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The Record of the Saints Caliber
A young boy named Rook is thrust into a chilling world of corruption and depravity after his parents die, leaving him alone with his baby sister. In a kingdom of famine where people starve to death while nobility live in luxury and abundance, the one thing Rook has to hold on to are the stories and legends of the heroic Saints Caliber, warrior-saints of the Goddess, Aeoria. Girded in armor made of the very stars, the Saints Caliber are supposed to be the ones who protect the people of the world. However, terrible truths start to emerge and the heroes Rook once looked up to turn out to be the villains of nightmares.
For young Rook, hope comes in the form of a demon named Bulifer. Too young to defend himself against the enemies that surround him, and too young to take care of his baby sister, Rook has little choice but to sell his future to the beast. Rook is determined to keep his humanity, but will the demon force him to commit sins from which his soul can never escape?
There is one Saint who has a chance to turn the order of the world upside down. Haunted by the memories of the terrible acts she is forced to perpetrate, Saint Nuriel tries to numb herself to the world around her. Will she expose the evils that saturate the Order of the Saints Caliber, or will her slow fall into corruption twist her into the same cruel servant of abominable kings as all her peers?
For Nuriel, hope might lay within a strange woman named Celacia who wears armor made from the very scales of the ancient Dragon God of Death. Wherever Celacia walks, only death follows in her wake. Earth withers beneath her feet, stone crumbles in her presence, flesh rots to dust. But from this woman whose very touch is death might Nuriel find a new beginning?
The Record of the Saints Caliber is an epic, page-turning adventure that forces the characters to reveal dark truths about themselves and the world they live in, in order to find salvation.
For young Rook, hope comes in the form of a demon named Bulifer. Too young to defend himself against the enemies that surround him, and too young to take care of his baby sister, Rook has little choice but to sell his future to the beast. Rook is determined to keep his humanity, but will the demon force him to commit sins from which his soul can never escape?
There is one Saint who has a chance to turn the order of the world upside down. Haunted by the memories of the terrible acts she is forced to perpetrate, Saint Nuriel tries to numb herself to the world around her. Will she expose the evils that saturate the Order of the Saints Caliber, or will her slow fall into corruption twist her into the same cruel servant of abominable kings as all her peers?
For Nuriel, hope might lay within a strange woman named Celacia who wears armor made from the very scales of the ancient Dragon God of Death. Wherever Celacia walks, only death follows in her wake. Earth withers beneath her feet, stone crumbles in her presence, flesh rots to dust. But from this woman whose very touch is death might Nuriel find a new beginning?
The Record of the Saints Caliber is an epic, page-turning adventure that forces the characters to reveal dark truths about themselves and the world they live in, in order to find salvation.
- GenresFantasy
654 pages, Paperback
First published August 2, 2014
4 people are currently reading
1105 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
August 6, 2014
Came across this new release and gave the preview a try to see if I'd like it. The first chapter had me so hooked, I bought it. Let me tell you, this huge book doesn't disappoint. This is definitely a page turner, so make sure you've got some time. The characters and setting are described so well that it was like a movie playing in my head. You may think from the summary that there's only two storylines, but woven in are a couple of other stories (game of thrones style) that at points had me getting chills, gripping my seat and so into the story, I lost time. Be prepared to have your skin crawl a couple times too. I would highly recommend this as very few books leave me wanting more. I hope you've got more up your sleeve, I'm looking forward to your next!
August 18, 2014
If you're looking for a feel good, happy ending kind of book you won't find it here. This is however a really good dark fantasy sci-fi. The author is great in his descriptions of people and places and I was disappointed when I had come to the end of the book that there wasn't a second book already published. Looking forward to finding out what happens to the characters in the next book.
September 10, 2014
"The Record of the Saints Caliber" by M. David White came by UPS today. I can tell just from the cover this is going to be an interesting read.
Thanks to Goodreads First Reader giveaway and author M. David White I get the pleasure of reading this book for free. How cool is that?
Why live in our reality when it is so believable to live in M. David White's reality in "The Record of the Saints Caliber". His detail in the scenery and the characters will have anyone gripping at the pages eagerly to turn to the next. You can feel the depths of his devotion he put forth in this work of art. You can not help but fall in love with the characters, to relate to them, to feel the emotions they possess at times like the little boy Rook for example or Saint Nuriel, Celacia, the wolf Solastron, the judges of Hell, Kraken, and all the characters. The author is gifted with the written word. I look forward to his next creation.
Thanks to Goodreads First Reader giveaway and author M. David White I get the pleasure of reading this book for free. How cool is that?
Why live in our reality when it is so believable to live in M. David White's reality in "The Record of the Saints Caliber". His detail in the scenery and the characters will have anyone gripping at the pages eagerly to turn to the next. You can feel the depths of his devotion he put forth in this work of art. You can not help but fall in love with the characters, to relate to them, to feel the emotions they possess at times like the little boy Rook for example or Saint Nuriel, Celacia, the wolf Solastron, the judges of Hell, Kraken, and all the characters. The author is gifted with the written word. I look forward to his next creation.
December 24, 2014
*Goodreads First Reads advanced copy*
I found The Record of the Saints Caliber to be well written and well worth the read. The author did a tremendous job pulling me into the story and has left me eagerly anticipating the next book in the series.
The characters were well crafted. Even as they continued to make mistakes I foresaw, they revealed more of their humanity. They may be mistakes that piss me off, but they are ones that are too easy for anyone to make.
There were a couple points where the story seemed to slip too far into the unbelievable, but the author was able to pull it back in to further develop the story. My only real complaint is that the story seemed to develop too many questions with too little answers. Maybe a little bit more could be explained in the next book.
Overall I would certainly recommend this book to all fans of high fantasy. I think that fans of Sarah Douglass and Brandon Sanderson, to name a few, would enjoy this book.
I found The Record of the Saints Caliber to be well written and well worth the read. The author did a tremendous job pulling me into the story and has left me eagerly anticipating the next book in the series.
The characters were well crafted. Even as they continued to make mistakes I foresaw, they revealed more of their humanity. They may be mistakes that piss me off, but they are ones that are too easy for anyone to make.
There were a couple points where the story seemed to slip too far into the unbelievable, but the author was able to pull it back in to further develop the story. My only real complaint is that the story seemed to develop too many questions with too little answers. Maybe a little bit more could be explained in the next book.
Overall I would certainly recommend this book to all fans of high fantasy. I think that fans of Sarah Douglass and Brandon Sanderson, to name a few, would enjoy this book.
November 14, 2014
Received copy direct from author for honest review.
I finally finished this book in between 2 others I was reading on kindle.The story was good and I liked the way the two main characters Rook and Nuriel grew through the book and will hopefully get better in the next one.
I found it hard to get to grips with Nuriel's story, but as I got through the book I finally knew where the author was coming from.And it did become a good book.
It is definitely a dark fantasy and an epic read.
So thankyou to M.David White for this book, as I thoroughly enjoyed it and If a second book does come out then I will put it on my to read list
I finally finished this book in between 2 others I was reading on kindle.The story was good and I liked the way the two main characters Rook and Nuriel grew through the book and will hopefully get better in the next one.
I found it hard to get to grips with Nuriel's story, but as I got through the book I finally knew where the author was coming from.And it did become a good book.
It is definitely a dark fantasy and an epic read.
So thankyou to M.David White for this book, as I thoroughly enjoyed it and If a second book does come out then I will put it on my to read list
October 8, 2014
I won this as a Goodreads giveaway and was excited to read it. At first the story was a little slow developing but picked up as the book progressed. The author does an excellent job at character development and the characters are pretty complex. I am now ready for the next book.
September 18, 2014
Excellent character building and storytelling.
Excessive sexual assault, men, women, children and babies.
Female protagonist, assaulted, drugged and gang raped. (Man who initiated rape gets away free, promoted)
Male protagonist, 10 years old, sexually assaulted by older men.
Children 5-8 years old, sold as sex slaves, mutilated.
Babies sold as sex slaves because they will suck anything and have no teeth.
**Either the female protagonist or her underpowered best friend are sure to be sexually assaulted in next book, it's the fall back in this story. Not sure how to express the depths this society has fallen? "Rape em"**
It's not that violence is misplaced in this book, its not, society has come to a inflection point in this "cycle", it's that sexual assault is over used to the point of being the norm it's no longer shocking.
Story-7
Character Building- 9
Excessive use of sexual assault and violence against women/children-1
Excessive sexual assault, men, women, children and babies.
Female protagonist, assaulted, drugged and gang raped. (Man who initiated rape gets away free, promoted)
Male protagonist, 10 years old, sexually assaulted by older men.
Children 5-8 years old, sold as sex slaves, mutilated.
Babies sold as sex slaves because they will suck anything and have no teeth.
**Either the female protagonist or her underpowered best friend are sure to be sexually assaulted in next book, it's the fall back in this story. Not sure how to express the depths this society has fallen? "Rape em"**
It's not that violence is misplaced in this book, its not, society has come to a inflection point in this "cycle", it's that sexual assault is over used to the point of being the norm it's no longer shocking.
Story-7
Character Building- 9
Excessive use of sexual assault and violence against women/children-1
November 14, 2014
Really great book, probably one of the best I've read this year. I love how nothing in this world is what it seems like, And I'm still not sure who is going to do what. I like that the book was big enough to sink your teeth into, but I wish I had the next one right here to start already. There is a next one, right? I did get this book for free from goodreads first reads.
November 3, 2014
This was really an epic read. It had really great character development and vivid writing. I had no trouble identifying with some of the characters which kept me turning the page. Definitely a dark fantasy but not nearly as dark as some reviewers make it sound.
Overall, it's a good fantasy that was well worth my time.
Overall, it's a good fantasy that was well worth my time.
October 29, 2014
A great dark fantasy. Well written and it really focused on character emotions and how they cope with things. Other than Behemoth Kraken in his chapter I didn't find it to have excessive violence or rape.
July 21, 2023
Its dark, gritty, and a great read if you have ever watched the anime Claymore its has the same vibe as that show.
December 23, 2014
(I received this book for free as part of Goodreads First Reads giveaways).
(This review may contain spoilers).
This is another book I have some mixed feelings about. The blurb on the back of the book was really intriguing and I particularly liked the front cover.
This book definitely fell into the category of dark fantasy. Out of all of the characters, I think Rook was the only one that I really liked. There were a couple of other characters I was interested in, especially the wolf, but I didn't see enough of them to really get drawn into their plot. I did really like the brother relationship shown, though, especially when there was the flashback to Branrir and Dagrir's past. I've always liked reading about brother relationships and I felt this one was shown really well... even if I did originally think that their relationship wasn't a good one.
Both Nuriel and Celacia were intriguing characters, though in quite different ways. By the end of the book, Nuriel had fallen a lot in my estimation... though I did feel that the author did quite a good job of showing how what she'd experienced caused her to fall so far. In a way, it was good that she had ideals... but I really felt that she was clinging to the wrong kind of ideals. It would be interesting to see more of her doing the right thing, instead of just accepting and reveling in it like the other Saints did.
I liked learning about the mythology of the world, but I felt there were a few too many flashbacks that weren't really separated from the story well enough. The world itself was really quite intriguing and it was clear a lot of work and effort had gone into building everything.
The concepts of the demons and angels were quite interesting and by the end of the book, I have a lot of theories. I didn't get very many questions answered throughout the course of the book, though, and I still have a lot of confusion by the end. I felt that Rook proved himself to be a very resourceful character throughout and I would read the next book following on from this one... if only to see more of him.
(This review may contain spoilers).
This is another book I have some mixed feelings about. The blurb on the back of the book was really intriguing and I particularly liked the front cover.
This book definitely fell into the category of dark fantasy. Out of all of the characters, I think Rook was the only one that I really liked. There were a couple of other characters I was interested in, especially the wolf, but I didn't see enough of them to really get drawn into their plot. I did really like the brother relationship shown, though, especially when there was the flashback to Branrir and Dagrir's past. I've always liked reading about brother relationships and I felt this one was shown really well... even if I did originally think that their relationship wasn't a good one.
Both Nuriel and Celacia were intriguing characters, though in quite different ways. By the end of the book, Nuriel had fallen a lot in my estimation... though I did feel that the author did quite a good job of showing how what she'd experienced caused her to fall so far. In a way, it was good that she had ideals... but I really felt that she was clinging to the wrong kind of ideals. It would be interesting to see more of her doing the right thing, instead of just accepting and reveling in it like the other Saints did.
I liked learning about the mythology of the world, but I felt there were a few too many flashbacks that weren't really separated from the story well enough. The world itself was really quite intriguing and it was clear a lot of work and effort had gone into building everything.
The concepts of the demons and angels were quite interesting and by the end of the book, I have a lot of theories. I didn't get very many questions answered throughout the course of the book, though, and I still have a lot of confusion by the end. I felt that Rook proved himself to be a very resourceful character throughout and I would read the next book following on from this one... if only to see more of him.
November 15, 2014
Mr. M. David White has built an extraordinary world with amazing characters. This epic fantasy has a great plot with many subplots working with in the main story. It has a lot of action and is a fast paced read. I'm definitely a fan and can't wait for book 2. I loved it!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews