Sul: From Gold to Iron and Rust

by Jacqui Davis

A king destined to rule. A priest determined to protect his land. A demon out to Create chaos. A princess with her eyes on the throne.

When a demon murders the regent, young King Elmes leaves his island palace and sails north to conquer a frozen wilderness rich in resources his people have squandered –and of course, hunt down the demon. Elmes has no doubt he’ll prevail. After all, he is great like his ancestors.

But the land is already home to half-wild barbarians led by an immortal priest, who are used to weather more savage than any warrior. With a court losing confidence and a wife set on keeping the crown no matter whose head it sits on, the decisions at home prove the greater danger.

With mounting threats on all sides, Elmes wins his empire, but his arrogance leaves him cursed and trapped in the north. Without his armies, his magic, or even his own name, Elmes must face his selfishness and irresponsibility to preserve what truly matters: his young son’s life.

Genres: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy

432 pages, Paperback

Published May 8, 2023

About the author

Fan of history, stories & fluffy things

I’m Jacqui (or the Logic Fairy if you’ve ever tried to watch TV with me). I was born in Johannesburg, South Africa and moved to the UK as a kid.

In my day job, I illustrate for board games and books. As long as there’s a good audiobook or documentary on in the background I’m happy. When not painting I enjoy keeping the creative mojo going by writing.

Reviews

[Rebecca Crunden]

They had to go, these strangers, before they dug their claws into Cydric’s land.

I got a hardback copy of this and it’s absolutely STUNNING. The design is lovely and the colours are rich and vibrant. There’s a lovely map on the inside and several coloured illustrations throughout. I really loved all the artwork. You get to see the various characters and the scenery and the creatures. I loved the drawings of Aysel especially. Her eyes were super cool. (I was reading this alongside The Way of Kings, which has illustrations throughout too, and side by side they made for a beautiful set.)

Right, so Sul follows several characters: Aysel, Cydric, Elmes, Margo. There’s also Enoch and Damien, Ululani and Solomon. Each one is very different. Aysel is a demon usually in wolf-ish form; Cydric the priest, is deeply religious and protective of his homeland, and also best friends with Solomon, a vampire; Elmes is an arrogant colonialist and newly crowned king; Margo is a young royal who is drawn into the chaos because of her family’s wealth and position.

I thought the worldbuilding and religions and character dynamics were fascinating. It really reminded me of Sordaneon, actually. The opening of both is a murder in the royal palace and the MC becoming a successor. Both are viewed as magical, all powerful kings. (Side note: If you haven’t read Sordaneon, I definitely recommend it!) In Sul, Elmes is ‘given’ a territory by his uncle. After his uncle is murdered, he ventures north to claim the land and make it his own. He even names it after himself. When he arrives, the locals - namely Cydric - help him, but he quickly turns on them and casts them out of their own home. Elmes drove me up a wall, honestly. He’s very much a colonialist ruler, but thankfully the storyline doesn’t let him sit in charge throughout. Cydric, Aysel and others plot to overthrow him.

I thought the inclusion of vampires, demons and angels in an earth-world fantasy was really fascinating. It’s not a mashup I’m used to and it was a really original take on the genre. I’m very curious to see where book two takes the characters because the ending was such a cliffhanger! I can’t wait to find out what happens to Cydric, little Terrin and Aysel especially!

Thank you to the authors for a hardback copy of the book.

THOUGHTS AS I READ [SPOILERS]:

- The terminology is a little confusing for me, but that also happened with The Bone Season and Sordaneon, so I’m sure once I sink into it, it’ll all make more sense! I’m slow to understand epics at times, ha! (The use of never instead of no/not when it’s Elmes’ POV definitely took some adjusting to, although that could just be a me-thing.)
- The book is so thick my hands actually hurt reading it lmaoooo. But I don’t mind ;)
- I’m not sure I trust Ululani at all. She seems like she’s going to betray Elmes.
- I feel bad for Enoch.
- The characters seem to worship the sun (Sul), and call the king ‘His Radiance’, but they also talk about angels, which is interesting. It’s like a mixture of real world stories and fiction. Very interesting! And the names are also angelic: Enoch, Metatron, etc.
- I’m wondering what the implications are going to be for the people living in the lands that Elmes feels entitled to. Surely they’re not going to be happy?
- Enoch knowing a woman named Damien who can control demons took me by surprise.
- I’m finding Aysel and Cydric’s sections very enjoyable, but I’m really struggling with Elmes. His arrogance and ‘worship me’ and colonialist vibes are just maddening. Expecting Cydric and Solomon to treat him like a king when THEY RESCUED HIM and WELCOMED HIM INTO THEIR HOME?!!? And then he STEALS THEIR HOME?! Like fuck you, Elmes. You’re the actual worst.
- Aysel is probably my favourite so far. And I love the artwork of her! So cool!

☆ Book Reviews | Bluesky | Twitter | Threads ☆

[Boe]

Disclaimer: ARC provided by the author in exchange for honest and fair review

Sul: From Gold to Iron and Rust was a book I first discovered on Twitter when the author was offering up some extra copies they had on hand. The cover caught my eye right away as well as the beautiful illustrations that are found throughout the book.

I had really high hopes for this story as it starts off with a bang, there was so much going on that I actually had to stop and slow down for a minute and re-read a few sections to make sure I didn’t miss anything. Authors Davis & Grierson did a fantastic job in terms of world building, the imagery in the book alongside the illustrations really helps to bring it all to life.

However beautiful world building simply isn’t enough for me as a reader to keep me engaged. I’m 100% a character driver reader and if I’m being honest I struggled to connect with any of the characters. I’ve spent the past couple days pondering what it was that kept me from connecting and even reached out to a few friends who read the book to discuss it some to see if it would help me to narrow down what about the book didn’t work. In the end the book just felt like it was a bit all over the place right from the very start and while I hoped things would eventually settle down and fall into place sadly I didn’t find that to be the case at least for me.

To be clear, this very well could just be a me issue. I struggled a lot with reading when I was younger due to my ADHD. The older I have gotten the easier it is for me to stay focused and the more enjoyable reading has become. So while this book didn’t fully click for me I don’t think it's a bad book, actually quite the opposite I think the authors created a beautiful world and I’m a little bummed I couldn’t connect with it as much as I had hoped too knowing book two is right around the corner.

Honestly if you are looking for a story full of unique cultures and beliefs and you love morally gray characters I would encourage you to give this book a shot. They did a great job showing just how far these characters were willing to go to justify actions while working through tough topics like ‘Religion’, ‘War’ and ‘Colonizatin’. In a lot of ways reading thru this book has made me re-examine those in power throughout the real world and see just how morally gray a lot of them are as well 🙂

[Esmay Rosalyne]

This review was originally posted on Before We Go Blog

3.5 stars (rounded up)

Sul: From Gold to Iron and Rust is a book that intrigued me from the moment it came onto my radar. The striking cover just lured me in, and I am happy to say that the story inside proved to be equally entrancing. With its immersive world building, vivid imagery, unique dialogue, diverse cast of characters, rich lore, and of course its numerous gorgeous illustrations, this book is an utterly engrossing experience from start to finish.

The story opens with quite the explosive opening chapter, in which we see the current regent of Sulaai being murdered by a demoness and his young nephew Elmes being forced to take on the burden of the crown. His uncle’s last ‘gift’ to him was a new territory in the frozen North, which half-wild barbarians led by an immortal priest call their home. And despite threats lurking on all sides, Elmes is dead-set on conquering the territory. Yet in the end, his own arrogance and naivete might just prove to be the biggest danger of all.

Now, while Elmes is undoubtedly the focal point of the story, there are three other perspectives who make up this unique and diverse cast of characters. A shape-shifting demoness who is usually in wolf-form, an immortal priest with a vampire as his best friend, and a young and power-hungry royal who is way too ruthless for her own good. It might take a while before all these separate storylines start to interweave, but once they do, it’s quite brilliant to see how intricately crafted this entire story really is.

The authors definitely took a risk in writing such flawed, morally ambiguous, and mostly unlikable (or honestly outright hateable) protagonists, yet I think that they mostly pulled it off. I found it fascinating to be in the minds of these characters and seeing them justify their own questionable actions in their own minds.
Though, as complex and compelling as these characters are, I can’t say I ever really connected to any of them. The beginning of the story felt a bit chaotic to me which made it hard to really get settled, and that did unfortunately hinder my personal investment a bit.

That said, where the character connection left me a bit wanting, the breathtaking world building and mesmerising atmosphere absolutely blew me away. From the very first page it is very clear how much care and effort the authors put into creating this rich world. The world building just felt so organic and all the vivid settings, diverse cultures, and magical/legendary creatures just came to life before my eyes. And the numerous gorgeous artworks in this book only enhanced my immersion, especially as I usually have a very hard time visualising while I read.

I also really loved how organically the different rich cultures with their unique customs, beliefs, and values were developed. It did take me a bit to get used to the unique dialogue of the Sulaai, where ‘never’ is used instead of ‘no’ as a negative, but once I got a grip on that it only added to the richness of the world.
And I thought the culture clash between the Sulaai and the North was especially fascinating to see, because they are both so confident in their own way of life and convinced of their rightful place in the world. The themes of religion, war, and colonisation are handled in such an appropriately brutal yet tactful way in this story, which added layers of nuance and depth to the story that I really appreciated.

The pacing might have felt somewhat rocky to me in the first half of the book, especially with some sudden time jumps, but I was really impressed with how the plot came together in the second half. Because all of these characters are so flawed and erratic, their individual arcs are very unpredictable and that kept me fully engaged despite the slight lack of connection. The stakes only continued to increase and I loved seeing how these characters had to deal with the brutal consequences of their actions, especially the insufferable Elmes. Whether the harsh lessons will stick remains to be seen, but I am very satisfied and intrigued with the way this story left off.

All in all, this bold fantasy story is honestly quite unlike anything I have ever read, and somehow I have a feeling that we have only just barely scratched the surface of all that’s to be uncovered here. Davis and Grierson have proven to me that they deserve my patience and trust as a reader, and I am very eager to see what wonderful and imaginative things they have up their sleeve next.
If you are looking for an immersive dark fantasy story with rich world building, bold storytelling decisions, beautiful interior artworks, and flawed characters that you can love to hate or hate to love, I would highly recommend Sul: From Gold to Iron and Rust!

Thank you to the authors for providing me with a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

[Mel]

(3.75 stars rounded up)

Sul: From Gold to Iron and Rust first came on my radar through Twitter. The authors were doing some promo and the cover and synopsis immediately caught my attention. Thanks to the authors I got the opportunity to read this unique story in exchange for an honest review.

For me the strongest part of this book was definitely the worldbuilding. In this world we have a group that worships Sul (the sun), another group that follows a more traditional religion, ie angels and demons and a God called Father, and some pagans.

The Sulaai (the Sul worshippers) have a very distinct language, in which they replace the words 'no/not' with 'never.' I know for some readers this might be a hurdle to cross over, but personally it didn't bother me and definitely made the Sulaai feel more authentic.

The story/plot itself was also fairly entertaining. We start the book off with Elmes, a Prince whose uncle is murdered by a demon, forcing Elmes to step up to his role as King, or Radiance. He "discovers" this land and conquers it's people who are none too happy about this.

We also follow a cast of other characters besides Elmes. We have Cydric the priest who is determined to get his home back from the Sulaai, his best friend Solomon whose a vampire with a soft spot for helpless creatures, a Mage named Damien, a clerk named Enoch who used to be Elmes' steward, a Demon named Aysel, and a cunning queen named Margo.

I think the weakness for me was the characters unfortunately. Although I really liked quite a few of them (Aysel and Solomon in particular), I had a hard time connecting with them for some reason. I felt there were so many POVs and not enough time spent with them to really form a bond, and a character driven reader I was really missing that.

The pacing was also a bit jarring during the later half of the book. Between one paragraph to the next sometimes we would get days, weeks or even years passing by and I would be utterly confused for a bit.

Overall, this was a solid first book to a series, with some gorgeous art sprinkled throughout and I am very eager to continue on. I'm curious to see where this story is going end up and how all the different pieces are going to come together.

[Ronit J.]

Note: I received a free review copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to like this book. Everything from the cover to the stuff I read about how this book came to be excited me a lot. But, there were several things that didn't work for me personally.

First off, the world-building is stellar. The world of Sul with all its cultures is unique, magical and fully realised. This is further beautified by the many sketches that are included between chapters.

However, not much apart from that worked for me. The book had a really strong start. One that established Elmes and his motivation to expand and conquer. But, the plot quickly grew a little convoluted with all the new characters. A major drawback is the book's pacing. The time jumps between some chapters—some within chapters—were quite jarring. The plot would benefit from some more editing.

The characters were really hard to connect with. Aysel was badass, but I couldn't bring myself to care about the rest. I believe this is largely because of two reasons— 1) character motivations weren't always clear, and 2) the characters reacted to the plot instead of actively driving it. As a result, I started losing interest in what was happening to the characters.

Sul has a lot of potential. I do hope that future instalments work on the shortcomings of book 1. This wasn't a bad book. Rather, this was a really well-written early draft that needs a lot of editing. I can see a lot of people immersing themselves in the imaginative and magical world of Sul.

[Dom]

DNF @35%

Sadly, this was a DNF for me, for a couple of reasons. One was that I just didn't connect with any of the characters, and it was difficult for me to get into the story itself as a result. The second thing was to do with the writing style. It's a cultural quirk for one of the nations featured, but characters will say "never" instead of "not" and it was one of those things that once I noticed it, it started to really stick out on the page for me. It comes up in the narrative as well, so it's not just a quirk in the dialogue, and the frequency of its use ("never" is used 500 times in the book) eventually started to bug me too much. Combined with not getting into the story (or possibly this contributed to me not getting into the story), I eventually chose to put the book down.

[Blaise]

https://undertheradarsffbooks.com/202...

I received an ARC from the authors in exchange for a honest review. I was lucky enought to be sent an early version of this book before the kickstarter finished. This is quiet simply a stunning piece of art!!!! From the cover, to the quality of the paper used in the printing, and the jaw dropping illustrations after each and every chapter. The story is one of ambitions and betrayals, pride with a sense of dread, and destiny combined with a tragic nightmare all tangled into one compelling novel. Still interested? Then lets dive in.

King Elmes is ruler of the island kingdom Torro – Anwo and looking to expand his influence over his kingdom. When word is recieved that an expedition has returned from the north, Elmes takes it upon himself to be the one to explore the new world. But then disaster strikes and his consort is murder by an old demon named Aysel, who has more to say in the plot of this story than you may think. Aysel was tasked with freeing Elmes slave Enoch and to return him to the north where the plot of this story kicks into hyperdrive. King Elmes feeling betrayed embarks on the mission to discover the north and all the dangers it may hold.

Father Cydric is looked upon as a living saint from his people of the mud and comes from a time long lost. Their is no length Cydric will go through to protect his people from any and all enemies. Margo is a young and ambitous woman who has big plans in store for her. When the mission from Sulaai makes its way to the mudlands, Margo sees her golden opportunity as she is destined to be the mother of the next king. Everything will be turned on its head and you won’t see what is in store.

The writing style will draw you in while taking you on a journey through the wilderness with danger around every corner. The magic in this book will without a doubt be the shining star for many readers but for me the inner conflicts our characters have to endure and in some cases suffer through is where my money is at. I will say that it is not until the half way point that the plot will take off and everything will be turned upside down. Elmes empire will be won but he may have to loss everything he hods dear to maintain it. What would you sacrifice to reach your goal?

It was a joy to be able to read this book. With all cards on the table, our characters will go through thick and thin to be the last one standing. Don’t speed read through this or you may miss the shocking moments. I look forward to seeing other reviews of this book when the kickstarter releases into the world but until then, happy reading!!!

Cheers!

[litzomania-]

Breakdown
Overall: ★ ★ ★
Enjoyment: ★ ★ ★
Quality: ★ ★ ★
Characters: ★ ★ ★
Plot: ★ ★ ½

Sul: From Gold to Iron and Rust is an ambitious epic-fantasy novel that attempts to tell the tale of two neighbouring lands: Sulaai and Medaai (as referred to by people from the former). While the concept is intriguing, the execution leaves quite a bit to be desired.

But, I’ll elaborate on the positives first. The writing itself was pretty good! I often felt like I was part of the world, and most characters had very distinct voices. The world of Sulaai is lush and evocative; it is shown through vivid settings and the characters in a very natural, effortless manner.

I liked the usage of ‘never’ instead of ‘no.’ Sul, their primary god, is a solar deity. There is a relation between light (and its absence) and time, and I like the introduction of the temporal aspect with the word ‘never.’ I honestly can’t articulate it completely, but it seems to fit the culture with the slight alteration in meaning and implication. There is a permanence to the word, just like there is a permanence to the sun. Does that make sense?

Now, onto its faults. The treatment of female characters is questionable. There are four major female characters: Ulu, Damien, Margo, and Aysel (the best out of the four, though she is more beast than anything). Margo is a somewhat active character, but she serves more as a lens than anything else, and nothing interesting is done with her. Aysel benefits from her unhuman nature; it makes her POV unique.

Ulu is a plot device and only further Elmes’ character development. Damien is barely established, despite being pivotal to the survival of numerous characters. I find this annoying, as there are side characters (such as Solomon and Enoch) who have the same amount of screen time but a much stronger presence and autonomy. Ulu is defined by her relationship with Elmes, and Damien by her relationship with Enoch (and arguably Cydric).

The world-building of the kneelers, pagans and the Medaai is okay. It’s not as skillful as the writing with the Sulaai. I found Cydric’s backstory to be handled rather poorly — which is a shame, his character is absolutely fascinating. I had to check their official website to get a sense of what was going on with him and his past.

The plot is messy. There are too many characters to follow, and honestly, a poor allocation of screen time. This became painfully evident in the book's last third. While I understand the complicated nature of stories that focus on political intrigue, there was no cohesion. This book desperately needed some editing in that regard.

To conclude, this probably needed another several drafts to make it tighter. But, enjoyable nonetheless! (´･ᴗ･ ` )

[Jeanette Jensen]

Our young King, Elmes, seems like a good, young King. Kind to his servants, especially Enoch, it seems, loving to Ululani, his mistress. He loves his uncle, the Regent, and trusted advisor.

A demon shows up, and all Hell breaks loose. And I am not talking about the one in Norway this time.🤭
This is where we are introduced to Aysel and Damien.


“Forget Medaai. Never follow us. I’m sorry.”


Now, here is where the story really starts.

With a kingdom that is beautiful but not hospitable, Elemes goes for it. His treasury is almost empty anyway, and his uncle has planned this trip. After all, Elmes is favoured by Sul and great like his ancestors, right?

With many boats, he always goes north, yes?

It is not only the boats that take us from his beautiful and not that hospitable kingdom. It is the language and customs as well.

I found myself drawn in, thinking, will that king ever be knocked off his hoarse? Will he get to the north or discover something different altogether? Will he get a new kingdom? Who's paths will cross?

Elements of humour show us that our author duo has that spark in their eyes. Bickering, namegiving.
They even had me changing my mind to some of the characters. One of my favourite characters was Aysel, actually. 😂
We are much alike; chaos and disorder, my work here is done. *Brushing dust of hands and move on*
The difference, though, is that she tends to create chaos, whereas chaos just tends to find me.😂

A few years down the line, we catch up with our characters. Not all is what it was as we get nearer the end... of the book, that is.😉

What will Elmes’ story be?

Other good things are that there is a map and artwork of characters in the book.

I am happy to see that this is a trilogy and that book two is on its way.😊

[Annette Jordan]

Sul: From Gold to Iron and Rust is a sweeping fantasy read incorporating angels and demons, vampires and mortals. The book has a dramatic opening where we are introduced to the young Prince Elmes and his uncle, the Regent as they plan the conquest of a mysterious country to the north. When a demon attacks and kills the Regent Elmes ascends to the throne of his nation of sun worshippers. He decides to continue with his uncle's plan, but the conquest does not go smoothly and instead Elmes is faced with an army of "barbarians" led by an immortal priest.
There were many things I liked about this book, I found the world building fascinating , the author's have created civilisations and religions that are new but with a hint of the familiar. I was invested in Elmes as a character and loved the journey that he went on in this book, from spoiled rich boy to something very different indeed. I also loved the character of Margo, a young woman who becomes ever more cunning and ruthless as the story unfolds. I will say that if you need your characters to be likeable this may not be the book for you, they are all flawed in some way and some are downright unpleasant. I did struggle a bit with the pacing of the book, it jumps around in time quite a lot, often with little or no warning and so I did find myself confused a couple of times while reading but I was enjoying the story enough to keep me reading. I also have to mention the beautiful illustrations throughout, they were a fantastic touch.
I read an ARC courtesy of the authors, all opinions are my own.

[Max Mad]

I have to write a review of this book and I’ll give it 2.5 stars. First off, like everyone else, I was drawn in by the stunning cover. I know covers shouldn’t be judged, but I don’t share that opinion. For me, an awesome cover is crucial in capturing readers’ attention.

However, the problem with Sul is that it takes 230 pages to get to a significant plot change. This pacing feels frustrating, especially when the book could have been more engaging earlier on. While some books have slow pacing and world-building, waiting more than half the book for a major impact feels really bad and downgrade the reader’s experience.

The first few pages are great, with lots of action and unexplained elements that keep you engaged. However, the world-building becomes overwhelming and feels like things are all over the place and doesn’t suit my taste.

I also struggled to connect with most of the characters. I didn’t find them particularly interesting, and I never reached the point where I genuinely cared about what happened to them. Aysel was really the only character who stood out to me and kept me somewhat invested. I would have liked to see more depth and development in the other characters, because I think that could have made the slower parts of the story much easier to get through.

I’m disappointed because I had high expectations for this book and it didn’t live up to them.

If you’re willing to accept a slow build and long chapters, you might still enjoy it. I think like others, it has a lot of potential but needs significant editing and review to improve its construction.

[Tom Mock]

This is not a full review. I read through the beginning of all 300 SPFBO9 contest entries. This was a book I wanted to read more of.

The King’s nephew, who’s a bit of a lush, is called in the middle of the night and tasked to name and travel north to a new land. Never mind that there are already people there…

This is a competent and lively, tho quiet beginning. The storytelling is steady, easy to read, and cast with diverse characters.

There is a somewhat south-pacific feel to the culture of Sul, with people expressing their age or cultural status through tattooing. I haven’t seen much of that culture yet, but this makes it stand out.

The dialogue is good and expresses character. The characters are well detailed, there are hints of worldbuilding along the way without stopping the story for long expositional passages.

There’s something nice about this. It’s easy to read. The characters are pleasant, mild, charming, and privileged & not sorry about it.

This is good steady storytelling so far, giving us characters and direction. I wonder if this is going to be a misadventure story? It’s working well tho, and I’m enjoying just reading it. I’m in.

[Marilla Cheshire]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It is a fantasy novel, full of adventure, with many interesting and well described characters. It was full of suspense and has left me wanting to know how the tale progresses in the next book. I highly recommend this book if you are looking for a gripping tale from another world.

[Andre Boone]

Sul is a relentlessly grimdark tale loaded with political intrigue. Suspenseful storytelling, tenacious characters, and top-notch illustrations make this an enjoyable read.