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The Commorancy #1
Orientation
Nobody noticed as it swept around the globe - until billions began to die. Then it got a name: The Lethargy. Everyone just gave up, all interest in life relentlessly gnawed away.
Marcus was different - he became something else: Awoken. A man able to bend reality to his will and peel back the layers of the complex world he found himself alone in.
His only true desire was to help safeguard mankind's future, so The Commorancy was constructed - a fabled safe haven for those lucky enough to get an invitation after passing his strict and convoluted entry requirements. But there are those out to ensure humanity is wiped from the planet entirely, led by a tattooed red man that will stop at nothing.
Three hundred years living a life that was never meant to be means that Marcus' grip on reality is becoming severely warped. When fifteen year old Letje finally gets her invitation she finds herself completely out of her depth. Haughty goats, an almost mythical man obsessed with changing his clothes at every available opportunity, and doors that go whoosh don't help her situation as the very future of mankind hangs in the balance.
With elements of fantasy, sci-fi and gothic otherworldliness The
Commorancy is an exciting new dystopian series that revels in the bizarre.
A vividly constructed world with engrossing characters transports you to a
future all too possible yet fantastical. Entertaining, thought provoking, and odd - in a good way.
Marcus was different - he became something else: Awoken. A man able to bend reality to his will and peel back the layers of the complex world he found himself alone in.
His only true desire was to help safeguard mankind's future, so The Commorancy was constructed - a fabled safe haven for those lucky enough to get an invitation after passing his strict and convoluted entry requirements. But there are those out to ensure humanity is wiped from the planet entirely, led by a tattooed red man that will stop at nothing.
Three hundred years living a life that was never meant to be means that Marcus' grip on reality is becoming severely warped. When fifteen year old Letje finally gets her invitation she finds herself completely out of her depth. Haughty goats, an almost mythical man obsessed with changing his clothes at every available opportunity, and doors that go whoosh don't help her situation as the very future of mankind hangs in the balance.
With elements of fantasy, sci-fi and gothic otherworldliness The
Commorancy is an exciting new dystopian series that revels in the bizarre.
A vividly constructed world with engrossing characters transports you to a
future all too possible yet fantastical. Entertaining, thought provoking, and odd - in a good way.
344 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 31, 2014
69 people are currently reading
399 people want to read
About the author
Al K. Line
84 books185 followersAl K. Line is a British author who lives in rural England with his wife, son, and dogs.
When asked to describe himself for this bio all we got was the following:
"Who am I? Degrees, jobs, living in other countries, fighting squirrels, cuddling monkeys, amused by penguins, all the usual stuff."
When asked to describe himself for this bio all we got was the following:
"Who am I? Degrees, jobs, living in other countries, fighting squirrels, cuddling monkeys, amused by penguins, all the usual stuff."
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
January 18, 2015
A disease hits humanity called "The Lethargy" and a man named Marcus builds a complex with a lot of rooms.
Thats all I can say about this books plot as there is only much I could take.
The two first chapters are about a shut-in gamer guy who wonders why his mother hasnt brought him food in a while and goes out of his room to find she has the Letarghy.
The second chapter is about a woman of nigerian/japanese parentage whose father during her childhood kept obsessing about the texture and the color of her skin.
I kept wondering when the supposed maincharacter would arrive on page when we meet Marcus in the third chapter where he has a surreal conversation with another guy.
Whats going on with this book I dont know but I do know that I felt like I was being lectured about spending too much time on the computer and that it had an obsession with japanese things.
Zero stars.
Thats all I can say about this books plot as there is only much I could take.
The two first chapters are about a shut-in gamer guy who wonders why his mother hasnt brought him food in a while and goes out of his room to find she has the Letarghy.
The second chapter is about a woman of nigerian/japanese parentage whose father during her childhood kept obsessing about the texture and the color of her skin.
I kept wondering when the supposed maincharacter would arrive on page when we meet Marcus in the third chapter where he has a surreal conversation with another guy.
Whats going on with this book I dont know but I do know that I felt like I was being lectured about spending too much time on the computer and that it had an obsession with japanese things.
Zero stars.
June 2, 2016
Poorly written; hard to follow. Find something better to spend your time with.
December 16, 2017
A review of “Orientation (A Dystopian Fantasy) (The Commorancy Book 1)” by Al K. Line
As its name suggests “Orientation” is just that. This is the first of 5 books in the Commorancy series by Al. K. Line which presents the world in the grips of a disease called “The Lethargy”, where those afflicted just give up and waste away until they finally pass on, trapped in a waking coma of sorts.
Not everyone succumbs the Lethargy however those who remain unscathed are deemed “Whole” and those who succeed in harnessing an inner potential to become more than the Whole are termed “Awoken”. Once Awoken, you can stop the aging process, see into the Noise (where all things are), enter and manipulate the minds of other persons and animals and many other things.
“Orientation” centers around Marcus, the Awoken founder, creator and Leader of the Commorancy, a sanctuary hoping to preserve humanity currently on the brink of extinction. While the Commorancy is a vast structure consisting of many Rooms, there is only room for 7 “guests” at a time. Having passed a series of tests and riddles in order to obtain an invitation from Marcus himself, each Guest may remain for as sort or long a time as they require, as long as they follow the Rules that have been set forth.
The most recent guest to arrive, Letje, a 15-year-old girl with her pet tortoise in tow, seems to have her Orientation interrupted at every turn. In addition to Marcus and the Commorancy, we find out that there is another Awoken sect called The Eventuals led by Varik whose goal is the total extinction of humanity. As the attempts from the cult to infiltrate and bring down Marcus and his life’s work intensify, Marcus is forced to break one of his cardinal rules in an attempt to stop them. He must disturb his guests and organize a defense in an effort to stop this most recent and significant threat.
Having read a few other books by Al that come after this series it must be noted that the idea of the Commorancy, The Lethargy, Awoken and The Eventuals are not confined to this series alone and have also appeared in at least two others that I am aware of. That being said, it was really nice to go into the back story of the mythical Marcus and see the “man behind the mask.” There is a scene in the “Room for Evening Drinking” that really served to get inside the man and show that for all of the amazing things he has done, he is only human… even if he is hundreds of years old. The back stories of the 7 other guests, how they came to be at the Commorancy and their reaction upon being brought out of their rooms, were also enlightening.
Varik, as an antagonist and leader of the Eventuals seems to embody just exactly what can go wrong when religion is perversed to the point of blasphemy. The cult of the Eventuals, his blind following flock and lengths they will go to in an effort to bring about the extinction of what remains of humanity is chilling.
The ending is a definite “WTF” moment and will definitely leave you wanting to plunge right into “Contamination” to continue this story.
As its name suggests “Orientation” is just that. This is the first of 5 books in the Commorancy series by Al. K. Line which presents the world in the grips of a disease called “The Lethargy”, where those afflicted just give up and waste away until they finally pass on, trapped in a waking coma of sorts.
Not everyone succumbs the Lethargy however those who remain unscathed are deemed “Whole” and those who succeed in harnessing an inner potential to become more than the Whole are termed “Awoken”. Once Awoken, you can stop the aging process, see into the Noise (where all things are), enter and manipulate the minds of other persons and animals and many other things.
“Orientation” centers around Marcus, the Awoken founder, creator and Leader of the Commorancy, a sanctuary hoping to preserve humanity currently on the brink of extinction. While the Commorancy is a vast structure consisting of many Rooms, there is only room for 7 “guests” at a time. Having passed a series of tests and riddles in order to obtain an invitation from Marcus himself, each Guest may remain for as sort or long a time as they require, as long as they follow the Rules that have been set forth.
The most recent guest to arrive, Letje, a 15-year-old girl with her pet tortoise in tow, seems to have her Orientation interrupted at every turn. In addition to Marcus and the Commorancy, we find out that there is another Awoken sect called The Eventuals led by Varik whose goal is the total extinction of humanity. As the attempts from the cult to infiltrate and bring down Marcus and his life’s work intensify, Marcus is forced to break one of his cardinal rules in an attempt to stop them. He must disturb his guests and organize a defense in an effort to stop this most recent and significant threat.
Having read a few other books by Al that come after this series it must be noted that the idea of the Commorancy, The Lethargy, Awoken and The Eventuals are not confined to this series alone and have also appeared in at least two others that I am aware of. That being said, it was really nice to go into the back story of the mythical Marcus and see the “man behind the mask.” There is a scene in the “Room for Evening Drinking” that really served to get inside the man and show that for all of the amazing things he has done, he is only human… even if he is hundreds of years old. The back stories of the 7 other guests, how they came to be at the Commorancy and their reaction upon being brought out of their rooms, were also enlightening.
Varik, as an antagonist and leader of the Eventuals seems to embody just exactly what can go wrong when religion is perversed to the point of blasphemy. The cult of the Eventuals, his blind following flock and lengths they will go to in an effort to bring about the extinction of what remains of humanity is chilling.
The ending is a definite “WTF” moment and will definitely leave you wanting to plunge right into “Contamination” to continue this story.
May 17, 2015
The Commorancy
I would almost give the book a for star rating, what stops me is the confusion of following the stories in the book. I understand why they were written that way, I just feel as if somehow they could have been benchmarked better from chapter to chapter. I was often lost going from one chapter to the next and it could take me several pages before I caught up. That being said, the characters and the world that has been created are intriguing and held my interest, they kept me reading, trying to figure out where this story was going, I am glad I did by the end of the book I was fully engaged and wishing for more. I look forward to reading the next book and hope that by now I have a better grasp of the overall storyline.
I would almost give the book a for star rating, what stops me is the confusion of following the stories in the book. I understand why they were written that way, I just feel as if somehow they could have been benchmarked better from chapter to chapter. I was often lost going from one chapter to the next and it could take me several pages before I caught up. That being said, the characters and the world that has been created are intriguing and held my interest, they kept me reading, trying to figure out where this story was going, I am glad I did by the end of the book I was fully engaged and wishing for more. I look forward to reading the next book and hope that by now I have a better grasp of the overall storyline.
March 31, 2015
What in God's name did I just read?
October 5, 2018
First time reader of this author and now i am hooked. This was such a great, easy and creative series. i was hooked after the first page.
The characters were easy to fall in love with and follow, along with the story. the author made the mental visions so easy and vivid of the surroundings and the characters actions felt so real.
i would highly recommend this author and this series.
The characters were easy to fall in love with and follow, along with the story. the author made the mental visions so easy and vivid of the surroundings and the characters actions felt so real.
i would highly recommend this author and this series.
October 26, 2019
I did enjoy parts of this book despite how confusing it was 😂 you can tell that the author really loves their story and is passionate about it. However there was so much info dumping and not enough plot, I got some lovely images in my mind from this book! However I’ve seen other reviews from other books about info dumping which has put me off reading further into the series or other books by this author.
June 9, 2023
This isn’t a complete book or story. Don’t both with reading this unless you commit to reading all the others…
I found the story jumped all over, and very hard to follow.
I found the story jumped all over, and very hard to follow.
February 28, 2015
One of the worst written books I have ever read. Stories from the mind of a 3 year old have better plots and fluidity than this book. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME.
September 12, 2015
Interesting
At first I wasn't sure if I would like this book and then I kept reading and thinking about the characters.
At first I wasn't sure if I would like this book and then I kept reading and thinking about the characters.
November 15, 2015
Very convoluted
This story is very twisty and a little hard to keep straight. But I did like it and will be interested in the next book.
This story is very twisty and a little hard to keep straight. But I did like it and will be interested in the next book.
January 4, 2015
Good vs evil in a changed society. Interesting.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews