Kyrathaba Rising

The Kyrathaba Chronicles #1

by William Bryan Miller

Aliens have attacked Earth, decimating the population. A few tens of thousands of humans survive in subterranean compounds prepared in various locales against the possibility of a nuclear winter. Five brave souls from Compound A-3 are determined to even the odds...

Genres: Science Fiction, Dystopia

258 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 21, 2013

About the author

William Bryan Miller lives in south-central Kentucky with wife Susan, and their three children: Hannah, Grant, and Emma. Two other children live nearby.

Bryan and Susan’s two dogs are as different as night and day. The five year old miniature schnauzer is of serious mien, typically stationing herself at the door, ready to bark an alert and intercept any “intruders”. She also is self-appointed breaker-upper of spats, wrestling, or anything else among family members that makes a level of noise above that of normal conversation.

Their two year old Boston Terrier, Millie, has personality in spades. Her favorite activities include defecating in the house (yes, she still does this), begging for food at supper time, and cuddling. She is much more the lapdog than the schnauzer, Savy.

Bryan works as a licensed professional clinical counselor. His career in mental health treatment has, so far, spanned fourteen years. He works with children, adolescents, and adults on issues spanning the entirety of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition.

Bryan is an avid hobbyist computer programmer. His preferred development language is C# (using Microsoft’s free Visual Studio Express 2012), though he has also done some work in Visual Basic, PHP, and AutoIt. Most of Bryan’s products, thus far, have been donationware (free, but please consider donating via PayPal), and can be viewed and downloaded from this page. You may also be interested in viewing Bryan’s entries over the last few years in DonationCoder’s annual N.A.N.Y. event. There are fourteen applications available for free download. No nag screens, no adverts, just fully functional programs. Check them out!

Bryan attended undergraduate college at Western Kentucky University, from 1989 to 1994 (he wishes to point out that it took five years to get his B.A. in Psychology only because he switched majors three times, and blew most of one semester due to love-sickness). He went on to earn a Master of Counseling degree at Lindsey Wilson College in their CACREP approved graduate counseling program, one of the first (and still one of the best) in the United States. Bryan later obtained his LPCC credential and has been practicing as a licensed counselor for over a decade.

Bryan’s wife, Susan, is a registered nurse. She works for a local home healthcare agency, making home visits to care for her beloved patients.

Bryan, his wife, and their children attend a local Methodist church, where they remain actively involved in Sunday School, Worship, and Children’s Ministry. If you aren’t familiar with evangelical Christianity and want to learn more, download my free program, Kyrathasoft Christian Prayer Minder program for Windows XP and later editions, which contains lots of good information, as well as providing you a means of recording, passwording, and protecting your prayers in a journaling format over time.

In addition to computer programming in C#, Bryan also enjoys reading science- and fantasy-fiction, writing, hiking, and camping. He maintains an interest in the martial arts, and earned his 1st-degree brown belt in Shaolin-Do at the age of fifteen. Since then, he has added to his arsenal a machete within easy reach next to his bed, and a .357 Magnum revolver kept in his car’s glove compartment, loaded with hollow-points.

Some of Bryan’s favorite authors are Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Raymond E. Feist, Anne Rice, T. H. Lain, Greg Keyes, Stephen R. Donaldson, Neal Asher, George R. R. Martin and Gregory Benford.

If you’d like to engage Bryan in an online discussion, you can invite him to appear as a guest on your blog, or consider joining the DonationCoder website and looking up member kyrathaba on the forum.

All the best to you and yours!
- William Bryan Miller

Reviews

[Paul Bertram · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book because I know the guy who wrote it. Holy smokes, I didn't realize this guy could write!

I liked the gritty tone, the fact that the author maintains a brisk pacing, and -- being me -- I LOVED the androids' by-play with the humans, especially the elevator scene with the med tech! Laughed till I cried!

Unlike most ebooks I download for free or purchase, this one had almost no obvious errors. Apparently, some proofreading went into it.

Is it of the same caliber as Clarke? Aasimov? Perhaps not yet. But it was a well-executed book. It ends on a major cliff-hanger, which makes me want to strangle the author. That being illegal, I'm going to pester him through his blog to hurry up and write the sequel.

If you like sci-fi generally, studded with humor and gritty realism, you'll like this book.

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Reviewing the audiobook version)

https://anaslair.wordpress.com/2015/0...

When I started listening to this file, my eyebrow went up and then my forehead creased as I frowned. You see, as lovely as Christine Padovan's pitch and diction were, there were a couple of things that bothered me profoundly: one, she would prolong the last syllable of what felt like every single line, making her voice sound sleepy or tired, mixed with a sort of imitation of Fonzie from Happy Days, and it was just immensely distracting.
Also, I was not a fan of her voices. Not only did the male ones lack masculinity but they sounded forced, like when you are reading to a child and you make sort of a caricature of what they would sound like?
Finally, her narrator voice would sound like characters' voice, or vice-versa, especially when transitioning between dialogue lines and 'X said'.
Switching the speed to 1.5X helped me stay alert, but on the other hand I am well aware I did not retain all the knowledge transmitted to me.
 

The narrative takes place in A3, a compound built underground because aliens decimated the surface of the planet, managing to kill a large percentage of the human race. In this community, people have implants and a bunch of cool tech they use daily. However, they are immensely ill from radiation poisoning and, at that rate, would not be able to survive for long.

Our main character seems to have a way out of the situation, a chance of survival, but only for four people, so he chooses those closest to him. Not going to be easy, because of the implants and other cool but very Big Brothery gadgetry which constantly monitor everyone. But Sethra and his best friend are very smart and manage to have their clandestine conversations anyway and go through with their plan.
 

I remember that it took me a while to get into the story because there was a lot of technical mumbo jumbo I could not get a grip on. While the scientific talk was extremely hard to follow, it somehow made things more believable, but it did grow tiresome after a point. That first dialogue and Sethra's inner monologues felt endless, and there were several sections of the book consisting of only numbers and statistics. *yawn*

But then things started to get interesting. I did not quite get what the plan was to get away, what they were going to be immersed in, as was said, what exactly was done to make it possible to access that other world, but man... Aliens! Amongst them! That never gets old. Very cool.
I was sad that a character who had started to grow on me had to die so soon. But alas, it would have caused the others to make an awkward decision so that the plot could progress and we can't have that, now can we?

Kyrathaba Rising turned out to be a blend between fantasy and sci-fi. In the so-called real world, there is the alien threat, and the danger of everyone dying both from sickness and an alien attack - and in the world of Kyrathaba our four characters need to learn how to survive in this foreign fantasy environment, while struggling to assess who to trust.
The two worlds are actually quite distinct and I enjoyed following the events on one just as much as the other.
I wish I could have witnessed the 4 characters' development in Kyrathaba, especially their skills, and that I had felt more connected to any character at all. I have to admit I liked Grant but that's about it.

This is one of those books I know I would have enjoyed much more had I read it as opposed to listened to, so I am rounding the rating up instead of down. Grudgingly though, because that ending... Yes, I know it is the first book in a series, so a cliffhanger is to be expected, but this was the mother of cliffhangers; I honestly cannot recall a book ending this abruptly. And I am unsure if I would have like it as much as I hope so because the fact is there were a lot of subplots.

Regardless, there were interesting plot twists, great action scenes, plenty of suspense and even a bit of gore. I have to say there were bits of humour which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Mostly, there was so much richness in the plot and world building that it deserved my full attention and ability to retain the concepts.
Or take notes on my Kindle.

I recommend that you get this book, preferably a printed version. If you consider yourself a professional audiobook listener, this version will be fine as well, if you can get past the things I mentioned earlier.

Disclaimer: I won this audiobook in a Rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Audiobookreviewer.

[Lex Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was with a degree of trepidation that I began reading “Kryathaba Rising” by William Bryan Miller. Fearful caution because, in the past, I have carefully avoided high tech and (what I call) “hard-core” science fiction as novels that I can’t enjoy because I haven’t the patience or inclination to wade through myriad paragraphs of detailed, mystifying science, regardless the scientific subdivision. My fears were realized in spades for the first three chapters as Mr. Miller laid the foundation for the story with complicated (for me) computer jargon and highly technical definitions/descriptions for the subterranean world in which this tale begins. Because the characters were developed quickly, I was very interested in their growth, so I continued to read…every word…until suddenly, like the morning sun bursting over the top of a mountain top, everything became clear and the story, itself, assumed dominance. I was thoroughly hooked from that point onward.

Every character is exceedingly well developed and accurate to the wide variety of traits and characteristics common to the human psyche. (Subsequent to finishing the novel, I learned that Mr. Miller holds a degree in psychology.) The initial futuristic, post-apocalyptic world Mr. Miller creates is amazingly described, using all of the technical descriptive necessary while equalizing the difficult concepts with easy to understand narrative. And then…what is already an addictive, believable story takes a side road into a fantasy world that, for the duration of the tale, runs concomitant to the initial futuristic plot. The original connection between these two worlds is clear; how they will interact as the characters and storyline develop remains to be seen in future episodes to the series, and therein, lies my single, critical comment.

I fully understand and applaud the use of cliff-hangars in novel series. With brilliant honesty, Mr. Miller explains the cliff-hangar ending in comments following the conclusion of the story. All well and good…but for me, the cliffhanger conclusion was too steep. Still, though none of the story sub-plots was concluded and the point at which the story ends was, perhaps, not the best position, “Kryathaba Rising” stands an excellent chance of becoming an epic Sci-fi/Fantasy tale that I highly recommend. If only the second episode were readily available!

[Leonie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kyrathaba Rising was a welcome find for me. For the first thirty or so pages, I was wondering where it was going and whether I was going to enjoy it, but as the story continued I became more and more intrigued. This story is much more original than most, and I really enjoyed the ongoing twists that the author revealed over the course of the book.

William Bryan Millar has woven Science Fiction and Fantasy themes together very cleverly, and when the book came to the end, I was extremely disappointed that I will have to wait for the sequel. Warning! It was an abrupt cliffhanger ending, with many things in many places, still unresolved.

As far as the writing goes, well there were a few misplaced words or the odd apostrophe in the wrong place, and in the early part of the book there was some wooden dialogue, but in my opinion, the writing improved as the book progressed. I understand that the author is, or has already, revised the book, so subsequent readers are unlikely to find those same errors. Having said that, the story is well formed and enjoyable, with a coherent plot line. The author has obviously taken great care to make sure that everything sits neatly in a well thought out timeline. At one point there was quite a bit of explanation which possibly could have been done in a slightly more subtle way, but it wasn't enormously long, and didn't detract from the overall story.

I'm not sure how many books this series will take, but there are many threads to the story and a number of points of view, which I personally like. This first book suggests more than one sequel to me, and I will be looking forward to reading them. I plan to recommend this book to our 18 year old son, who enjoys fantasy and computers, and I think the themes will really suit him.

[Judith-Victoria Douglas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. Miller has combined fantasy with science fiction, connecting them with a lot more technical jargon than I am comfortable with. The characters were interesting, but once you feel you know some of them they change into something else without a hint to allow an "ah-ha, I thought maybe" moment. It's a world filled with survivors so the whereabouts and happening of all those significant in the story can't be present all the time, understandably. However, I caught myself checking a couple of times to see how much longer to the end. It was obvious few things would be resolved, so the cliffhanger wasn't a surprise, but it was done well enough, like the end of a chapter. I'm not inclined to continue the series, because all the techno jargon distracted from the story for me. It didn't leave me caring enough about the characters and their outcome. Simplified the story would have been more enjoyable for me, but I know there are techno-serious fans who will love it. For them I highly recommend it. Just because it's not exactly to my tastes doesn't mean it wasn't well written. It was, with lots of twists. At the end I wondered if the lady doctor put "under" would find herself in the wrong hands when she "woke up." And, without anyone to explain her circumstance, she could be in big trouble. I think a couple of paragraphs at the end about that would have made the cliffhanger as dramatic as leaving someone hanging on the edge by their fingernails, looking down while loosing their grip.
I was gifted this novel.

[Sonya Dodd · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very intense, cleverly constructed sci-fi/fantasy novel. The action is set in the future where earth has been left uninhabitable by an alien strike which brought high levels of radiation to earth's atmosphere.

There is a small contingency of humans living in a subterranean maze of tunnels who, realising their environment is becoming more unstable, seek a solution or alternative home.

One faction goes to a parallel world, hence the name Kyrathaba. Another team explore other underground caves and tunnels.

An extra sense of horror and drama is added by the aliens who live amongst the humans without detection. There are a few Alien moments which left me searching for Sigourney Weaver to come and put the world to rights for these terrified humans.

Altogether this is an excellent example for the genre. At times I did find the change of location and character a little confusing. There is a lot of technological language which was necessary to setting the scene and would be a must for true sci-fi fanatics.

[Rich Fiscus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kyrathaba Rising is hard to describe. The story is incredibly ambitious, filled with one clever plot twist after another, and William Bryan Miller shows a natural gift for writing you just can't teach.

Unfortunately it isn't until about halfway through the book his main characters really find voices of their own. Initially the dialog comes off more like exposition to establish the setting - his words instead of their own. It seems rushed, like he was in a little too much of a hurry to get the action underway.

Once that happens he really finds his groove and the characters start coming to life. I didn't feel like it quite lived up to its potential and the sudden cliffhanger ending was a little jarring. It was definitely good enough to make me excited for the sequel if only to see some of of William Bryan Miller's evolution as a writer.

[Jada Ryker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sci Fi and Fantasy in One Glorious Package!

In Kyrathaba Rising (Kyrathaba Chronicles), by William Bryan Miller, Sethra Slatton has spent seven of his twenty three years as a post-apocalypse survivor in the late twenty-third century. While many people believe the end of the world was the result of global terrorism, the government stated it was due aliens, who used viral and nuclear weapons. Sethra lives in an underground compound called A-3. While he suspects there are other cells of survivors, he realizes it’s possible the human race is down to just eight hundred survivors. With the dangerous levels of radiation reaching the compound, that number is falling fast.

In the atmosphere, an alien craft is orbiting the earth. Underground, as radiation levels rise and the remaining humans are poisoned, the survivors face tough choices. The community decides to dig deeper into the ground, knowing they could be dead before they reach safety from the radiation. Sethra and his friends don’t like the odds, and have a different idea for survival.

Sethra, along with Byron, Eddie, and Veronee, Sethra’s girlfriend, decides to explore a different option. Using a chip holding an advanced total immersion game, the group decides to enter the continuous reality of the simulation. At the same time, the software actually transfers to the consciousnesses of the users into the simulation. As an added twist, Byron resolves not to leave his girlfriend behind, in spite of only four receptacles for five bodies. The problem is resolved in a particularly poignant manner.

Near time to put the plan into action, Sethra discovers a mysterious death through his search algorithms. While mortality has always been related to illness, the death was a violent one. And when Sethra realizes the dead man had been guarding the Shaft, he knows the killing was deliberate. The Shaft is the source of the radiation leakage from the surface. The leakage is making the underground population sick and leading to its annihilation.

Mr. Miller’s descriptions, plots and subplots, and character interactions combine for an excellent science fiction read. His amazing grasp of science and technology leads to his creation of a future which is as compelling as it is possible. For example, his characters use subvocalization, which allows them to create documents in their heads. At the same time, his characterizations of the androids reflect humor and humanity. Like Sethra, Mr. Miller could be an MIT graduate and scientist. With pop culture references from Huey Lewis and News to Tolkien as well as the RPG aspects, the book also appeals to the less hardcore sci fi fans.

I can’t wait for the sequel, Kyrathaba Waxing!

[AudioBookReviewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

ABR's full Kyrathaba Rising audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.

Kyrathaba Rising is a post-apocalyptic world in the 2200’s and which aliens, robots and humans reside. Discovering unstableness and treachery, the humans and androids break into two fractions. One small group of four travels into a parallel world that is virtual in a sense and filled with magic, kings, orcs and such. The other fraction, a much larger group explores going deeper into the underground system they have been forced to live in since the war of human vs alien seven years prior.

Within the book one is faced with two worlds, both fighting for the same right to life and freedom from alien domination. The aliens remain above in a space ship, waiting, patiently.

I found Kyrathaba Rising to be a book one cannot listen to in bits and pieces, rather one must devote longer periods of time because it is very technical in the first 30 minutes. A hardcore science novel, it is very richly devoted to details that creates a clear understanding of what is going on and establishes character development.

It was interesting to experience the mash-up of hardcore science and fantasy, creating a connection where one would not normally see it. The plot development and character development were well executed.

The narrator, Christine Padovan did a good job of narrating. If one listened closely one could distinguish the humans from the androids because the androids spoke with the ending of their words being drawn out.

Production was good as there were no issues and no distracting background noises.

I would highly recommend this to anyone who is a hardcore science fan.

Audiobook provided for review by the narrator.

[R. Jackson-Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intriguing high-brow sci-fi

I received Kyrthaba Rising as part of review exchange with the author William Bryan Miller. It tells the story of the surviving pockets of humanity, who live underground after Aliens have attacked and destroyed the surface through a nuclear assault.

Four survivors manage to insert themselves into a virtual reality full of Orcs and magic, that may be more than it seems, whilst the humans and androids in the underground bunker of A3 deal with murder, intrigue, deception and a full on alien attack.

I enjoyed the book overall, it was very well written and with excellent editing and proofreading (I don't think I encountered a single error that comes to mind). It isn't what I'd normally read, but I'm glad I did, and with how it ended, I would be keen to read books 2 and 3 to discover the rest of the story.

My only gripe is that the reveals at the end of the book didn't completely gel with what I'd read in the book so far. Maybe the details of the how and why will be revealed in later books, in which case I applaud the author for drafting such a complex metaphysical tale!

Score 4 out of 5 stars

Review system
5 stars excellent
4 stars very good
3 stars average
2 stars below average
1 star poor

[Sahara Foley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the type of book that’s hard to do a review on because I don’t want to give anything away. The plot, or should I say multiple plots, keeps you going back and forth, which personally I love. It’s sci-fi without going into the dreary, unnecessary, technical details. There is no confusion of characters and I became involved in the story almost from the beginning. My favorite character didn’t make itself known until the end, Mephord. Before that, it was Grant Thompson. What he finds in the subterranean water system is mind blowing. Makes me wonder, What if?
Yes, it ends with a cliffhanger, but this is definitely a series I want to finish. There are so many questions that we, the Readers, need answers to. And there are enough twists and turns to keep anyone with an active imagination happy. I love the whole concept of Kyrathaba. I love computer RPG’s so this feeds my Mage/Ranger fantasy. Now you’ll have to read the book to find out what I mean.
If you like action adventure and sci-fi, this will be right up your alley. I give this book my 5 feathers. My poor goose is going to be bald.

[Jenn Ayers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not a huge sci-fi fan, but I do love a bit of fantasy. Miller has managed to begin pulling me around to have a slight interest in the area with how he mixed fantasy in with his aliens-invading-Earth story. Yes, the scheme has been done before. Big, bad aliens come to earth and forever change the planet, but this man takes it one step further taking something that seems straight of the world of Frodo (it's not Frodo's world, but the feel is there, and I love it!) and combining it with a world that has super intelligent technology and extremely unhappy outer space visitors. It is well written, and there are areas that made it hard for me to stop reading. It only took me a couple days to read this! All the stories that bring me entertaining joy I tend to read quickly, so this is a high compliment. I give a 4 star, though, because the ending was abrupt. I am guessing there will be more, but a hint as to what could be in the next would have been great! Regardless, I am quite interested in reading more in this series!

[Faith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very cool book. It's post-nuclear holocaust sci-fi rolled into virtual reality/alternate dimensions/fantasy. The author has seamlessly combined these things to create a Tolkien-esque world in Kyrathaba. The technical jargon is enough to get any true nerds engine running. The author has done an unbelievable amount of research, numerical calculations, and (seemingly, cuz what do I really know) invented his own technology. He's rolled this all into a unique, interesting story.

I reserve five star ratings for books that I could read over and over. What prevented this for Kyrathaba? The beginning was very hard to get into. The dialogue was so lengthy that I found myself wondering if every word was truly necessary for advancing the plot. If this book were a tv show, there would be action interspersed within the dialogue which would keep it interesting. But reading it as it was just felt static and I found myself zoning out.

That being said, I would still recommend this book to my friends, as it was a great start to a very cool journey into Kyrathaba.

[Cassie Blanche · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know if this will be a one-off from a new author, or if we've only seen the first of even better things to come. Kyrathaba Rising is taut. I couldn't stop turning pages. It's just one of those books where there really isn't a good stopping-place so you can bookmark it and pick up again the next day.

So, it caused me to be late to work a couple mornings (shhh... I don't think the boss noticed)

The author writes in a gritty tone, though not so gritty that there aren't instances of laugh-out-loud humor (for me, at least: anyone else find that to be the case?) Very well-written.

I love the way most of the chapters end with a little quip from one character or another, or some little twist or another that's almost as if the author is winking to you, the reader.

I also love the cover, and if I ever try my hand at self-publishing, I hope that Mr. Miller will put me in touch with his cover designer.

Top notch book. Buy it!

[C.J. Rutherford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Please...please write the next book in this series.
I so much wanted to give this book five stars, purely for the adrenaline rush caused by the last third of the book. It was amazing. It tied elements of science fiction, fantasy, post apocalyptic, and role play gaming together perfectly.
To say this book is unique is an understatement.
I won't write spoilers, but please, read this.
The reason I took a star off is that Mr Miller introduces a new unit of measurement in the fantasy world that bears no resemblance to ours. I suppose it's like converting from metric to imperial, but it jarred me out my immersion. This was a shame because the world is amazing.
Thankfully, by the end of the book, I was fully engaged in wondering how the aliens would be defeated. But then the book left us on a horrible cliffhanger.
I really hope there is a follow up to this book. This story needs to be told.

[Anne-Rae Vasquez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant storytelling, Kyrathaba Rising is set in the future after an alien invasion wipes out the Earth leaving it inhabitable. Humans struggle to survive in their man-made underground cities deep below the earth's surface. The introduction to the dystopian world of Kyrathaba was marvelously spun. I loved Miller's ability to build the parallel world with an original use of technology, sci-fi and adventure. As a busy person myself with a relatively short attention span, Miller's debut novel kept me up, turning page after page. I suspect the ending was written to keep readers on the lookout for Book 2. Good work!

Recommendation: For readers who enjoy adventures into futuristic worlds, you will love this book. Readers of fantasy, science fiction/technology, dystopia, future, scifi, adventure genres will really enjoy the read.


5/5 stars

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alright, this was one of those SciFi books written by a true nerd. I know he was a true nerd the moment I saw the word ‘Frak’ being used. The author isn’t a lazy writer, instead of throwing in vampires and super powers and simply labeling the book a scifi, he created a new world. He created his own technology and an underground world. It was refreshing to read a post-apocalyptic story not about zombies, but instead the very ignored aliens. It was truly a survival story, even though as a reader I didn’t feel the characters had much hope of survival in their situation. But unlike me, the main character Sethra and friends didn’t settle with that view.

As a reader, prepare yourself for a complex title with tons of different characters and locations. It’s not as dumbed down as a lot of modern scifi stories. This is not the City of Ember. Oh, and disconnect while you can.

[Chameleon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wild ride for me, very tech heavy and incredibly imaginative. This story involves numerous characters, but for me, Sethra and his companions keep center stage, and it's their plight I'm most concerned with. Once they escape the underground world they've called home for so many years due to high levels of surface radiation unleashed by an alien attack, they are transported into a world created by programmers- a world much like World of Warcraft. This is where I enjoyed the story the most!
This is a real gem for the true sci-fi reader, and even something for us hardcore gamers who have killed more than a few thousand orcs in our time. Great character development, and world creation will keep you turning the pages. If you love sci-fi / fanatsy with a dystopian feel, you will really enjoy this story!

[Nicolas Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun, fun book. A mix of post-apocalyptic alien-invasion scifi, and classic DnD fantasy. The characters are pretty thoroughly realized, and aside from the tendency to infodump exposition, it's well written. The infodump thing bugged me quite a bit, but the story was worth tolerating it. A word of warning- if you are a reader who is sensitive to conclusions, hates cliffhangers, forward momentum in a series, or unresolved plot threads, you may want to snag it, but wait until the sequel comes out to actually read it, so you won't be bothered by the ending. It's well worth the trip, but you'll probably be growling when you read the last chapter, otherwise. May as well set yourself up for the best reading experience possible. For those readers who love the wait, and the thrill of the unknown, have at it.

[Jan Raymond · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What an imagination! Kyrathaba Rising is a superb sci fi fantasy, set in the far future. It starts simply enough as another take on how humans survive a nuclear holocaust and how they adapt to the after math. But it soon evolves into an intricate story that moves between different worlds and environments. Some of the clever plot twists completely blindside you, and soon you simply can't stop turning the pages. You just have to know what happens next.

Bryan Miller has a Tolkein like concept, albeit set in the future where there are different stories happening side by side, and you know that at the end all the many threads will entwine to form the final knot. The breadth and variety of characters is simply mind boggling. An absolutely fascinating read, vivid and detailed from character development and settings to the plot itself. Waiting to read the sequel!!!

[Lucian Gladart · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been quite some time since I indulged myself in science-fiction. After reading Kyrathaba Rising, I'm glad to say that I did so! This was an enjoyable romp through a post-apocalyptic landscape. The author keeps a crisp pace, for which I am grateful (I hate getting 1/3 of the way through a book only to lose interest due to a slogging pace).

The characters are entertaining. I'm sure they'll be more fully developed in succeeding novels in the series -- of which I hope there are several (hint, hint, Mr. Miller).

There are several favorite parts/passages, but I won't detail them here so as to avoid any spoilers.

I love the way the author weaves humor and grittiness into the same narrative braid.

[Regina M. Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kyrathaba Rising is a marvelously inventive work, which takes twists and turns that you can't see coming. The action takes place in Earth's distant future, where a dwindling human population dwells in a deep, underground refuge. They are survivors of a devastating alien attack that rendered Earth's surface uninhabitable, and the aliens continue their hunt. Nothing is ever as it seems. Despite worsening conditions, the spirit of humanity perseveres. The story is rich with detail as the survivors reason their way to inventive solutions.

Kyrathaba Rising ends with many loose ends, and I eagerly await the next installment.

[Scott Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic! I wasn't sure how I'd enjoy it after the first few pages, but it picked up fairly quickly and sucked me right in. The story is that of a futuristic America driven underground after an alien attack. Those of the human race who have survived are suffering from radiation poisoning, and the population is dwindling. A small group of survivors band together in one last-ditch attempt to preserve, well, it's hard to explain without including a spoiler. Let's just say this book is filled with plenty of twists and turns, the sci-fi is unique and imaginative, and I will definitely be keeping my eye out for book two.

[Demelza Carlton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cool concept, mashing science fiction and fantasy along the lines of Tad Williams in his Otherland series. Of course, Mr Miller takes us one step further - into a Matrix-like necessity where the humans who don't tap into the virtual reality face the prospect of uncertain death in a post-apocalyptic world. Adding an element of sleeper agents, or non-humans infiltrating the human population, like in Battlestar Galactica, just ups the suspense factor in what is a fascinating science fiction thriller.

There's a huge amount of technical detail in this book, so if you're passionate about knowing precisely the model number of the weapon used...this is definitely for you.

[Deedra · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book left me groaning from the start.The narrator,Christine Padovan,read with such a drone that I could barely listen.I found the story to be too full of tech,wonderment at what the characters can do/have done to even care if they survive.There is alien invasion,secret weapons and juvenile humor.
"I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author in exchange for an unbiased review via AudiobookBlast dot com."

[Terrill L. Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading Kyrathaba Rising was like Battlefield Earth meets World Of Warcraft and they met inside the matrix. It was an excellent blend of Sci-Fi and Fantasy. William Bryan Miller creates characters that actually bring this story to life. Packed with action and fun plot twist along the way. Looking forward to the next installment.

[Dena Nicotra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kyrathaba Rising is an interesting blend of sci-fi and fantasy. I particularly enjoyed the detailed,imaginative world Miller created and found that his tech-fused style added to the realism of the post-apocalyptic setting. There's a great deal of time devoted to setting the backdrop, but it is well worth the investment.

[Lisa Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Smart Scifi-Fantasy mix. This is an intelligent, ever evolving, plot that just keeps taking you deeper and deeper into the realms of quantum physics designed to save humanity after an alien invasion. About the time you think you’ve got it figured out, you don’t. Anxiously awaiting book two.

[Perry Mowbray · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a great read, trust me, you'll love it :)

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kyrathaba is the name of a virtual reality world. Set in the future by nearly 200 years, humans exist in only subterranean remnants. The Earth suffered a devastating attack from aliens and what few humans are slowly dying out due to radiation poisoning. Sethra, a member of compound A-3, has found a way to enter Kyrathaba, and perhaps stay there indefinitely. Things look grim and Sethra, along with a few close friends, seriously contemplate the possibility that humanity as we know it may not be able to continue in their current form.

The story starts off with Sethra and Byron sharing a morning beverage of U Tea. Since they live in these completely enclosed underground capsules, everything, including their urine, is recycled. I am sure you can figure out what goes into the U Tea. Of course, I was enjoying my own morning cup of tea when I listened to this part of the book. And yes, I stared at my tea suspiciously.

So you can see that I was sucked into the straight-faced humor of the book right away. I enjoyed learning about the characters first, letting their current world unfold around me as Sethra and his friends went through their daily routine. Radiation poisoning is killing them off bit by bit. Even though they continue to reproduce as quickly as they can, attrition may well win out; humans are facing the very real possibility of becoming extinct. Compound A-3 has a regular security force who have a regular schedule. Their food is bland. The medical staff and care is the best they can maintain under such circumstances. And there are robots, which is the cool part in all this gloom.

While Sethra looks deeper into the possibility of long-term virtual reality habitation, Earth has a bigger issue. There’s an alien ship in orbit and it’s sole purpose is to monitor the remaining humans. I don’t think humanity could stand up to a second alien invasion. Meanwhile, the geoscientists explore drilling further into the Earth to escape the radiation and expand their living quarters. They discover an underground cavern with a clean water source. In exploring the depth and width of the water source, they make a very surprising discovery. I think this was the secondary plot line I enjoyed the most and want to learn more about. So many questions!

Kyrathaba itself is a Dungeons and Dragons kind of world; there’s magic, Orcs, plenty of sharp weapons, and paragon points to be earned. This magical world complimented, rather than contradicting, the science fiction tone of the larger story. I don’t always enjoy scifi and fantasy melding, but in this case it was done very well. The story had a good mix of characters, both male and female characters having crucial roles to the plot. Plus we had a range of ethnicity and ages. Definite plus!

My one criticism lies in the use of radiation poisoning to be the initial driver of the plot. I did radiological work for several years, dressing in yellow Tyvek, full-face respirator, nasal swabs, etc. To make it very simple, you either have a radiation source emitting radiation or you have radioactive particles that you have ingested or inhaled. For the first, you put shielding between you and it and you should be good. Shielding can be lead, several meters of earth, etc. And compound A-3 had all that in place between it and the surface of the contaminated Earth. The story didn’t really mention the possibility of the population all repeatedly inhaling, imbibing, or ingesting radioactive particles. Basic HEPA filters would take care of this problem and would be the first solution for signs of radiation poisoning. Also, with enough radiation to be causing prolonged radiation sickness over generations, then we would see the electronics failing left, right, and center. Electronics do not hold up well in the glow of radiation. At the best, they get buggy and stay that way. In this tale, we have a lot of cool tech and all of it was working just fine, showing no signs of electronic wear due to prolonged exposure to radiation.

But if I wasn’t such a know it all, the radiation threat would probably work just fine. Over all, I enjoyed the tale and the multiple plot lines. I really want to know what is in that big cavern pool of water! I want to know what happens to Sethra and his friends in the virtual world of Kyrathaba. There are enemies every where it seems, human, alien, and potentially something else. Indeed, there is plenty of worth in this book to propel the reader into the next installment.

The Narration: Padovan did a decent job of narrating. Her characters were each distinct. In fact, she did most of the book with a geek accent which was well suited to many of the characters as they were half raised by their computer implants. Her male voices could use a bit more masculinity, but that is my only negative comment.