this is classified as dark fantasy, it is not recommended for children or teens due to content. This is also the fourth installment in the League of Elder series and can be read as a standalone, but the information does follow a chronological sequence of events beginning with the first book, Sygillis of Metatron.
This book was purchased by Turning Another Page and in no way affects the honesty of this review. We provide a five-star rating for The Machine by Ren Garcia.
Lord Kabyl of Blanchfort is attacked by something in the grove that resembles his younger sister, Lady Hathaline. Unwilling to believe that their daughter could be responsible for nearly killing her own brother, Captain Davage and Countess Sygillis go to Hoban to seek answers while Kay and his cousins, Sarah and Phillip, along with a friend named Lon have their own mission in Xaphan space to attend to. Kay has to go through trials in order to save his beautiful Monoma, Lady Sammadorin, from the Horned God. Through the trials, Kay improves his newly-found abilities as a Shadow Tech Male which leads him to Waam, the darkest and vilest city in Xaphan Space, filled with Black Hats all intent on destroying Shadow Tech Males. Can Kay pass his trials or will the last test be the one that breaks him? Can the Horned God and their servants be on the rise after almost wiped out ages ago?
Garcia has a superb story-line and complex characters that are unbelievably creative and strong. The content is truly amazing by the sheer originality and descriptiveness, while the pace is fast and easy to read. There are a few spelling and grammatical errors throughout the read, but this should not hinder enjoyment of the novel at all. If you are a reader of fantasy and science fiction, this may be perfect for you. It is strongly advised that since this is classified as dark fantasy, it is not recommended for children or teens due to content. This is also the fourth installment in the League of Elder series and can be read as a standalone, but the information does follow a chronological sequence of events beginning with the first book, Sygillis of Metatron.
This book was purchased by Turning Another Page and in no way affects the honesty of this review. We provide a five-star rating for The Machine by Ren Garcia.
October 26, 2016
I love the beginning! Something strange that I noticed in the first book was the fact that the youngest sister never had quoted dialogue. Her brother would speak to her and answer her questions by yet her words were never included. It was odd and stood out to me. The first chapter and last chapter of book two gave more information on her character. And because if that, book two drew me in instantly.
The pace is great! I am enjoying it much better than the first book. By that is how it works in the rising action of a plot. It also does well to describe the details of the first book, for those who have forgotten key elements or hadn't read the book in a while. It's not obvious summaries, but interesting inserts into the storyline. I think it was very well done.
I got through this book much better than book one. The storyline is fascinating for all characters. It is so creative and imaginative. My favorite part was the abilities of Ky's Sight. He is able to see several possible futures and can act accordingly. I love the moment in the heat of battle when he saw a choice before him. He could continue as one does in battle, or he could withdraw for a moment to bring happiness to a friend's future. I loved his choice and the unexpected events to follow.
I definitely have to say that this is one book I cannot guess at the plot. There are no obvious storytelling hints and even when the reader may assume a possible event to come next, another surprise is thrown in. I love that! I have read so many books, the ability to correctly guess main plot points is tiring. This book gladly leaves me clueless!
Unfortunately, I don't think I could recommend this to my family and some of my friends to read because of the references to sex, sexual organs, and descriptive violence/gore. The people I associate with are mainly the conservative dress/language/content types. There are some friends I could consider recommending it to, but I feel I need to discuss their tastes in fantasy fiction first - just to make sure I don't offend them by making such a suggestion. But even with the content, I really liked it and hope readers are willing to look past some of the sexual/violent content to appreciate the fantasy world and enjoy the adventurous storyline.
The pace is great! I am enjoying it much better than the first book. By that is how it works in the rising action of a plot. It also does well to describe the details of the first book, for those who have forgotten key elements or hadn't read the book in a while. It's not obvious summaries, but interesting inserts into the storyline. I think it was very well done.
I got through this book much better than book one. The storyline is fascinating for all characters. It is so creative and imaginative. My favorite part was the abilities of Ky's Sight. He is able to see several possible futures and can act accordingly. I love the moment in the heat of battle when he saw a choice before him. He could continue as one does in battle, or he could withdraw for a moment to bring happiness to a friend's future. I loved his choice and the unexpected events to follow.
I definitely have to say that this is one book I cannot guess at the plot. There are no obvious storytelling hints and even when the reader may assume a possible event to come next, another surprise is thrown in. I love that! I have read so many books, the ability to correctly guess main plot points is tiring. This book gladly leaves me clueless!
Unfortunately, I don't think I could recommend this to my family and some of my friends to read because of the references to sex, sexual organs, and descriptive violence/gore. The people I associate with are mainly the conservative dress/language/content types. There are some friends I could consider recommending it to, but I feel I need to discuss their tastes in fantasy fiction first - just to make sure I don't offend them by making such a suggestion. But even with the content, I really liked it and hope readers are willing to look past some of the sexual/violent content to appreciate the fantasy world and enjoy the adventurous storyline.
August 12, 2016
There are times when I feel lost and overwhelmed in the vast and complex universe that Ren Garcia created for his League of Elder series, but his rich cast of lovable characters serve as beacons to guide me through each wildly creative adventure.
Ren’s uniquely arrhythmic prose corkscrew through worlds of arcane power, and out-of-reach futuristic technology, while maintaining a distinct flavor of old-fashioned chivalry and paladinism. I’ve really never seen a blend quite like it, and if he’d discussed it with me before writing, I would have told him it was a disastrous idea—but I would have been wrong. It works, somehow.
This is the fourth book I’ve read of Ren’s, and I truly love the characters. Carahil has long been my favorite, but Kay, the lead in The Machine, is a close runner up. He holds his heroism with a loose hand—humble and self-deprecating, but with budding confidence in his growing powers.
The antagonists in The Machine take some surprising turns, which I won’t divulge here, but even if you’ve read Garcia’s other books and recognize his affinity for the surprise redemption, you still won’t expect the sudden twists in this one.
Read The Machine. You’ll breeze right through it, and be glad you did. Be sure to check out www.theleagueofelder.com for encyclopedic back-story, artwork, maps, and much more.
Ren’s uniquely arrhythmic prose corkscrew through worlds of arcane power, and out-of-reach futuristic technology, while maintaining a distinct flavor of old-fashioned chivalry and paladinism. I’ve really never seen a blend quite like it, and if he’d discussed it with me before writing, I would have told him it was a disastrous idea—but I would have been wrong. It works, somehow.
This is the fourth book I’ve read of Ren’s, and I truly love the characters. Carahil has long been my favorite, but Kay, the lead in The Machine, is a close runner up. He holds his heroism with a loose hand—humble and self-deprecating, but with budding confidence in his growing powers.
The antagonists in The Machine take some surprising turns, which I won’t divulge here, but even if you’ve read Garcia’s other books and recognize his affinity for the surprise redemption, you still won’t expect the sudden twists in this one.
Read The Machine. You’ll breeze right through it, and be glad you did. Be sure to check out www.theleagueofelder.com for encyclopedic back-story, artwork, maps, and much more.
September 17, 2011
What a trip! I actually liked this one a bit more than The Dead Held Hands. Sarah is actually likeable, and there is a lot more action and adventure. I especially liked that Kay's father, Captain Davage gets a small adventure of his own again.
This book centers more around Kay, Phillip, Sarah, and Lon (as opposed to Kay and Sam) and I was really impressed with the character development. Through the course of the book, they no longer seem like little kids any longer. Kay's gifts finally develop, and the universe is really expanded upon. I loved seeing what the Xaphan people and their city are really like. The artwork throughout the book is also impressive, as usual.
If you liked the previous books in the series, you'll love this one.
This book centers more around Kay, Phillip, Sarah, and Lon (as opposed to Kay and Sam) and I was really impressed with the character development. Through the course of the book, they no longer seem like little kids any longer. Kay's gifts finally develop, and the universe is really expanded upon. I loved seeing what the Xaphan people and their city are really like. The artwork throughout the book is also impressive, as usual.
If you liked the previous books in the series, you'll love this one.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews