Have you ever looked at the facts of your life and realized your dreams won't come true? Have you ever looked into the unknown and seen opportunity? For Dreibrand Veta, a young officer in the Horde of the Atrophane Empire, these questions explode from his spirit in a fit of rage and launch him into an epic struggle. After he encounters a rare super race, the rys, he is forced to choose sides between passionate rivals and navigate his way through a foreign culture all while plotting to seize his own wealth and glory.
In this opening novel of The Rys Chronicles you'll meet a man scarred by bad deeds who answers the call of a heroic cause. An unconventional heroine will tug at your sympathies as she bravely faces adversity with all the strengths and vulnerabilities of her womanhood. And overarching it all are the rys. Their magic makes them superior to humans, but they are not above employing humans in their deadly schemes.
This story is a beast - 180,000 words of pure epic fantasy. I read all of it. It took me a month. Every word was worth it!
The story starts off with an interesting premise; that of warrior-general Dreibrand, of the conquering Atrophane army. He yearns to explore the Wilderness, an exotic and unknown land to the West. But he is of a family cast into disrepute, and has to work hard to win the favour of Hordemaster Kwan, his superior.
The other main character was Miranda. I found her story strangely and unexpectedly compelling; beaten and oppressed by her petty, but physically intimidating, partner who is intent on using her to put coins in his pocket.
The beginning of the story certainly piqued my interest, and had enough elements to prod my curiosity. The next 80% is a fantastic build-up of events, where we see new characters and places interwoven with a mysterious race called the rys, blue magical beings.
After having been unable to stop reading this well-crafted and weaved story with multiple character viewpoints, I was really looking forward to some action. The build-up was great and certainly intriguing, but I wanted to be rewarded. And alas, I was. The last 10% was a fulfilling reward to a well-rounded story, and gives the reader satisfaction that they have read a great book. But unfortunately the reader feels they must read the next book to learn more about the characters, which made this technique a double-edged sword.
There were a few spelling and grammatical mistakes in this book, which intensified just before the middle, I think, but they did ease up for the second half of the story.
Overall this story is a pleasant world to be immersed in, and a thoroughly enjoyable read. The paperback set on the author’s website looks very tempting.
"Union of Renegades", Book One of The Rys Chronicles, has details that are admirable: maps and background information on locations and kingdoms which can be great additions to help readers visualize a work. They evidenced the careful thought and planning which went into the novel, and the seriousness with which the author considered the genre.
My problematic issue was that the execution seemed somewhat uneven. The author displayed great world building skills, yet the dialogue seemed rather abrupt to me at times. Often the characters were thinking, making observations or decisions, yet I felt there was little or no indication of how they came to those conclusions. In conjunction with that, there was far more telling than showing which would have benefited the clear direction of the rest of the story line.
When I'm reading, it's important for me to be able to relate to the characters in some way, to their personalities, emotions or realities, and through their relation to others in the story I can gain further insight to care about them, want them to succeed or overcome their difficulties. Miranda, a runaway slave, and Dreibrand, a runaway lieutenant both were challenges for me as I felt their actions and behavior sometimes didn't seem to meet the demands of the situation or reflect what I'd learned of their histories. When the rys kingdom and characters were introduced I found myself wanting more insight into the people themselves.
I particularly enjoyed the finely detailed settings in which the author placed their characters and scenes. The narrative really flowed, and there was good pacing, there was always something new happening. I really wanted to like this book, as epic and high fantasy is one of my favorite genres, I just think this could really have benefited from streamlining too much extra information and focusing on the main character's roles, as the the secondary ones were more outstanding for me. "Union of Renegades" can be enjoyable in and of itself. There are three books which followed in the series: The Goddess Queen, Book 2, Judgement Rising, Book 3, and The Borderlands of Power, Book 4, I would be certain the author added to her characters so that they matched their very believable and well drawn environments.
Storyline: Union of Renegades by Tracey Falbe is an epic fantasy of ancient empires clashing with new and the desire to discover new worlds and overcome the past.
Dreibrand is an officer in the elite military of the Atrophane army. He is trying to overcome his family’s fall from grace and make a new name for himself by forging into the vast Wilderness. His dreams are shattered by his general’s decision to send him back to Atrophane with their winnings and chattel. Dreibrand decides to take control of his own destiny and plunges into the Wilderness alone.
Meanwhile Miranda, a beautiful slave, decides that running into the Wilderness and facing the unknown spooks, ghosts and beasts is a far better fate than dying under the invading army’s attack or continuing to be brutalized by her master. She makes a daring escape with her two children in tow. In the woods, Miranda and Dreibrand are thrown together – each relying on the other to make it through the wilds only to find a much greater danger unknown to the rest of the world awaits them on the other side.
Can Miranda and Driebrand work together to survive the Wilderness? Will they be able to overcome the evil sorceress before she destroys their homelands and makes all of mankind kneel before her?
Grammar/Spelling: There were some minor spelling/grammatical issues. A thorough read through by a beta reader would probably take care of these issues.
Character Development: Shan, the Rys sorcerer, is a creature with great power and must learn to control himself and do the right thing. He fights against the age old adage “absolute power corrupts absolutely”. As much as Shan believes that he is strong enough to fight the evil Rys, Onja, he still struggles with the doubts and disbelief of his own supporters.
Writing Style: Ms. Falbe has done a remarkable job creating a brand new world and a race of creatures that would transfer very well to the big screen. (Still unsure if that’s an insult to writers every where… I mean it only in the most positive light!) The details that she includes and depths that she is able to plumb are impressive. At times, I did feel as if the book slowed down to a crawl. If she were to shorten the book, maybe thin it out a bit, the storyline would move a bit faster.
Continuity: No issues with continuity.
Overall Rating: 3+
Union of Renegades by Tracey Falbe has a little bit of everything for just about everyone. Romance, adventure, magic, action! It’s all there and more in this tale of a new world fighting against an ancient regime of evil. For language, some adult situations and violence, I wouldn’t recommend this book to younger viewers.
Union of Renegades: Book 1 of the Rys Chronicles is a wonderful debut book by Tracy Falbe. It truly has the beginnings of a masterpiece in the epic fantasy genre. The story begins with Dreibrand Veta, a lieutenant in the conquering Atrophane Horde of the Lord General Kwan. Dreibrand’s family has suffered disgrace and loss of position for past discrepancies and by joining Kwan, Dreibrand hopes to regain some of the family’s position and respect. He desires greatly to be included in the party sent to explore the unknown area called The Wilderness. He believes this to be his best chance at the fame and prestige associated with the conquering of the unknown place. He is ordered by Kwan to accompany the chattel and plunder back to Atrophane. He is angered and goaded into making several poor decisions which result in his running away. During this time he meets an unlikely companion in Miranda and her children. Miranda is basically a slave/wife to an abusive, disgusting man who has forced her into a wretched life of servicing other men for him to continue his lifestyle of drunkenness. She remedies this situation and then flees, where she meets Dreibrand. Through a series of heart wrenching situations they meet Queen Onja of the Rys and then ally themselves with Shan, a Rys who plans to challenge Onja to the throne.
The creation of the Rys culture and history is well thought out and detailed in a wonderful way. The characters are well written and you find yourself really connecting with them. There is just enough magic from the most powerful Rys (Onja and Shan) that kind of puts you in awe of them but not so much that it become mundane and common. This is a different world that is easy to find yourself lost in. You want to find out more. You want to experience more.
There are and have been many great fantasy writers and Tracy Falbe is well on her way to having her name mentioned with all of them. This is a great start to the Rys Chronicles and I can’t wait to get into the rest of the series and her newest series Rys Rising. If you are a fantasy junkie like me this one must be on your to be read list.
Originally posted on To Read Or Not To Read, November 11, 2011.
Dreibrand Veta is a skilled warrior from an impoverished and disgraced noble family. Angered by the actions of his military leader, Dreibrand rides off into an unexplored wilderness, hoping to gain wealth and fame by his discoveries of this new world. Alone and vulnerable, he encounters Miranda, a woman with two children who have fled the beatings of a cruel and abusive slave master.
In this secret land, Queen Onja reigns as supreme goddess of the Rys. Her powers are far reaching. She can enter the mind of her subjects and enemies, controlling them at her whim. Shan is a spellcaster with magical powers that rival those of Queen Onja's. Although he is her most respected advisor, he becomes disenchanted with her degrading cruelty. For years he has awaited to usurp her throne in order to save the kingdom.
When Onja steals Miranda's children and leaves her to freeze to death on a glacier, Shan rises to action. Together with Dreibrand, they rescue Miranda. Shan plans his rebellion and the three set out to convince the leaders of other Rys tribes to join them in rebellion against Onja.
This book was a very pleasant surprise, gripping me from its first few chapters. The three dimensional characters were intriguing and believable. Thrust into impossible situations, their personalities developed as the story evolved, soliciting sympathy from the reader for their individual plights.
Tracy Falbe has created a credible fantasy world filled with conflict and danger. The story was easy to follow and most enjoyable. The author's lovely writing style allowed the story to unfold seamlessly and at a good pace. As I got further into the story, I could not help but feel as if I was deeply involved with the characters and their plight.
Union of Renegades is the first book in the Rys Chronicles.
I really wanted to like this book as I was searching for a good fantasy/science fiction series to begin. As it happens, this isn't it for me.
Now this isn't a "bad" book. It has a lot of good qualities. The world is fairly interesting, if simple (humans in the east meet non-humans in the west who are ruled by their ancient and evil queen who has subjugated her own non-human people plus the human tribes on that side of the world). The story is fairly interesting, if a bit slow developing in places. The characters are well developed (but more on that).
What I didn't care for: The dialogue was a bit flat and uninspired (it didn't "feel" realistic).
The main problem I had with the book was initially hard to put my finger on. Eventually I realized what it was...everyone in the book is stupid. I don't mean the characters were described in a stupid way by the author. I mean, everyone in the book I am sure could not possibly have an IQ over 85 (OK, OK, one or two might have IQs of 100). Throughout the entire book, the major and minor characters repeatedly do dumb things, in dumb ways, for dumb reasons. When they aren't adding 2 and 2 and getting three as their decision-making process, they are simply reacting emotionally. Honestly, to this reader it increasingly became apparent that there was no one in the book with whom I could even begin to identify or empathize nor was there ever likely to be in any subsequent book.
I've heard of "dumbing-down" language, sentence structure, and even plots in order to appeal to certain audiences. In this book, while it may not have been intentional, I felt like the characters themselves were literally "dumbed-down".
Tracy Falbe has created a magical landscape that comes to life. The hierarchical structure is fascinating, and I find the dynamics between the people who populate this world quite interesting. There are several different races of people in this book, and I felt like I had a good feel for the spoken (and unspoken) rules of each culture. I didn’t feel I knew each of the individual characters quite as well, however. I think this author did a great job with description and creation of this world, but the dialogue between the individual characters felt flat.
The book is a touch lengthy and builds slowly. It was an interesting read the entire way through, but, by the end, I could hardly remember where we had started. This first book in the Rys Chronicles establishes the world and the battle to be fought, and it sets up expectations for the following book. There is plenty of action and some romance interspersed throughout the tale, and the book prepares the reader for the next adventure in the series.
There were a noticeable number of minor typos in my copy of the book. Some sentences and phrases flowed beautifully while others were a little awkward and somewhat ambiguous. Add in the wonderfully crafted world in contrast to the flat dialogue, and the writing style feels somewhat inconsistent.
Overall, the story is very engaging and, typos aside, makes for a very good start to what's sure to be an intriguing fantasy series. If you're a fan of epic fantasy, this book will offer you a glimpse into a riveting world and provide you with the start to what's sure to be an adventure of a lifetime.
I have read all four of Tracy Falbe's "The Rys Chronicals" novels and found them to each be captivating and compelling -- to the point that I neglected my own novel writing, so that I could finish reading hers. From Falbe's fertile imagination springs a graphically depicted magical world that draws the reader in and refuses to let them go! Most of all, I enjoyed her fantastic characters: as a published author I read a lot of fiction and find that most characters are soon forgotten in the jumble. This is definitely not the case in this series: Falbe's characters were totally beleivable as they exposed their raw feelings and their all-to-human [or Rys] flaws, living though and champoning over many adversities. More than any writer I have recently read, I felt that Falbe's characters became my intimate friends and I was deeply sadened to finally finish the series. But I am encouraged to see that the first volumen of a new Rys series has just been published. It is alrady on the top of my To Read List!
Robert Dennis Wilson Author of: "THE PLAYERS: Earth - The Arena #1" [Sci-Fi-] "THE POISON OF THORNS: The Dragon's Back #1" [Christian Fantasy] ... Available through Amazon and B&N
The first installment of a epic tale. It is told through various people of exciting backgrounds. You have the deserter Dreibrand Veta, Miranda the run-away slave, and Shan the all powerful Rys along with the evil Queen Onja. Through many hardships Veta and Miranda travel the unknown Wilderness to escape past lives only to find that people already live there. Tracy Fable does not use fancy words or languages but only hopes that her creative mind and her simple use of literary skills will be enough to engage her readers. And I say that she has done that. You can see the characters and you can hear the inner thoughts even those that are not written down. And it makes you want to keep holding the book in your hand and reading it. I can't wait to read the next one! ~ Jeremiah
I found this book to be very long but well written. It was easy visualizing the scenes, characters, and places. The story is complex with many challenges for the main characters to overcome. The male lead is likable but I found the female counterpart too self centered and selfish when dealing with the fate of the world and the customs of the tribe which has been very hospitable to her.
I will be looking into the second book but have not committed to reading it right away because of other books on my list to read. I would recommend this to all sci fi/fantasy enthusiasts. Tracy Falbe does a great job with description so it is easy for the reader to get into the story.
Union of Renegades was a very entertaining story that kept me wondering about the future of Dreibrand Veta, Shan, Miranda and her children. The potential of the Western tribes and the upcoming conflict between Dreibrand's old leader and the Atrophane should prove interesting. I am sure Queen Onja has more in store for them in future novels, and I was dissapointed that the story ended before getting to this foreseen heated climax. But such is the way of series such as this. I'll be sure to pick up the sequel soon.
Not a spectacular book, but a GREAT book. With many, many, gems of poetic writing scattered throughout the book that will not be appreciated by anyone except the readers who loves such gems - as I do. Thrilling. I ardently applaud the poetic work! The book itself is also good and probably merits this series being in the top 100 fantasy series ever written or something like that (probably top 50).
This is a book that just makes you forget the world you are living in and grabs all your senses and refuses to let go until the last page. I was completely immersed into the world the author painted and my imagination was filled with the taste and sounds of this world. I did not ever want to stop reading it and was a little lost when I was finished. I can not wait to finish the series. This is a must have for everyone.
I can always rely on this author to give me a good adventure. Truly wonderfully talented fantasy author. I've read all the Rys series and was left wanting more so now I'm reading the future of the rys, and I hope the Queen gets her come uppance, but I'll have to get the other books to find out. Thank you Tracy Falbe for your great imagination and putting it into words for us all to share.
Managed to make it through the first several chapters. Although the story is not bad, the editing is sub-standard and seriously detracts from the book. I doubt if I will return to this, and I won't be purchasing the rest of the series.
I found this book hard to put down. Fast paced most of the time. I enjoyed the narrative. Giving views from different characters and sides of the story. Can't wait to see what happens since the story wasn't even remotely resolved.
2 1/2 Stars - It Was Okay/So-So The dry & mundane writing style is in no way comparable to the exciting, dangerous adventures, & creative fantasy world Tracy has developed. Hopefully, Tracy's writing grows as The Rys Chronicles continues, too.
This book started out a little slow and I almost lost interest. But then the action started and it has kept me interested the entire rest of the book. I can't wait to read the second installment. I would definitely recommend this book to science fiction/fantasy fans.
while this was a creative and at times, engaging story, it was long and by the end had no resolution to main parts of the story. i would undertake it with the knowledge that you will need to read (or listen) to all books in the series in order to appreciate it.
I found this book to be entertaining. There is a solid cast of characters - but I found the male MC to be the most stiff. It's not groundbreaking, but I found it a fun read . . . and should start the next book in a few days. I'd really give it 3.75 stars if I could.