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The Will of the Elements #1
Wind-Scarred
Ezra Hawkins is going to change the world.
Although, honestly, there isn't that much world left to change. After the Great War that nearly destroyed the Earth, mankind has been reduced to a single Sanctuary. Hidden from the ravages of the world, the last scions of humanity have eked out their existence through hard work and ingenuity, managing survival, maybe even a little happiness.
But Ezra Hawkins, last heir to the legacy of wormhole technology, will show them something that no human in over a thousand years has Hope.
This is a story of science against magic, of people who can bend the elements to their will and the shadowy forces that police them. And most of all, Wind-Scarred tells the tale of a young man desperate to learn the true nature of the past, and of a planet that has its own ideas about the future.
Although, honestly, there isn't that much world left to change. After the Great War that nearly destroyed the Earth, mankind has been reduced to a single Sanctuary. Hidden from the ravages of the world, the last scions of humanity have eked out their existence through hard work and ingenuity, managing survival, maybe even a little happiness.
But Ezra Hawkins, last heir to the legacy of wormhole technology, will show them something that no human in over a thousand years has Hope.
This is a story of science against magic, of people who can bend the elements to their will and the shadowy forces that police them. And most of all, Wind-Scarred tells the tale of a young man desperate to learn the true nature of the past, and of a planet that has its own ideas about the future.
366 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 9, 2011
7 people are currently reading
105 people want to read
About the author
Sky Corbelli
5 books16 followersSky Luke Corbelli is not a jedi.
He spent his youth swimming, playing chess, climbing mountains, and working at the San Francisco Zoo. The man has literally been bitten, clawed, constricted, quilled, or otherwise assaulted by more animals than most people could shake a stick at.
He majored in mathematics by day, with an emphasis on chemistry and physics. By night he delighted friends and colleagues with baked goods and games. Most of the games weren't baked. Naturally, he went on to become a programmer.
Oh, and he's written a few books. He'd love it if you tried them out. In fact, if he were standing there in front of you, he'd probably wave his hand in a vaguely arcane gesture and say something like, "These are the books you're looking for."
Sky Luke Corbelli is not a jedi... but that doesn't stop him from trying.
He spent his youth swimming, playing chess, climbing mountains, and working at the San Francisco Zoo. The man has literally been bitten, clawed, constricted, quilled, or otherwise assaulted by more animals than most people could shake a stick at.
He majored in mathematics by day, with an emphasis on chemistry and physics. By night he delighted friends and colleagues with baked goods and games. Most of the games weren't baked. Naturally, he went on to become a programmer.
Oh, and he's written a few books. He'd love it if you tried them out. In fact, if he were standing there in front of you, he'd probably wave his hand in a vaguely arcane gesture and say something like, "These are the books you're looking for."
Sky Luke Corbelli is not a jedi... but that doesn't stop him from trying.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 25, 2012
So I’m looking at the cover, and its fantasy right? Except on the first page we are on a space ship and there’s a space elevator and there’s a place called Sanctuary that exists in some sort of force-field bubble that protects it from the rest of the world that’s been turned into an uninhabitable wasteland from some war 500 years ago. So we got an advanced tech society in a post apocalyptic Earth. Yep – SciFi. Except we soon get to venture outside the “bubble” and we find the world is far from uninhabitable and there is, in fact, a lo tech society that doesn’t have that much in the way of science – but there are magic users called Elementals - who have been able to harness the Elements Wind, Fire, Lightning, Water etc and bend them to their will. In other words, outside Sanctuary we have a world that would not be in the slight bit out of place in any fantasy novel.
So what is it? Scifi or Fantasy? Actually it feels more like urban fantasy. There’s a team of super heroes with supernatural abilities that fight evil – wait, scratch that – they have no super powers, but they have science and wormhole technology and advanced weapons, though they prefer swords and knives and electric bolts. And they go out to battle any Elemental who uses their ability to harass non magic users outside Sanctuary. And they try to do it in a way that the outsiders remain blissfully unaware of supernatural beings – wait a minute, everybody outside already knows about magic and elementals – but they don’t know about science that much.
Anyway, it’s high tech science vs elemental magic. The heroes have no magic but they are smart and make pretty good ninjas besides. What good is that against magic? Well combined with their scientific expertise they have a few tricks up their sleeve to add to their arsenal, like running real fast, and wormhole generators.
I found Wind-Scarred to be a light fun read. It combines scifi and fantasy elements in an interesting way, but really, the book is more character and plot driven than world building or in-depth magic systems. And the youngish, evil-fighting characters, and the fast paced plot feel very much like urban fantasy. So I would be more inclined to recommend this to lovers of urban/paranormal fantasy than the scifi or more traditional fantasy crowd.
I personally am not a huge fan of urban fantasy, which is reflected in my rating, and there wasn’t enough of the other genres in there to satisfy my preferences, but I still enjoyed the book. It held my attention from start to finish and I wouldn’t mind continuing on in the series, especially as it ends on a cliff hanger, and I am a little curious to see how this story develops.
3 stars.
So what is it? Scifi or Fantasy? Actually it feels more like urban fantasy. There’s a team of super heroes with supernatural abilities that fight evil – wait, scratch that – they have no super powers, but they have science and wormhole technology and advanced weapons, though they prefer swords and knives and electric bolts. And they go out to battle any Elemental who uses their ability to harass non magic users outside Sanctuary. And they try to do it in a way that the outsiders remain blissfully unaware of supernatural beings – wait a minute, everybody outside already knows about magic and elementals – but they don’t know about science that much.
Anyway, it’s high tech science vs elemental magic. The heroes have no magic but they are smart and make pretty good ninjas besides. What good is that against magic? Well combined with their scientific expertise they have a few tricks up their sleeve to add to their arsenal, like running real fast, and wormhole generators.
I found Wind-Scarred to be a light fun read. It combines scifi and fantasy elements in an interesting way, but really, the book is more character and plot driven than world building or in-depth magic systems. And the youngish, evil-fighting characters, and the fast paced plot feel very much like urban fantasy. So I would be more inclined to recommend this to lovers of urban/paranormal fantasy than the scifi or more traditional fantasy crowd.
I personally am not a huge fan of urban fantasy, which is reflected in my rating, and there wasn’t enough of the other genres in there to satisfy my preferences, but I still enjoyed the book. It held my attention from start to finish and I wouldn’t mind continuing on in the series, especially as it ends on a cliff hanger, and I am a little curious to see how this story develops.
3 stars.
February 28, 2021
There are a lot of good things in this book. Sadly, they are buried under the not-so-good. First, it takes a while before the story takes off. I almost gave up a few times because I wasn't sure the book was ever going to go anywhere. Second, the writing and plot are somewhat childish. Both of these could be fixed with a good editor.
April 25, 2012
What a great start to a trilogy! I enjoyed Wind-Scarred immensely, though it did have a few hiccups, including a meandering plot and a romance that lacked finesse. But the overall story was good, the concept unique, and the characters incredibly well-developed. I’m looking forward to reading book 2, Water-Seer, now available.
Characters: ***** 5 Stars
Ezra is brainy yet courageous, a scientist born into a family that controls the knowledge of worm-hole technology. Swept into a secret society, Ezra handles himself with aplomb, but he’s still young, and a bit naive, especially in the ways of women. Galois “Gal” Doe arrives on scene as a party girl, but ultimately recruits Ezra to become an agent. She’s spunky and fun, and I wish we’d seen more of her throughout the story. The other characters, including Ezra’s “research team” each had their own personalities, which came through beautifully in the novel and added to the warmth and camaraderie in Ezra’s world.
Plot: *** 3 Stars
The author did a great job tying together science fiction and fantasy themes, creating a complex world with multiple moving parts, including layers of foreshadowing that carry through the entire novel and into book 2 (I hope, anyway!). Unfortunately, that’s also the story’s downfall, as the plot lacks focus. Some parts seemed to drag, while in others I wanted more detail. There were several sections that didn’t seem to be necessary to advance the story, leaving me feeling like I just had to get through them. However, the action, when it occurred, was well-drawn and kept me engaged, and the overall story was interesting and fun.
Setting: **** 4 Stars
I really liked the juxtaposition of the futuristic city with the rural anti-technology countryside. It made for a very unique story and helped pull through the dead periods of the plot.
Romance: ** 2 Stars
I loved the characters of Gal and Ezra, and they could have been a fun couple. Unfortunately, the romance was significantly under-developed. Gal and Ezra are thrown together, and for a very long time I thought that Gal was just toying with Ezra for some political, or even nefarious reason. She’s flirty and coy, but it felt, at best, like a surface infatuation, and the romance fell flat.
Genre - Futuristic Fantasy: ***** 5 Stars
WIND-SCARRED is a unique cross-genre novel that does a great job bringing together both science-fiction and fantasy themes. I loved the “elementals” and the conflict between the futuristic technology and the rural, almost medieval, outside world.
Note: This review was written at the request of the author. The only compensation received was a free copy of the book.
Characters: ***** 5 Stars
Ezra is brainy yet courageous, a scientist born into a family that controls the knowledge of worm-hole technology. Swept into a secret society, Ezra handles himself with aplomb, but he’s still young, and a bit naive, especially in the ways of women. Galois “Gal” Doe arrives on scene as a party girl, but ultimately recruits Ezra to become an agent. She’s spunky and fun, and I wish we’d seen more of her throughout the story. The other characters, including Ezra’s “research team” each had their own personalities, which came through beautifully in the novel and added to the warmth and camaraderie in Ezra’s world.
Plot: *** 3 Stars
The author did a great job tying together science fiction and fantasy themes, creating a complex world with multiple moving parts, including layers of foreshadowing that carry through the entire novel and into book 2 (I hope, anyway!). Unfortunately, that’s also the story’s downfall, as the plot lacks focus. Some parts seemed to drag, while in others I wanted more detail. There were several sections that didn’t seem to be necessary to advance the story, leaving me feeling like I just had to get through them. However, the action, when it occurred, was well-drawn and kept me engaged, and the overall story was interesting and fun.
Setting: **** 4 Stars
I really liked the juxtaposition of the futuristic city with the rural anti-technology countryside. It made for a very unique story and helped pull through the dead periods of the plot.
Romance: ** 2 Stars
I loved the characters of Gal and Ezra, and they could have been a fun couple. Unfortunately, the romance was significantly under-developed. Gal and Ezra are thrown together, and for a very long time I thought that Gal was just toying with Ezra for some political, or even nefarious reason. She’s flirty and coy, but it felt, at best, like a surface infatuation, and the romance fell flat.
Genre - Futuristic Fantasy: ***** 5 Stars
WIND-SCARRED is a unique cross-genre novel that does a great job bringing together both science-fiction and fantasy themes. I loved the “elementals” and the conflict between the futuristic technology and the rural, almost medieval, outside world.
Note: This review was written at the request of the author. The only compensation received was a free copy of the book.
May 25, 2012
I will have to say that Wind-Scarred is the beginning of what has become one of my favorite series this year. Granted only two books have been released at this point, but I've been drawn in by the magnificent characters and the unique story. Ezra Hawkins is a member of the privileged elite, his family legacy has set him up for life and he has the brains to continue to honor their memory.
In the past there was an event that caused humanity to isolate and protect itself from complete destruction. Several generations later they are still living in their safe haven, but Ezra believes that the world is ready for re population. He designs an experiment to get him outside the protective dome that covers the city and sees the planet is in wonderful shape and he even sees some people living peacefully. Upon his return to his domed city he is ready to reveal the truth of the outside world to all the people and expects to be a hero, but his triumphant return changes into something he never saw coming.
When Ezra hooks up with the group that he goes on his adventures with the story really comes alive. The interactions are fantastic and the book is filled with pop-culture references that add a solid layer of humor to the book. The magic system is what really sets the book apart, but since it's not really explained until a bit later I don't want to go into a lot of detail with it. It is based around the major elements and lightning is added as a fifth. Another excellent aspect of this book is the advanced technology. There are some amazingly cool toys that everyone gets to play with and Sky has a strong mathmatical background so there seems to be some solid theory behind some of the stuff. The fact that Ezra is vastly intelligent surrounded by people who are better fighters than him also leads to more creative action sequences than just two people swinging swords or shooting guns. All of these things combine to make a book that has everything it takes to succeed and thrive. Do yourselves a favor and take the time to check this one out if you are a fan of fantasy at all.
Review copy provided by the author.
In the past there was an event that caused humanity to isolate and protect itself from complete destruction. Several generations later they are still living in their safe haven, but Ezra believes that the world is ready for re population. He designs an experiment to get him outside the protective dome that covers the city and sees the planet is in wonderful shape and he even sees some people living peacefully. Upon his return to his domed city he is ready to reveal the truth of the outside world to all the people and expects to be a hero, but his triumphant return changes into something he never saw coming.
When Ezra hooks up with the group that he goes on his adventures with the story really comes alive. The interactions are fantastic and the book is filled with pop-culture references that add a solid layer of humor to the book. The magic system is what really sets the book apart, but since it's not really explained until a bit later I don't want to go into a lot of detail with it. It is based around the major elements and lightning is added as a fifth. Another excellent aspect of this book is the advanced technology. There are some amazingly cool toys that everyone gets to play with and Sky has a strong mathmatical background so there seems to be some solid theory behind some of the stuff. The fact that Ezra is vastly intelligent surrounded by people who are better fighters than him also leads to more creative action sequences than just two people swinging swords or shooting guns. All of these things combine to make a book that has everything it takes to succeed and thrive. Do yourselves a favor and take the time to check this one out if you are a fan of fantasy at all.
Review copy provided by the author.
February 14, 2012
I truly love sci-fi books...
This book was no exception. We're introduced to Ezra, a character living in the same city that the rest of the people have been living in for a milennia, the only known city left to exist. The society is comprised of Legacies, namely each family has a claim to a certain type of technology, which they have perfected and kept secret, thus assuring their place in the upper echelons of the city.
Ezra's family legacy is wormhole technology, a field which comes easy to him. He can tap into practically any type of energy to power his devices, which will pretty much create a wormhole just about anywhere.
When an illegal trip outside the protected barriers of the city opens Ezra's eyes to wonders he would have never believed in, threatening everything he's come to know and love, a clandestine operation reveals itself to him and recruits him in the hopes to protect the secret that no one knows about.
Complicating matters are the Elementalists. Beings that have full control over their elements: Air, Wind, Fire, Water, and Lightning. Creatures that you don't want to cross paths with, but as fortune would have it, Ezra does just that.
This book has humor, action, cool technological gadgets, colorful characters, all strongly flavored with conspiracy and secrets! I couldn't find much wrong with the book other than a few unanswered questions which I was told later will be addressed in the book's sequel. Great job, Sky! Can't wait to read the next!
This book was no exception. We're introduced to Ezra, a character living in the same city that the rest of the people have been living in for a milennia, the only known city left to exist. The society is comprised of Legacies, namely each family has a claim to a certain type of technology, which they have perfected and kept secret, thus assuring their place in the upper echelons of the city.
Ezra's family legacy is wormhole technology, a field which comes easy to him. He can tap into practically any type of energy to power his devices, which will pretty much create a wormhole just about anywhere.
When an illegal trip outside the protected barriers of the city opens Ezra's eyes to wonders he would have never believed in, threatening everything he's come to know and love, a clandestine operation reveals itself to him and recruits him in the hopes to protect the secret that no one knows about.
Complicating matters are the Elementalists. Beings that have full control over their elements: Air, Wind, Fire, Water, and Lightning. Creatures that you don't want to cross paths with, but as fortune would have it, Ezra does just that.
This book has humor, action, cool technological gadgets, colorful characters, all strongly flavored with conspiracy and secrets! I couldn't find much wrong with the book other than a few unanswered questions which I was told later will be addressed in the book's sequel. Great job, Sky! Can't wait to read the next!
March 2, 2012
A fun read. The author has built an interesting world, I particularly liked the blend of "magic" with technology. After the first couple chapters the story moved well and was hard to put down.
The formatting on the Kindle version was good.
My biggest criticism would be the characters felt a bit one dimensional. Some of the dialogue revealing motivations was a bit stilted. I felt like I was watching a made for sci-fi channel movie or something at times. Not enough to get in the way of the story but enough to be noticeable. A lot of the male/female interactions also seemed a bit contrived. Not sure I would characterize it as "hyper-sexual". It reminded me more of how a lot of 60's/70's sci-fi was, the women were equal in power and competency as the men but people just suddenly seemed to be in love without much explanation of their motivations (although I thought he did a great job with this in one scene with Sarah so hopefully this will get better in future books).
The ending was a cliffhanger style where nothing has really been resolved and it is obvious there will be more to see of them in the future.
The formatting on the Kindle version was good.
My biggest criticism would be the characters felt a bit one dimensional. Some of the dialogue revealing motivations was a bit stilted. I felt like I was watching a made for sci-fi channel movie or something at times. Not enough to get in the way of the story but enough to be noticeable. A lot of the male/female interactions also seemed a bit contrived. Not sure I would characterize it as "hyper-sexual". It reminded me more of how a lot of 60's/70's sci-fi was, the women were equal in power and competency as the men but people just suddenly seemed to be in love without much explanation of their motivations (although I thought he did a great job with this in one scene with Sarah so hopefully this will get better in future books).
The ending was a cliffhanger style where nothing has really been resolved and it is obvious there will be more to see of them in the future.
January 27, 2012
The formatting for the Nook was poorly done, making the story look like it was written in short, choppy sentence fragments. That made annoying to read. There were also some grammatical, spelling, and editing errors that could be fixed.
The storyline kind-of felt like a spin on a classic favorite, "Brave New World", but mixed with the magic of "Harry Potter" and the humor and adult subjects of the show "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." So, it was a little unoriginal, but the mix made for an interesting enough read. Thankfully, I happen to love all three of the above, which helped me to enjoy this a bit more, despite the fact the the female characters were all one-dimensional and hypersexualized.
I think this would be a series that would attract the male sci-fi/fantasy crowd.
The storyline kind-of felt like a spin on a classic favorite, "Brave New World", but mixed with the magic of "Harry Potter" and the humor and adult subjects of the show "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." So, it was a little unoriginal, but the mix made for an interesting enough read. Thankfully, I happen to love all three of the above, which helped me to enjoy this a bit more, despite the fact the the female characters were all one-dimensional and hypersexualized.
I think this would be a series that would attract the male sci-fi/fantasy crowd.
January 10, 2014
For some reason I picked up this book months ago, read one chapter and put it down. It wasn't until recently that I decided to try and finish my "in hiatus" books that I finished it. I thought it was going to be scifi so I put it back down until I was in the scifi mood.
This book if more fantasy than scifi. They mention space a couple times and talk about wormholes, but that's about it.
I can't believe I put this down and it took me several months to pick it up again. It was great!
World building was fantastic! Also, the characters are each distinctly their own and I was attached to some right away. I couldn't put this book down.
This book if more fantasy than scifi. They mention space a couple times and talk about wormholes, but that's about it.
I can't believe I put this down and it took me several months to pick it up again. It was great!
World building was fantastic! Also, the characters are each distinctly their own and I was attached to some right away. I couldn't put this book down.
January 28, 2012
Though it started off a tad slow, Wind-Scarred was a great read. By the end I couldn't put it down. I enjoyed the magic system, and the science fiction elements were presented in a way that even a fantasy lover like myself wasn't put off. I felt for the characters and found myself drawn in to their adventures. I'm definitely looking forward to the next book.
December 15, 2012
The plot had some interesting turns and made you want to know more. The characters are quite likeable and even if it feels like you only get to know them shortly as some might not appear all the time, you get a very specific impression of them very quickly. The book has a good pace and an intriguing world, which you will want to hear more about. All in all a very interesting piece of work.
October 8, 2014
just could not finish it. read the first 4 chapters and lost interest. the blurb made it sound good but it didn't go anywhere
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews