Aznaro

The Persevering #1

by Joshua Kalin

He’s trying to do the right thing, but Aznaro Fernandez seems to attract trouble. After a chance encounter, he winds up involved in the life of a man who has lived much longer than typical. Now this murderous man draws Aznaro into a life on the outside of where he wants to be. Accompanied by a longtime friend, they set out to begin again, only to be drawn time after time back to the source of their troubles, the merciless hunter who would rather kill than let them go. This is an adventure spanning medieval Spain, from Leon to Zamora and around the country.

200 pages, Paperback

First published February 5, 2013

About the author

I started writing during 2012's National Novel Writing Month, an exceptional event that I loved doing.

I write stories that are pretty much bedtime stories for me. I think them up when I'm going to sleep, making them seem surreal. Putting them into words on a screen is so difficult, and I hardly ever get them exactly how I want, but that's okay.

@JoshuaKalin, or usually NSFW @Cordinbleu

Reviews

[Gerard · Rating 4 out of 5]

First things first, the author writes that he was inspired by someone to "write this stupid book", which leaves me wondering if he really is into writing or if it's just an ill placed joke.

Besides that, I did like this book.
The world and it's characters is described in fairly high detail which allows you to really immerse yourself into the story without taking away from the story by having too much detail.
I usually don't describe anything about the story itself because I'm worried I'll spoil some things, but starting from page 1, you really get into the thick of it. Where most books start of rather slow and allow you to get to learn some of the characters, this book grabs the reins and pulls you in. I like that.

One thing I didn't like were the extreme use of paragraphing. It seems like on average there's about 4 paragraphs per page. Personally this distracts me a little bit because in the writing style that I am used to a new paragraph usually denotes either a skip in time or a relocation in the world. In this book it's often used as a response to a question for example. Not a problem for most people probably, but it bugged me a little bit.

All in all, I am definitely considering getting the 2nd book in the series once it comes out. I might have a re-read of the book in the near future so I can flesh out a more detailed review concerning more of the story itself.

I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

[Joshua · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of course I really like my own story, but this is the first book I've written, so of course my writing style is still being developed. I tried to be thorough with characterization, setting, and environment without bogging down too much in detail. At the end of the day, I really like my book, and I hope you will too.

[Brian Conklin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting, Unique Fantasy Experience

Kalin creates a unique brand of storytelling with a clear, defined voice. Characters, settings, and lore all feel new and without ties to any current fictional tropes. While the book could use another solid pass by an editor, as a firsr-time novel, it succeeds far beyond the scope of most initial forays into writing. Recommended.