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Realm of Ruin: A Braydion Chell Novel
In a land plagued by seemingly endless conflict, a new and even greater threat has emerged. The balance of power has shifted, fresh weapons and untold horrors unleashed. The only hope of salvation hinges on the return of a hero. A legend. A warrior without equal.Braydion Chell is a world-weary, nihilist sell-sword haunted by his past. Loved by the opposite sex and feared by his own. He can count the things he cares about on one hand. Three of those are in mortal danger. He must conquer his demons and somehow achieve the impossible, risking all to save not only his country, but also his closest friends.Some fight to live. Others live to fight.
298 pages, Paperback
Published April 23, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 28, 2024
I recently read one of MJ Webb’s other books, Child of Szabo. I’m still convinced it needs to be made into a full-fledged motion picture. It was that good. When I had the opportunity to read and review another of his books, Realm of Ruin, I was once again richly rewarded.
One of the first things that grabbed me was that this book sounds nothing like the first one. That’s how many ways this author can tell a story.
Set in a time of kings, queens, knights and chivalry, our main cast of characters are on a noble quest ordered by the king. Braydion Chell is our main (somewhat flawed) hero, and is a retired, battle-worn and tested warrior. He and his squad have been reassembled, against their will, by a king who needs one more mission accomplished by this crack squad of master fighters.
This book is rife with all the palace intrigue you’d expect from this kind of novel. The twists and turns are revealed as the story progresses, and each one is both realistic and unexpected. One of my favorite things about the book is the author’s ability to establish unique characters and keep their personality true to form and their behavior consistent throughout the book. I also greatly appreciated his ability to develop several strong female characters and truly understand how each of them would behave. The interaction between the characters during the story and the action scenes are realistic and often very funny, as the mission progresses and they encounter new people and situations along the way to their objective.
This book was joy to read, and the ending was very satisfying. It left the door open for more adventures for Chell. I’m hoping that happens soon! I’d love to see what happens next for him.
One of the first things that grabbed me was that this book sounds nothing like the first one. That’s how many ways this author can tell a story.
Set in a time of kings, queens, knights and chivalry, our main cast of characters are on a noble quest ordered by the king. Braydion Chell is our main (somewhat flawed) hero, and is a retired, battle-worn and tested warrior. He and his squad have been reassembled, against their will, by a king who needs one more mission accomplished by this crack squad of master fighters.
This book is rife with all the palace intrigue you’d expect from this kind of novel. The twists and turns are revealed as the story progresses, and each one is both realistic and unexpected. One of my favorite things about the book is the author’s ability to establish unique characters and keep their personality true to form and their behavior consistent throughout the book. I also greatly appreciated his ability to develop several strong female characters and truly understand how each of them would behave. The interaction between the characters during the story and the action scenes are realistic and often very funny, as the mission progresses and they encounter new people and situations along the way to their objective.
This book was joy to read, and the ending was very satisfying. It left the door open for more adventures for Chell. I’m hoping that happens soon! I’d love to see what happens next for him.
June 27, 2024
Firstly, many thanks to M.J. Webb for my copy of ‘Realm Of Ruin’ in return for an honest review. I would award 4.5 out of 5 but goodreads does not allow that.
I went into ‘Realm Of Ruin’ relatively new to the genre and was not disappointed! Webb is clearly a very talented author and has used his ability to craft a wonderful story, complete with a war torn world full of mysteries and battle hardened characters. There are secrets aplenty in this fast paced novel. I found myself kept guessing as to what would happen next and was blindsided several times by the plot twists.
I found all of Braydion Chell’s war band to be intriguing characters, all worthy of their own stories perhaps but Kyemmi took a special place in my heart and I truly rooted for her through her parts in the book. (If you like a book with strong female characters, you will likely enjoy this novel!).
Webb drew wonderful verbal pictures in my mind throughout which added to the excitement in the battles peppered throughout the story.
The only reason that this book didn’t quite hit 5* in my mind was occasionally the warriors in this novel seemed to speak like they were all born with a silver spoon and it didn’t always fit for me with the image given of all the things they had seen and done/ their rank in life. However this mattered less and less to me as the book progressed and I got familiar with the characters.
As the book ended - with a fabulously dramatic line, I found myself with a longing to know how the future would play out for those remaining and wondering if we’ll be treated to another instalment, despite the book currently being a standalone.
I went into ‘Realm Of Ruin’ relatively new to the genre and was not disappointed! Webb is clearly a very talented author and has used his ability to craft a wonderful story, complete with a war torn world full of mysteries and battle hardened characters. There are secrets aplenty in this fast paced novel. I found myself kept guessing as to what would happen next and was blindsided several times by the plot twists.
I found all of Braydion Chell’s war band to be intriguing characters, all worthy of their own stories perhaps but Kyemmi took a special place in my heart and I truly rooted for her through her parts in the book. (If you like a book with strong female characters, you will likely enjoy this novel!).
Webb drew wonderful verbal pictures in my mind throughout which added to the excitement in the battles peppered throughout the story.
The only reason that this book didn’t quite hit 5* in my mind was occasionally the warriors in this novel seemed to speak like they were all born with a silver spoon and it didn’t always fit for me with the image given of all the things they had seen and done/ their rank in life. However this mattered less and less to me as the book progressed and I got familiar with the characters.
As the book ended - with a fabulously dramatic line, I found myself with a longing to know how the future would play out for those remaining and wondering if we’ll be treated to another instalment, despite the book currently being a standalone.
February 14, 2025
A skilled warrior and his highly decorated team have been unceremoniously brought back into service of the monarchy.
In addition to the team being war-weary, they are forced to have someone who has little to no combat experience among their number. Having no other recourse, the team plus one set off on the mission the king assigned to them.
Normally, I would not put Fantasy and Science Fiction together, however, in this case (and those who have also read it might agree) the book is truly a combination of Military, Fantasy, and Science Fiction.
The author did an outstanding job of blending the three genres and keeping things interesting throughout the book.
In addition to the team being war-weary, they are forced to have someone who has little to no combat experience among their number. Having no other recourse, the team plus one set off on the mission the king assigned to them.
Normally, I would not put Fantasy and Science Fiction together, however, in this case (and those who have also read it might agree) the book is truly a combination of Military, Fantasy, and Science Fiction.
The author did an outstanding job of blending the three genres and keeping things interesting throughout the book.
December 23, 2025
Realm of Ruin is an enjoyable and fun fantasy story, that takes place in a war torn world, where despair is rife. Braydion is tasked with finding an item by the King to help win the war, so off he goes with his band of warriors and a few tag a longs along the way.
I enjoyed the story, its nice to seem some strong female characters written by a man, however some of the descriptions of the female characters did make me raise an eyebrow a bit. The world building is good, and the characters are interesting and keep you hooked, and some of the dialogue had me laughing out loud. I am a huge fan of fantasy books and have read many, this was interesting, kept me hooked and enjoyable.
I enjoyed the story, its nice to seem some strong female characters written by a man, however some of the descriptions of the female characters did make me raise an eyebrow a bit. The world building is good, and the characters are interesting and keep you hooked, and some of the dialogue had me laughing out loud. I am a huge fan of fantasy books and have read many, this was interesting, kept me hooked and enjoyable.
June 23, 2025
Realm of Ruin, A Braydion Chell Novel is a gripping and well-written fantasy that pulled me in right from the start. M.J. Webb has once again created a world with strong characters and a story full of action and mystery. The story keeps a great pace throughout. Brandon J. Peterson does an outstanding job of the narration bringing the story to life. His voice is clear and expressive, and he gives each character a unique voice without being over the top. Highly recommended!
October 15, 2024
Realm of Ruin by MJ Webb is an interesting and fun high-fantasy novel that takes place in a war-torn land on its last leg. There is a powder that can change everything, and the king of the land will stop at nothing to obtain this powder and reclaim control.
Enter Braydion Chell. Braydion is a sell sword that used to be in the king's army as a captain of what is essentially the king's special forces. That was years ago, and now Braydion travels the land as a sell sword searching for coin. He has fallen out of the king’s graces and soon finds himself with a death sentence unless he and his old companions travel to a foreign land to get the supply of this powder called Bliss.
While I was reading this book, Braydion reminded me so much of Geralt from The Witcher series. He is someone that has extraordinary powers and abilities that are heightened when he takes this powder, like Geralt and his potions.
Realm of Ruin was an action-packed thrill ride from the first chapter to the final sentence. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, but a few setbacks kept me from loving it. First, I felt like the dialogue was too forced. I really couldn’t imagine people saying things in the way the author wrote. That drew me out of the story a little bit. Second, there was too much focus put on describing how all the females of the book looked. It wouldn’t have been so bad if it was spread out and the male characters also had this level of description.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book and will have to check out the author’s other works. I give this story 3.75 stars out of 5 due to the couple of things that would bring me out of the story.
Enter Braydion Chell. Braydion is a sell sword that used to be in the king's army as a captain of what is essentially the king's special forces. That was years ago, and now Braydion travels the land as a sell sword searching for coin. He has fallen out of the king’s graces and soon finds himself with a death sentence unless he and his old companions travel to a foreign land to get the supply of this powder called Bliss.
While I was reading this book, Braydion reminded me so much of Geralt from The Witcher series. He is someone that has extraordinary powers and abilities that are heightened when he takes this powder, like Geralt and his potions.
Realm of Ruin was an action-packed thrill ride from the first chapter to the final sentence. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, but a few setbacks kept me from loving it. First, I felt like the dialogue was too forced. I really couldn’t imagine people saying things in the way the author wrote. That drew me out of the story a little bit. Second, there was too much focus put on describing how all the females of the book looked. It wouldn’t have been so bad if it was spread out and the male characters also had this level of description.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book and will have to check out the author’s other works. I give this story 3.75 stars out of 5 due to the couple of things that would bring me out of the story.
February 10, 2025
** This is not my review but that of Jane Worallo on Amazon **
'Well, I didn’t see that coming !! I’ve read three of MJ Webb’s books now. The first Jake West, (first book in a trilogy) Child of Szabo and now Realm of Ruin. This book started out very medieval. Braydion Chell being the main character, with a past, but a hero in his own right. He has a small group of ex premium warriors (medieval commando’s, with a mixture of different characters, genders and strengths). They are tasked with going into, what we are led to believe, enemy territory, to retrieve “Bliss” which physically and mentally enhances an individual’s strengths. However, this book also has a fair amount of the Sci fi genre interwoven into the story. It has an ending that I didn’t see coming and I won’t ruin it for others by telling it.
The story could have been stretched over a series of books as I feel we could have been told more about Braydion and his team’s prior conquests. I do understand why the author did write the one book as it does keep the reader turning the page wanting to know what comes next. I really enjoyed reading this book and would welcome another one to see what Braydion gets up to next.
Read the book and enjoy the ride into a land of medieval warriors, sci fi beasts and gruesome battles along with a fair amount of magic and a story line that does leave you wanting to read it in one sitting.'
'Well, I didn’t see that coming !! I’ve read three of MJ Webb’s books now. The first Jake West, (first book in a trilogy) Child of Szabo and now Realm of Ruin. This book started out very medieval. Braydion Chell being the main character, with a past, but a hero in his own right. He has a small group of ex premium warriors (medieval commando’s, with a mixture of different characters, genders and strengths). They are tasked with going into, what we are led to believe, enemy territory, to retrieve “Bliss” which physically and mentally enhances an individual’s strengths. However, this book also has a fair amount of the Sci fi genre interwoven into the story. It has an ending that I didn’t see coming and I won’t ruin it for others by telling it.
The story could have been stretched over a series of books as I feel we could have been told more about Braydion and his team’s prior conquests. I do understand why the author did write the one book as it does keep the reader turning the page wanting to know what comes next. I really enjoyed reading this book and would welcome another one to see what Braydion gets up to next.
Read the book and enjoy the ride into a land of medieval warriors, sci fi beasts and gruesome battles along with a fair amount of magic and a story line that does leave you wanting to read it in one sitting.'
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews