What do you think?
Rate this book
The Gryphon Clerks #1
Realmgolds
A reluctant, inexperienced and ineffectual ruler must become the leader his people need when an old rival's hate-filled rhetoric foments rebellion.
The young ruler has an ally and mentor, a competent woman who rules the realm to the south. Unfortunately, an ancient magical treaty between their realms means she can’t send in her troops, her skyboats or her pressure guns. What she can do, though, is share a new magical communications technology – and her elite corps of Gryphon Clerks…
The young ruler has an ally and mentor, a competent woman who rules the realm to the south. Unfortunately, an ancient magical treaty between their realms means she can’t send in her troops, her skyboats or her pressure guns. What she can do, though, is share a new magical communications technology – and her elite corps of Gryphon Clerks…
ebook
First published March 1, 2013
31 people are currently reading
379 people want to read
About the author
Mike Reeves-McMillan
46 books194 followersFor someone with an English degree, Mike Reeves-McMillan has spent a surprising amount of time wearing a hard hat.
He lives in Auckland, New Zealand, the setting of his Auckland Allies contemporary urban fantasy series; and also in his head, where the weather is more reliable, and there are a lot more wizards.
He lives in Auckland, New Zealand, the setting of his Auckland Allies contemporary urban fantasy series; and also in his head, where the weather is more reliable, and there are a lot more wizards.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
January 2, 2017
This is the second book I've read set in this world and it's really grown on me. The world is obviously well defined in the authors head, but we get only glimpses (no info dumps here), and I'm hoping more is revealed in the other books. If you love character based fantasy with a bit of politics you'll love this as much as I did.
March 29, 2013
This story takes place in an alternate world with have humans, dwarves, gnomes, and centaurs. There are also creatures called beastheads, which sound a lot like gnolls. So far it sounds familiar, right? Not so fast. This isn't the Forgotten Realms by any means. Nor is it any other world you are likely to have visited before.
Human society is rigidly stratified with the ruling class called golds, then silvers (merchants), and finally coppers (peasants). The various non-human races have their own territories and interact with human society commercially, and sometimes violently. The setting is presented well, and it's internally consistent even if it's not very original. Small touches make it breathe. Three stars for world-building.
The story is ostensibly steampunk, but in effect it moves along as almost pure fantasy. The only thing that smacks of technology are the pressure guns and steam engines. Everything else is done through the use of routine, everyday magic. Which is where the author's creativity shows through.
Unlike many stories, which toss out magic as a kind of portable deus ex machina, this author takes the time to present the consequences to everyday life from having such power. He also presents the drawbacks that come from depending on magic rather than technology. But he does it with a subtle touch, almost in an offhand manner. My only complaint is that I would have liked more detail about specifics on where the power comes from, and exactly how it is harnessed. But that's a matter of personal preference. Three and a half stars for the magic system.
Our hero, Determined (which is the first word of a compound name as long as your leg) holds the title of Realmgold. In other words, king of his realm. Unfortunately, Determined is the heir to a dynasty that has fallen on hard times. When an old enemy rises to challenge his position, Determined is forced to turn to the Realmgold (queen) of a neighboring realm for help. Alas, the help she can offer is limited by the existence of a magic treaty that prevents soldiers or weapons from crossing the border. (More ramifications from the magic system.) Instead, they put their heads together and start improvising.
The characters are well drawn, clear and distinctive. Each of them is a unique individual, even the supporting characters. I would have liked more background and depth, though. Again, this is a matter of personal preference. The plot of this book proceeds at a breakneck pace from the first chapter, and never lets up. We barely have time to begin getting to know them, and start caring about them, just as the book ends. Hopefully, they will be back in future books with more time to talk. Judging as objectively as possible, I give a high four stars for the quality of the characters.
The plot is straightforward. Nothing complicated about a bad man plotting to overthrow the king. This is a fast paced, in fact an extremely fast paced, story with a lot of action in it. There's conspiracy. There's murder. There's... I will stop with the spoilers. If you like action, this one will not disappoint. It never slows down. The plot holds together well, too. I couldn't find any inconsistencies or discrepancies. Everything is carefully reasoned and tightly welded together. I can't get away from it, five stars for plot.
Overall four stars and it was well worth the money to me. I plan to grab the next one when it comes out. Recommended.
Human society is rigidly stratified with the ruling class called golds, then silvers (merchants), and finally coppers (peasants). The various non-human races have their own territories and interact with human society commercially, and sometimes violently. The setting is presented well, and it's internally consistent even if it's not very original. Small touches make it breathe. Three stars for world-building.
The story is ostensibly steampunk, but in effect it moves along as almost pure fantasy. The only thing that smacks of technology are the pressure guns and steam engines. Everything else is done through the use of routine, everyday magic. Which is where the author's creativity shows through.
Unlike many stories, which toss out magic as a kind of portable deus ex machina, this author takes the time to present the consequences to everyday life from having such power. He also presents the drawbacks that come from depending on magic rather than technology. But he does it with a subtle touch, almost in an offhand manner. My only complaint is that I would have liked more detail about specifics on where the power comes from, and exactly how it is harnessed. But that's a matter of personal preference. Three and a half stars for the magic system.
Our hero, Determined (which is the first word of a compound name as long as your leg) holds the title of Realmgold. In other words, king of his realm. Unfortunately, Determined is the heir to a dynasty that has fallen on hard times. When an old enemy rises to challenge his position, Determined is forced to turn to the Realmgold (queen) of a neighboring realm for help. Alas, the help she can offer is limited by the existence of a magic treaty that prevents soldiers or weapons from crossing the border. (More ramifications from the magic system.) Instead, they put their heads together and start improvising.
The characters are well drawn, clear and distinctive. Each of them is a unique individual, even the supporting characters. I would have liked more background and depth, though. Again, this is a matter of personal preference. The plot of this book proceeds at a breakneck pace from the first chapter, and never lets up. We barely have time to begin getting to know them, and start caring about them, just as the book ends. Hopefully, they will be back in future books with more time to talk. Judging as objectively as possible, I give a high four stars for the quality of the characters.
The plot is straightforward. Nothing complicated about a bad man plotting to overthrow the king. This is a fast paced, in fact an extremely fast paced, story with a lot of action in it. There's conspiracy. There's murder. There's... I will stop with the spoilers. If you like action, this one will not disappoint. It never slows down. The plot holds together well, too. I couldn't find any inconsistencies or discrepancies. Everything is carefully reasoned and tightly welded together. I can't get away from it, five stars for plot.
Overall four stars and it was well worth the money to me. I plan to grab the next one when it comes out. Recommended.
July 14, 2014
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Realmgolds is a steampunk fantasy novel about Determined, the Realmgold of Denning, who is forced to contend with the eruption of a civil war within his borders. He receives guidance and assistance from Victory, Realmgold of neighboring Koskant. However, a magical treaty prevents anyone from Koskant crossing Denning’s border under arms, so Determined and Victory need to get clever in how they tackle the uprising.
Despite that there is a war going on, this book is pleasantly low-action. Most of what takes place is “behind the scenes”, focusing more on the people making the decisions than those carrying them out. While I appreciate the idea of it, the execution, for me, fell flat. For a story focusing on people, there was surprisingly little character development. Far too infrequently were we allowed in Determined’s head to find out what made him tick. He tackled each problem as it came up with rarely an indication of what he was feeling. This made it very difficult for me to get more than a vague idea of what he was like, and that’s a shame because it made me not care – about him or the story.
The writing was competent, though there was far too much “telling” and not enough “showing” for my taste. The result was a flattened narrative that made me feel as though I was reading a very long newspaper article rather than an engaging novel. This, combined with the emotionally distant characters, made the reading laborious.
The world was interesting and well conceived. I liked how magic and high fantasy races were married into a technological world, which gave the setting a freshness that is sometimes lacking in fantasy novels. There is also a depth to the world that is hinted at in the story, leaving plenty for future novels to expand upon. This is a good thing. For, despite the story’s shortcomings, the potential is there. I hope Mike Reeves-McMillan takes that potential and runs with it. Even if his books aren’t for me, it will be interesting to see what he does next.
Realmgolds is a steampunk fantasy novel about Determined, the Realmgold of Denning, who is forced to contend with the eruption of a civil war within his borders. He receives guidance and assistance from Victory, Realmgold of neighboring Koskant. However, a magical treaty prevents anyone from Koskant crossing Denning’s border under arms, so Determined and Victory need to get clever in how they tackle the uprising.
Despite that there is a war going on, this book is pleasantly low-action. Most of what takes place is “behind the scenes”, focusing more on the people making the decisions than those carrying them out. While I appreciate the idea of it, the execution, for me, fell flat. For a story focusing on people, there was surprisingly little character development. Far too infrequently were we allowed in Determined’s head to find out what made him tick. He tackled each problem as it came up with rarely an indication of what he was feeling. This made it very difficult for me to get more than a vague idea of what he was like, and that’s a shame because it made me not care – about him or the story.
The writing was competent, though there was far too much “telling” and not enough “showing” for my taste. The result was a flattened narrative that made me feel as though I was reading a very long newspaper article rather than an engaging novel. This, combined with the emotionally distant characters, made the reading laborious.
The world was interesting and well conceived. I liked how magic and high fantasy races were married into a technological world, which gave the setting a freshness that is sometimes lacking in fantasy novels. There is also a depth to the world that is hinted at in the story, leaving plenty for future novels to expand upon. This is a good thing. For, despite the story’s shortcomings, the potential is there. I hope Mike Reeves-McMillan takes that potential and runs with it. Even if his books aren’t for me, it will be interesting to see what he does next.
May 6, 2013
Though I was under the impression that it was 'steampunk', Realmgolds is more of a political fantasy with skyboats thrown in. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. I enjoyed seeing how Dwarven technology/magic was used in day-to-day life, as if it were electricity, etc. I also enjoyed the sky couriers and their sky horses. Though they only had a small role to play, they fascinated me. I'd read a story focused on them in a heartbeat! In addition, Advisor Against is a sound idea for any ruler.
To me, the first chapter is a bit confusing initially. We're just kind of thrown us into the story with no explanation and a lot of double word usage via their names. As for the rest of the plot, it kind of just happens without really saying how or why it snowballed into war. I guess that's how wars start though, by one seemingly unrelated act or an act which they use as an excuse.
However, throughout the novel, I liked Victory's strong female role more and more, as well as Determined's and Reliable's growth as characters. I also thought the ending chapter was cute. Some details seemed overdone, like do we really need to know everyone's injuries in the courtroom? While others don't seem expanded on enough - what exactly is Human Purity? There never was a clear answer, at least not one that I found.
All in all, an interesting fantasy, though I wish it had more clarity. 3.5 stars.
Note: I received a free copy from the author for a fair and honest review.
To me, the first chapter is a bit confusing initially. We're just kind of thrown us into the story with no explanation and a lot of double word usage via their names. As for the rest of the plot, it kind of just happens without really saying how or why it snowballed into war. I guess that's how wars start though, by one seemingly unrelated act or an act which they use as an excuse.
However, throughout the novel, I liked Victory's strong female role more and more, as well as Determined's and Reliable's growth as characters. I also thought the ending chapter was cute. Some details seemed overdone, like do we really need to know everyone's injuries in the courtroom? While others don't seem expanded on enough - what exactly is Human Purity? There never was a clear answer, at least not one that I found.
All in all, an interesting fantasy, though I wish it had more clarity. 3.5 stars.
Note: I received a free copy from the author for a fair and honest review.
April 25, 2013
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I liked this book. Although it focuses on political action, it was not boring. It has a good pace and some excellent subtext in the dialogue.
By the world, it is clear that Reeves-McMillan has been thorough. It is set in the age of most steampunk, except that this has a higher focus on fantasy, combining a world with Dwarves, Centaurs, Gnomes, Humans, Beastkind and ancient, Elven magic with the early stages of an industrial revolution.
The story focuses on Determined, the Realmgold (head honcho) of Denning, as he hits his head against political roadblocks and minefields. Even though he is ostensibly the leader of the realm, most of his power had been dispersed to the lesser Golds (think Senate and heads-of-provinces/states) by one of his ancestors.
Meanwhile, some of those Golds have been plotting a coup through the rise of a hate group which puts Humans as supreme and the rest of the Realm's citizens as inhuman and lower class.
Enter Victory, the Realmgold of Koskant, who operates her Realm with a lot more success and a distinctly more liberal ideal.
Realmgolds touches on a lot of themes—racism, cults, justice, strategy—but the main theme is Determined's determination (Sorry.) to change his position.
I liked this book. Although it focuses on political action, it was not boring. It has a good pace and some excellent subtext in the dialogue.
By the world, it is clear that Reeves-McMillan has been thorough. It is set in the age of most steampunk, except that this has a higher focus on fantasy, combining a world with Dwarves, Centaurs, Gnomes, Humans, Beastkind and ancient, Elven magic with the early stages of an industrial revolution.
The story focuses on Determined, the Realmgold (head honcho) of Denning, as he hits his head against political roadblocks and minefields. Even though he is ostensibly the leader of the realm, most of his power had been dispersed to the lesser Golds (think Senate and heads-of-provinces/states) by one of his ancestors.
Meanwhile, some of those Golds have been plotting a coup through the rise of a hate group which puts Humans as supreme and the rest of the Realm's citizens as inhuman and lower class.
Enter Victory, the Realmgold of Koskant, who operates her Realm with a lot more success and a distinctly more liberal ideal.
Realmgolds touches on a lot of themes—racism, cults, justice, strategy—but the main theme is Determined's determination (Sorry.) to change his position.
April 5, 2013
Realmgolds has a little bit of a lot of things and as such is a little different than, well, everything. It has a little bit of politics, a little bit of war, a teensy weensy bit of romance, a bit of fantasy, a bit of steampunk, a little bibliphilic geekery.
It's good stuff.
A Realmgold is a chief executive in a federalist system of shared power. In this case, a young man named Determined is a somewhat reluctant (and unsurprisingly, ineffective) Realmgold of a country named Denning.
He sees his country is falling apart and decides he doesn't want his country to go down that way on his watch. The story tracks his growth as a person and a leader, as well as his relationship with the Realmgold of neighboring Koskant.
The end comes a bit quickly and might seem a tad anti climactic, but the focus here isn't really on the action, it's on the processes behind the action. What we see are civil servants, portrayed as anything from competent to heroic in their ability to address problems and make lives better.
It is, as I said, different, but it's entertaining and you should check it out.
It's good stuff.
A Realmgold is a chief executive in a federalist system of shared power. In this case, a young man named Determined is a somewhat reluctant (and unsurprisingly, ineffective) Realmgold of a country named Denning.
He sees his country is falling apart and decides he doesn't want his country to go down that way on his watch. The story tracks his growth as a person and a leader, as well as his relationship with the Realmgold of neighboring Koskant.
The end comes a bit quickly and might seem a tad anti climactic, but the focus here isn't really on the action, it's on the processes behind the action. What we see are civil servants, portrayed as anything from competent to heroic in their ability to address problems and make lives better.
It is, as I said, different, but it's entertaining and you should check it out.
June 10, 2013
I was pleasantly surprised by Realmgolds! Reeves-McMillian crafts a unique steampunk world of mystery and political intrigue. We are introduced to Determined, the Realmgold of Denning, a land besieged by hard times and Victory, the queen of a neighboring realm. And, of course, Reliable, Determind’s Secretary.
It is well-written, the characters are interesting and fresh. I can honestly say I’m a big fan. I will definitely be looking for more from this author. Well done!
It is well-written, the characters are interesting and fresh. I can honestly say I’m a big fan. I will definitely be looking for more from this author. Well done!
February 10, 2014
Set in a fantasy world with steampunk and magic elements, Realmgolds is a story about a civil war. The story starts with Determined having to take the leadership position of his realm and becoming intrigued by advice from Victory, another realm leader, just as his country is beginning to fall apart at the seams over the issue of gnome slavery. The story then proceeds to follow the decision-making processes and events that lead into the actual war itself, and the strategies in how the war was won. It raises some key issues in political stories like slavery, propaganda, rigged events designed to sway crowd favor, and class hierarchy of power.
In analyzing and reviewing this story, I have to admit I wasn't sure where to begin or what to say. Normally, I'm a big fan of fantasy literature, and the deeper the layers of philosophical or political intrigue the better. But something about this one didn't click with me. And after reading other people's reviews, I think I was able to narrow down why and say that I do think this is just a case of not being the right book for the right reader, rather than it being a bad book.
For starters, the plot was very well planned, which means it flawlessly moved from point A to point B. But it didn't have any surprises or twists or even any elements that made me want to keep turning pages. It felt rather empty, even though the topics and themes are good ones. When I started considering the other elements that I look forward to in a good story, I realized the plot was not the problem for me. It has a good plot. I just would have liked to see this story through a different lens.
One of those lenses that somehow missed the appeal for me was the setting. As I said, I normally love fantasy. But I love it because of the imagination and magic and inventiveness. I love to visualize where everything is happening. But it felt like most of what happened here took place in offices or on speech podiums. There best element of setting that I saw here was when the exiled leader, Determined, had to hide in a place that was "brown". I chuckled a little as the author described all the different shades of brown because it reminded me of where I actually live. But that was the only part in the entire book where the setting jumped out at me. There were a few gadgets like the farviewer and the steam carriages and airboats that gave it a magical/steampunk feel, but I really wish the author had invested more in telling us about his world, rather than merely naming the provinces at war.
Another lens that I felt was missing something was the characterization. Right off the naming system of the characters was a hiccup for me. Naming characters Determined, Victory, Reliable, Amiable, etc., made it sometimes difficult to read because I'm used to seeing words like "determined" as an adjective. Though I know it was once popular to name children things like Prudence and Charity, the name takes on a different feel if Prudence grows up to be known for being a prude. The fact that each character's name announced his or her role in the story made it feel a bit like a morality tale, such as Pilgrim's Progress. We know that Determined is going to be determined because that's a protagonist trait. And we know that even though Reliable may be uncertain of his own capabilities, he will be reliable. So, it's not that they weren't likable characters; it's that their names summed up their personalities for us and left nothing more to be discovered.
Which brings me to my third lens that I had problems with: action. I associate fantasy stories with adventure. Maybe this is my flaw and not the author's, but I expect an adventure when I pick up a fantasy book. This book, instead, seemed to be more about discussion about how to solve social problems … which isn't a bad thing, but without the adventure it feels more like literary fiction than fantasy. The book felt slow and heavy with these leaders exchanging political philosophies, until a mob attacked a bunch of dwarves and their gnomes, and their centaur guardian had to fight to defend them. When I hit that part of the book I perked up and thought, "Okay! Now we get to actually see the problems, rather than just hearing the leaders talk about them." But then it went from there into the court where, once again the plot leaned toward decision making and discussion. The only other part of the book that held my attention like that was when Determined was exiled and had to make due in the wilds.
Which leads me to the final lens: style. The book is well-written. I noticed only a few grammatical errors, and other than the names tripping me up on occasion, the style of the writing was easy and fluid. My only complaint about the style was too much telling and not enough showing. This book is discussion heavy, and the discussion is centered on politics and leadership. I already mentioned how its way of handling characters reminded me of morality plays, but along that same line the heavy dialog and lack of action reminded me of a short story I had to read in college in which two angels were discussing the fate of mankind. It was a philosophical discussion, rather than jokes, rage, tears, fears, etc. The point of that short story was "the fate of mankind", not "these angels are interesting creatures." And that's kind of the vibe that this book gave me. That's what's important here is how Determined learns from Victory how to be a good leader; Determined and Victory as characters don't seem nearly as important as what they discuss. Once again, I have to say I love this kind of depth in a fantasy book, but the philosophical debates alone fail to make the most of the fantasy setting if the world and the characters don't come to life.
So, here I am full circle with a dilemma about how to rate this book. It is a quality book, in terms of depth and writing. But I expect fantasy stories to have a "fantastic" storytelling element that was missing in the characterization, the adventure, and the world itself. So, if I start with my usual five stars and then take away for those three points. That leaves me with a two-star rating. And yet, I don't feel this is a two-star book. So, I'm going to give one star back based on the fact that maybe other people would like to see a political discussion fantasy book, but it's just not my cup of tea. Three stars to say it's a good book. It just needs to be more adventurous and have more depth of characters and world setting to appeal to this fantasy lover.
In analyzing and reviewing this story, I have to admit I wasn't sure where to begin or what to say. Normally, I'm a big fan of fantasy literature, and the deeper the layers of philosophical or political intrigue the better. But something about this one didn't click with me. And after reading other people's reviews, I think I was able to narrow down why and say that I do think this is just a case of not being the right book for the right reader, rather than it being a bad book.
For starters, the plot was very well planned, which means it flawlessly moved from point A to point B. But it didn't have any surprises or twists or even any elements that made me want to keep turning pages. It felt rather empty, even though the topics and themes are good ones. When I started considering the other elements that I look forward to in a good story, I realized the plot was not the problem for me. It has a good plot. I just would have liked to see this story through a different lens.
One of those lenses that somehow missed the appeal for me was the setting. As I said, I normally love fantasy. But I love it because of the imagination and magic and inventiveness. I love to visualize where everything is happening. But it felt like most of what happened here took place in offices or on speech podiums. There best element of setting that I saw here was when the exiled leader, Determined, had to hide in a place that was "brown". I chuckled a little as the author described all the different shades of brown because it reminded me of where I actually live. But that was the only part in the entire book where the setting jumped out at me. There were a few gadgets like the farviewer and the steam carriages and airboats that gave it a magical/steampunk feel, but I really wish the author had invested more in telling us about his world, rather than merely naming the provinces at war.
Another lens that I felt was missing something was the characterization. Right off the naming system of the characters was a hiccup for me. Naming characters Determined, Victory, Reliable, Amiable, etc., made it sometimes difficult to read because I'm used to seeing words like "determined" as an adjective. Though I know it was once popular to name children things like Prudence and Charity, the name takes on a different feel if Prudence grows up to be known for being a prude. The fact that each character's name announced his or her role in the story made it feel a bit like a morality tale, such as Pilgrim's Progress. We know that Determined is going to be determined because that's a protagonist trait. And we know that even though Reliable may be uncertain of his own capabilities, he will be reliable. So, it's not that they weren't likable characters; it's that their names summed up their personalities for us and left nothing more to be discovered.
Which brings me to my third lens that I had problems with: action. I associate fantasy stories with adventure. Maybe this is my flaw and not the author's, but I expect an adventure when I pick up a fantasy book. This book, instead, seemed to be more about discussion about how to solve social problems … which isn't a bad thing, but without the adventure it feels more like literary fiction than fantasy. The book felt slow and heavy with these leaders exchanging political philosophies, until a mob attacked a bunch of dwarves and their gnomes, and their centaur guardian had to fight to defend them. When I hit that part of the book I perked up and thought, "Okay! Now we get to actually see the problems, rather than just hearing the leaders talk about them." But then it went from there into the court where, once again the plot leaned toward decision making and discussion. The only other part of the book that held my attention like that was when Determined was exiled and had to make due in the wilds.
Which leads me to the final lens: style. The book is well-written. I noticed only a few grammatical errors, and other than the names tripping me up on occasion, the style of the writing was easy and fluid. My only complaint about the style was too much telling and not enough showing. This book is discussion heavy, and the discussion is centered on politics and leadership. I already mentioned how its way of handling characters reminded me of morality plays, but along that same line the heavy dialog and lack of action reminded me of a short story I had to read in college in which two angels were discussing the fate of mankind. It was a philosophical discussion, rather than jokes, rage, tears, fears, etc. The point of that short story was "the fate of mankind", not "these angels are interesting creatures." And that's kind of the vibe that this book gave me. That's what's important here is how Determined learns from Victory how to be a good leader; Determined and Victory as characters don't seem nearly as important as what they discuss. Once again, I have to say I love this kind of depth in a fantasy book, but the philosophical debates alone fail to make the most of the fantasy setting if the world and the characters don't come to life.
So, here I am full circle with a dilemma about how to rate this book. It is a quality book, in terms of depth and writing. But I expect fantasy stories to have a "fantastic" storytelling element that was missing in the characterization, the adventure, and the world itself. So, if I start with my usual five stars and then take away for those three points. That leaves me with a two-star rating. And yet, I don't feel this is a two-star book. So, I'm going to give one star back based on the fact that maybe other people would like to see a political discussion fantasy book, but it's just not my cup of tea. Three stars to say it's a good book. It just needs to be more adventurous and have more depth of characters and world setting to appeal to this fantasy lover.
September 3, 2022
A political fantasy, set in a steampunk world, and populated by high fantasy races. The story of a magical world on the verge of the industrial rebellion, being held in check by hate groups against race and culture. It`s driven by an interesting concept, but it`s the characters who make it work.
Determined is a curious leader, while Victory makes for an interesting ally-slash-foil. Denning is a country falling apart at almost every level, saddled with a dedicated, yet ineffectual leader. There`s a lot going on here, but it`s Determined`s growth and evolution that makes the story work. He`s neither your typical fantasy youth, looking to come of age, nor your cliched hero, just looking for a purpose. Instead, he`s a fallible leader with an honest desire to do better, despite himself.
The writing here is strong, although the pacing is a bit awkward, the end comes on rather abruptly. It`s not an action-packed novel, but there are moments of conflict, drama, and even combat. It`s really a story of what lies behind the conflict, the decisions that lead to combat, and what it takes to play that role. Decidedly unusual, but largely entertaining. Stick with it for the few dry spots early on, and you`ll be pleasantly surprised.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
Determined is a curious leader, while Victory makes for an interesting ally-slash-foil. Denning is a country falling apart at almost every level, saddled with a dedicated, yet ineffectual leader. There`s a lot going on here, but it`s Determined`s growth and evolution that makes the story work. He`s neither your typical fantasy youth, looking to come of age, nor your cliched hero, just looking for a purpose. Instead, he`s a fallible leader with an honest desire to do better, despite himself.
The writing here is strong, although the pacing is a bit awkward, the end comes on rather abruptly. It`s not an action-packed novel, but there are moments of conflict, drama, and even combat. It`s really a story of what lies behind the conflict, the decisions that lead to combat, and what it takes to play that role. Decidedly unusual, but largely entertaining. Stick with it for the few dry spots early on, and you`ll be pleasantly surprised.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
September 3, 2018
Always impressed by someone who can create a unique world setting. The author does draw on other works, but has made an effort to create a unique world setting for his characters. The only drawback was that the writing lacked a dramatic flair. It was slightly too formulaic and it never created the dramatic tension that I hoped for. A solid foundation, but not sure it was enough to cause me to seek out other works in the series.
December 10, 2013
The best way to describe this book is that it is a secondary-world political Fantasy, with steampunk elements and magic. A world populated by not only humans but dwarves, goblins, beastheads and centaurs too. I like secondary-world Fantasy and I love steampunk. Political intrigue has also been one of my favorite topics to read about. I was a bit curious how all these different things would blend together in this book and I have to say it worked out pretty good. I was never bothered by the multitude of ‘genres’ mixed together and all was equally and rightly balanced.
‘Realmgolds’ has a great political concept. I really liked the way the author has created these different countries, how they are being ruled and what their different problems are. Every country is ruled by a Realmgold, under him there are Provincegolds who have under them the Countygolds. Lastly there are the Localgolds. The middleclass is called the ‘Silvers’ and the everyday people are the ‘Coppers’. Like I said before we get a multicultural population in these countries with Dwarves, Goblins, Centaurs and Humans. The story starts with Determined, our main character and the Realmgold of Denning, who hears that his ally Victory, the Realmgold of Koskant, wants to ban slavery of Goblins. He’s in awe with her courage and sees an opportunity to become a better leader and maybe follow in Victory’s footsteps. Koskant is quite prosperous and lives mostly in peace, but in Denning the Human Purity movement is starting a rebellion. They want ‘purity’ and hate everyone that’s not human or supports non-human beings. It’s up to Determined to quench this rebellion and get his country back in line.
Political situations in a fantasy book are common, but it’s not easy to describe them in such a way that it doesn’t seem like you’re giving a theoretical lecture and still make it understandable. McMillan succeeded in both, integrating the finer details of his political system into the story without it being tedious. Understanding comes with reading the story, as you keep reading everything falls into place and it’s easy to follow everything that’s going on.
I also thought the names were pretty original. Instead of the usual names or the sometimes overcomplicated fantasy names, the author chose here to name his characters after a trait. A few examples: Determined, Reliable, Victory, Admirable, … At first I wasn’t quite sure if I would like this, but turns out I enjoyed reading about these characters and their names gave it that bit of extra originality.
There were, however, a few minor points too. In the middle of the novel there were some jumps in the storyline, leaving out bits where I, as a reader, wanted to hear more about. This made the book seem a bit rushed sometimes, which is a shame because most of the things the author left out would have made great reading. An example of something I wanted to know more about: the Mages. McMillan mentions the Mages and their school of magic, but we never learn anything more about them, they are just there. I wanted to know more about this school of magic and the Mages and what their magic is all about.
What troubled me too was the fact that the whole middle part of the book, aside from the occasional battles who were really great, seemed like a hotchpotch of problems where our Realmgolds needed to find a solution for. And one of them always does find the exact right solution. This is fun for a while, but if you get a succession of problems and your main characters find a way to solve them everytime I get a bit suspicious, thinking: ‘this is going a bit too well’. Especially because I thought some of these problems didn’t seem to contribute to the story at all. They are mentioned and then you never hear about them again. I understand leaders of realms like these get to deal with trouble like this every day, but personally I didn’t need to read about every single problem.
I also didn’t really get invested in the relationships between the characters, though I liked our main character and his entourage, the interaction with other characters didn’t touch me at all. That’s why the last chapter wasn’t necessary for me, I thought the last sentence of the penultimate chapter was a perfect end for this story.
Mind you, I did like the rest of the ending. The author found a really interesting solution for the war situation, one I thought was pretty imaginative and fun to read. I mentioned before that I liked the battles, they were really exhilarating and fast paced, keeping you flipping the pages without paying much attention to your surroundings.
‘Realmgolds’ was a fast read and one I enjoyed moderately. It had some really great ideas and some parts that really got me into the story, but I did miss some elements and thought some parts were a bit tedious.
‘Realmgolds’ has a great political concept. I really liked the way the author has created these different countries, how they are being ruled and what their different problems are. Every country is ruled by a Realmgold, under him there are Provincegolds who have under them the Countygolds. Lastly there are the Localgolds. The middleclass is called the ‘Silvers’ and the everyday people are the ‘Coppers’. Like I said before we get a multicultural population in these countries with Dwarves, Goblins, Centaurs and Humans. The story starts with Determined, our main character and the Realmgold of Denning, who hears that his ally Victory, the Realmgold of Koskant, wants to ban slavery of Goblins. He’s in awe with her courage and sees an opportunity to become a better leader and maybe follow in Victory’s footsteps. Koskant is quite prosperous and lives mostly in peace, but in Denning the Human Purity movement is starting a rebellion. They want ‘purity’ and hate everyone that’s not human or supports non-human beings. It’s up to Determined to quench this rebellion and get his country back in line.
Political situations in a fantasy book are common, but it’s not easy to describe them in such a way that it doesn’t seem like you’re giving a theoretical lecture and still make it understandable. McMillan succeeded in both, integrating the finer details of his political system into the story without it being tedious. Understanding comes with reading the story, as you keep reading everything falls into place and it’s easy to follow everything that’s going on.
I also thought the names were pretty original. Instead of the usual names or the sometimes overcomplicated fantasy names, the author chose here to name his characters after a trait. A few examples: Determined, Reliable, Victory, Admirable, … At first I wasn’t quite sure if I would like this, but turns out I enjoyed reading about these characters and their names gave it that bit of extra originality.
There were, however, a few minor points too. In the middle of the novel there were some jumps in the storyline, leaving out bits where I, as a reader, wanted to hear more about. This made the book seem a bit rushed sometimes, which is a shame because most of the things the author left out would have made great reading. An example of something I wanted to know more about: the Mages. McMillan mentions the Mages and their school of magic, but we never learn anything more about them, they are just there. I wanted to know more about this school of magic and the Mages and what their magic is all about.
What troubled me too was the fact that the whole middle part of the book, aside from the occasional battles who were really great, seemed like a hotchpotch of problems where our Realmgolds needed to find a solution for. And one of them always does find the exact right solution. This is fun for a while, but if you get a succession of problems and your main characters find a way to solve them everytime I get a bit suspicious, thinking: ‘this is going a bit too well’. Especially because I thought some of these problems didn’t seem to contribute to the story at all. They are mentioned and then you never hear about them again. I understand leaders of realms like these get to deal with trouble like this every day, but personally I didn’t need to read about every single problem.
I also didn’t really get invested in the relationships between the characters, though I liked our main character and his entourage, the interaction with other characters didn’t touch me at all. That’s why the last chapter wasn’t necessary for me, I thought the last sentence of the penultimate chapter was a perfect end for this story.
Mind you, I did like the rest of the ending. The author found a really interesting solution for the war situation, one I thought was pretty imaginative and fun to read. I mentioned before that I liked the battles, they were really exhilarating and fast paced, keeping you flipping the pages without paying much attention to your surroundings.
‘Realmgolds’ was a fast read and one I enjoyed moderately. It had some really great ideas and some parts that really got me into the story, but I did miss some elements and thought some parts were a bit tedious.
January 1, 2014
Realmgolds, by Mike Reeves-McMillan, is set in an alternative world with an earlier level of technology than our own, but where magic is a reality. Mike’s books were my first foray into steampunk as a genre, so initially I was not sure what to expect. Happily I have enjoyed the experience, and am very happy to recommend this book and its successors, and to explore the genre further.
The Realmgolds series, of which this is the first, are not arranged in sequence, but overlap one another and often touch on the same events from a different perspective. As such, they do not strictly need to be read in order, although inevitably the later ones assume more familiarity with the world and its denizens than the earlier ones. Indeed, to some extent I feel you need some general acquaintance with the conventions of the genre in order to get what Mike is doing. There are (I came to realise) numerous places where his dryly humorous comments only really make sense if you know how other authors have tackled these issues.
This book’s main focus is on the military and political changes taking place in one of the world’s countries (Realms). A civil war takes place, and the legitimate ruler of that country (one of the Realmgolds of the title) is temporarily forced out before rising to the occasion and reclaiming his rightful position. The campaign and military sections are written well and persuasively, with believable levels of technology and tactics. However, I found the political plans at the end less convincing, with a rather Utopian plan for future prosperity schematically laid out and enthusiastically received. The bad guys and girls are portrayed as obviously economically wrong as well as morally dubious. If only it was so easy to run a country here in this world!
I think that the book could best be classed as Young Adult rather than Adult. Only one of the main characters is substantially transformed by the events of this story, and most of them, even the second Realmgold, are very simply delineated. Character details are usually supplied for their contribution to the plot rather than to build complex personalities. The emotional impact of major events on the characters seems low, and perhaps in consequence, the story did not generate strong responses in me. Sex and intimacy are treated in a rather coy manner – when the characters get involved with such things they cease to seem like adults, and appear more like teenagers who have found a copy of the Kama Sutra. It was unclear to me if this was part of Mike’s world-building or to do with his target audience. The world itself has obviously been carefully thought through by Mike, with considerable detail provided or implied about prior history and culture.
Overall for me this was a four star book. It is confident and consistent in its presentation of the world, and has clearly been given huge attention to detail. The prose is well-constructed though plain. The kindle version which I read was excellently produced, complete with proper navigation guides and so on – touches which are often omitted in books that I have read recently. At the end I wanted to know more about this universe. However, I prefer more depth and more ambiguity in characters, and felt that this world could potentially offer me much more of its evident mystery and antiquity than I had been granted in these pages. I have no idea if it would appeal to regular steampunk enthusiasts, but it is certainly accessible to those, like me, who have had no prior acquaintance.
The Realmgolds series, of which this is the first, are not arranged in sequence, but overlap one another and often touch on the same events from a different perspective. As such, they do not strictly need to be read in order, although inevitably the later ones assume more familiarity with the world and its denizens than the earlier ones. Indeed, to some extent I feel you need some general acquaintance with the conventions of the genre in order to get what Mike is doing. There are (I came to realise) numerous places where his dryly humorous comments only really make sense if you know how other authors have tackled these issues.
This book’s main focus is on the military and political changes taking place in one of the world’s countries (Realms). A civil war takes place, and the legitimate ruler of that country (one of the Realmgolds of the title) is temporarily forced out before rising to the occasion and reclaiming his rightful position. The campaign and military sections are written well and persuasively, with believable levels of technology and tactics. However, I found the political plans at the end less convincing, with a rather Utopian plan for future prosperity schematically laid out and enthusiastically received. The bad guys and girls are portrayed as obviously economically wrong as well as morally dubious. If only it was so easy to run a country here in this world!
I think that the book could best be classed as Young Adult rather than Adult. Only one of the main characters is substantially transformed by the events of this story, and most of them, even the second Realmgold, are very simply delineated. Character details are usually supplied for their contribution to the plot rather than to build complex personalities. The emotional impact of major events on the characters seems low, and perhaps in consequence, the story did not generate strong responses in me. Sex and intimacy are treated in a rather coy manner – when the characters get involved with such things they cease to seem like adults, and appear more like teenagers who have found a copy of the Kama Sutra. It was unclear to me if this was part of Mike’s world-building or to do with his target audience. The world itself has obviously been carefully thought through by Mike, with considerable detail provided or implied about prior history and culture.
Overall for me this was a four star book. It is confident and consistent in its presentation of the world, and has clearly been given huge attention to detail. The prose is well-constructed though plain. The kindle version which I read was excellently produced, complete with proper navigation guides and so on – touches which are often omitted in books that I have read recently. At the end I wanted to know more about this universe. However, I prefer more depth and more ambiguity in characters, and felt that this world could potentially offer me much more of its evident mystery and antiquity than I had been granted in these pages. I have no idea if it would appeal to regular steampunk enthusiasts, but it is certainly accessible to those, like me, who have had no prior acquaintance.
March 6, 2017
The story was OK but the book had elves, dwarves, and gnomes that really aren't my thing. The characters strange names made it hard for me to follow.
June 26, 2013
What is Realmgoldsby Mike Reeves-McMillan? It is Unique, Intriguing, Creative, and definitely thought-provoking! Set in a steampunk-type world, filled with humans and magical beings, political unrest and a cast of characters that are as varied as the colors in a rainbow, even their names seem to hold meaning! In a society built on a class system, golds are the ruling class, silvers are the middle class and coppers are the lower, poorer class.
Determined, (yes, that’s his name) is an intelligent, yet ineffectual leader of a place called Denning. He is challenged by a rival realm’s leader who believes in “Human Purity”and is wise enough to know he needs the help and support of another leader, the slightly mysterious, but very strong and successful leader of the realm of Koskrant. Victory, (yes that’s her name) runs a very liberal realm that is thriving on its acceptance of diversity, is willing to stand with and support Determined, as far as the laws allow. War breaks out and loyalties are tested, and while leaders arise from unlikely sources, will it be enough to conquer those who follow in the poisonous beliefs of the Human Purity realms?
The parallels to “our world” seemed undeniable, but that spark of magic and old world feel, made the fantasy come to life. The author has created a world full of imagination and creative genius with excellent world-building and character development that draws the reader into the action and the plot completely! The pinch of romance was a nice touch, but, what truly sticks with me was the growth of Determined, who most definitely lived up to his name! I can honestly say I look forward to more in this series.
Publish Date: March 16, 2013
Publisher: C-Side Media
Number of Pages: 192
Series: Gryphon Clerks
Genre: Adult Fiction/Fantasy
My Rating: 4 Stars
Available at: Amazon
For more reviews check out Tome Tender's Book Blog or find us on Facebook.
Determined, (yes, that’s his name) is an intelligent, yet ineffectual leader of a place called Denning. He is challenged by a rival realm’s leader who believes in “Human Purity”and is wise enough to know he needs the help and support of another leader, the slightly mysterious, but very strong and successful leader of the realm of Koskrant. Victory, (yes that’s her name) runs a very liberal realm that is thriving on its acceptance of diversity, is willing to stand with and support Determined, as far as the laws allow. War breaks out and loyalties are tested, and while leaders arise from unlikely sources, will it be enough to conquer those who follow in the poisonous beliefs of the Human Purity realms?
The parallels to “our world” seemed undeniable, but that spark of magic and old world feel, made the fantasy come to life. The author has created a world full of imagination and creative genius with excellent world-building and character development that draws the reader into the action and the plot completely! The pinch of romance was a nice touch, but, what truly sticks with me was the growth of Determined, who most definitely lived up to his name! I can honestly say I look forward to more in this series.
Publish Date: March 16, 2013
Publisher: C-Side Media
Number of Pages: 192
Series: Gryphon Clerks
Genre: Adult Fiction/Fantasy
My Rating: 4 Stars
Available at: Amazon
For more reviews check out Tome Tender's Book Blog or find us on Facebook.
February 14, 2014
Well written book, just not for me.
There are so many things that are done well in this book, but the bottom line is I simply didn't care for it.
It would sound really negative to say that this book "insists upon itself", but that's the only thing that comes to mind. When an author invents a world, naturally he has to invent a lot of terminology to go with that world. However, a lot of the terminology seemed forced.
Was it well written? Yes. Was the story good? Yes. Was it for me? No.
There are so many things that are done well in this book, but the bottom line is I simply didn't care for it.
It would sound really negative to say that this book "insists upon itself", but that's the only thing that comes to mind. When an author invents a world, naturally he has to invent a lot of terminology to go with that world. However, a lot of the terminology seemed forced.
Was it well written? Yes. Was the story good? Yes. Was it for me? No.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews