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The Blood and Steel Saga #0.5
The Crown of Omens
On the churning waves of the Icebreaker Sea, black-masted galleons appear at the walls of Casantri's harbour under the cover of night. The palace keep looms large against the moon; the quiet city streets lie still and peaceful.
And then thunder cracks and cannon fire sets the harbour ablaze, as the greatest nation the world has known crumbles before them in the dark, besieged by an enemy on the hunt for revenge.
Tarraz, the ancient foe and former colony of Provenci, have amassed power under a mysterious new leader and make plans for a coming war. A war of gods and men alike, that will tear the world apart at its seams and bring a wave of suffering to thousands.
And it is a war that begins, when a pale figure slips ashore that fateful night, in search of a broken redemption and the famed Crown of Omens.
For the end of the world had come, and the ruin of man will follow...
And then thunder cracks and cannon fire sets the harbour ablaze, as the greatest nation the world has known crumbles before them in the dark, besieged by an enemy on the hunt for revenge.
Tarraz, the ancient foe and former colony of Provenci, have amassed power under a mysterious new leader and make plans for a coming war. A war of gods and men alike, that will tear the world apart at its seams and bring a wave of suffering to thousands.
And it is a war that begins, when a pale figure slips ashore that fateful night, in search of a broken redemption and the famed Crown of Omens.
For the end of the world had come, and the ruin of man will follow...
- GenresFantasy
159 pages, Paperback
Published October 1, 2023
11 people are currently reading
222 people want to read
About the author
E.J. Doble
11 books98 followersE J Doble is 23 years old from Bath, UK. A self-published author of philosophical and Grimdark fantasy, his first novel, THE FANGS OF WAR, was released in January 2022. He works in quality assurance by profession, and also reads broadly in history and politics.
When not writing, he is most often found drinking excess amounts of coffee and tending to a variety of houseplants with odd and entirely pointless names.
When not writing, he is most often found drinking excess amounts of coffee and tending to a variety of houseplants with odd and entirely pointless names.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
April 29, 2024
Review copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
3.5/5 stars
The Crown of Omens is an action-packed alternative starting point for Doble’s grimdark Blood and Steel Saga.
I didn’t start my journey with The Blood and Steel Saga through The Crown of Omens. I started it by reading The Fangs of War, E.J. Doble’s debut novel and the first main installment in the series. However, I cannot help but feel The Crown of Omens would work nicely as my first entry into the series. Especially if I want a taste of Doble’s writing style and action scenes before reading the bigger books in the main series. The entire story in The Crown of Omens is basically a siege that takes place decades before the events of The Fangs of War. And The Crown of Omens is told from the perspective of 10 POV characters. Each character—most unnamed—has one chapter in the novella. The twist to this narrative decision is that it is done in a way reminiscent of Abercrombie’s war scenes in The Heroes and The Age of Madness trilogy. What do I mean by this? This is when the killer of the current POV character became the next POV chapter we read. This continues until the end, and the result is a seamless and bloody action sequence. Due to the short length and relatively experimental nature, The Crown of Omens did lack a bit in characterizations because each POV character did not have any room to develop. Do not expect Abercrombie's level of greatness; to be fair, no one is as good as Abercrombie's cinematic close-quarter combat scenes. But Doble totally did a great job showing how harrowing and violent war can be from both sides. There are no victories in war, only death and horror.
If you feel intimidated by the lengths of the main titles in The Blood and Steel Saga, you cannot go wrong with trying The Crown of Omens first to have a clear sample of Doble's writing and storytelling. Do know that the characterizations in the main novels are far superior to what you get here, though. But regarding the importance of The Crown of Omens to the overarching series, for now, I will say it is not a must-read. I did not feel like The Crown of Omens added anything substantial to the lore I read in The Fangs of War. But we'll see whether my opinion changes after I read the sequel to The Fangs of War, The Horns of Grief, which supposedly is Doble's best work so far.
You can order this book from: Amazon | Blackwells (Free International shipping)
You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions | I also have a Booktube channel
Special thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for giving me extra support towards my passion for reading and reviewing!
My Patrons: Alfred, Aliysa, Ambrosius, Andrew, Andrew S, Annabeth, Anne, Arliss, Barbara, Bev, Cade, Chris, Christopher, Cullen, Dan, Donuts, Dylan, Edward, Elaine, Elias, Erich, Feanor, Francesca, Frank, Garrick, Gary, Gregory, Hamad, Helen, Jenn, Jesse, Joie, Jonathan, Katrina, Kim, Kristina, Lara, Lourdes, Luis, Melinda, Michael, Michael, Mike, Miracle, Mordie, Nicholas, Norbert, Radiah, RCT, Redmischief, Rue, Samuel, Sarah, Sarah, Scott, Shawn, Steph, Stephanie, Tiffany, Tracy, Trish, TS, Wick, Woodman, Xero, Yuri, Zoe.
3.5/5 stars
The Crown of Omens is an action-packed alternative starting point for Doble’s grimdark Blood and Steel Saga.
I didn’t start my journey with The Blood and Steel Saga through The Crown of Omens. I started it by reading The Fangs of War, E.J. Doble’s debut novel and the first main installment in the series. However, I cannot help but feel The Crown of Omens would work nicely as my first entry into the series. Especially if I want a taste of Doble’s writing style and action scenes before reading the bigger books in the main series. The entire story in The Crown of Omens is basically a siege that takes place decades before the events of The Fangs of War. And The Crown of Omens is told from the perspective of 10 POV characters. Each character—most unnamed—has one chapter in the novella. The twist to this narrative decision is that it is done in a way reminiscent of Abercrombie’s war scenes in The Heroes and The Age of Madness trilogy. What do I mean by this? This is when the killer of the current POV character became the next POV chapter we read. This continues until the end, and the result is a seamless and bloody action sequence. Due to the short length and relatively experimental nature, The Crown of Omens did lack a bit in characterizations because each POV character did not have any room to develop. Do not expect Abercrombie's level of greatness; to be fair, no one is as good as Abercrombie's cinematic close-quarter combat scenes. But Doble totally did a great job showing how harrowing and violent war can be from both sides. There are no victories in war, only death and horror.
If you feel intimidated by the lengths of the main titles in The Blood and Steel Saga, you cannot go wrong with trying The Crown of Omens first to have a clear sample of Doble's writing and storytelling. Do know that the characterizations in the main novels are far superior to what you get here, though. But regarding the importance of The Crown of Omens to the overarching series, for now, I will say it is not a must-read. I did not feel like The Crown of Omens added anything substantial to the lore I read in The Fangs of War. But we'll see whether my opinion changes after I read the sequel to The Fangs of War, The Horns of Grief, which supposedly is Doble's best work so far.
You can order this book from: Amazon | Blackwells (Free International shipping)
You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions | I also have a Booktube channel
Special thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for giving me extra support towards my passion for reading and reviewing!
My Patrons: Alfred, Aliysa, Ambrosius, Andrew, Andrew S, Annabeth, Anne, Arliss, Barbara, Bev, Cade, Chris, Christopher, Cullen, Dan, Donuts, Dylan, Edward, Elaine, Elias, Erich, Feanor, Francesca, Frank, Garrick, Gary, Gregory, Hamad, Helen, Jenn, Jesse, Joie, Jonathan, Katrina, Kim, Kristina, Lara, Lourdes, Luis, Melinda, Michael, Michael, Mike, Miracle, Mordie, Nicholas, Norbert, Radiah, RCT, Redmischief, Rue, Samuel, Sarah, Sarah, Scott, Shawn, Steph, Stephanie, Tiffany, Tracy, Trish, TS, Wick, Woodman, Xero, Yuri, Zoe.
January 2, 2024
The Crown of Omens is the exhilarating prequel novella to The Fangs of War, which kicks off E.J. Doble’s The Blood and Steel Saga with an absolute bang. Imagine Joe Abercrombie’s The Heroes, but just make it a bit shorter and a whole lot more brutal.
Set entirely during one fateful night 50 years before the start of The Fangs of War, The Crown of Omens focuses on the Tarazzi raid on the Casantri harbour which ends up launching these two nations into war. Each chapter switches back and forth between the Tarazzi invaders and the Provenci soldiers, and it quickly becomes clear that no one is safe and zero punches are being pulled.
The Crown of Omens has to be one of the most unique, experimental, and riveting novellas I have ever read. What makes it stand out from the crowd is its bold, unique, and unconventional storytelling set-up. Almost none of these extremely morally grey characters are named, instead being referred to by their positions/roles in the fight. But what’s even more interesting, is the fact that each new chapter launches you into a new POV; that being the killer of the last POV character you were only just reading from.
Why yes, this story is indeed relentlessly grim and filled with death and despair. Though while it might sound like this unconventional storytelling method would make for a very hectic and possibly detached reading experience, the opposite couldn’t be more true.
With The Crown of Omens, Doble proves that a skilled author doesn’t need a lot of words/pages to establish characters, world, and atmosphere of the highest quality. The imagery is incredibly vivid, every action scene is riveting, and all the emotional beats hit way harder than you could ever have anticipated.
Now, it almost feels cliché to compare a new grimdark author to Joe Abercrombie, but does that really matter when the comparison is so apt and well-earned? In fact, I would personally take Doble’s works over Abercrombie’s all day, every day. His visceral yet lyrical prose just grabs you by the throat and makes every single scene and character come to life before your eyes, for better or worse. And holy smokes, if he doesn’t know how to set a scene!
The Crown of Omens is the perfect introduction to Doble’s excellent skill as an author and storyteller, and while it works magnificently as a standalone, I can guarantee that it will leave you hungering for more in the best way possible. Lucky for you, there are already two main novels in The Blood and Steel Saga just waiting for you to devour them. I truly can’t recommend The Crown of Omens highly enough, this is just food for every grimdark lover’s (dark and empty) soul!
Set entirely during one fateful night 50 years before the start of The Fangs of War, The Crown of Omens focuses on the Tarazzi raid on the Casantri harbour which ends up launching these two nations into war. Each chapter switches back and forth between the Tarazzi invaders and the Provenci soldiers, and it quickly becomes clear that no one is safe and zero punches are being pulled.
The Crown of Omens has to be one of the most unique, experimental, and riveting novellas I have ever read. What makes it stand out from the crowd is its bold, unique, and unconventional storytelling set-up. Almost none of these extremely morally grey characters are named, instead being referred to by their positions/roles in the fight. But what’s even more interesting, is the fact that each new chapter launches you into a new POV; that being the killer of the last POV character you were only just reading from.
Why yes, this story is indeed relentlessly grim and filled with death and despair. Though while it might sound like this unconventional storytelling method would make for a very hectic and possibly detached reading experience, the opposite couldn’t be more true.
With The Crown of Omens, Doble proves that a skilled author doesn’t need a lot of words/pages to establish characters, world, and atmosphere of the highest quality. The imagery is incredibly vivid, every action scene is riveting, and all the emotional beats hit way harder than you could ever have anticipated.
Now, it almost feels cliché to compare a new grimdark author to Joe Abercrombie, but does that really matter when the comparison is so apt and well-earned? In fact, I would personally take Doble’s works over Abercrombie’s all day, every day. His visceral yet lyrical prose just grabs you by the throat and makes every single scene and character come to life before your eyes, for better or worse. And holy smokes, if he doesn’t know how to set a scene!
The Crown of Omens is the perfect introduction to Doble’s excellent skill as an author and storyteller, and while it works magnificently as a standalone, I can guarantee that it will leave you hungering for more in the best way possible. Lucky for you, there are already two main novels in The Blood and Steel Saga just waiting for you to devour them. I truly can’t recommend The Crown of Omens highly enough, this is just food for every grimdark lover’s (dark and empty) soul!
February 27, 2024
4.5/5
Doble doesn’t miss. I’ve been championing Ethan as an author for the past few years now. Everything I’ve read that he’s written has been excellent, to the point where I genuinely think he’s just as good as many mainstay popular fantasy authors out there currently, despite his age and that his books are self pub. It’s insane to me that he’s thus good, at such an early point. Remember his name because this guy is going to blow up in in the fantasy/grimdark scene.
Set before the events of The Fangs of War, The Crown of Omens is an experimental novella which outlines a battle between the two rival nations of Tarraz and Provenci, the battle that kicks off the war that we see in the mainline books, The Fangs of War and The Horns of Grief. The Tarrazi forces invade the city of Casantri, and the battle that ensues is ferocious. No one is safe from the chaos. The novella’s chapters flow through the battle seamlessly as we experience the conflict from many different participants of the battle, both willing and unwilling. The characters are nameless to the reader, with each POV chapter named after their position in the battle, or an event surrounding them. With that said, plenty is shared to the reader in regards to the character, and a connection is formed. I found it to be a wonderfully unique take on a narrative.
Doble has always excelled at writing in depth, well written action scenes and that continues to be the case here. The battle is hectic and the action is exhilarating. While the battle itself is bleak and full of horror, you still feel the urge to continue reading, it’s absorbing in all its chaos. His prose as usual, is exceptional and he brings that witty, yet dark narrative voice to life with certain characters in the novella, which we saw done brilliantly well in The Fangs of War and The Horns of Grief with characters such as Revek and Broska.
I will never not recommend this series. The Crown of Omens works as a launch pad into the series that starts off with a bang, and it also works as a supplementary piece to read after you’ve read the current released books.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again - Ethan is the successor to Joe Abercrombie, and I continue to stand by that statement. Do not sleep on him, this series, or his other works such as The Crescent Moon.
Doble doesn’t miss. I’ve been championing Ethan as an author for the past few years now. Everything I’ve read that he’s written has been excellent, to the point where I genuinely think he’s just as good as many mainstay popular fantasy authors out there currently, despite his age and that his books are self pub. It’s insane to me that he’s thus good, at such an early point. Remember his name because this guy is going to blow up in in the fantasy/grimdark scene.
Set before the events of The Fangs of War, The Crown of Omens is an experimental novella which outlines a battle between the two rival nations of Tarraz and Provenci, the battle that kicks off the war that we see in the mainline books, The Fangs of War and The Horns of Grief. The Tarrazi forces invade the city of Casantri, and the battle that ensues is ferocious. No one is safe from the chaos. The novella’s chapters flow through the battle seamlessly as we experience the conflict from many different participants of the battle, both willing and unwilling. The characters are nameless to the reader, with each POV chapter named after their position in the battle, or an event surrounding them. With that said, plenty is shared to the reader in regards to the character, and a connection is formed. I found it to be a wonderfully unique take on a narrative.
Doble has always excelled at writing in depth, well written action scenes and that continues to be the case here. The battle is hectic and the action is exhilarating. While the battle itself is bleak and full of horror, you still feel the urge to continue reading, it’s absorbing in all its chaos. His prose as usual, is exceptional and he brings that witty, yet dark narrative voice to life with certain characters in the novella, which we saw done brilliantly well in The Fangs of War and The Horns of Grief with characters such as Revek and Broska.
I will never not recommend this series. The Crown of Omens works as a launch pad into the series that starts off with a bang, and it also works as a supplementary piece to read after you’ve read the current released books.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again - Ethan is the successor to Joe Abercrombie, and I continue to stand by that statement. Do not sleep on him, this series, or his other works such as The Crescent Moon.
October 1, 2023
Review originally on
JamReads
The Crown of Omens is a new grimdark novella written by E.J. Doble, which serves as an introductory point to the Blood and Steel Saga, and a taster of what you can expect from his writing style. An experimental book, which innovates in certain aspects, set during a Tarrazi raid to Casantri's harbour, in the middle of the night; war drums sound in the background.
In this novella, we become spectators of that fatal night, following several POVs, painting the big picture of a chaotic battle/incursion just using those small pieces, the pawns on the table of history. Curiously, E.J. Doble decides to not name most characters, deciding to put the focus on their roles or their positions; and it's not light the detail of who it is named. While we advance in the novella, we can see that all of the chapters/POVs are joint by a common characteristic, using the death of the character to jump into its killer's POV.
As you can guess from the situation portrayed, we are going to read a story wrapped in chaos, especially when we are following Casantri's inhabitants; however, with this approach to narration, it is quite easy to get the full picture of the raid, and I must recognise E.J. Doble to write engaging battles, even when we might guess the result of it.
The pacing is absolutely frenetic, derived from the sense of urgency both sides are having. I would recommend reading this novella in a single sit, as I think the experience improves when you finish it.
If you are looking for an entry point to The Blood and Steel Saga, The Crown of Omens is an excellent one, acting as a sampler of Doble's writing style and an introduction to the conflict depicted. Pure epic grimdark!
The Crown of Omens is a new grimdark novella written by E.J. Doble, which serves as an introductory point to the Blood and Steel Saga, and a taster of what you can expect from his writing style. An experimental book, which innovates in certain aspects, set during a Tarrazi raid to Casantri's harbour, in the middle of the night; war drums sound in the background.
In this novella, we become spectators of that fatal night, following several POVs, painting the big picture of a chaotic battle/incursion just using those small pieces, the pawns on the table of history. Curiously, E.J. Doble decides to not name most characters, deciding to put the focus on their roles or their positions; and it's not light the detail of who it is named. While we advance in the novella, we can see that all of the chapters/POVs are joint by a common characteristic, using the death of the character to jump into its killer's POV.
As you can guess from the situation portrayed, we are going to read a story wrapped in chaos, especially when we are following Casantri's inhabitants; however, with this approach to narration, it is quite easy to get the full picture of the raid, and I must recognise E.J. Doble to write engaging battles, even when we might guess the result of it.
The pacing is absolutely frenetic, derived from the sense of urgency both sides are having. I would recommend reading this novella in a single sit, as I think the experience improves when you finish it.
If you are looking for an entry point to The Blood and Steel Saga, The Crown of Omens is an excellent one, acting as a sampler of Doble's writing style and an introduction to the conflict depicted. Pure epic grimdark!
July 15, 2024
Emerging through the darkness they come. Warships of the Tarrazi. An unrelenting bombardment in a harbour of death.
Wow! One of the most gripping action packed novellas I’ve ever read! Complete chaos & frenzy captured completely! Much much recommended!
Wow! One of the most gripping action packed novellas I’ve ever read! Complete chaos & frenzy captured completely! Much much recommended!
December 3, 2023
A great Grimdark debut from a new author!
This prequel novella was a great start to a new series. It got me hooked from page one. I love the fact how each chapter was a new nameless character, and each chapter hops from character one all the way through character ten as they go about this enemy invasion of a large coastal city.
Grim, dark, violent and gritty. Everything I love about this kind of fantasy. Will be moving on to book one immediately!
Fun, fast paced, action packed 5 star rating for this prequel novella!
This prequel novella was a great start to a new series. It got me hooked from page one. I love the fact how each chapter was a new nameless character, and each chapter hops from character one all the way through character ten as they go about this enemy invasion of a large coastal city.
Grim, dark, violent and gritty. Everything I love about this kind of fantasy. Will be moving on to book one immediately!
Fun, fast paced, action packed 5 star rating for this prequel novella!
December 24, 2023
At its core, The Crown of Omens is a novella focused on an epic battle as the Terrazi forces raid the harbour of Casantri. This is an experimental novella and for me, it was brilliant.
Often times, long battle scenes in books can feel dragged out and eventually lose my interest. That is not the case here, as Doble's stylistic choice of narration made this novella and absolute blast. It was exhilirating, and yet still full of emotion and heart. I was surprised at how quickly I came to feel for the characters, regardless of what side of the battle they were on. That in turn is another highlight for me, as the structural aspect of this novella did a great job at framing the battle from both sides. Readers are often limited to following a single protagonist and seeing the battle from their eyes. The Crown of Omens really encapsulates every single aspect of a battle, and it does so in such a unique way.
Doble's prose has always been a highlight for me, and this novella showcases his writing in a perfect way. His ability to "set a scene" is impressive, and I do think this novella is a perfect entry point into Doble's writing. It really showcases all of the authors strengths, but in a much more condensed form, for those who may not want to immediately jump into a 500+ page epic fantasy novel.
The pace of this novella, which is loaded with action, allowed me to absolutely rip through it. This was then contrasted with the rich writing, a style that allows the reader to truly savour each word, as well as Doble's ability to make me truly feel what each and everyone of the characters was feeling. Obviously it is hard to go into a ton of detail without spoiling the experimental aspect of the story, but I was hooked from the beginning and am thoroughly impressed as to how Doble continues to evolve as a writer.
Often times, long battle scenes in books can feel dragged out and eventually lose my interest. That is not the case here, as Doble's stylistic choice of narration made this novella and absolute blast. It was exhilirating, and yet still full of emotion and heart. I was surprised at how quickly I came to feel for the characters, regardless of what side of the battle they were on. That in turn is another highlight for me, as the structural aspect of this novella did a great job at framing the battle from both sides. Readers are often limited to following a single protagonist and seeing the battle from their eyes. The Crown of Omens really encapsulates every single aspect of a battle, and it does so in such a unique way.
Doble's prose has always been a highlight for me, and this novella showcases his writing in a perfect way. His ability to "set a scene" is impressive, and I do think this novella is a perfect entry point into Doble's writing. It really showcases all of the authors strengths, but in a much more condensed form, for those who may not want to immediately jump into a 500+ page epic fantasy novel.
The pace of this novella, which is loaded with action, allowed me to absolutely rip through it. This was then contrasted with the rich writing, a style that allows the reader to truly savour each word, as well as Doble's ability to make me truly feel what each and everyone of the characters was feeling. Obviously it is hard to go into a ton of detail without spoiling the experimental aspect of the story, but I was hooked from the beginning and am thoroughly impressed as to how Doble continues to evolve as a writer.
October 12, 2023
A gritty, grimdark novella where no-one is safe. Told from several points of view as the Tarrazi invade the Ozlath in a feud that spans centuries.
E J Doble did a great job of creating the fear and intensity of battle. I really enjoyed the opening scenes on the ship and the cannon fire which I hadn’t really encountered before. The battle scenes were .. wow. I re-read some of the to my husband because the descriptions … ‘atmospheric’.
“But every blade that emerges, leaves this world marked with blood. That is the curse of the sword…”
Just to make sure I dive straight into The Fangs of War we’re left with this ..
“In the end there was nothing but shadows. Nothing but darkness, and fire. For the end of the world had come at last. And from dark ends, come darker beginnings.”
Loved this and thanks to EJ Doble for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.
E J Doble did a great job of creating the fear and intensity of battle. I really enjoyed the opening scenes on the ship and the cannon fire which I hadn’t really encountered before. The battle scenes were .. wow. I re-read some of the to my husband because the descriptions … ‘atmospheric’.
“But every blade that emerges, leaves this world marked with blood. That is the curse of the sword…”
Just to make sure I dive straight into The Fangs of War we’re left with this ..
“In the end there was nothing but shadows. Nothing but darkness, and fire. For the end of the world had come at last. And from dark ends, come darker beginnings.”
Loved this and thanks to EJ Doble for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.
November 21, 2023
Beautifully written as always, this novella follows 10 different perspectives during a siege. Every new perspective gave a little more backstory to the current situation and despite spending very little time with each character, you are met with indepth thoughts and feelings from each one. A great way to be introduced to this series with a great world and full characters.
October 24, 2024
Truly an interesting premise for a series, looking forward to starting the Fangs of War.
January 14, 2024
Divertente novella di circa 110 pagine..
Scritta con una struttura che ricorda alcune scene di The Heroes o di altri libri di Abercrombie, dove ogni capitolo comincia con un personaggio che uccide qualcuno e finisce con la sua stessa morte per ricominciare nel capitolo successivo con il pov del nuovo assassino.. in questo modo si ha una sventagliata di una decina di personaggi che danno un'ampia carrellata di una notte di invasione alla città di Casantri... Una notte sanguinosa e crudele che porta esattamente all'inizio del primo capitolo del primo romanzo della saga.. questa novella ha svolto benissimo il suo compito, infatti adesso ho voglia di leggere la saga principale..
La cosa che mi è più piaciuta della scrittura di Doble è che in poche pagine riesce a tratteggiare personaggi in modo vivo e profondo.. oltre ad essere brutale e divertente!
Scritta con una struttura che ricorda alcune scene di The Heroes o di altri libri di Abercrombie, dove ogni capitolo comincia con un personaggio che uccide qualcuno e finisce con la sua stessa morte per ricominciare nel capitolo successivo con il pov del nuovo assassino.. in questo modo si ha una sventagliata di una decina di personaggi che danno un'ampia carrellata di una notte di invasione alla città di Casantri... Una notte sanguinosa e crudele che porta esattamente all'inizio del primo capitolo del primo romanzo della saga.. questa novella ha svolto benissimo il suo compito, infatti adesso ho voglia di leggere la saga principale..
La cosa che mi è più piaciuta della scrittura di Doble è che in poche pagine riesce a tratteggiare personaggi in modo vivo e profondo.. oltre ad essere brutale e divertente!
May 13, 2024
This was dark and gruesome but I ate it up. I loved the way it jumped between characters at each's death, and the setting. It was very intriguing and I've picked up the novel this leads into. I plan on diving in very soon.
I only docked a star because it needs another proofread, I found about three or four typo/errors. For the length that felt like a lot.
I only docked a star because it needs another proofread, I found about three or four typo/errors. For the length that felt like a lot.
July 7, 2024
An excellent prequel, full of action and gory details. Perfect for starting your journey through the brutal and chaotuc world of blood and steel saga.
Doble is definitelly one of my favorite indie authors and this is yet another proof why
5/5
Doble is definitelly one of my favorite indie authors and this is yet another proof why
5/5
December 4, 2023
I picked this novella after starting to read book-1 for awhile and then completed this book which is nothing short of a cinematic experience read. This book used a narrative tool which I got to experience in the ''Heroes'' of Joe Abercombie and truly enjoyed it as it seemed like a ''One shot'' scene going from one sequence to another in a stretch. The character moments hitting hard as well as plot progressing towards a crescendo with each perspectives. Perfect start to the series and the prose very descriptive in nature for an entire siege sequence throughout the novella.
October 29, 2023
Full review here - https://youtu.be/3XSnYUYKJEo
One of the BEST NOVELLAS I'VE THIS YEAR!
The Crown of Omens is a brutal fast paced action story interwoven with incredible dialog and immersive world building structured in a way I have never read before.
So excited to continue into this series with The Fangs of War.
4.5 ⭐s
One of the BEST NOVELLAS I'VE THIS YEAR!
The Crown of Omens is a brutal fast paced action story interwoven with incredible dialog and immersive world building structured in a way I have never read before.
So excited to continue into this series with The Fangs of War.
4.5 ⭐s
November 14, 2024
3.5 ⭐
In this novella, Doble doubles down on both the Grim and the Dark. He really knows how to set a gritty atmosphere. The darkness and bleakness ooze off the pages, which is a good thing as this novella describes a nightly surprise attack on a harbor.
We jump to a new POV every chapter, alternating between both sides of the battle. It’s a fun form, but even within the length of a novella, it got a bit repetitive. I could have gone with one or two POVs less.
Repetitiveness is kind of the weak point of this novella. A lot of the descriptions/imagery involve snakes, serpents, clouds, mist, smoke, blood, mouths-trying-to-form-words-while-dying. I always feel like, when covering indie-published books, an editor at a traditional publisher would have noticed these. Judging from this novella, Doble seems capable of writing strong, above-average quality prose, so I’m quite sure he's capable of more variation. Hopefully, a broader range of settings in his full-length novels will allow for that.
Having read this novella, in which the final chapter seemed like a sort of prologue for the main series, I’m pretty eager to continue The Fangs of War.
P.S. The covers of The Blood an Steel Saga books rock 🤘🏼
In this novella, Doble doubles down on both the Grim and the Dark. He really knows how to set a gritty atmosphere. The darkness and bleakness ooze off the pages, which is a good thing as this novella describes a nightly surprise attack on a harbor.
We jump to a new POV every chapter, alternating between both sides of the battle. It’s a fun form, but even within the length of a novella, it got a bit repetitive. I could have gone with one or two POVs less.
Repetitiveness is kind of the weak point of this novella. A lot of the descriptions/imagery involve snakes, serpents, clouds, mist, smoke, blood, mouths-trying-to-form-words-while-dying. I always feel like, when covering indie-published books, an editor at a traditional publisher would have noticed these. Judging from this novella, Doble seems capable of writing strong, above-average quality prose, so I’m quite sure he's capable of more variation. Hopefully, a broader range of settings in his full-length novels will allow for that.
Having read this novella, in which the final chapter seemed like a sort of prologue for the main series, I’m pretty eager to continue The Fangs of War.
P.S. The covers of The Blood an Steel Saga books rock 🤘🏼
January 4, 2024
This was, for me, a somewhat confusing book. The story was exciting and kept me riveted, but the writing of it was questionable. The author chose to use pronouns in such a way that I was often confused as to whom he was speaking of. He used “them” and “their” and “they” when referring to a single person, either male or female. And such usage was very inconsistent throughout the book. Had the writer written in usual usage, I would have left a higher score for the novella.
December 7, 2023
A conflagration of action with emotional beats interspersed throughout the story. A tour de force—a masterpiece in its own right!
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