What do you think?
Rate this book
The Godswar #1
Ascendancy
A thousand years ago, a dying race of Immortals left behind an enduring legacy: the Ascendants, mortal men and women capable of binding hundreds or even thousands of others to their will. Together these “Bound” and their magic form the foundation of nearly every society in the world.
But everything is about to change. A few rare mortals possess the ability to channel magic without an Ascendant bond, and these "Unbound" renegades finally have a leader: a gifted young sorceress bent on freeing those who share her power, whatever the cost.
But everything is about to change. A few rare mortals possess the ability to channel magic without an Ascendant bond, and these "Unbound" renegades finally have a leader: a gifted young sorceress bent on freeing those who share her power, whatever the cost.
400 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 14, 2012
39 people are currently reading
298 people want to read
About the author
Jennifer Vale
11 books17 followersJennifer Vale is a pseudonym for author C.E. Stalbaum. You can find out more about the author's work at www.cestalbaum.com
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 17, 2013
Originally reviewed at Bookwraiths Reviews
This is one of those books that I picked up because it just looked interesting, and I was not disappointed. Now, Ascendancy has its fair share of problems like most e-books: wordiness and a lack of refinement, i.e., need some editing. However, the story itself with its strong characters and interconnecting plot lines was a pleasant surprise. The world of Obsidian with its mighty Paladins, Aether-wielding Ascendants and Bound, and the fractious empires were a great pleasure to read about and left me wanting more.
SETTING
Two millenniums ago, a race of Immortals came unto the world of Obsidian. At first, they were helpers and bearers of knowledge to the peoples of the world, but soon they “changed” and ruled the world as living gods. At some point in that distant past, a spark ignited the Godswar, where all the Immortals were destroyed and nearly all life obliterated on Obsidian. However, as they faded from the world stage, the Immortals left behind a final wondrous gift: Aether.
Aether is a fine mist of energy surrounding and permeating the very air of Obsidian but is visible only to the Ascendants, their followers the Bound and the Unbound (wild magic users.) When channeled by those with the aptitude, Aether enhances one’s senses and perceptions and allows the shaping of energy and matter. It is the “magic” of the world. With this wondrous gift, the races of Obsidian heal their lands, carve out continent wide kingdoms, and build civilization to heights never dreamed possible.
But with all these new Aether-users, how would the races protect against a new Godswar descending upon Obsidian?
Learning from the self-destruction of the Immortals, the peoples of the world establish a system of control over Aether-users by the use of Ascendants. These gifted people have absorbed the memories of an actual Immortal. When this process is completed (and many die trying ), the Ascendant then “binds” other mortals to his/her power, making them a Bound; a symbiotic relationship where the Ascendant allows the Bound to use Aether and the Bound is monitored for unlawful or destructive use of his/her power. If a Bound acts inappropriately, the Ascendant immediately cuts the Bound off from Aether. In this way, a single Ascendant can bind to himself hundreds, if not thousands, of others and supervise their behavior.
Like all things, however, this fail safe is imperfect, for there is always a handful of people who can control Aether without need of an Ascendant. These Aether-users are called “Unbound” and are hunted and placed into what I think of as “asylums” to guard them against destructive use of their power. But even with this small flaw, the Ascendant system has allowed Obsidian to exert a modicum of control over all Aether-user and maintain a fragile stability.
This is the world where the novel Ascendancy takes place.
STORY
The prologue to our story is set in the Kingdom of Galvia, which is being invaded and conquered by the Crell Imperium. Up to this point, Galvia has been a buffer state between the Solarian Alliance and their more warlike neighbor the Crell Imperium. (I thought of these powers being in the mold of the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. with pre-glasnost West and East Germany as Galvia. It just made things easier for me to follow.) During a final battle in Galvia, we are introduced to many of our main characters: Tevek Dracian, Highlord of the Knights of the Last Dawn, Ethan Moore, greatest general of Galvia, Selvhara Narhesti, elysian (think of LOTR elves here) Aether-user, Jason Moore, son of the aforementioned Ethan, and Krystia Tharule, orphaned child who is also an Unbound Aether-user.
These people are thrown together in this last desperate battle to get us acquainted with them more than anything else, because the battle is a desperate last stand against the Imperium. When the battle is lost, Galvia is gone, and the two, great, continental powers are now unhappy neighbors: each knowing that war is inevitable, and both plotting how to throw the first punch to gain the upper hand. To complicate matters, there is a group of freedom fighters in Galvia who are diligently trying to take back their own land from the Imperium, and they desperately want aid from the Alliance. It is a fragile “Cold War” which now grips the land as the “real” story begins.
Several years pass after Galvia’s fall and into this mess comes a band of relic hunters, i.e., they are grave robbers of ancient burial sites. The leader of the band is none other than Jason Moore, son of Ethan Moore. His closest companions’ Tam, Gor, and Selvhara Narhesti aid him in his hunt for the “big score.” You see, Jason has finally uncovered the mother-load of tombs: an ancient queen from before the Godswar, which will hold enough treasure and relics to make all four of them rich beyond their dreams.
Unfortunately, once Jason’s band enters the tomb and “acquire” the treasure, they begin to be hunted, but they have no idea why the Crell Imperium cares about their tomb robbery. So with nowhere else to go, they head toward the Galvian resistance, where Jason and Selvhara know many of their old companions from the war and believe they can obtain protection and information. However, as they travel, their pursuit becomes more and more determined to stop them.
An empire away, General Darius Iouna of the Sixth Legion of the Solarian Alliance is tired of politics. He knows the Imperium intends to attack his country, and he has a plan to destroy them first. The only thing preventing him from taking action is the politicians, whom he despises. But he keeps trying, and his lover, Krystia Tharule, now a healing priestess of Areekan, encourages him to continue on his quest.
Krystia is herself an enigma; a young priestess who has already established herself as a powerful healer and is - for all practical purposes - the adopted daughter of Highlord Tevek Dracian yet has a dark side that no one sees. For Krystia is an Unbound you see, and her most guarded secret is her desire to free all her unbound brothers and sisters that are forcible held in the Unbound Asylum. It is a cause which she has hide from everyone including Darius, but for which she has become ever more actively pursuing - even making common cause with shadow persons in the Galvian resistance. It is a cause Krystia is even willing to commit treason to accomplish, for what loyalty can she have to an Ascendant who would lock away someone just because they were born unbound.
And in the Crell Imperium things are a stir. Vice Admiral Onar Tenel is called to meet with the Zarul: the Crell Imperium’s Aether-user secret police. Onel is concerned about his summons, because no one who runs afoul of the Zarul ever is seen from again. However, Alexandra Damir, Sovereign of the Zarul, assures Tenel that has committed no treason but is needed for his military ability. For war with the Solarian Alliance is coming, and there are assets upon the strategic board that must be analyzed and decisions made for their movements. These “pawns” in the game of war stretch from an Ascendant assassin in the Solarian Alliance to a demon-wielding resistant fighter in Galvia and even unto something that a grave robber in Galvia uncovered.
The story that ensues after this initial ground work is laid is very interesting to say the least. Jennifer Vale switches from one plot line to the other with little difficulty, weaving them each into a splendid tapestry of action, intrigue, world building and character development. None of the main characters are one dimensional in the extreme, though of course there are a few who lean that direction. Even the “bad” guys are not 100% evil but have good reasons for their behavior; no matter how disturbing that behavior might be. Especially “cool” to read about where the paladins over which Highlord Tevek Dracian presides; they were the epitomes of sword and sorcery (Aether here) wielding warriors, and I found myself looking forward to seeing them in action whenever the story allowed.
I won’t go so far as to say this is the best book I have read this year, but I will say that it had lots of great ideas that were combined nicely to make it an interesting read. I would recommend any fantasy reader to try this one out even with its editing issues.
This is one of those books that I picked up because it just looked interesting, and I was not disappointed. Now, Ascendancy has its fair share of problems like most e-books: wordiness and a lack of refinement, i.e., need some editing. However, the story itself with its strong characters and interconnecting plot lines was a pleasant surprise. The world of Obsidian with its mighty Paladins, Aether-wielding Ascendants and Bound, and the fractious empires were a great pleasure to read about and left me wanting more.
SETTING
Two millenniums ago, a race of Immortals came unto the world of Obsidian. At first, they were helpers and bearers of knowledge to the peoples of the world, but soon they “changed” and ruled the world as living gods. At some point in that distant past, a spark ignited the Godswar, where all the Immortals were destroyed and nearly all life obliterated on Obsidian. However, as they faded from the world stage, the Immortals left behind a final wondrous gift: Aether.
Aether is a fine mist of energy surrounding and permeating the very air of Obsidian but is visible only to the Ascendants, their followers the Bound and the Unbound (wild magic users.) When channeled by those with the aptitude, Aether enhances one’s senses and perceptions and allows the shaping of energy and matter. It is the “magic” of the world. With this wondrous gift, the races of Obsidian heal their lands, carve out continent wide kingdoms, and build civilization to heights never dreamed possible.
But with all these new Aether-users, how would the races protect against a new Godswar descending upon Obsidian?
Learning from the self-destruction of the Immortals, the peoples of the world establish a system of control over Aether-users by the use of Ascendants. These gifted people have absorbed the memories of an actual Immortal. When this process is completed (and many die trying ), the Ascendant then “binds” other mortals to his/her power, making them a Bound; a symbiotic relationship where the Ascendant allows the Bound to use Aether and the Bound is monitored for unlawful or destructive use of his/her power. If a Bound acts inappropriately, the Ascendant immediately cuts the Bound off from Aether. In this way, a single Ascendant can bind to himself hundreds, if not thousands, of others and supervise their behavior.
Like all things, however, this fail safe is imperfect, for there is always a handful of people who can control Aether without need of an Ascendant. These Aether-users are called “Unbound” and are hunted and placed into what I think of as “asylums” to guard them against destructive use of their power. But even with this small flaw, the Ascendant system has allowed Obsidian to exert a modicum of control over all Aether-user and maintain a fragile stability.
This is the world where the novel Ascendancy takes place.
STORY
The prologue to our story is set in the Kingdom of Galvia, which is being invaded and conquered by the Crell Imperium. Up to this point, Galvia has been a buffer state between the Solarian Alliance and their more warlike neighbor the Crell Imperium. (I thought of these powers being in the mold of the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. with pre-glasnost West and East Germany as Galvia. It just made things easier for me to follow.) During a final battle in Galvia, we are introduced to many of our main characters: Tevek Dracian, Highlord of the Knights of the Last Dawn, Ethan Moore, greatest general of Galvia, Selvhara Narhesti, elysian (think of LOTR elves here) Aether-user, Jason Moore, son of the aforementioned Ethan, and Krystia Tharule, orphaned child who is also an Unbound Aether-user.
These people are thrown together in this last desperate battle to get us acquainted with them more than anything else, because the battle is a desperate last stand against the Imperium. When the battle is lost, Galvia is gone, and the two, great, continental powers are now unhappy neighbors: each knowing that war is inevitable, and both plotting how to throw the first punch to gain the upper hand. To complicate matters, there is a group of freedom fighters in Galvia who are diligently trying to take back their own land from the Imperium, and they desperately want aid from the Alliance. It is a fragile “Cold War” which now grips the land as the “real” story begins.
Several years pass after Galvia’s fall and into this mess comes a band of relic hunters, i.e., they are grave robbers of ancient burial sites. The leader of the band is none other than Jason Moore, son of Ethan Moore. His closest companions’ Tam, Gor, and Selvhara Narhesti aid him in his hunt for the “big score.” You see, Jason has finally uncovered the mother-load of tombs: an ancient queen from before the Godswar, which will hold enough treasure and relics to make all four of them rich beyond their dreams.
Unfortunately, once Jason’s band enters the tomb and “acquire” the treasure, they begin to be hunted, but they have no idea why the Crell Imperium cares about their tomb robbery. So with nowhere else to go, they head toward the Galvian resistance, where Jason and Selvhara know many of their old companions from the war and believe they can obtain protection and information. However, as they travel, their pursuit becomes more and more determined to stop them.
An empire away, General Darius Iouna of the Sixth Legion of the Solarian Alliance is tired of politics. He knows the Imperium intends to attack his country, and he has a plan to destroy them first. The only thing preventing him from taking action is the politicians, whom he despises. But he keeps trying, and his lover, Krystia Tharule, now a healing priestess of Areekan, encourages him to continue on his quest.
Krystia is herself an enigma; a young priestess who has already established herself as a powerful healer and is - for all practical purposes - the adopted daughter of Highlord Tevek Dracian yet has a dark side that no one sees. For Krystia is an Unbound you see, and her most guarded secret is her desire to free all her unbound brothers and sisters that are forcible held in the Unbound Asylum. It is a cause which she has hide from everyone including Darius, but for which she has become ever more actively pursuing - even making common cause with shadow persons in the Galvian resistance. It is a cause Krystia is even willing to commit treason to accomplish, for what loyalty can she have to an Ascendant who would lock away someone just because they were born unbound.
And in the Crell Imperium things are a stir. Vice Admiral Onar Tenel is called to meet with the Zarul: the Crell Imperium’s Aether-user secret police. Onel is concerned about his summons, because no one who runs afoul of the Zarul ever is seen from again. However, Alexandra Damir, Sovereign of the Zarul, assures Tenel that has committed no treason but is needed for his military ability. For war with the Solarian Alliance is coming, and there are assets upon the strategic board that must be analyzed and decisions made for their movements. These “pawns” in the game of war stretch from an Ascendant assassin in the Solarian Alliance to a demon-wielding resistant fighter in Galvia and even unto something that a grave robber in Galvia uncovered.
The story that ensues after this initial ground work is laid is very interesting to say the least. Jennifer Vale switches from one plot line to the other with little difficulty, weaving them each into a splendid tapestry of action, intrigue, world building and character development. None of the main characters are one dimensional in the extreme, though of course there are a few who lean that direction. Even the “bad” guys are not 100% evil but have good reasons for their behavior; no matter how disturbing that behavior might be. Especially “cool” to read about where the paladins over which Highlord Tevek Dracian presides; they were the epitomes of sword and sorcery (Aether here) wielding warriors, and I found myself looking forward to seeing them in action whenever the story allowed.
I won’t go so far as to say this is the best book I have read this year, but I will say that it had lots of great ideas that were combined nicely to make it an interesting read. I would recommend any fantasy reader to try this one out even with its editing issues.
February 6, 2014
Excellent story. Epic fantasy with a mixed-bag road trip crew who painlessly introduce us to the culture, peoples, and the story. Folks on the same side who are obviously working at cross-purposes. Major players who are all convinced of the necessity, if not the rightness, of their actions (when, that is, they aren't fighting among themselves).
Set so many hooks into the next story that the ending felt like a knitting machine. In fact, the story didn't finish so much as end with "To Be Continued". (Honest)
Quibbles: modern idioms in the dialogue impaired the classic tone of the tale: "sprawled out on", "study up on", cigarettes, "Remind me why I care?"
And repeating crossbows, which have just joined dual moons and six-legged mammals as signal of lazy world building. Think about it: a repeating crossbow is not achieved by feeding bolts in a cartridge. That's easy. The hard part is tensioning the bow for each shot. Short of magic (which is possible in this context, but it didn't sound like it) a means of storing energy is needed. After all, that's what the tensioned bow is. It comes across as a shortcut to increased firepower--not that this tale was bereft of body count.
Then there's the whole divine spark in a cube thing. It's been done. See: Transformers.
A map would have been nice.
But it was a good story. And a good read.
Set so many hooks into the next story that the ending felt like a knitting machine. In fact, the story didn't finish so much as end with "To Be Continued". (Honest)
Quibbles: modern idioms in the dialogue impaired the classic tone of the tale: "sprawled out on", "study up on", cigarettes, "Remind me why I care?"
And repeating crossbows, which have just joined dual moons and six-legged mammals as signal of lazy world building. Think about it: a repeating crossbow is not achieved by feeding bolts in a cartridge. That's easy. The hard part is tensioning the bow for each shot. Short of magic (which is possible in this context, but it didn't sound like it) a means of storing energy is needed. After all, that's what the tensioned bow is. It comes across as a shortcut to increased firepower--not that this tale was bereft of body count.
Then there's the whole divine spark in a cube thing. It's been done. See: Transformers.
A map would have been nice.
But it was a good story. And a good read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 15, 2018
while the book was really good, the whole whispering thing became extremely annoying.... he whispered she whispered and apparently all can hear when they whisper... it was just distracting and unneccesery, and really ruined the book for me sadly
December 2, 2018
A good mixture of characters
This book has a good mixture of intrigue & action with enough depth to keep you reading. Not completely a cliffhanger but I want to see how the story continues so just purchased book 2
This book has a good mixture of intrigue & action with enough depth to keep you reading. Not completely a cliffhanger but I want to see how the story continues so just purchased book 2
April 13, 2018
Nice
A few typos. Somewhat interesting. Probably have to read second installment to get deeper into the tale.
Maybe I'll read the second book.
A few typos. Somewhat interesting. Probably have to read second installment to get deeper into the tale.
Maybe I'll read the second book.
February 26, 2017
I usually give a book around 100 pages to see if it goes anywhere. This time I got 225 in and still nothing. Not even war, which I very much don't like to read, but at least it would have been something. I think Ms. Vale was trying to be too much like R.R. Martin here.
June 18, 2013
Holy crap! It's been a while since I've read a fantasy book with so much depth. I was intrigued from the very beginning and my attention stayed with the story unitl the end. I read this book not only because I was interested in the plot, but also because it would be a nice reprieve from all the paranormal (vamps/werewolves/shifters/etc) stories out there. Though there were many characters to follow and different places to keep track of, it eventually got easier. I also thought the author did a good job capturing the essence and attitudes of a nation thrown in chaos and about to fall into a violently, bloody war. Although I tried not to choose a side (Ms. Vale did a good job with playing on readers' empathies) I kind of did. The Crell authorities are totally power hungry, the Zarul are just sadistic, the Resistance is in cahoots with something otherworldly, and the Alliance only seem to care more about their status. There is so much more I could elaborate on, but I would end up writing a novel myself.
I know that wasn't really much of a review, but there is so much in the book to read that I would recommend you to just pick up the book. For fantasy lovers and those who enjoy reading epic stories about war and deception, then this would be a good book to read.
I know that wasn't really much of a review, but there is so much in the book to read that I would recommend you to just pick up the book. For fantasy lovers and those who enjoy reading epic stories about war and deception, then this would be a good book to read.
January 29, 2013
This book gave me everything I could possibly ask for. It's a solid entry in the fantasy genre, with great back-story and mythology to back it up. My only minor quibble is that I don't really care about the characters very much - but perhaps that's because I'm too sleep-deprived from reading the book to get involved. I'm buying the sequel immediately!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews