What do you think?
Rate this book
Fides Ex Machina
In order to survive, Oscar and his father roamed the city junkyards in search of scrap to sell. Amongst the winding hills of discarded trash were the remnants of a fallen angel and in its hand, the answer to mankind’s salvation.
His mother used to tell him the stories. “We were once great,” she’d say. “Explorers of stars.” But all Oscar knew for sure was that he lived in exile, someone removed from the system. He watched Angels blaze through the skies with their gold accents and polished metal wings. They protected the worthy; those deserving of being embraced by the holy algorithm.
What truths will Oscar learn about humanity, about the ancients who ruled the world? What lost knowledge hides within the egg that this dead fallen angel holds?
His mother used to tell him the stories. “We were once great,” she’d say. “Explorers of stars.” But all Oscar knew for sure was that he lived in exile, someone removed from the system. He watched Angels blaze through the skies with their gold accents and polished metal wings. They protected the worthy; those deserving of being embraced by the holy algorithm.
What truths will Oscar learn about humanity, about the ancients who ruled the world? What lost knowledge hides within the egg that this dead fallen angel holds?
Unknown Binding
4 people are currently reading
45 people want to read
About the author
Kian N. Ardalan
5 books291 followersKian N. Ardalan was born in Germany, Dusseldorf to Persian parents and has since travelled between so many places that he sees himself as a person of the world; well, with one exception.
When he wasn’t playing video games or reading novels (mostly Darren Shan and Anthony Horowitz) or trying to convince his parents to watch that R-rated movie about vampires and werewolves, he delved into fantasy worlds of his own making.
It began with a novella about a young girl, not hoarded by a fierce dragon, but rather protected and raised by one.
On the other hand, The Fantastically Underwhelming Epic wonders why the hero of the story always has to be some all-powerful child of prophecy? Why can’t it just be about a clueless, young bard who is simply trying to make good on a promise with a wise-cracking skull as their companion?
Despite his teacher’s warnings, Kian decided to lean into that realm and now invites others to also explore these vibrant (and perhaps worrying) reflections of his own psyche.
Stay tuned for his upcoming book, inspired by the cryptic world of Dark Souls.
When he wasn’t playing video games or reading novels (mostly Darren Shan and Anthony Horowitz) or trying to convince his parents to watch that R-rated movie about vampires and werewolves, he delved into fantasy worlds of his own making.
It began with a novella about a young girl, not hoarded by a fierce dragon, but rather protected and raised by one.
On the other hand, The Fantastically Underwhelming Epic wonders why the hero of the story always has to be some all-powerful child of prophecy? Why can’t it just be about a clueless, young bard who is simply trying to make good on a promise with a wise-cracking skull as their companion?
Despite his teacher’s warnings, Kian decided to lean into that realm and now invites others to also explore these vibrant (and perhaps worrying) reflections of his own psyche.
Stay tuned for his upcoming book, inspired by the cryptic world of Dark Souls.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
January 25, 2024
So, this was an interesting one. There were a few things I really enjoyed in this book, and some things that I really didn’t like as much.
First thing, I thought the two main characters were amazingly written. Kian does a great job of getting you to feel his pov characters’ emotions. Anytime Oscar and Lilli are in a scene together, it’s amazing. Kian did an amazing job of building their chemistry early on, and keeping it pretty strong throughout. However, the side characters in this story, besides James, felt a little shallow to me. It kind of felt like they would just appear sometimes because it was convenient to move the plot forward, and they didn’t have much motivation to be doing anything. I think Kian does better in a longer book format so that he can really flesh out the world and all of the characters.
This book’s plot sadly never really hooked me. It wasn’t bad, it just got a little boring at times, and felt somewhat predictable to me. I enjoyed parts of it, but it was mostly just not what I was looking for. The book did explore some cool themes of oppression by fanaticism, and had some pretty cool flying robots, but it wasn’t enough to save the plot for me.
Overall, this was an interesting read that just left me wanting a little more. I am still super excited to read more from the author though!
First thing, I thought the two main characters were amazingly written. Kian does a great job of getting you to feel his pov characters’ emotions. Anytime Oscar and Lilli are in a scene together, it’s amazing. Kian did an amazing job of building their chemistry early on, and keeping it pretty strong throughout. However, the side characters in this story, besides James, felt a little shallow to me. It kind of felt like they would just appear sometimes because it was convenient to move the plot forward, and they didn’t have much motivation to be doing anything. I think Kian does better in a longer book format so that he can really flesh out the world and all of the characters.
This book’s plot sadly never really hooked me. It wasn’t bad, it just got a little boring at times, and felt somewhat predictable to me. I enjoyed parts of it, but it was mostly just not what I was looking for. The book did explore some cool themes of oppression by fanaticism, and had some pretty cool flying robots, but it wasn’t enough to save the plot for me.
Overall, this was an interesting read that just left me wanting a little more. I am still super excited to read more from the author though!
Displaying 1 of 1 review