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Return To Mercya
In a world beyond imagination one man returns to the land he once knew only to find it changed beyond all recognition and overrun by evil. But with companionship and love he may just make it through.
This is his story...
This is his story...
- GenresFantasy
Kindle Edition
First published December 17, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 15, 2012
I got this book for free in exchange of an honest review from Making Connections:
http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/6...
What I liked about the book:
it had an epic-fantasy feel to it..reminded me of Malazan Book of the Fallen series but on a much smaller scale.
the length was just right-it was like a teaser
enough events were covered in just so many pages to tell me the series would be fast paced and full of action.
What I did not like:
the author is too descriptive-of course, it might be just me and others won't have an issue with it.
Will definitely be reading the next book in the series!
http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/6...
What I liked about the book:
it had an epic-fantasy feel to it..reminded me of Malazan Book of the Fallen series but on a much smaller scale.
the length was just right-it was like a teaser
enough events were covered in just so many pages to tell me the series would be fast paced and full of action.
What I did not like:
the author is too descriptive-of course, it might be just me and others won't have an issue with it.
Will definitely be reading the next book in the series!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 5, 2012
Return to Mercya by Mark Ruckledge
★★★☆☆
Return to Mercy is a short fantasy story that is only the first installment to a larger story.
Brendel Domia escaped the destruction of Mercya and found safety in a place called Ayethene. Years later everyone from Mercya was summoned from their various hiding places to go back. Brendel finds out before long that this is a trap to take out the rest of the people of Mercya and he might be the one able to save the people and overrun the evil that now resides there.
Mark Ruckledge contacted me and asked me to review his short story. I accepted and he sent me the e-book.
This was a promising start to a larger story. It was very clear that this was just the beginning. I felt that at 22 (nook) pages it was hard to get a grasp on the story because, it was an all-new world for me. I personally wish that the author would have continued the story and made a book with the whole story instead of just the short story. I think I would have gotten a better grasp of the story that way.
This book was like another world for me. I was learning new names and places that I haven’t read about before. I felt like I was just getting comfortable with the story when it ended. That is another reason it would be beneficial for the author to write it as an entire book. With an original piece like this, I like to have more then 22(nook) pages to get to know the story, characters and world.
The author uses language well to create the scenes in the story that he wants you to see. He uses great details in places but in some places I felt the story needed more. One instance that needed to be talked about more is Brendel and Jil’s relationship. I didn’t see very much of it and all of a sudden I was being told certain things happened without seeing them in the story and became confused. I was thinking, “Umm…how did that happen?” I felt like I was locked out from part of the story. I wanted and needed to see the details of the relationship because I think it was suppose to be important to Brendel, but it wasn’t clearly shown in the story. I think the author may not have touched on it much because it was a short story.
I look forward to reading more of this series and finding out what happens. The story shows promise and I think I will like it more as a whole.
★★★☆☆
Return to Mercy is a short fantasy story that is only the first installment to a larger story.
Brendel Domia escaped the destruction of Mercya and found safety in a place called Ayethene. Years later everyone from Mercya was summoned from their various hiding places to go back. Brendel finds out before long that this is a trap to take out the rest of the people of Mercya and he might be the one able to save the people and overrun the evil that now resides there.
Mark Ruckledge contacted me and asked me to review his short story. I accepted and he sent me the e-book.
This was a promising start to a larger story. It was very clear that this was just the beginning. I felt that at 22 (nook) pages it was hard to get a grasp on the story because, it was an all-new world for me. I personally wish that the author would have continued the story and made a book with the whole story instead of just the short story. I think I would have gotten a better grasp of the story that way.
This book was like another world for me. I was learning new names and places that I haven’t read about before. I felt like I was just getting comfortable with the story when it ended. That is another reason it would be beneficial for the author to write it as an entire book. With an original piece like this, I like to have more then 22(nook) pages to get to know the story, characters and world.
The author uses language well to create the scenes in the story that he wants you to see. He uses great details in places but in some places I felt the story needed more. One instance that needed to be talked about more is Brendel and Jil’s relationship. I didn’t see very much of it and all of a sudden I was being told certain things happened without seeing them in the story and became confused. I was thinking, “Umm…how did that happen?” I felt like I was locked out from part of the story. I wanted and needed to see the details of the relationship because I think it was suppose to be important to Brendel, but it wasn’t clearly shown in the story. I think the author may not have touched on it much because it was a short story.
I look forward to reading more of this series and finding out what happens. The story shows promise and I think I will like it more as a whole.
January 2, 2012
When the author contacted me about reading Return to Mercya, I was a little nervous about venturing away from my typical reading genre. I was pleasantly surprised by how easily Mr. Ruckledge captivated me with his vivid writing. This short tale was very different from my usual reads, but extremely absorbing. I enjoyed the detailed fantasy world the author created and am blown away that he could intrigue me as much as he did in under 10,000 words. I like that this book is written as a journal from Brendel Domia’s accounts of what happened to his cherished land and all he encounters along the way. It was sad, but also fascinating, and I am eager to know more. I look forward to reading book 2 and discovering what will happen to Brendel and his beloved Jil, as well as to Mercya.
This book was sent to me by the author in exchange for my honest review.
Originally posted at: A Belle's Tales
This book was sent to me by the author in exchange for my honest review.
Originally posted at: A Belle's Tales
March 30, 2012
Please check out my blog for my review of this short story:
"Return to Mercya" by Mark Ruckledge
http://thejoyofthewrittenword.com/201...
Comments are Welcome!
Patricia
January 28, 2012
Return to Mercya by Mark Ruckledge is a stylish, entertaining story for fans of the traditional fantasy genre. The multi-layered world fashioned by the author has an absorbing quality and I found this short ebook a mostly satisfying read.
The author does a superb job in envisioning his world for the reader, and creating a compelling lead character whose narration carries the story. There is an emotional undercurrent that provides the story some depth, and I liked the world-weary feel the first person point-of-view gives to the book. Also, the plot is reasonably well written with some appealing scenes and moments of tense action.
However, the story did leave me somewhat confused at times regarding the events, places and characters, and feeling a bit like I had started reading in the middle of the story. I did decipher the in and outs eventually, but a clearer picture of the politics and happenings previous to the story would have helped with the plot structure and the flow of the narrative. I sense it may have benefitted from more back story and length, although it is the first part in a series so there is more to come.
Overall though, Return to Mercya is an enjoyable and intriguing fantasy book and I certainly recommend it.
The author does a superb job in envisioning his world for the reader, and creating a compelling lead character whose narration carries the story. There is an emotional undercurrent that provides the story some depth, and I liked the world-weary feel the first person point-of-view gives to the book. Also, the plot is reasonably well written with some appealing scenes and moments of tense action.
However, the story did leave me somewhat confused at times regarding the events, places and characters, and feeling a bit like I had started reading in the middle of the story. I did decipher the in and outs eventually, but a clearer picture of the politics and happenings previous to the story would have helped with the plot structure and the flow of the narrative. I sense it may have benefitted from more back story and length, although it is the first part in a series so there is more to come.
Overall though, Return to Mercya is an enjoyable and intriguing fantasy book and I certainly recommend it.
August 30, 2012
This is a short fantasy read with only 23 pages. I recommend this book if you are looking for a short fantasy story. I give it 3 stars.
The story was well written and enjoyable. I feel with all that happened in the story, however the author could have made this story longer and filled in more of the blanks. I hope that maybe the next installment will give us some more back story on the evil from the Shadowlands that has taken over Mercya. I believe the author has a good story going here and look forward to reading the next installment.
The characters in the story do not have a whole lot of backstory but it isn't necessary to the story yet. We learned a little about the people of Mercya as a whole though. The hero and the love interest have already been defined and we are left at the end of the story with a question of how will the hero save Jil and the people of Mercya.
It does follow the normal line of fantasy with the sword play, evil creatures that are always new and unusual and names of people and places that are hard to pronounce should you ever actually meet the characters in real life. LOL! There is a page at the end of the book to help pronounce the names and words. This looks like a promising fantasy series.
The story was well written and enjoyable. I feel with all that happened in the story, however the author could have made this story longer and filled in more of the blanks. I hope that maybe the next installment will give us some more back story on the evil from the Shadowlands that has taken over Mercya. I believe the author has a good story going here and look forward to reading the next installment.
The characters in the story do not have a whole lot of backstory but it isn't necessary to the story yet. We learned a little about the people of Mercya as a whole though. The hero and the love interest have already been defined and we are left at the end of the story with a question of how will the hero save Jil and the people of Mercya.
It does follow the normal line of fantasy with the sword play, evil creatures that are always new and unusual and names of people and places that are hard to pronounce should you ever actually meet the characters in real life. LOL! There is a page at the end of the book to help pronounce the names and words. This looks like a promising fantasy series.
July 12, 2012
To read this review and more like it check out my site, www.ufreviews.com
While I have made it clear lately that I do enjoy a novella, and that there have been some seriously good ones that have crossed my path lately, I am a little bit on the fence on this novella. And here is why. My main issue in the past with novellas is that the plot is either two short to be enjoyable, or the complex for the author to flesh out in such a short amount of time that it ends up just annoying me. I felt like this novella was more like a sample chapter of a book that is going to come out in a few months, it did not feel like it was really able to stand on it's own in my opinion.
That isn't to say that the novella didn't have some strong points. The author was pretty well versed in creating pretty good descriptions, enough for the reader to feel like they could paint a picture of what is going on within the book.
Along with that the book is pretty fast pace, and there is a lot of action, so for people who are big fans of action you probably would enjoy this.
Overall, I feel like the novella was too short, and so I don't have a lot of opinions about the content. I think a lot of people who enjoy fantasy might enjoy the novella if you are looking for a fast read that is action packed.
While I have made it clear lately that I do enjoy a novella, and that there have been some seriously good ones that have crossed my path lately, I am a little bit on the fence on this novella. And here is why. My main issue in the past with novellas is that the plot is either two short to be enjoyable, or the complex for the author to flesh out in such a short amount of time that it ends up just annoying me. I felt like this novella was more like a sample chapter of a book that is going to come out in a few months, it did not feel like it was really able to stand on it's own in my opinion.
That isn't to say that the novella didn't have some strong points. The author was pretty well versed in creating pretty good descriptions, enough for the reader to feel like they could paint a picture of what is going on within the book.
Along with that the book is pretty fast pace, and there is a lot of action, so for people who are big fans of action you probably would enjoy this.
Overall, I feel like the novella was too short, and so I don't have a lot of opinions about the content. I think a lot of people who enjoy fantasy might enjoy the novella if you are looking for a fast read that is action packed.
July 19, 2012
Return To Mercya was an interesting fantasy short story that I hope is an introduction to a longer work in the world that Mr. Ruckledge has created. He has written a richly detailed world full of history and intrigue. Brendel flees his homeland with his people, and then years later they are mysteriously called back. What he finds upon his return is not at all what he expects. There is a lot packed into this short piece, and at times I wanted a bit less description of the setting and more insight into the characters. Brendel has a lot of potential as a character, as does Jil, who were my two favorites in the story, and I hope to read more about them in future books. I will be looking for more from this author.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews