The Starfall Knight

by Ken Lim

Surrounded by cut-throats and slavers, Alessa knows there is more to existence than mere survival on the aerocks – landmasses that traverse the sky, powered by a volatile mineral. When the opportunity for a new life presents itself, there is nothing that will stop Alessa from having her way.

Devan seeks the respect of his peers, rangers who protect their homeland Centara – an aerock so large that it can haul along smaller lands.

When Alessa’s aerock makes landfall, they bring more than commodities and supplies for trade. They bring memories of past mistakes.

They bring war.

Genres: Fantasy

318 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Dustin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this book; it started a little slowly, perhaps because there was little explanation of how the world worked, but once I got a few chapters in it picked up. I liked the characters quite a bit, as they were all believable, even the ones doing things I found despicable (though there was a little bit much rape- I guess it's an accurate view of a raiding society though).

[S.M. White · Rating 4 out of 5]

With this book starting my Indie Reviews, I have to say I'm grateful to have read this fantasy novel first. It gives me confidence that I have taken on a worthwhile task. While it's by no means a perfect work, "The Starfall Knight" is an entertaining read.

I came away with an interesting take on this book: Pirates on the high skies. That's what I equate this story with. It's a remarkably interesting concept.

I've read a lot of fantasy in my time, and it's hard really to compare this story to any of the other stories I've read, so different is it. If I had to, I'd say Lim's "The Starfall Knight," is the kind of fantasy reminiscent of Brandon Sanderson's swift character viewpoint style, as seen in "Elantris." When things get hairy, Lim knows what to give, where to leave you, and where to pick it up. It makes for great tension and fast-paced scenes. This is one of the strengths of the book. While at times the story does slow down, and maybe too much attention is given to descriptions at certain points, the action-packed sequences make it worth it. This is especially evident when Lim brings the book to a close. We get the chance to see the climax in all its stages from the two main viewpoints, switching back and forth with an intent to paint the entire, harrowing picture.

Another aspect of this book that really stood out was the character development. Lim does a remarkable job in giving life to each and every face that appears in the pages. You're drawn to these characters, and you come to understand them. This does have its downfall at times, as Some characters have a habit of doing something you don't quite expect, leaving you shaking your head in confusion and frustration. I'll mark this down to the pace of the novel. As I mentioned above, it can be slow at times, while quick in others, and I think the balance between the two wasn't handled as well as it could have been. A bit more time should have gone into showing the changes in the characters, as they come off quite abrupt at times, and it feels almost like they're completely different characters. This certainly wouldn't be an issue as characters change over time, but the changes in the book seemed to take place with unnatural leaps.

The world-building is absolutely not to be missed. This is a curious world, with floating landmasses powered by a mysterious mineral known as andonite, which some individuals can control and use to pilot the masses. But the believability isn't lost. You come to trust that these earthen masses really can float, powered in this manner, and Lim secures you in that suspension of disbelief by giving you just enough information about the world that such a thing isn't past plausibility.

I have a few grievances with the story overall, minor things that made me pause and consider the situation outside the realm of the story. Sometimes characters get out of prickly situations simply because. This is hard to explain without giving too much away, but one examples is where a character finds themselves outnumbered and about to be attacked when the enemies suddenly stop caring about attacking as a group and the character finds themselves in a one-on-one fight. I felt that the tension and build up in instances like this wasn't used to potential. But these issues were seldom and took nothing away from the story as a whole. Another thing I want to comment on is the 'big reveals' toward the end. While completely possible, I felt there wasn't enough lead up give these reveals credibility within the narrative, and the information seemed thrust upon me without preparation. Again I found myself pausing in the story, contemplating the need for the 'twists' that late in the story.

Even with a few issues, "The Starfall Knight" was an enjoyable read. The writing style was smooth and full of unique descriptions. The characters were lively and fun and sympathetic (you really come to empathize with Alessa and Deven). This is recommended for anyone who wants to take a journey to another world and experience a unique story.

Also, the ending was spectacular, and shouldn't be missed.

[Tony Parsons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in the Saruwan countryside Captain Benton & Sergeant Lora were in charge of the Ranger maintenance crew & military unit. They also hunt/track predators, patrol for bandits & keep the wildernesses safe. The elite group consists of: Captain Wynet, Captain Marsa, Captain Kelun, Captain Marzell (female), Captain Rayce, Captain Sturgar, Captain Erlend, Devan Actinenson of Verovel, Benton’s brother Terson, Olban, Enkel, & Rika. They maintain steel/other cables (gears, pulleys) for the Centaran aercarriage stations. They also check on the safety of volcano craters, Andonite (gas), &/or while it remains in its crystallized or mineralized form, & the andonite transfer pipes that run within the mines. The military force consisted of halberdiers, swordsmen, spearman, archers, & rifleman.

Longwings (omen) glided overhead & nest in the mountainous regions, aerocks also float above Centara. Nasius still led the Ceres, Dene led the Serpens which occupied much of the depleted mines of Sirinis.

Poel a miner was in charge of the everyday inspections. Terepids were spindly leg grasshopper like crawlers who interacted with the exposed andonite veins. Just another reason why everything had to be looked after by the Ranger unit.

The Ranger group found a body in the wilderness of a Starfall Knight (Sirinese) & were taking it to the university in Centara city for Professor Orval to observe in the lab. Marshal Romaine is in charge of the Rangers, she greeted them. Marshal Jarrell (arms, andonite rifles, Centaran military) was in the Centaran army. Councilor Marwin was to oversee the making of weapons. Professor Conrick (history) was researching the historical journal. Years ago; the Verovel’s (town) andonite had failed & fighting the Sirinis (aerocks) (fighters, raiders) continued. Professor Orval (anatomy & health, Master of Physickers), Professor Amara & Professor Conrick will examine the body of the Starfall Knight (Sirinese). They 1st had to remove the breast-plate & pauldrons. Surprise it was a female. The body was filled with gaseous andonite.

Imperator Tarius a tyrant ruled aerock Sirinis, his son is Leonus. Alessa leaving her father behind she was headed for the Tarian district. Councilor Arlena was in charge of Centara City, where they all live. Captain Marzell is in charge of the military. Alessa (Commander) later visits Leonus (Commander) & they have sex. The town is run/thrives on gangs. The Tarius gang used to rule Sirinese thrashers, the Imperator gang. 2 other gangs are the Serpens & Ceres. Grunos, was a sub-leader of the thrashers. Bruno was his brother. Pelio & Elina were Leonus friends. Brother Vantanis was also a very important gang member. Teia, Alessa mother had died 10 yrs. ago.

The Gods are; Aer (skies, weather, life), Vaere (dirt, aerocks, hope) & Tyn (fire, vengeance) had created humans/life & moved above the clouds.

Who will kill Tarius? Will Alessa & Leonus continue to have sex? How will the battle between the Centarans & the Sirinese play out? What will become of the Longwings? How will the mystery of the Starfall Knight (Sirinese) journal play out?

Awesome book cover, map, font & writing style. As you read through the chapters for me, I was always trying to figure out who was on whose side? It took a few chapter for this book to pull together or me to grasp. Fairly well written, not always easy to follow. With a little tweaking it will be fine. No grammar errors or out of story line sequence. Lots/lots of unique characters. Mysterious, suspenseful. Scifi or paranormal book, could make a great scifi movie (Avatar). I still will give it 5 stars.

Thank you for the free book
Tony Parsons MSW

[Lisa Hapney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a request to review this book. Lucky for me The Starfall Knight was a fun fantasy read, but if you're looking for elves and the like you'll need to look elsewhere. It's not that kind of fantasy story. Whether it be fortunate or unfortunate I immediately had a concept of what chained together aerocks would look like because I'm an online gamer and have climbed the chains between floating rocks that were connected together on more than one occasion. So I moved on with the concept of floating landmasses as if it was as natural as breathing. I have lived on islands before though and have to say I would prefer bigger landmasses especially if they were floating. I'm sure my fear of heights (or more specifically falling) would have made elements of this world very uncomfortable for me if I'd had to live in it, but our characters were up to the challenges presented to them.

Devan and Alessa are the mains here and seemingly as opposite as can be. Devan is a Centaran ranger who scouts around the connected aerocks, blames himself for a long ago tragedy and is out to prove his naysayers wrong. Alessa is pretty much a pirate wench who, though tough, seems to be a step above her companions. There were some good supporting characters as well and as a whole I have to say the characters were pretty well done evoking empathy and dislike. The world building and descriptions were good as well. There's plenty of adventure and action to be had throughout this tale and I enjoyed the trip. It wasn't perfect, but I liked it.

I enjoyed the cultural differences of the various aerocks and the intrigue as well as an entertaining fantasy element. There's plenty of bloodthirsty bandits and brave defenders, along with some secrets to be revealed and the like. The writing was good and I had no problem moving along through it at a good pace. There were a few strange things, but I don't want to give away the story and part of explaining it would have to include doing so. The only other thing is I really would have liked to have found out more about the actual study of the Starfall Knight and its accompanying items, but I always want to know more about the mystery. Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable read and I'd be willing to read something else by this author.

This review originally posted at: http://tjhapney.wordpress.com/

[Jonel · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me a bit to get into the story. I felt like I was missing something, even though Lim spends a lot of time explaining everything. The very unique and intriguing concept of the story did eventually draw me in and once I was there I was hooked. It is definitely a concept that I’ve never encountered before. Lim uses direct language and very strong descriptions to create a very solid world for his characters to thrive in. Lim also works lots of intrigue and subterfuge into this story to keep his audience guessing. The pace also really picks up at the end, becoming quite exciting.

The characters in this novel were quite interesting with unique and memorable and pronounceable names that you are drawn to. You know what everyone does and where they came from, but who they are and what they look like remains a bit of a mystery for many of the characters. The cast of prominent characters is so large that it is difficult to develop everyone sufficiently. I feel that I barely got to know a handful of them. The author also jumps back and forth between the various characters, and it becomes a little hard to keep straight at times.

Overall this was an ‘out of this world’ fantasy (excuse the pun) that would be enjoyed by those who enjoy outer space and fantasies. It is a story of good conquering evil with a twist, a kick, and a few spins.

Please note that I received this novel free of charge from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Brian Foster · Rating 3 out of 5]

In The Starfall Knight, Ken Lim creates an interesting fantasy world in which societies live on floating chunks of rocks. When marauders, shown through the lens of the do-whatever-it-takes-to-survive Alessa, come into contact with a rich, technologically-developed culture, experienced through the ranger-who-once-made-a-huge-mistake-that-everyone-in-the-book-brings-up Devan, conflict follows.

Why to buy this book: Compared to other indie fantasy novels I’ve read, the writing is pretty decent, especially the action sequences. The story is coherent, and the book is, overall, readable. The best thing about the book is the unique world. Another review related it to pirates running around on floating islands.

Why not to buy the book: While the author puts in a lot of good, interesting developments and character-building, sometimes knowing what to cut is just as important. Take this exchange:

“Hey, what’s up? I’m John.”
“Paul. Nice to meet you.”
“Same here. Where’s Officer Jones.”
“He’s right over there.”
“Great. Thanks.”

Did that fill you with excitement? Did you feel the tension? I didn’t. In fact, I feel that kind of exchange draws all tension from the story, and the author repeats versions of this over and over and over and… By the end of the book, I dreaded any character coming into contact with anyone else. If you feel that complaint is a bit nitpicky, understand that it’s symptomatic of the author not knowing what to edit. This book could have been so much improved by cutting about 5,000 words in the right places. Of less concern to me but still a problem were some minor plot and character issues.

Bottom Line: Again, this novel is more readable than a lot of indie fare that I’ve come across, but it misses being good. I can only give it 3 stars.

[J.R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Starfall Knight is the first full-length self-published book I've read. The previous efforts being short stories or novellas.

I became aware of Ken Lim through... Ken Lim, oddly enough. Like many a self-published author he's not a household name, but I didn't hold that against him. He didn't give me a copy to review and I don't know him personally, I just decided to take the plunge as the synopsis sold me.

The prose of The Starfall Knight is solid, but it's the setting that really makes it stand out. Every character is living on series of giant floating rocks called aerocks that are kept afloat through the mining of a special (and volatile) mineral. This approach makes for a mobile landscape, which enhances the storyline and provides for any number of sequels. Instead of their travelling the land, you have the other aerocks travelling to them.

The two protagonists of The Starfall Knight are Alessa and Devan. They're fairly well fleshed-out with clear motives and back stories. The support cast aren't as well done, but given the length of the book that is to be expected.

To cut a long review short, while it didn't blow me away, Ken Lim has constructed a well-crafted fantasy tale that is well worth the money and gets bonus points for the imaginative setting. I'll definitely be purchasing the next in the series.

[Trinity · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Source: I received a digital copy of this for free on a read to review basis. Thanks to author Zen Lim.)

-Review to come

[Chris Philbrook · Rating 2 out of 5]

I abandoned ship about 60% through. Thin characters, assumed plot devices, cliched situations all abound. The world-setting is neat, but it wasn't enough to carry my interest to finish it.