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Futureless
In a world far, far away, there exists a giant mass of land that five unique races call their home – Ilreya.
Long ago, Ilreya was torn asunder by the gnashing jaws of a vicious war: The Blood War. The five nations of this land had never known true peace, their racism and distrust creating great rifts between them. With this war, the rifts grew wider still. When all the continent seemed about to perish at the hands of its inhabitants, a treaty was struck. This treaty, despite ending the bloodshed, did not mend the hate the races felt for each other and soon all contact ceased between them.
Now, many centuries later, war threatens to rear its hideous head yet again. The barbarous William Blaise, current ruler of the weredragon nation, has grown mad with his desire for power. With his awesome might he plans to bring the other races of Ilreya to their knees and claim the entire continent as his own.
There is only one way he can be stopped: A group of youths from the Ilreyan nation of Coruka must band together and bring an end to the monster's rule before war begins anew. Though they will face incredulous peril and devastating trials, success is their only option. If they fail, if they cannot find it within themselves to defeat such a formidable foe, the only world they've ever known will languish under the weight of the chains Blaise will bind it in.
Although Futureless can be classified as an Epic Fantasy Adventure, it also has intrigue, action, magic, therianthropy, and a bit of romance.
As it is an Epic Fantasy it is set in a different world; meaning all new places, currency, languages, etc. Although there are some familiar species, like the werewolf, there are also brand new creatures - including what is called a Kuljian. Kuljians are evil humanoid creatures that have traits resembling both vampires and zombies, but also unique qualities not seen in anything else.
Word Count: Roughly 175K.
Long ago, Ilreya was torn asunder by the gnashing jaws of a vicious war: The Blood War. The five nations of this land had never known true peace, their racism and distrust creating great rifts between them. With this war, the rifts grew wider still. When all the continent seemed about to perish at the hands of its inhabitants, a treaty was struck. This treaty, despite ending the bloodshed, did not mend the hate the races felt for each other and soon all contact ceased between them.
Now, many centuries later, war threatens to rear its hideous head yet again. The barbarous William Blaise, current ruler of the weredragon nation, has grown mad with his desire for power. With his awesome might he plans to bring the other races of Ilreya to their knees and claim the entire continent as his own.
There is only one way he can be stopped: A group of youths from the Ilreyan nation of Coruka must band together and bring an end to the monster's rule before war begins anew. Though they will face incredulous peril and devastating trials, success is their only option. If they fail, if they cannot find it within themselves to defeat such a formidable foe, the only world they've ever known will languish under the weight of the chains Blaise will bind it in.
Although Futureless can be classified as an Epic Fantasy Adventure, it also has intrigue, action, magic, therianthropy, and a bit of romance.
As it is an Epic Fantasy it is set in a different world; meaning all new places, currency, languages, etc. Although there are some familiar species, like the werewolf, there are also brand new creatures - including what is called a Kuljian. Kuljians are evil humanoid creatures that have traits resembling both vampires and zombies, but also unique qualities not seen in anything else.
Word Count: Roughly 175K.
496 pages, ebook
First published July 26, 2014
10 people want to read
About the author
K.J. Draeghan
1 book2 followersK. J. Draeghan was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 1991. Soon after this she moved to the United States, where she grew up. Due to her tempestuous home environment she became very familiar with stories, taking particular interest in ones that drew her into a different world. Finding solace in writing shaped her into a wordsmith, her ability to write coming naturally to her. Later in life she was often credited by her professors as having a "gift" for writing. Her results of the English aptitude test she took for college were quite nearly flawless - surpassing even university-level graduates.
Draeghan now lives in Quebec with her hedgehog Pearl.
Draeghan now lives in Quebec with her hedgehog Pearl.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 25, 2016
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review. I am not paid by or affiliated with any organization, author, or publisher, and everything I write here is of my own opinion.
While reading Futureless, I found myself willingly drawn into a world filled with creatures and characters I had never before imagined. From Kuljians to werecats, there were so many different beings and races that I couldn't wait to see what would appear next. Though Futureless has many appreciable qualities, there were three aspects that made an impression on me the most.
1. Detail: Draeghan wrote with such thorough detail and imagery. Every situation that occurred and every new creature that emerged were painted so vividly in my mind that I felt as though I had been transported into the universe she had created.
2. Dialogue: I was amazed at how perfect the majority of the dialogue was in this book, especially because dialogue is one of the writing facets I have the most trouble with. Draeghan did an exemplary job at using dialogue to enhance and reveal her characters' backgrounds and dispositions; her word-choice was clever, humorous, and dead-on.
3. Romance: Though I did get a glimpse into some budding affections, there were no we-just-met-and-now-we're-in-love-and-will-live-happily-ever-after moments. The emotional development was realistic, and I was impressed to get through an entire book without reading even one actually defined relationship - just the promise of potential ones.
The biggest critique I found in this novel was that some of the names and places (though beautiful in their own right) were extremely hard, if not impossible, to pronounce. I found myself pausing to wrap each word around my tongue for much too long a time, until finally giving up and skipping over the words whenever they reappeared. I understand that these words were meant to amplify the fictional world of Ilreya. That being said, I dislike it when I attempt to have a bookish conversation with another reader, and instead of discussing the book, we get sidetracked in arguing over whose pronunciation is correct. This has happened to me with various books, and I fear Futureless will become one of them.
A page-turner at its best, Futureless had me intrigued to the point where I struggled to put it down. I would recommend it to any fantasy fiction lovers. I, for one, enjoyed it immensely and will be (im)patiently waiting for book two to be released.
While reading Futureless, I found myself willingly drawn into a world filled with creatures and characters I had never before imagined. From Kuljians to werecats, there were so many different beings and races that I couldn't wait to see what would appear next. Though Futureless has many appreciable qualities, there were three aspects that made an impression on me the most.
1. Detail: Draeghan wrote with such thorough detail and imagery. Every situation that occurred and every new creature that emerged were painted so vividly in my mind that I felt as though I had been transported into the universe she had created.
2. Dialogue: I was amazed at how perfect the majority of the dialogue was in this book, especially because dialogue is one of the writing facets I have the most trouble with. Draeghan did an exemplary job at using dialogue to enhance and reveal her characters' backgrounds and dispositions; her word-choice was clever, humorous, and dead-on.
3. Romance: Though I did get a glimpse into some budding affections, there were no we-just-met-and-now-we're-in-love-and-will-live-happily-ever-after moments. The emotional development was realistic, and I was impressed to get through an entire book without reading even one actually defined relationship - just the promise of potential ones.
The biggest critique I found in this novel was that some of the names and places (though beautiful in their own right) were extremely hard, if not impossible, to pronounce. I found myself pausing to wrap each word around my tongue for much too long a time, until finally giving up and skipping over the words whenever they reappeared. I understand that these words were meant to amplify the fictional world of Ilreya. That being said, I dislike it when I attempt to have a bookish conversation with another reader, and instead of discussing the book, we get sidetracked in arguing over whose pronunciation is correct. This has happened to me with various books, and I fear Futureless will become one of them.
A page-turner at its best, Futureless had me intrigued to the point where I struggled to put it down. I would recommend it to any fantasy fiction lovers. I, for one, enjoyed it immensely and will be (im)patiently waiting for book two to be released.
June 23, 2014
*I was given a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review*
This book delivers when it comes to epic fantasy adventure. The world Draeghan has created in this book is a vivid place filled with animals and people of interesting races. I loved the attention to detail this book has, as well as the fact that it never became overwhelming or just plain too much.
For me this book went a little slow in the beginning, but after a while I found myself looking for opportunities to read so I could see what happens next. I liked that I wasn't able to predict every single plot twist-always refreshing!
The dialog in this book was great! I love to read dialog and this book had plenty! The characters had a lot of wit and developed more as the book went on. The book ends where you know there will be a second book, which is great because the characters still have so much to do!
Overall I enjoyed this book a lot. I feel any epic fantasy fan would enjoy this book and would soon be immersed in the world of Ilreya.
August 7, 2014
Futureless by K.J. Draeghan is an epic fantasy dystopian set on the world of Ilreya and follows a band of unlikely heroes as they attempt to stop a world war before it begins. The story really puts me in the mind of Lord of the Rings and Narnia as the author describes the characters and detail of the world they live in. At roughly 175k words, this epic tale held my attention from the very first word!
The Characters
So this book has a multitude of characters, but really only six main ones or is it seven? Maybe eight? Anyways you get the picture :)
Kalilatorix is the first character introduced and to me probably the most interesting. If I had to pick a main character for this book, it would be her as the plot revolves around her. Kalilatorix is a Corukan, a human basically, and she has a very interesting, almost split personality. You see, her and her twin live in the same body.
That's right! They share a body. So when Kalila, the healer and more passive aggressive twin, goes to sleep at night, Torix wakes up. Torix is a fighter, has a sense of humor and tends to say whatever is on her mind. The two balance each other out very well. Also they have a pet, Fang who happens to be a zykanine meaning he is huge and could eat me in one bite.
Rhysin is the second introduced and possibly the quietest character. He is very introspective. Having escaped an abusive father, he is trained by a mystery man to take over mystery business. Like I said very quiet character and I can't say much without spoilers! Possibly he is my favorite character as he is the most human of the group.
After Rhysin, we meet Tarakiva Wulfrin who was sold by her parents at a young age to a dance club. She is described as beautiful with the voice of an angel. She is also Corukan (in fact all the characters I mention are originally introduced as Corukan so I won't say it again :) ) She learns to fight and eventually escapes her master only to join the band of unlikely heroes. She is outwardly aggressive but only because she's scared to go back to her life as a slave.
Xoran is a large man, a blacksmith and someone who never fit in. He was beaten up a lot as a child for his red hair and glasses. Now he wants to prove himself. He comes off as the jock of the group, you know big and dumb, but I think it's more that he doesn't know how to express himself.
Rhana is the princess of Coruka and after the king attempts to force himself on her, she runs away. She's the smart one of the group and hides who she really is from them. She's fascinated with the world around her and it's from this character that I learned the most about Ilreya.
The World
Ilreya is unlike anything I've ever read. If I had to compare it, I would say that it's layout and the way that it's described is similar to Middle Earth from Lord of the Rings however it is entirely unique. For a majority of the book, the characters are only in two lands from this world, Coruka which is their home and Payne. Coruka as described puts me in mind of the rolling hills of Ireland or the country of England, a lot of green and very human. Payne is a jungle and it's also the home of the werecats. A large wall is erected between the two as they do not trust each other. There are also werewolves, weredragons, and Kuljians. Kuljians are unique to this author and scary as hell!!!! Skin the color of cobalt and strong as granite, pointy teeth, they are the dead, a mix between vampires and zombies. Like I said scary as hell but probably one of my favorite characters in the book!
The Plot
As I already mentioned the story follows our six characters as they try to prevent another Blood War before it starts. A mystery man sends each of them a letter promising something they want to lure them to a warehouse. Once they all arrive and realize they've been duped by this man, they aren't happy. Then he tells them why they are there. He believes they can save Ilreya from Blaise, a weredragon and the new ruler of them. Blaise is ruthless and wants to rule all of Ilreya, but he has ulterior motives. As a villain this dude tops them all in my opinion. Anyways after a lot of convincing, the six decide to help, knowing the mystery man will deliver on his promises after they've defeated Blaise.
My Conclusions
The plot moves quickly and before I knew it I had read all ~500 pages. It's suspenseful, has a lot of action, some great plot twists and is what a fantasy epic should be. The author does a wonderful job of world-building. It's believable and things are repeated so subtlety that despite the vast world I was able to remember what I needed to. This book ends neatly answering a majority of the questions that are brought up during their journey across Ilreya, and though it ends leaving you wanting more, it's not a cliffhanger. Overall, if you enjoy fantasy, especially epic fantasies, than I highly recommend you check this one out. You will not be disappointed! My only regret, I have to wait for book two!!!
I received a copy of this ebook from the author in exchange for an honest review
The Characters
So this book has a multitude of characters, but really only six main ones or is it seven? Maybe eight? Anyways you get the picture :)
Kalilatorix is the first character introduced and to me probably the most interesting. If I had to pick a main character for this book, it would be her as the plot revolves around her. Kalilatorix is a Corukan, a human basically, and she has a very interesting, almost split personality. You see, her and her twin live in the same body.
That's right! They share a body. So when Kalila, the healer and more passive aggressive twin, goes to sleep at night, Torix wakes up. Torix is a fighter, has a sense of humor and tends to say whatever is on her mind. The two balance each other out very well. Also they have a pet, Fang who happens to be a zykanine meaning he is huge and could eat me in one bite.
Rhysin is the second introduced and possibly the quietest character. He is very introspective. Having escaped an abusive father, he is trained by a mystery man to take over mystery business. Like I said very quiet character and I can't say much without spoilers! Possibly he is my favorite character as he is the most human of the group.
After Rhysin, we meet Tarakiva Wulfrin who was sold by her parents at a young age to a dance club. She is described as beautiful with the voice of an angel. She is also Corukan (in fact all the characters I mention are originally introduced as Corukan so I won't say it again :) ) She learns to fight and eventually escapes her master only to join the band of unlikely heroes. She is outwardly aggressive but only because she's scared to go back to her life as a slave.
Xoran is a large man, a blacksmith and someone who never fit in. He was beaten up a lot as a child for his red hair and glasses. Now he wants to prove himself. He comes off as the jock of the group, you know big and dumb, but I think it's more that he doesn't know how to express himself.
Rhana is the princess of Coruka and after the king attempts to force himself on her, she runs away. She's the smart one of the group and hides who she really is from them. She's fascinated with the world around her and it's from this character that I learned the most about Ilreya.
The World
Ilreya is unlike anything I've ever read. If I had to compare it, I would say that it's layout and the way that it's described is similar to Middle Earth from Lord of the Rings however it is entirely unique. For a majority of the book, the characters are only in two lands from this world, Coruka which is their home and Payne. Coruka as described puts me in mind of the rolling hills of Ireland or the country of England, a lot of green and very human. Payne is a jungle and it's also the home of the werecats. A large wall is erected between the two as they do not trust each other. There are also werewolves, weredragons, and Kuljians. Kuljians are unique to this author and scary as hell!!!! Skin the color of cobalt and strong as granite, pointy teeth, they are the dead, a mix between vampires and zombies. Like I said scary as hell but probably one of my favorite characters in the book!
The Plot
As I already mentioned the story follows our six characters as they try to prevent another Blood War before it starts. A mystery man sends each of them a letter promising something they want to lure them to a warehouse. Once they all arrive and realize they've been duped by this man, they aren't happy. Then he tells them why they are there. He believes they can save Ilreya from Blaise, a weredragon and the new ruler of them. Blaise is ruthless and wants to rule all of Ilreya, but he has ulterior motives. As a villain this dude tops them all in my opinion. Anyways after a lot of convincing, the six decide to help, knowing the mystery man will deliver on his promises after they've defeated Blaise.
My Conclusions
The plot moves quickly and before I knew it I had read all ~500 pages. It's suspenseful, has a lot of action, some great plot twists and is what a fantasy epic should be. The author does a wonderful job of world-building. It's believable and things are repeated so subtlety that despite the vast world I was able to remember what I needed to. This book ends neatly answering a majority of the questions that are brought up during their journey across Ilreya, and though it ends leaving you wanting more, it's not a cliffhanger. Overall, if you enjoy fantasy, especially epic fantasies, than I highly recommend you check this one out. You will not be disappointed! My only regret, I have to wait for book two!!!
I received a copy of this ebook from the author in exchange for an honest review
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October 28, 2014Ilreya was ripped apart by suspicion, racism, and hatred. During The Blood War, the five nations tried to wipe each other off the face of the world. When it seemed the darkness would overcome them all, a treaty was struck. While this served to end the war, the fear and hatred between the races ran unceasing and caused each nation to become insular and xenophobic. Centuries pass and William Blaise, the leader of the weredragons, has decided it’s time take over all of Ilreya and bring the nations to their knees. The only thing standing in his way is a ragtag group of Corukan youth with some interesting histories of their own. FUTURELESS is the start of an epic high fantasy series in the vein of Tolkien or Lewis. Each character is given an in depth back story and undergoes major growth throughout the tale. FUTURELESS has romance, magic, action, suspense, and fantastic creatures written in vivid detail. The characters and story leap off the page and, even though there are some slower spots, the whole story is captivating. Like other high fantasy novels, there are some difficult to pronounce names, but it didn’t curb my enjoyment. FUTURELESS will have something for any reader who likes high fantasy.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews