Kerebos

by Nicholas C. Prata

Experience the gritty and dangerous world of Pangaea in Nicholas Prata's masterful novel, Kerebos and its climactic sequel, Dream of Fire. With the power of Korenthis in eclipse, the wastes of Pangaea are terrorized by the raw, merciless might of the Black Legion. All fear them. None dare resist them. They coerce fealty, exact harsh tribute, and leave charred destruction in their path. To keep up their strength, they forcibly recruit the biggest, fastest, sturdiest young men and brutally mold them into heartless killers. All Pangaea longs for the day when the power of the accursed Legion is finally broken. In despair over an unforgivable crime and outcast from society, farmer's son Livios Rapax falls into the hands of the Black Legion. His tremendous physical gifts and prowess with weapons soon attract the admiration of his ruthless peers and Livios rises ever higher in the ranks. Given the battle-name Kerebos, Livios fights to protect those he loves from the madness around him. But to do so, he must continually compromise with the Legion's depravity, pushing his soul ever deeper into an earthly hell. In Nicholas Prata's crisp, polished prose, Kerebos unfolds with an epic sweep—the characters complex and fascinating, the battle scenes vivid and masterfully recounted. Through the exciting and emotionally-charged story of one man's trials and temptations emerges a powerful and thought-provoking study of the seductive nature of evil.

Genres: Fantasy

Audible Audio

First published September 1, 2000

Reviews

[Sara · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received this book from Goodreads First Reads. I was excited to have won and was thrilled to begin this book, which I started immediately upon getting it in the mail. I wanted to like it; I really did.

The story is about Livios, a poor farmer's son who accidentally winds up as a recruit in the brutal Black Legion after committing a terrible crime. It goes on to tell of his elevation in the ranks and his constant battle with what's right and wrong.

It promised qualities I look for in books--tragedy, brutality, the questioning of morality. Things which can stir the heart and get one thinking. In reality, it offered none of these things. For starters, it was poorly written. I noticed it immediately when every sentence started off with "He did that..." or "He was this..." It read like a list and described things in a way that was dumbing it down for the reader. The dialogue as well was off-putting.

I told myself I could ignore those issues as long as it offered a good story with captivating characters. It didn't. Things happen so fast with little to no emotion it feels fake. Despite there being multiple viewpoints, none of these characters feel like characters, as if they weren't given the same attention to their person as Livios. Livios himself made a lot of questionable and outright dumb decisions, yet was hailed as a god by his fellow comrades with no actual reason. When the love interest was introduced it all went downhill.

The story itself could have been a great one, but the execution, all of it, was poorly done.

[Cerenity · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book for free in a goodreads giveaway. Such a dark but interesting story of an innocent boy becoming tainted by evil that surrounds him. I am glad that I had a chance to read this story and am definitely looking forward to reading the next book.