What do you think?
Rate this book
The Gray
He wants a peaceful world.
The world wants him dead.
For the past 3,000 years, the will of everyone born has been bound to either the day god Aelios or the night god Norron. Those born in the half-light of dusk and dawn are cursed to serve Aelios by day and Norron by night.
These are the Gray, each powerful enough to destroy cities but cursed to go insane. The lucky ones are killed at birth. The rest are hunted.
Zanfidion is a Gray and the only person the gods cannot control.
Zanfidion shuns violence, but the warring gods want to kill him. Their high priests—the Eluuns—have joined forces and are relentlessly hunting him. Anyone who recognizes him will turn him in. Conflicts become unavoidable, but as Zanfidion learns more about the gods, his conviction against violence grows stronger.
A confrontation is coming.
What he does next will forever change the world.
The world wants him dead.
For the past 3,000 years, the will of everyone born has been bound to either the day god Aelios or the night god Norron. Those born in the half-light of dusk and dawn are cursed to serve Aelios by day and Norron by night.
These are the Gray, each powerful enough to destroy cities but cursed to go insane. The lucky ones are killed at birth. The rest are hunted.
Zanfidion is a Gray and the only person the gods cannot control.
Zanfidion shuns violence, but the warring gods want to kill him. Their high priests—the Eluuns—have joined forces and are relentlessly hunting him. Anyone who recognizes him will turn him in. Conflicts become unavoidable, but as Zanfidion learns more about the gods, his conviction against violence grows stronger.
A confrontation is coming.
What he does next will forever change the world.
- GenresFantasy
508 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 29, 2014
5 people are currently reading
1159 people want to read
About the author
Howard Ravenkamp
3 books13 followersHoward is a storyteller, oddball, and recovering under-achiever who is still waiting for his latent mutant super-powers to manifest.
He holds a Bachelor's Degree in journalism from Texas State University. In his spare time, he enjoys jumping out of planes, hang gliding, motorcycling, kayaking, and generally grinning with the Grim Reaper.
He lives in Austin, Texas where he diligently tries to do his part to "Keep Austin Weird".
He holds a Bachelor's Degree in journalism from Texas State University. In his spare time, he enjoys jumping out of planes, hang gliding, motorcycling, kayaking, and generally grinning with the Grim Reaper.
He lives in Austin, Texas where he diligently tries to do his part to "Keep Austin Weird".
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
Read
September 1, 2014I don’t remember ever being this frustrated with a book. This, for me, had loads of potential. The idea behind it was quite interesting. The world was interesting. The scenery was interesting. The horse, Smoke, was interesting. But the characters were entirely too flat for me.
In the beginning of the book, I was hit with a few typos and the occasional switch from past to present tense. Combined with the flat character, I almost put it down, but I was interested to learn more of the world, so I stuck with it. I reluctantly admit I skimmed towards the middle of the book and up to the end, so I can’t say with certainty if the typos and issues with tenses lessoned. The sheer number of similes really bogged it down as well. Sure, a couple are needed, but these seemed rather long and slowed down my reading.
Another hang up I had was the amount of detail Ravenkamp went into when describing spells. This is purely personal taste. I like to understand magic and spells, but this took it to another level. Some might find it intriguing but, for me, I ended up skipping pages.
Our main protagonist, Zanfidion, is uprooted from his home of 24 years and forced to flee. That’s how it starts. Yet, we don’t learn anything from Zanfidion except his dislike of violence. We don’t get a good feel for his emotions at having his life uprooted, and throughout, I never felt it was addressed. It’s what made him flat to me. With all that happened, he just seemed to float through everything. Toward the end, we started to see some expected emotion, but it was too late for me to be invested.
On another sad note, our main protagonist has a connection with animals, yet it’s not really explored in detail. He gets an incredibly interesting horse, but we’re told they have a bond, then that’s where the fun ends. I would have liked a bit more development. As I’ve said before, I love it when a book involves animals, but this felt like an afterthought.
Now, what was incredibly fun to read about was the Gray. Basically, each child born is claimed by one of two gods (one rules the day, one rules the night) and forced into their respective god’s service. However, those born in the “gray,” are torn between the two gods, each god vying for the person. It makes the person go mad at an early age. It also turns them into a crazy rampaging murderer. He/she can level towns without being aware of what their doing. They just want to kill. Their power is nearly unstoppable. I thoroughly enjoyed this idea, and while the execution lacked, the story itself kept pulling me along. If only Zanfidion had been more developed and a few questions I had answered, it would have been incredible.
So in conclusion, I really wish I liked this more. The story idea was amazing, the characters underdeveloped, and the world intriguing.
In the beginning of the book, I was hit with a few typos and the occasional switch from past to present tense. Combined with the flat character, I almost put it down, but I was interested to learn more of the world, so I stuck with it. I reluctantly admit I skimmed towards the middle of the book and up to the end, so I can’t say with certainty if the typos and issues with tenses lessoned. The sheer number of similes really bogged it down as well. Sure, a couple are needed, but these seemed rather long and slowed down my reading.
Another hang up I had was the amount of detail Ravenkamp went into when describing spells. This is purely personal taste. I like to understand magic and spells, but this took it to another level. Some might find it intriguing but, for me, I ended up skipping pages.
Our main protagonist, Zanfidion, is uprooted from his home of 24 years and forced to flee. That’s how it starts. Yet, we don’t learn anything from Zanfidion except his dislike of violence. We don’t get a good feel for his emotions at having his life uprooted, and throughout, I never felt it was addressed. It’s what made him flat to me. With all that happened, he just seemed to float through everything. Toward the end, we started to see some expected emotion, but it was too late for me to be invested.
On another sad note, our main protagonist has a connection with animals, yet it’s not really explored in detail. He gets an incredibly interesting horse, but we’re told they have a bond, then that’s where the fun ends. I would have liked a bit more development. As I’ve said before, I love it when a book involves animals, but this felt like an afterthought.
Now, what was incredibly fun to read about was the Gray. Basically, each child born is claimed by one of two gods (one rules the day, one rules the night) and forced into their respective god’s service. However, those born in the “gray,” are torn between the two gods, each god vying for the person. It makes the person go mad at an early age. It also turns them into a crazy rampaging murderer. He/she can level towns without being aware of what their doing. They just want to kill. Their power is nearly unstoppable. I thoroughly enjoyed this idea, and while the execution lacked, the story itself kept pulling me along. If only Zanfidion had been more developed and a few questions I had answered, it would have been incredible.
So in conclusion, I really wish I liked this more. The story idea was amazing, the characters underdeveloped, and the world intriguing.
June 22, 2014
When I sat down to read this book, I was unsure if I would like it as this genre is far outside my norm. As it turned out, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is written in such a way that makes it easy to "see" the story. The landscapes and characters come alive and the story line is an interesting concept. I rooted for Zanfidion throughout the entire story. I wouldn't mind a sequel to see what might come next.
I can definitely recommend this book.
I can definitely recommend this book.
April 18, 2015
I won this through Goodreads First Reads Giveaway.
August 25, 2014
An original plotline but also an easy read (meaning, the ideas come across well and you won't find yourself re-reading passages for clarity). I liked the idea of how depending on when you were born, you fell under the dominion of two powerful forces. Anyone born outside when those two are in the sky are aptly called Grays and those Grays are shunned and hunted, literally, because of the powers they wield. But then crazies running around unchecked destroying towns often have that effect on people.
Whilst I would have liked a little more description on what our "heroes" looked like- I simply eat that stuff up- but it's hardly necessary. My favorite thing about Zanfidion is how he manipulates plant life; I don't believe I have read any books where the character has that kind of neat power and uses it in the way he does. There were times I wasn't sure what he was planning but once it's revealed, it makes sense. Also, he has one heck of a ride!
Reading and reviewing a debut novel is always such a pleasure! I hope for great success (and many more books!).
Whilst I would have liked a little more description on what our "heroes" looked like- I simply eat that stuff up- but it's hardly necessary. My favorite thing about Zanfidion is how he manipulates plant life; I don't believe I have read any books where the character has that kind of neat power and uses it in the way he does. There were times I wasn't sure what he was planning but once it's revealed, it makes sense. Also, he has one heck of a ride!
Reading and reviewing a debut novel is always such a pleasure! I hope for great success (and many more books!).
January 8, 2016
Received from a Goodreads Giveaway
I'm sorry to say that I didn't finish this book. I got around halfway through it and found myself starting to skim over paragraphs and drift away, so I had to put it down. It started out very promising, but then it didn't keep me hooked. The main character was very bland and didn't show the kind of emotion that the situations should have brought from him. Plus, I came across extra words in sentences that shouldn't have been there, and missing words in others, and that took away from my enjoyment as well. But the book did show promise and I may check out another novel of his if I come across one, but this one just wasn't for me.
I'm sorry to say that I didn't finish this book. I got around halfway through it and found myself starting to skim over paragraphs and drift away, so I had to put it down. It started out very promising, but then it didn't keep me hooked. The main character was very bland and didn't show the kind of emotion that the situations should have brought from him. Plus, I came across extra words in sentences that shouldn't have been there, and missing words in others, and that took away from my enjoyment as well. But the book did show promise and I may check out another novel of his if I come across one, but this one just wasn't for me.
April 8, 2015
So, this one started out good. Captured my interest and everything was going good. Then it started dragging a bit and, while it did get my attention every now and then, never captured it again like it did at the beginning. My mind wandered often during this read. There's not a lot of dialogue and, while that's not a must in books I prefer, I do like a nice balance. Character interaction is what draws me in and makes me care about (or dislike) the characters. This read left me feeling a bit...indifferent. Two stars means "It's okay" and it was. It's just not one that I'll want to reread or has left me feeling satisfied.
March 14, 2014
Love it!! Want to read it now more than ever!! Great Job Howard!!!
Want to read
May 1, 2014This book seems very interesting. Looking forward to reading it.
July 21, 2019
I just receive it today
will write review once I finish it
will write review once I finish it
May 22, 2014
EXCITE SO MUCH EXCITE
September 26, 2014
Quick story. Well-written with an interesting concept. I liked it.
June 22, 2018
Love this story! The author is a great fellow too.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews