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Hapax
The Apocalypse has come, and in seven days the world will be no more. Only the Hapax, the Word which began the universe, can recreate the world and avert the Apocalypse, but that Word has been lost. Brother Gaelin finds his faith crumbling as he is forced to shelter two fugitives from the Magistatiem, the college of magi which has been divorced from the Ecclesiat monks for centuries. As time slips away, the monks and magi must do more than just heal the ancient rift that divides them—they must trust in the very Being who drove them apart.
- GenresFantasy
290 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2012
1 person is currently reading
24 people want to read
About the author
K.T. Bryski
20 books29 followersKT Bryski is a Canadian author, playwright, and Pokémon Master. She made her podcasting and publishing debut with Hapax, an apocalyptic fantasy with Dragon Moon Press (2012) and she has stories in Black Treacle Horror Magazine, When the Hero Comes Home Vol. II (Dragon Moon Press) and Tales from the Archives (Imagine That! Studios).
Select playwriting credits include scripts for Black Creek Pioneer Village, East o’ the Sun and West o’ the Moon (Canadian Children’s Opera Company), and Key of D Minor (Sears Ontario Drama Festival). Her audio dramas "Coxwood History Fun Park" and "Six Stories, Told at Night" are available wherever fine podcasts are found. In 2014, her short story “Under Oak Island” was a Parsec finalist.
When she’s not writing (click here for a full list of credits), KT can often be found frolicking in petticoats, educating the general public about Victorian social history. As you may have guessed, she has a mild caffeine addiction.
KT is a graduate of the Stonecoast MFA in Creative Writing. She is currently at work on her next novel.
Select playwriting credits include scripts for Black Creek Pioneer Village, East o’ the Sun and West o’ the Moon (Canadian Children’s Opera Company), and Key of D Minor (Sears Ontario Drama Festival). Her audio dramas "Coxwood History Fun Park" and "Six Stories, Told at Night" are available wherever fine podcasts are found. In 2014, her short story “Under Oak Island” was a Parsec finalist.
When she’s not writing (click here for a full list of credits), KT can often be found frolicking in petticoats, educating the general public about Victorian social history. As you may have guessed, she has a mild caffeine addiction.
KT is a graduate of the Stonecoast MFA in Creative Writing. She is currently at work on her next novel.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 16, 2013
Stunning. Loved the blend of magic and religion to create this amazingly crafted world. Worth reading, or listening too. Wow. Well thought out and crafted to explain all.
****FULL REVIEW****
The sun has vanished from the sky. The Angel does not accept their sacrifice and the fires do not light. The end of days are feared to be near. They have seven days to find the word Ael spoke to create all. The Hapax is hidden somewhere in his creations and is needed to create a new world for the people to live in. The magic school, Magistatiem, and the religions order, at the Ecclesiat, each hold pieces of history. Not knowing they both hold pieces of history and their strong believes against each other could destroy the world and everyone in it.
Aaah, this little fantasy caught me by surprise. And I'm thrilled I listened to it.
First, I like to mention I listened to this story in podcast form. The sound effects and the voices used were amazing. The combination of the two always draw me in emotionally to the story. There are different voice actors used and I enjoyed hearing a different voice to each character. Particularly the twangy sound to the MCB (Magically Created Beings). But, at times, the back sound of rain or crowd of people was a little to loud and made it hard to hear the reading. I found I had to focus very closely to hear all that was being said.
By the end of the first chapter, I was hooked with curiosity. We got a view of the religious side and the magi side. And there are MCB's, (Magically Created Beings). Oh yes. I was curious! By the second chapter, I realized K.T. has created a full fantasy world here. Very thick world of religion and magic build.
The best part about the Ecclesiat religious order and the Magistatiem school of magic, neither are perfect. Both have flaws that are not seen by their followers. Those flaws are very important and the characters that see past that and try to come to a conclusion to save the people of the world are amazing.
The characters are all of different personality. Their strong believes and realizations on those believes make them far more than anything. They all react and differently. There is growth in each with what they see and learn of the world. When their eyes are opened to the real way of things, they have to make choices. I love River, also known as River of Knowledge. Her growth is exponential in the story, and a pivotal one needed with the story line. She doesn't feel forced to me either. She comes around in her own time. Then we have Alesta. The only reason I love her, is because I hate her so. Well done in creating a three dimensional character I can hate.
I love the well crafted world, religions, and story. So related, yet no one knows it. As the story unfolds we see they are both needed, but they are separated by belief. One of the god Ael and his two parts. The other of magic in the world. I felt the creation here was believable in it's setting.
The twist on the gods mesmerized me. It sounded like a circle, but made perfect sense at the same time. I loved the riddle in it. Then, the thought of Beast and Angle and the twist to the extreme and care that is found in them. They are so different from what one would have expected. LOVED this twist. So well played out. Maybe the "evil" isn't as evil as all think. And maybe the "Angel" is extreme.
The story held suspense for me with the crumbling of the world. The things that come upon the world were not kind. I kept wondering: What will come next? What is the Hapax and how will they find it? Will they live or will the End of Days come to pass?
Stunning. Loved the blend of magic and religion to create this amazingly crafted world. Worth reading, or listening, too. Wow. Well thought out and crafted to explain all.
****FULL REVIEW****
The sun has vanished from the sky. The Angel does not accept their sacrifice and the fires do not light. The end of days are feared to be near. They have seven days to find the word Ael spoke to create all. The Hapax is hidden somewhere in his creations and is needed to create a new world for the people to live in. The magic school, Magistatiem, and the religions order, at the Ecclesiat, each hold pieces of history. Not knowing they both hold pieces of history and their strong believes against each other could destroy the world and everyone in it.
Aaah, this little fantasy caught me by surprise. And I'm thrilled I listened to it.
First, I like to mention I listened to this story in podcast form. The sound effects and the voices used were amazing. The combination of the two always draw me in emotionally to the story. There are different voice actors used and I enjoyed hearing a different voice to each character. Particularly the twangy sound to the MCB (Magically Created Beings). But, at times, the back sound of rain or crowd of people was a little to loud and made it hard to hear the reading. I found I had to focus very closely to hear all that was being said.
By the end of the first chapter, I was hooked with curiosity. We got a view of the religious side and the magi side. And there are MCB's, (Magically Created Beings). Oh yes. I was curious! By the second chapter, I realized K.T. has created a full fantasy world here. Very thick world of religion and magic build.
The best part about the Ecclesiat religious order and the Magistatiem school of magic, neither are perfect. Both have flaws that are not seen by their followers. Those flaws are very important and the characters that see past that and try to come to a conclusion to save the people of the world are amazing.
The characters are all of different personality. Their strong believes and realizations on those believes make them far more than anything. They all react and differently. There is growth in each with what they see and learn of the world. When their eyes are opened to the real way of things, they have to make choices. I love River, also known as River of Knowledge. Her growth is exponential in the story, and a pivotal one needed with the story line. She doesn't feel forced to me either. She comes around in her own time. Then we have Alesta. The only reason I love her, is because I hate her so. Well done in creating a three dimensional character I can hate.
I love the well crafted world, religions, and story. So related, yet no one knows it. As the story unfolds we see they are both needed, but they are separated by belief. One of the god Ael and his two parts. The other of magic in the world. I felt the creation here was believable in it's setting.
The twist on the gods mesmerized me. It sounded like a circle, but made perfect sense at the same time. I loved the riddle in it. Then, the thought of Beast and Angle and the twist to the extreme and care that is found in them. They are so different from what one would have expected. LOVED this twist. So well played out. Maybe the "evil" isn't as evil as all think. And maybe the "Angel" is extreme.
The story held suspense for me with the crumbling of the world. The things that come upon the world were not kind. I kept wondering: What will come next? What is the Hapax and how will they find it? Will they live or will the End of Days come to pass?
Stunning. Loved the blend of magic and religion to create this amazingly crafted world. Worth reading, or listening, too. Wow. Well thought out and crafted to explain all.
November 10, 2012
There was so much to love about this fantasy by debut author K.T. Bryski. The unique setting, the beautiful writing, and the thrill of knowing this is a young writer with so much potential.
I don't do the "this is what the back of the book cover" says stuff in my reviews. If you want to know what it's about, you know where to find it. I like to tell you the things I loved and the things I didn't and maybe even the things I absolutely hated about a book.
And it was easy to find things to love. So often, a fantasy in which the world's religion plays a large part goes wrong for the reader. Either it's so far from the typical experience it takes a long time to explain and even longer for the reader to figure out, or it feels like one of Earth's major religions with the serial numbers filed off.
The fascinating thing Bryski managed was to essentially do the later, while making it feel fresh and new. You could see it all so clearly because it was very much like what even non-religious people have experienced or at least seen on TV. But the core doctrine was so different, so fascinatingly NOT like anything you've ever heard in church before, that it ended up being the perfect balance of 'I get this' and 'wow!'
The writing itself was beautifully executed. I had the privilege of meeting Ms. Bryski the weekend of the book launch, so I know that this is a relatively young writer in age not just experience, that she was even younger when she wrote it. And that's really exciting when you see such well written prose, when she creates full, rich characters, evokes deep and authentic emotions, knowing that this is her freshman effort and that she's likely to blow you away down the road.
I imagine if I dug down hard enough, I could find things to criticize, but frankly, I don't want to. Why ruin the experience when, whatever weaknesses might have been there were completely overshadowed by the good stuff? I don't usually trust gushing reviews that don't at least note where the author could improve, or where another reader might be disappointed, but I can't be bothered with this one to look for the bad among the good.
I'm thrilled I found this author now, with her debut, and can't wait to see what she does next.
I don't do the "this is what the back of the book cover" says stuff in my reviews. If you want to know what it's about, you know where to find it. I like to tell you the things I loved and the things I didn't and maybe even the things I absolutely hated about a book.
And it was easy to find things to love. So often, a fantasy in which the world's religion plays a large part goes wrong for the reader. Either it's so far from the typical experience it takes a long time to explain and even longer for the reader to figure out, or it feels like one of Earth's major religions with the serial numbers filed off.
The fascinating thing Bryski managed was to essentially do the later, while making it feel fresh and new. You could see it all so clearly because it was very much like what even non-religious people have experienced or at least seen on TV. But the core doctrine was so different, so fascinatingly NOT like anything you've ever heard in church before, that it ended up being the perfect balance of 'I get this' and 'wow!'
The writing itself was beautifully executed. I had the privilege of meeting Ms. Bryski the weekend of the book launch, so I know that this is a relatively young writer in age not just experience, that she was even younger when she wrote it. And that's really exciting when you see such well written prose, when she creates full, rich characters, evokes deep and authentic emotions, knowing that this is her freshman effort and that she's likely to blow you away down the road.
I imagine if I dug down hard enough, I could find things to criticize, but frankly, I don't want to. Why ruin the experience when, whatever weaknesses might have been there were completely overshadowed by the good stuff? I don't usually trust gushing reviews that don't at least note where the author could improve, or where another reader might be disappointed, but I can't be bothered with this one to look for the bad among the good.
I'm thrilled I found this author now, with her debut, and can't wait to see what she does next.
March 20, 2013
I thought this was an incredibly strong debut for an author, and I actually struggled with giving it 3 stars or 4 stars. The more I think about it, the more I think I enjoyed the book, especially because Bryski was able to keep me engaged in a story that's not necessarily in my wheelhouse - one built around themes, characters and settings dealing with religion.
Bryski seemed to borrow from a few different Christian religions to construct the belief system that pervades the Ecclesiat - it felt familiar enough to not get lost in the dogma, but unique enough to be her own. I also thought she did an excellent job not getting bogged down in the particulars - if it was necessary to know an aspect of the religion to forward the story or round out a character, it was included. If it wasn't, it was omitted.
I also really enjoyed the tension between the differing factions within the church. Normally in a story like this, its the old guard who clings hard to dogma, and the youngsters are the ones who challenge the status quo. It was the opposite in Hapax, with Alesta, one of the youngest leaders of the church ever, taking the hard line stance in end times, while Gaelin, the wizened old monk acknowledging that even the Beast (cast as the well-meaning Satan in the world of Hapax) has a role to play in the world.
The book was well plotted, and her characterization was excellent. Only one felt superfluous to me, Praeton, who is also involved in a twist at the end that I felt was also superfluous. The ending is what knocked this down from a strong 4 to a weak 4 for me, without giving too much away, I thought it was far too saccharine for my tastes. Part of that may be preference, I like my endings messy, and Hapax ends about as clean as you can get. All in all, I really liked reading it, and if Bryski comes out with another book set in this universe or otherwise, I'll likely check it out.
Bryski seemed to borrow from a few different Christian religions to construct the belief system that pervades the Ecclesiat - it felt familiar enough to not get lost in the dogma, but unique enough to be her own. I also thought she did an excellent job not getting bogged down in the particulars - if it was necessary to know an aspect of the religion to forward the story or round out a character, it was included. If it wasn't, it was omitted.
I also really enjoyed the tension between the differing factions within the church. Normally in a story like this, its the old guard who clings hard to dogma, and the youngsters are the ones who challenge the status quo. It was the opposite in Hapax, with Alesta, one of the youngest leaders of the church ever, taking the hard line stance in end times, while Gaelin, the wizened old monk acknowledging that even the Beast (cast as the well-meaning Satan in the world of Hapax) has a role to play in the world.
The book was well plotted, and her characterization was excellent. Only one felt superfluous to me, Praeton, who is also involved in a twist at the end that I felt was also superfluous. The ending is what knocked this down from a strong 4 to a weak 4 for me, without giving too much away, I thought it was far too saccharine for my tastes. Part of that may be preference, I like my endings messy, and Hapax ends about as clean as you can get. All in all, I really liked reading it, and if Bryski comes out with another book set in this universe or otherwise, I'll likely check it out.
August 19, 2014
K.T. Bryski's Hapax was one of those impulse buys at a literary conference -- when the author is standing in front of you, and for some vague reason that has more to do with you than her, you feel compelled to buy it rather than scuttle away with some vague excuse.
I'm glad I did. I was blown away by this first novel from a young lady who is hiding a lot of talent behind that shy demeanor. Hapax is the story of a handful of individuals at ground zero of a biblical apocalypse that's only seven days away. As the clock ticks down and the true powers of good and evil reveal themselves, our cast of characters battle their own biases, prejudices and frail emotions as they race to unravel the secret of the Hapax and save their world. It's a cautionary tale of religious fanaticism and human weakness that's hard to put down. Just when you think you know exactly where the plot is going, Bryski throws you a twist you didn't see coming -- right up until the final showdown.
While I would say the story is more geared to a young adult audience, I certainly enjoyed it and recommend it to anyone who is looking for a short tale versus those huge mega-series.
I'm glad I did. I was blown away by this first novel from a young lady who is hiding a lot of talent behind that shy demeanor. Hapax is the story of a handful of individuals at ground zero of a biblical apocalypse that's only seven days away. As the clock ticks down and the true powers of good and evil reveal themselves, our cast of characters battle their own biases, prejudices and frail emotions as they race to unravel the secret of the Hapax and save their world. It's a cautionary tale of religious fanaticism and human weakness that's hard to put down. Just when you think you know exactly where the plot is going, Bryski throws you a twist you didn't see coming -- right up until the final showdown.
While I would say the story is more geared to a young adult audience, I certainly enjoyed it and recommend it to anyone who is looking for a short tale versus those huge mega-series.
September 15, 2013
This is a real page-turner with a dramatic finish. It's also about love, sacrifice, belief, faith, power, and how people deal when their long-held beliefs are challenged.
It's about a clergyman who struggles to accept his world physically and figuratively crumbling around him. It's about a lonely young boy with a special gift. It's about a strong-willed woman who is more than she first appears. A young magi who risks all for those he cares about. A ruthless priestess whose cruel leadership belies her own self-loathing.
Finally, the emotional heart of the story is, ironically, a magically created woman who becomes endangered because she starts to feel emotions.
Whether you normally read fantasy or not, I highly recommend this touching novel.
It's about a clergyman who struggles to accept his world physically and figuratively crumbling around him. It's about a lonely young boy with a special gift. It's about a strong-willed woman who is more than she first appears. A young magi who risks all for those he cares about. A ruthless priestess whose cruel leadership belies her own self-loathing.
Finally, the emotional heart of the story is, ironically, a magically created woman who becomes endangered because she starts to feel emotions.
Whether you normally read fantasy or not, I highly recommend this touching novel.
February 4, 2015
Wonderful first book from a new voice - cool take on the end of the world, with an interesting take on where magic comes from!
October 19, 2012
An exciting, thought-provoking read! I think both long-time fantasy fans and those new to the genre would enjoy this book.
August 14, 2013
Absolutely fan-freaking-tastic. If you have any interest in fantasy, religion, or just what the heck it means to be human, you MUST read this.
September 21, 2017
I read the audio version of this book.
I truly enjoyed this read, but I did have some problems with the Audio. Full review to follow.
I truly enjoyed this read, but I did have some problems with the Audio. Full review to follow.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews