What do you think?
Rate this book
The Trysmoon Saga #1
Ascension
Book 1 of 4: Gen was a bard's apprentice, his nimble hands meant for the lute and his voice for a song. Then the half-mad and completely bored Shadan Khairn invaded Gen's village to winter there and start a war. He shoved a sword in Gen's hands and tormented his body, shaping a bard into a warrior to be killed for sport.
As the days of torture pile up like the snow, Gen searches for death. But the day is at hand when the shattered shards of the world will knit together again and the world’s slain god be reborn. The mighty Ha'Ulrich will be the father, the mysterious Chalaine the mother. In dangerous times, the holy couple doesn't need a bard. They need a warrior. And Gen needs a reason to live.
As the days of torture pile up like the snow, Gen searches for death. But the day is at hand when the shattered shards of the world will knit together again and the world’s slain god be reborn. The mighty Ha'Ulrich will be the father, the mysterious Chalaine the mother. In dangerous times, the holy couple doesn't need a bard. They need a warrior. And Gen needs a reason to live.
377 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 11, 2014
243 people are currently reading
3295 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 172 reviews
June 21, 2020
3.5/5 stars
Good, familiar, and also surprising classic fantasy take.
The Trysmoon Saga by Brian Fuller is a series that has been annually recommended to me by my friend & co-blogger—TS—for three years now. I honestly don’t have any very specific reason why it took me so long to get to this one except that the TBR-mountain increases at an astonishing rate; I’m glad I finally had the time to read through this one. Before you start reading this book, you should first know that The Trysmoon Saga series is actually one big standalone book (roughly 440k words) divided into four parts; Ascension is the first part. You definitely shouldn’t expect a self-contained story in this installment; Ascension consists of 23 chapters, and the first chapter in the next installment starts from chapter 24 instead of chapter 1.
Gen is an orphan and a bard’s apprentice. His hands were supposed to be used to play lutes and his voices for songs. As you can probably expect, sudden and harsh circumstances force him to pick up a sword and become a warrior instead. That’s the premise of this book, and as you can probably guess, this is a classic fantasy filled with tropes written with a modern writing style. An orphan/farm boy, prophecies, training montage, and hint of grand adventures; these are something that I love in fantasy, and Fuller did a lot of things right by these tropes while making sure that his story never feels derivative. I’m actually pleasantly surprised by some of the events that happened in Ascension. The world-building—although it relied on plenty of info-dumps—was intriguing; the training montage and the swordfights, in particular, were incredibly well-implemented into the narrative, and I genuinely wish there were more of them.
Unfortunately, there were several aspects in the book that prevent me from enjoying it further. Fuller’s simple prose did flows well, but for reasons I can’t seem to fathom, he uses some odd writing choices that distracted my immersion a lot. One of the most noticeable examples is he won’t stick with one nickname for Torbrand Khairn. In one sentence, Torbrand is called the Shadan, then he’s called Torbrand in the next sentence, and then he’s called Khairn at the next sentence. This went on for a while during Gen’s POV, and it became annoying quickly. Stick with one nickname unless there’s a purpose in switching the character’s nickname in the narrative. This, however, is a minor issue compared to my other problem with the book; I don’t care about the rest of the characters.
As I said, the action scenes were magnificent. I loved Gen; his characterizations were well-written, and although I prefer his training montage to be longer, his forced ascension to a stronger power that allows him to deliver satisfying retaliation wowed me. But he was the only character that I’m invested in throughout the whole book. It also doesn’t help that in the second half of the story, Gen had very few POV chapters. Yes, the story still revolves around him, but the three female POV characters he met in the second half, all of them became infatuated by his muscle and prowess upon their first encounter. I’m not sure yet about this, but I foresee a love triangle, or even quadruple, between Gen and these female characters in future installments. It would be so bad if that’s true because two of the female characters are mother and daughter.
I may have sounded more negative than positive in this review, but the real reading experience actually speaks the other way around; I just couldn’t talk about some positive specifics due to spoiler reasons. Fuller did mention on his website that out of all his books, The Trysmoon Saga is the only one that's targeted for YA readers, and I’m totally not the target audience; YA fantasy in general just doesn't work for me. That being said, Trysmoon: Ascension is overall a great first part of the Trysmoon Saga. Even though some execution of the story and narrative did fall a bit short for me, I definitely enjoyed reading the ode to classic fantasy, the characterizations of Gen, his harsh training sequences, and the battle scenes. I probably will not continue to the next parts anytime soon; I highly suggest you check out TS’ review for a more positive spoiler-free overview of the series.
You can order the book from: Amazon
You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions
Special thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for giving me extra support towards my passion for reading and reviewing!
My Patrons: Alfred, Devin, Hamad, Jimmy Nutts, Joie, Mike, Miracle, Nicholas.
Good, familiar, and also surprising classic fantasy take.
The Trysmoon Saga by Brian Fuller is a series that has been annually recommended to me by my friend & co-blogger—TS—for three years now. I honestly don’t have any very specific reason why it took me so long to get to this one except that the TBR-mountain increases at an astonishing rate; I’m glad I finally had the time to read through this one. Before you start reading this book, you should first know that The Trysmoon Saga series is actually one big standalone book (roughly 440k words) divided into four parts; Ascension is the first part. You definitely shouldn’t expect a self-contained story in this installment; Ascension consists of 23 chapters, and the first chapter in the next installment starts from chapter 24 instead of chapter 1.
“You will find that those who have been taught to read and think have a different look to their eyes than those that haven’t.”
Gen is an orphan and a bard’s apprentice. His hands were supposed to be used to play lutes and his voices for songs. As you can probably expect, sudden and harsh circumstances force him to pick up a sword and become a warrior instead. That’s the premise of this book, and as you can probably guess, this is a classic fantasy filled with tropes written with a modern writing style. An orphan/farm boy, prophecies, training montage, and hint of grand adventures; these are something that I love in fantasy, and Fuller did a lot of things right by these tropes while making sure that his story never feels derivative. I’m actually pleasantly surprised by some of the events that happened in Ascension. The world-building—although it relied on plenty of info-dumps—was intriguing; the training montage and the swordfights, in particular, were incredibly well-implemented into the narrative, and I genuinely wish there were more of them.
“Gen could not fathom ever plucking the lute strings again, much less singing. Music required some depth of feeling from which to be born, and revenge was all he could find in an otherwise vacant heart.”
Unfortunately, there were several aspects in the book that prevent me from enjoying it further. Fuller’s simple prose did flows well, but for reasons I can’t seem to fathom, he uses some odd writing choices that distracted my immersion a lot. One of the most noticeable examples is he won’t stick with one nickname for Torbrand Khairn. In one sentence, Torbrand is called the Shadan, then he’s called Torbrand in the next sentence, and then he’s called Khairn at the next sentence. This went on for a while during Gen’s POV, and it became annoying quickly. Stick with one nickname unless there’s a purpose in switching the character’s nickname in the narrative. This, however, is a minor issue compared to my other problem with the book; I don’t care about the rest of the characters.
“We are inspired to act by many things, but if what inspires our actions be evil, then what apparent good they accomplish will rot and come to evil purpose. It may not be readily apparent, but the law of Eldaloth is that pure good can only proceed from pure motive.”
As I said, the action scenes were magnificent. I loved Gen; his characterizations were well-written, and although I prefer his training montage to be longer, his forced ascension to a stronger power that allows him to deliver satisfying retaliation wowed me. But he was the only character that I’m invested in throughout the whole book. It also doesn’t help that in the second half of the story, Gen had very few POV chapters. Yes, the story still revolves around him, but the three female POV characters he met in the second half, all of them became infatuated by his muscle and prowess upon their first encounter. I’m not sure yet about this, but I foresee a love triangle, or even quadruple, between Gen and these female characters in future installments. It would be so bad if that’s true because two of the female characters are mother and daughter.
“‘What is honorable must be revered and defended, regardless of where it is found. Baseness must be despised—and fought—wherever it is found.’”
I may have sounded more negative than positive in this review, but the real reading experience actually speaks the other way around; I just couldn’t talk about some positive specifics due to spoiler reasons. Fuller did mention on his website that out of all his books, The Trysmoon Saga is the only one that's targeted for YA readers, and I’m totally not the target audience; YA fantasy in general just doesn't work for me. That being said, Trysmoon: Ascension is overall a great first part of the Trysmoon Saga. Even though some execution of the story and narrative did fall a bit short for me, I definitely enjoyed reading the ode to classic fantasy, the characterizations of Gen, his harsh training sequences, and the battle scenes. I probably will not continue to the next parts anytime soon; I highly suggest you check out TS’ review for a more positive spoiler-free overview of the series.
You can order the book from: Amazon
You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions
Special thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for giving me extra support towards my passion for reading and reviewing!
My Patrons: Alfred, Devin, Hamad, Jimmy Nutts, Joie, Mike, Miracle, Nicholas.
April 5, 2017
Update: Rewriting my review as one which addresses the entire story across all four books.
Overall rating: 4.5 stars.
The Trysmoon Saga is a laudable self-published fantasy by debut author, Brian K. Fuller.
One point to note is that Trysmoon is not a series but a single continuous storyline split into 4 books (Ascension, Duty, Hunted and Sacrifice) and as such, the ending of each book might seem abrupt as it was just the culmination of an important arc within the narrative.
After the first few chapters, one might find the story to be fairly loaded with fantasy clichés. A young orphan raised in a small remote village which was then trained to be superior fighter - sounds familiar right? However, whatever standard fantasy tropes which appear to exist were dealt with finesse and delivered through great writing.
The main plot centred around a world-saving prophecy which although sounds overused was not what it seems. The author weaved enough twists and turns into the plot to keep the reader intrigued without coming across as overly contrived. I clearly missed some of the foreshadowing when I read this the first time. The pacing could be uneven at times or it could just be me, especially when it came to the parts where travelling was involved. There were some scenes / sequences however, which I absolutely could not tear my eyes away from.
Now about the training - how many times have we read fantasy tales where the main protagonist undertook training to become the best of the best, etc etc. Sometimes it might be convincing enough and sometimes you just wanted to roll your eyes. The training that Gen had forced upon him was one of the best I've ever read and did not lack any conviction in making me believe that he would become a badass warrior of superlative skills.
Story aside, the character development was also well-executed. So much so that my favourite character in this saga is also one of the best female characters I’ve encountered in epic/high fantasy. Strong, smart and confident but vulnerable, regal and commanding but compassionate and accessible, Mirelle wholly epitomises what a queen should be.
The author has a writing style that I will like to describe as direct but eloquent. He’s not given to flowery and indulgent philosophical prose, but has a delivery which was almost poetic at times and effortlessly engaging.
It will be remiss of me not to mention anything about worldbuilding in a high fantasy book. I find the world here to be more unique than most, one whose land was literally shattered into pieces, from the very large to very small, with nothing in between but space. The saga is named Trysmoon as it means three moons, which have significant influence on the world's mythology and the prophecy.
Trysmoon is not perfect or flawless by any measure, but it is high fantasy that makes no excuses for its use of tropes by turning it on its head in crafting a compelling read which deserves a bit more attention from fantasy fans.
Overall rating: 4.5 stars.
The Trysmoon Saga is a laudable self-published fantasy by debut author, Brian K. Fuller.
One point to note is that Trysmoon is not a series but a single continuous storyline split into 4 books (Ascension, Duty, Hunted and Sacrifice) and as such, the ending of each book might seem abrupt as it was just the culmination of an important arc within the narrative.
After the first few chapters, one might find the story to be fairly loaded with fantasy clichés. A young orphan raised in a small remote village which was then trained to be superior fighter - sounds familiar right? However, whatever standard fantasy tropes which appear to exist were dealt with finesse and delivered through great writing.
The main plot centred around a world-saving prophecy which although sounds overused was not what it seems. The author weaved enough twists and turns into the plot to keep the reader intrigued without coming across as overly contrived. I clearly missed some of the foreshadowing when I read this the first time. The pacing could be uneven at times or it could just be me, especially when it came to the parts where travelling was involved. There were some scenes / sequences however, which I absolutely could not tear my eyes away from.
Now about the training - how many times have we read fantasy tales where the main protagonist undertook training to become the best of the best, etc etc. Sometimes it might be convincing enough and sometimes you just wanted to roll your eyes. The training that Gen had forced upon him was one of the best I've ever read and did not lack any conviction in making me believe that he would become a badass warrior of superlative skills.
Story aside, the character development was also well-executed. So much so that my favourite character in this saga is also one of the best female characters I’ve encountered in epic/high fantasy. Strong, smart and confident but vulnerable, regal and commanding but compassionate and accessible, Mirelle wholly epitomises what a queen should be.
The author has a writing style that I will like to describe as direct but eloquent. He’s not given to flowery and indulgent philosophical prose, but has a delivery which was almost poetic at times and effortlessly engaging.
It will be remiss of me not to mention anything about worldbuilding in a high fantasy book. I find the world here to be more unique than most, one whose land was literally shattered into pieces, from the very large to very small, with nothing in between but space. The saga is named Trysmoon as it means three moons, which have significant influence on the world's mythology and the prophecy.
Trysmoon is not perfect or flawless by any measure, but it is high fantasy that makes no excuses for its use of tropes by turning it on its head in crafting a compelling read which deserves a bit more attention from fantasy fans.
June 21, 2018
One of the more interesting books I've read in a long time.
Gen is a bard's apprentice, living in a sleepy little village with his master. Until one day at the beginning of winter Shadan Khaim, the master swordsman and his army, invades Gen's village killing anyone he deems unnecessary. Shadan is impressed with Gen and decides to make him a master swordsman. Using pain and magic, Gen is taught how to fight with both sword and fist. He becomes a weapon like no other with the sole purpose of fighting Shadan in the spring for sport.
But things don't go quite how Shadan plans. I won't say more or I'll spoil things for you.
The story unfolds quickly and really captures your attention. Everything that happens I found quite believable and that's saying something for a novel that involves magic. Especially when someone learns to be a master swordsman in the span of four or five months. But the way the author pull this off was more than believable.
My only problem with the book, if you can call it that, is the sudden ending. You turn the page, and WTF, there are no more pages!!! On a positive note, book two is out and ready for me to read.
UPDATE! --- I just finished the fourth and final book in this series and thought I would update my review of the first book. If you are like me, you most likely make up your mind about reading a series by reading reviews of the first book in the series. So here are my thoughts on the series:
If you enjoy books that are unpredictable than this is the series for you. Brian K. Fuller has a gift for taking the sudden unexpected left turn. Seriously! There were times when I wanted to throw my tablet across the room! Like WTF are you doing! You can't kill him! She did what? I can't even begin to count the number of times I said things to that effect throughout this series! It was F'ing great!!! :)
He also created a group of great characters. Gen, of course, being my favorite. When you finish the last book in a really good series, there is almost a period of grieving you go through as you realize that's it. There is no more. That your time with these characters is at an end and you'll never spend time with them again. That was definitely true with this series for me.
Finally, most of the individual books in the series I've given four stars. They have been really good books but have just fallen short of great. If I could rate it as a series, I would give it five stars. It is a great series of books that I would recommend to anyone that enjoys fantasy.
June 10, 2016
*** 4.25 ***
A buddy read with the Fantasy Addicts at BB&B
This is a non review, just a note, that since this is just a quarter of a full book, not a book in a series, I am planning on doing one review at the end of the fourth part:-)
Pure traditional Fantasy, written very well and engaging!!! If you are a Fantasy fan, you should soooooo read it!!!
Happy reading to all!!!
A buddy read with the Fantasy Addicts at BB&B
This is a non review, just a note, that since this is just a quarter of a full book, not a book in a series, I am planning on doing one review at the end of the fourth part:-)
Pure traditional Fantasy, written very well and engaging!!! If you are a Fantasy fan, you should soooooo read it!!!
Happy reading to all!!!
May 20, 2016
Well Michael & TS have been pimping this one to me for a while now, so I cannot say I was surprised at how good it was. Still, this was better than I expected.
Classic fantasy with some unexpected twists, this one was a slow starter, but once it got going I could not stop turning the pages. Be aware though, that you cannot read it as a standalone. This series is not four books, but one book split into four. And of course no book was ever split at the exact moment nothing serious happens. O_o
Recommended.
Classic fantasy with some unexpected twists, this one was a slow starter, but once it got going I could not stop turning the pages. Be aware though, that you cannot read it as a standalone. This series is not four books, but one book split into four. And of course no book was ever split at the exact moment nothing serious happens. O_o
Recommended.
May 20, 2016
I’ve been trying to make time for this book ever since my good friend TS recommended it to me. I’ve learned to trust her taste and knew that I would really like this series. This book did not disappoint.
Basically, I think fans of fantasy should read this book. I even recommended it to several of my GoodReads friends whom I thought might enjoy it in particular – I’m usually much too scared to dare such a thing. What if they don’t like it? What if they are bugged that I even suggested it? What if…. Well, this book is worth the risk! Let me give you a brief flavor for some of the things that I really liked about it.
1) Great Writing - The first chapter feels like so many first chapters of fantasy. You are following a young orphan boy in an obscure village… blah blah blah. Snore Snore Snore. Only it didn’t read “blah blah” or “snore snore.” No my friends, somehow that I can’t quite put my finger on this book was able to use trope-ish ideas without making them feel… well trope-ish. I can’t explain it. All I knew is that I hurt when they hurt. And in the beginning… Gen (our hero) hurt a lot. I think it is good writing when the reader walks away really loving the characters they should love and hating the characters they should hate. And there are some characters that I hate. And I mean HATE!
2) Seat Grabbing - Usually the first story in a series is the set-up story. It will have some very slow parts while the author lays the foundation to build his or her massive vision. Well, this first book has a lot of really fun and exciting scenes (after the first few chapters which are good but arguably less “seat grabing”). The story kept taking turns where I was genuinely unsure how to characters would get from “A” to “B” or even what “B” looks like.
3) Training - Part of what I think is the downfall in first in series books is that the inexperienced hero needs to get some training. I mean you want to have a character that comes from humble beginnings and then grows to a level of hardcoreness that sends them out to bust skulls and take names. So you need to train. This is usually a few interesting scenes where you see some cool training techniques or have an existential moment mixed with a series of griping about how hard it is and how tired the protagonist has become. Or “I trained for a few weeks so now I am the best swordsman ever!” Not awesome. That is why I get excited about quality training sequences like that of Vin in Mistborn or… well… this book. Gen is being trained by his enemy of all people. Maybe that doesn’t sound that interesting, but I think that added an interesting spin to it. Also, he grows in skill in a way that is great to read and fits the timing of the story. He gets good fast, but it makes total sense to me.
4) Extra-Great Scenes - I won’t say too much but there were some scenes that I just thought were so well done. I’m thinking specifically about
[image error]
Before I finished this one I was planning on reading a different book before moving to book #2, but I think I have to dive right back in
Basically, I think fans of fantasy should read this book. I even recommended it to several of my GoodReads friends whom I thought might enjoy it in particular – I’m usually much too scared to dare such a thing. What if they don’t like it? What if they are bugged that I even suggested it? What if…. Well, this book is worth the risk! Let me give you a brief flavor for some of the things that I really liked about it.
1) Great Writing - The first chapter feels like so many first chapters of fantasy. You are following a young orphan boy in an obscure village… blah blah blah. Snore Snore Snore. Only it didn’t read “blah blah” or “snore snore.” No my friends, somehow that I can’t quite put my finger on this book was able to use trope-ish ideas without making them feel… well trope-ish. I can’t explain it. All I knew is that I hurt when they hurt. And in the beginning… Gen (our hero) hurt a lot. I think it is good writing when the reader walks away really loving the characters they should love and hating the characters they should hate. And there are some characters that I hate. And I mean HATE!
2) Seat Grabbing - Usually the first story in a series is the set-up story. It will have some very slow parts while the author lays the foundation to build his or her massive vision. Well, this first book has a lot of really fun and exciting scenes (after the first few chapters which are good but arguably less “seat grabing”). The story kept taking turns where I was genuinely unsure how to characters would get from “A” to “B” or even what “B” looks like.
3) Training - Part of what I think is the downfall in first in series books is that the inexperienced hero needs to get some training. I mean you want to have a character that comes from humble beginnings and then grows to a level of hardcoreness that sends them out to bust skulls and take names. So you need to train. This is usually a few interesting scenes where you see some cool training techniques or have an existential moment mixed with a series of griping about how hard it is and how tired the protagonist has become. Or “I trained for a few weeks so now I am the best swordsman ever!” Not awesome. That is why I get excited about quality training sequences like that of Vin in Mistborn or… well… this book. Gen is being trained by his enemy of all people. Maybe that doesn’t sound that interesting, but I think that added an interesting spin to it. Also, he grows in skill in a way that is great to read and fits the timing of the story. He gets good fast, but it makes total sense to me.
4) Extra-Great Scenes - I won’t say too much but there were some scenes that I just thought were so well done. I’m thinking specifically about
[image error]
Before I finished this one I was planning on reading a different book before moving to book #2, but I think I have to dive right back in
December 14, 2021
First of all, this is a damn fine book and series. This is my third reread and the story and characters hold up nicely.
So, what sucks about this book? Nothing really but as far as the series as a whole there is a problem. The Trysmoon Saga is one book split into four separate volumes. The book was obviously split up by money grubbing publishers who saw the opportunity to cash in. Despite how great the story is, this always bothers me. Fear not! It is now offered in one volume for an inflated price.
So, what's great about this book? An awful lot. This is a classic epic fantasy story which is written with the deep characterization of a modern fantasy novel. Troupes abound however the story is so engrossing and the characters are so richly painted that it did not bother me once. It's a lot like The Faithful and the Fallen series in that it's troupey classic fantasy done right. If Robert Jordan had soul he would've written this book.
Pick up the omnibus version of this series and dig in post haste.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
So, what sucks about this book? Nothing really but as far as the series as a whole there is a problem. The Trysmoon Saga is one book split into four separate volumes. The book was obviously split up by money grubbing publishers who saw the opportunity to cash in. Despite how great the story is, this always bothers me. Fear not! It is now offered in one volume for an inflated price.
So, what's great about this book? An awful lot. This is a classic epic fantasy story which is written with the deep characterization of a modern fantasy novel. Troupes abound however the story is so engrossing and the characters are so richly painted that it did not bother me once. It's a lot like The Faithful and the Fallen series in that it's troupey classic fantasy done right. If Robert Jordan had soul he would've written this book.
Pick up the omnibus version of this series and dig in post haste.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
July 28, 2016
Good prophecy-based fantasy series begins here, featuring humans, mages, and a few elves, plus various horrible creatures. Told in 3rd person, the writing is fairly solid, but too many typos. I read and also heard the whole series, narrated superbly by Simon Vance. Enjoyed it!
Weird names, so below are brief descriptions of the planet's key places, and the characters, but no spoilers.
The fantastical planet is named Ki'Hal. Long ago, this planet split apart into shards when the moon named Trys eclipsed, during intense battle against Dark Elves and Orc-like Uyumaak, led by the treacherous elf Mikkik, who murdered the divine creator Eldaloth.
Ancient prophecy states that a gifted child will be born of the blessed couple, to defeat Mikkik once and for all, to restore the spirit of Eldaloth to the lands, to unveil the eclipsed moon Trys, and perhaps to reconnect the splintered planet.
The Prologue, set long ago at the time of the Mikkikian War, shows a mighty warrior named Voss. We will never see Voss again — so don't bother looking — but we will see the stones he is wearing on a special necklace. Voss is fighting Mikkik's horrible Uyumaak in a desperate last stand, until suddenly the planet Ki'Hal breaks apart into shards (done by magic worked by benign Millim Eri elves). The good elves shattered the planet to eject the Uyumaak-riddled land and save mankind, because the Armies of Mikkik were about to overrun the humans with a decisive victory on the shores of a lake (probably Shroud Lake Shard where the moon temple is located, or at the shores of King's Blood Lake in the nation of Rhugoth, home to the Blessed Chalaine and the First Mother).
Today, traveling to the geographically varied shards is possible via magical portals, controlled by Portal Mages and the wealthy and political Portal Guild. Three major planetary shards are nations: Rhugoth, Tolnor, Aughmere.
Moons:
Planet Ki'Hal has three moons that yield supernatural abilities: Trys, Duam, and Myn. Each moon yields different magical gifts, which can be supposedly used only by skilled mages, but because Trys is fully eclipsed, its powers are not accessible (for now). The moon Trys, shown on the cover of each book, is central to the plot, but each moon plays a part. There is a sacred temple of the moons at Elde Luri Mora, which is holy ground, located on a distant shard (Shroud Lake Shard). It's the resting place of the murdered Eldaloth. His spirit still abides there, poisonous to Mikkik and his creatures. Major events in the series take place here, and in nation-shard Tolner, and in the capital city of Mikmir, on the nation-shard Rhugoth.
Characters: (no spoilers)
The main character is an orphan named Gen, about 19 years old when the series begins. He is apprentice to the wise bard Rafael, in the obscure village of Tell, on the nation-shard of Tolnor. Gen loves Regina and is best friends with Gant. He despises the blowhard Showles family, especially their father Bernard, a cruel village magistrate.
A mad warlord king from the nation-shard Aughmere invades the nation-shard Tolnor, and takes an interest in Gen. The warlord's name is Torbrand, the Shadan Khairn, like a warrior Khan. Torbrand seemingly only loves one person, his daughter Mina. He will play a role across the series.
Then there is the Chalaine, of noble birth, beautiful, kind, and brave, but overwhelmed by the prophecies of her divine destiny, to give birth to the savior. She's about 18 years old. Her best friend and handmaiden, Fenna Fairedale, plays a strong supporting role. They live on the nation-shard Rhugoth, in the capital city of Mikmir (named after a peasant-king who fought Mikkik's army in an earlier Mikkikian war).
The Chalaine is destined to wed the Chertanne, aka the Ha'Ulrich (ull-rick), aka the blessed one. He is from the nation-shard Aughmere, and his father is Torbrand, the Shadad Khairn of Aughmer, mentioned above. Together, the Chalaine and the Chertanne (Ha'Ulrich) are prophetically destined to save the world, through their offspring, as described below:
A key character is the Chelaine's mother Mirelle, called The First Mother. She is also beautiful beyond the norm, fair-minded, kind, and politically savvy.
We meet three ancient über-warriors immortalized inside the stone necklace so they can train new warriors to defend the blessed couple and their child: 1) Samian Birchwood, perhaps the kindest one, is an expert woodsman / survivalist (and Maewen's father), 2) Elberen the archer, a wise and knowledgable elf, speaking the old language and fighting an extinct hand-to-hand combat style, and 3) General Telmerran Fourtower, the boldest (and most reckless) of the three. They temporarily sacrificed their spirits to provide training, until Mikkik is defeated.
The elite Dark Guard protects the Chalaine. They also defend against the ilch (ilk), a humanoid created by Mikkik to destroy the holy couple and/or baby, before the prophecy is realized. Notable Dark Guard members are Dason, Jaron, Kimdan, Gerand, Volney, etc. Cadaen is a Dark Guard, too, but his job is to protect the First Mother, Mirelle, the Chelaine's mother.
General Harrick Oggbeth helps rule all of Rhugoth. He is one of the regents of Rhugoth, and Kimdan's father. Regent Oggbeth (Oggy) is a contemporary of the First Mother, Mirelle.
Churchmen (no women) and divine magicians also protect the Chalaine, against dark magic: High Pontiff Obelard, Mage-priest Ethris, Padra Athan, Aaron the acolyte, Salem the sailor-turned-pureman, etc. They serve the prophecy, and the Church of the One, the murdered god Elderloth.
The series also includes a few of the Millim Eri, powerful ancient elves, the last of their kind.
Love these characters, the strong women and the courageous men. Wanted more scenes with the wise warriors from the past -- what there is could have been more vivid. Love the friendships and fun scenes, the esprit-de-corps and camaraderie, the loyalty despite threats. But there are grim and bloody scenes, and some beloved characters die.
Ends on a cliffhanger, of course. I read the series. Enjoyed it, because it ends on a happy note, despite some sad deaths.
Excellent narrator, Simon Vance.
Weird names, so below are brief descriptions of the planet's key places, and the characters, but no spoilers.
The fantastical planet is named Ki'Hal. Long ago, this planet split apart into shards when the moon named Trys eclipsed, during intense battle against Dark Elves and Orc-like Uyumaak, led by the treacherous elf Mikkik, who murdered the divine creator Eldaloth.
Ancient prophecy states that a gifted child will be born of the blessed couple, to defeat Mikkik once and for all, to restore the spirit of Eldaloth to the lands, to unveil the eclipsed moon Trys, and perhaps to reconnect the splintered planet.
The Prologue, set long ago at the time of the Mikkikian War, shows a mighty warrior named Voss. We will never see Voss again — so don't bother looking — but we will see the stones he is wearing on a special necklace. Voss is fighting Mikkik's horrible Uyumaak in a desperate last stand, until suddenly the planet Ki'Hal breaks apart into shards (done by magic worked by benign Millim Eri elves). The good elves shattered the planet to eject the Uyumaak-riddled land and save mankind, because the Armies of Mikkik were about to overrun the humans with a decisive victory on the shores of a lake (probably Shroud Lake Shard where the moon temple is located, or at the shores of King's Blood Lake in the nation of Rhugoth, home to the Blessed Chalaine and the First Mother).
Today, traveling to the geographically varied shards is possible via magical portals, controlled by Portal Mages and the wealthy and political Portal Guild. Three major planetary shards are nations: Rhugoth, Tolnor, Aughmere.
Moons:
Planet Ki'Hal has three moons that yield supernatural abilities: Trys, Duam, and Myn. Each moon yields different magical gifts, which can be supposedly used only by skilled mages, but because Trys is fully eclipsed, its powers are not accessible (for now). The moon Trys, shown on the cover of each book, is central to the plot, but each moon plays a part. There is a sacred temple of the moons at Elde Luri Mora, which is holy ground, located on a distant shard (Shroud Lake Shard). It's the resting place of the murdered Eldaloth. His spirit still abides there, poisonous to Mikkik and his creatures. Major events in the series take place here, and in nation-shard Tolner, and in the capital city of Mikmir, on the nation-shard Rhugoth.
Characters: (no spoilers)
The main character is an orphan named Gen, about 19 years old when the series begins. He is apprentice to the wise bard Rafael, in the obscure village of Tell, on the nation-shard of Tolnor. Gen loves Regina and is best friends with Gant. He despises the blowhard Showles family, especially their father Bernard, a cruel village magistrate.
A mad warlord king from the nation-shard Aughmere invades the nation-shard Tolnor, and takes an interest in Gen. The warlord's name is Torbrand, the Shadan Khairn, like a warrior Khan. Torbrand seemingly only loves one person, his daughter Mina. He will play a role across the series.
Then there is the Chalaine, of noble birth, beautiful, kind, and brave, but overwhelmed by the prophecies of her divine destiny, to give birth to the savior. She's about 18 years old. Her best friend and handmaiden, Fenna Fairedale, plays a strong supporting role. They live on the nation-shard Rhugoth, in the capital city of Mikmir (named after a peasant-king who fought Mikkik's army in an earlier Mikkikian war).
The Chalaine is destined to wed the Chertanne, aka the Ha'Ulrich (ull-rick), aka the blessed one. He is from the nation-shard Aughmere, and his father is Torbrand, the Shadad Khairn of Aughmer, mentioned above. Together, the Chalaine and the Chertanne (Ha'Ulrich) are prophetically destined to save the world, through their offspring, as described below:
“And thus we see,” Obelard plodded on, “that in this perfect union of Ha’Ulrich and Chalaine there will be powers unparalleled to heal and destroy— the Chalaine’s healing to counter Mikkik’s destruction, the Ha’Ulrich’s generative powers to counter Mikkik’s malcreative force.”
A key character is the Chelaine's mother Mirelle, called The First Mother. She is also beautiful beyond the norm, fair-minded, kind, and politically savvy.
We meet three ancient über-warriors immortalized inside the stone necklace so they can train new warriors to defend the blessed couple and their child: 1) Samian Birchwood, perhaps the kindest one, is an expert woodsman / survivalist (and Maewen's father), 2) Elberen the archer, a wise and knowledgable elf, speaking the old language and fighting an extinct hand-to-hand combat style, and 3) General Telmerran Fourtower, the boldest (and most reckless) of the three. They temporarily sacrificed their spirits to provide training, until Mikkik is defeated.
The elite Dark Guard protects the Chalaine. They also defend against the ilch (ilk), a humanoid created by Mikkik to destroy the holy couple and/or baby, before the prophecy is realized. Notable Dark Guard members are Dason, Jaron, Kimdan, Gerand, Volney, etc. Cadaen is a Dark Guard, too, but his job is to protect the First Mother, Mirelle, the Chelaine's mother.
General Harrick Oggbeth helps rule all of Rhugoth. He is one of the regents of Rhugoth, and Kimdan's father. Regent Oggbeth (Oggy) is a contemporary of the First Mother, Mirelle.
Churchmen (no women) and divine magicians also protect the Chalaine, against dark magic: High Pontiff Obelard, Mage-priest Ethris, Padra Athan, Aaron the acolyte, Salem the sailor-turned-pureman, etc. They serve the prophecy, and the Church of the One, the murdered god Elderloth.
The series also includes a few of the Millim Eri, powerful ancient elves, the last of their kind.
Love these characters, the strong women and the courageous men. Wanted more scenes with the wise warriors from the past -- what there is could have been more vivid. Love the friendships and fun scenes, the esprit-de-corps and camaraderie, the loyalty despite threats. But there are grim and bloody scenes, and some beloved characters die.
Ends on a cliffhanger, of course. I read the series. Enjoyed it, because it ends on a happy note, despite some sad deaths.
Excellent narrator, Simon Vance.
May 20, 2016
5/16/16- BR over at BB&B! #Excitement!
Thanks for an excellent BR guys! :)
Thanks for an excellent BR guys! :)
May 1, 2022
I enjoyed revisiting this story.
This is Book One of a four book series. I had read somewhere once upon a time that it's really one long book broken up into four segments. That strikes me as true.
This starts out a little slower in order to establish the lay of the land. We mainly follow along with Gen, an apprentice to the bard Raphael. He's a happy and sensitive soul, so we all know that this means change is on the horizon. And it certainly is, courtesy of an invasion among other things. And that's about all of the synopsis that I'll be giving here, except for mentioning that the ancient prophecy was mistaken about a couple of things ;)
The strongest element to this series is the terrific cast of characters. That impression has stayed with me for all of the years since I had first read it! Everyone had such a unique personality. Gen, the Chalaine, Fenna, the Regent, even the elderly Chamberlain with the tendency of nodding off before the throne doors. I think my favorite is the Chalaine's mother, Mirelle. I can recall that her personality keeps getting better as the series continues.
This author writes some darned likeable stories. They aren't Nobel Prize winners, but I always have a good time reading them. This first has a more serious tone, which lightens somewhat. As a matter of fact, I'll probably just head on over to book two in a few minutes...
This is Book One of a four book series. I had read somewhere once upon a time that it's really one long book broken up into four segments. That strikes me as true.
This starts out a little slower in order to establish the lay of the land. We mainly follow along with Gen, an apprentice to the bard Raphael. He's a happy and sensitive soul, so we all know that this means change is on the horizon. And it certainly is, courtesy of an invasion among other things. And that's about all of the synopsis that I'll be giving here, except for mentioning that the ancient prophecy was mistaken about a couple of things ;)
The strongest element to this series is the terrific cast of characters. That impression has stayed with me for all of the years since I had first read it! Everyone had such a unique personality. Gen, the Chalaine, Fenna, the Regent, even the elderly Chamberlain with the tendency of nodding off before the throne doors. I think my favorite is the Chalaine's mother, Mirelle. I can recall that her personality keeps getting better as the series continues.
This author writes some darned likeable stories. They aren't Nobel Prize winners, but I always have a good time reading them. This first has a more serious tone, which lightens somewhat. As a matter of fact, I'll probably just head on over to book two in a few minutes...
February 25, 2015
Wow
This book blew me away. Rarely do stories evoke such emotion in me. I laughed aloud and had to put my kindle down at times, just to thank God for amazing authors like this guy. Thanks man, I appreciate your work.
This book blew me away. Rarely do stories evoke such emotion in me. I laughed aloud and had to put my kindle down at times, just to thank God for amazing authors like this guy. Thanks man, I appreciate your work.
September 14, 2015
Wow. A lot of interesting ideas. Exciting and well done.
There are four books in “The Trysmoon Saga” series. They are one long story. Be prepared to read them all. The four books in order are Ascension, Duty, Hunted, Sacrifice.
5 stars for Ascension. Exciting wonderful journey following Gen an orphan. The evil local magistrate bullies and harms Gen and others. Warlord Khairn comes to town killing many. Khairn forces Gen to learn to fight. There are magical creatures and healers in this world. It reminds me of Lord of the Rings with a little Harry Potter.
4 stars for books 2 and 3, Duty and Hunted. Still very good as they continue Gen’s story.
3 ½ stars - maybe 4 stars for the last book Sacrifice. There were sooo many battles and journeys. The main characters fight, flee and survive one obstacle, then an emergency happens and they are fighting something else. I was getting a little weary of battle after battle. But the overall story and how it ended was worthwhile. The evil god Mikkik was close to destroying all the good in the world. The epilogue was fun and very feel good.
PROLOGUE IN THE 1ST BOOK:
I was confused about when this occurred. I kept thinking it was a section from later in the story. In case someone else is confused, here’s what it is. The prologue occurs at some time prior to the start of the first book - maybe decades. Voss and York are two characters in the prologue. They do not appear in the rest of the story and they are not referred to.
AUDIOBOOK NARRATOR:
Simon Vance is excellent. And he does females well.
DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Swearing language: none. Sexual content: no details shown but a few occurrences are referred to after the fact. Setting: medieval time on another planet. Book copyright: 2014. Genre: fantasy.
There are four books in “The Trysmoon Saga” series. They are one long story. Be prepared to read them all. The four books in order are Ascension, Duty, Hunted, Sacrifice.
5 stars for Ascension. Exciting wonderful journey following Gen an orphan. The evil local magistrate bullies and harms Gen and others. Warlord Khairn comes to town killing many. Khairn forces Gen to learn to fight. There are magical creatures and healers in this world. It reminds me of Lord of the Rings with a little Harry Potter.
4 stars for books 2 and 3, Duty and Hunted. Still very good as they continue Gen’s story.
3 ½ stars - maybe 4 stars for the last book Sacrifice. There were sooo many battles and journeys. The main characters fight, flee and survive one obstacle, then an emergency happens and they are fighting something else. I was getting a little weary of battle after battle. But the overall story and how it ended was worthwhile. The evil god Mikkik was close to destroying all the good in the world. The epilogue was fun and very feel good.
PROLOGUE IN THE 1ST BOOK:
I was confused about when this occurred. I kept thinking it was a section from later in the story. In case someone else is confused, here’s what it is. The prologue occurs at some time prior to the start of the first book - maybe decades. Voss and York are two characters in the prologue. They do not appear in the rest of the story and they are not referred to.
AUDIOBOOK NARRATOR:
Simon Vance is excellent. And he does females well.
DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Swearing language: none. Sexual content: no details shown but a few occurrences are referred to after the fact. Setting: medieval time on another planet. Book copyright: 2014. Genre: fantasy.
May 11, 2017
I picked this up on an Amazon sale, and had a lot of ups and downs on it, but felt that the story ended very strongly, despite a number of developmental issues that bothered me. Fuller is yet another fantasy author that has built his fantasy religion heavily on top of a not-at-all concealed caricature of the orthodox Christian churches and practices - a practice which always wearies me - but his prophetic touches and genuinely pious, good portrayal of most of the world's religion make the story stomacheable, if a sadly frustrating and fictitious shade of *real* prophecy.
My attachment to the story was a wild roller coaster that dipped and soared at varying points, mostly due to tragic events in the story's beginning. I grew to accept by the book's end however, that Gen really comes to be known by his service to the Chalaine, and that the earlier parts of the book are merely a detailed background of how this young, sober, inhuman warrior arrives in her service with the talents that he has. One of my sincere hopes for the series is that his sobriety cracks and that he obtains some closure.
Fuller doesn't concentrate much on world-building, instead contenting himself with a fairly politically, magically, and technologically nondescript setting in favor of developing the characters of Gen and the Chalaine, both of which shed some light on the world's history.
The last several chapters of this book, when Gen entered the Chalaine's service, were the most gripping, and it's my sincere hope that book two continues hot on the heels of these chapters, breaking out of the more tedious and brutal details of the books development.
My attachment to the story was a wild roller coaster that dipped and soared at varying points, mostly due to tragic events in the story's beginning. I grew to accept by the book's end however, that Gen really comes to be known by his service to the Chalaine, and that the earlier parts of the book are merely a detailed background of how this young, sober, inhuman warrior arrives in her service with the talents that he has. One of my sincere hopes for the series is that his sobriety cracks and that he obtains some closure.
Fuller doesn't concentrate much on world-building, instead contenting himself with a fairly politically, magically, and technologically nondescript setting in favor of developing the characters of Gen and the Chalaine, both of which shed some light on the world's history.
The last several chapters of this book, when Gen entered the Chalaine's service, were the most gripping, and it's my sincere hope that book two continues hot on the heels of these chapters, breaking out of the more tedious and brutal details of the books development.
December 6, 2014
I was a bit skeptical when I first picked up this book on Amazon, but after reading into the book more and more I became engrossed in the characters. This (and the following three "books") are well worth the price. They are great books!
May 18, 2015
Really liked this first book of series!!!
March 19, 2015
I had know idea this would be so good
This story is so interesting that I couldn't put this book down.
Gen, the main character in the story, has gone thru so much that by the time things really start happening, bang your ready to keep going with with a gusto!!!
Please enjoy this great story.
This story is so interesting that I couldn't put this book down.
Gen, the main character in the story, has gone thru so much that by the time things really start happening, bang your ready to keep going with with a gusto!!!
Please enjoy this great story.
May 25, 2015
Well that's a shocker
Didn't expect this book to be this good, kinda starts out slow. I really thought I wasn't going to by the other one, the last 9 pages made me keep going.
Didn't expect this book to be this good, kinda starts out slow. I really thought I wasn't going to by the other one, the last 9 pages made me keep going.
September 7, 2015
Slow to start, but quite good, I am looking forward to the next 3...
December 4, 2016
This book is a classical fantasy without the obvious twists that make me hate fantasy. MC is an orphan but is not bullied to seriously by anyone, he has a love-interest buts not all consuming and stupid. He has a reason for revenge but actually heads the wisdom of his elders and does something more useful with his life.
MC gets really powerful really fast, he quickly because popular with some enemies and he is a mystery man in the eyes of many men, and intriguing to the women. Its a power fantasy without the horrible behavior that comes with it. He does not brood, he does not lash out on others and he does not go on some killing spree or try to usurp or humiliate anyone he thinks is deserving of it.
The bad guys while quite bad are not the penultimate evil in this book. The antagonists range from characteristically evil to frustratingly outputting;the man the heroin is to marry.
Its fun to see the other character perspectives on the MC who near the back end of the book does not get much POV.
There is romance in the book but its light, and quite realistic instead of some over angsty woo-is-me nonsense. The princess really does want to be a good wife and do her duty but her fiance is putting in no effort. The princess in infatuated with her old body guard, but that has more to do with her inexperience and lack of choice in partners. Her handmaiden is interested in a handsome and skilled swordman but he has the attention of many ladies and her attention turn to MC. That swordsman after being upstaged no tries to court her. This may sound sappy but its not, because its all very casual, that what makes it realistic, the world is not put on hold so they can make moon eyes at each other; helped by the fact the MC does not pursue any relationships.
A con though, but not fore me is that actually plot is scarce, there is an ancient evil that the birth that will come from the union of heroin and antagonist a war between 2 of the 3 nation that will have to fight together someday, and the mystery of Gen the MC who while he is purposely being tight lipped on his recent past because of trauma and his training; We get hints that his origins are ever more interesting, and it doesn't seem to be that he is a secret prince or king to be. It fun listening to character theorize about his background and try to pry info out of him.
MC gets really powerful really fast, he quickly because popular with some enemies and he is a mystery man in the eyes of many men, and intriguing to the women. Its a power fantasy without the horrible behavior that comes with it. He does not brood, he does not lash out on others and he does not go on some killing spree or try to usurp or humiliate anyone he thinks is deserving of it.
The bad guys while quite bad are not the penultimate evil in this book. The antagonists range from characteristically evil to frustratingly outputting;the man the heroin is to marry.
Its fun to see the other character perspectives on the MC who near the back end of the book does not get much POV.
There is romance in the book but its light, and quite realistic instead of some over angsty woo-is-me nonsense. The princess really does want to be a good wife and do her duty but her fiance is putting in no effort. The princess in infatuated with her old body guard, but that has more to do with her inexperience and lack of choice in partners. Her handmaiden is interested in a handsome and skilled swordman but he has the attention of many ladies and her attention turn to MC. That swordsman after being upstaged no tries to court her. This may sound sappy but its not, because its all very casual, that what makes it realistic, the world is not put on hold so they can make moon eyes at each other; helped by the fact the MC does not pursue any relationships.
A con though, but not fore me is that actually plot is scarce, there is an ancient evil that the birth that will come from the union of heroin and antagonist a war between 2 of the 3 nation that will have to fight together someday, and the mystery of Gen the MC who while he is purposely being tight lipped on his recent past because of trauma and his training; We get hints that his origins are ever more interesting, and it doesn't seem to be that he is a secret prince or king to be. It fun listening to character theorize about his background and try to pry info out of him.
October 30, 2018
I actually quite enjoyed this!
It has a few tropes, and I would have liked the female characters to be a bit stronger all around, but over all it was a quick and entertaining read!
The story was pretty fluent - and I liked that for once you actually get an explanation of how a boy who knows nothing about fighting can learn it over the course of one winter. I liked the main character a lot, and will definitely continue reading this series!
As said before the female characters were a bit of a disappointment to me. One is there purely to motivate the character. Another one is there to "breed" according to a prophecy. Her mother, who should be really powerful in politics seems to just accepts things that should not be accepted. And they all obviously need saving in a way... It's not really bad (no chain mail bikinis or princesses held as prisoner in a tower), but I've become used to well fleshed out female characters in my latest books. And I missed them being everything from strong to weak, soldier to bard, fighter to diplomat - and everything in between. I hope they will start to go *their own* way in the next book!
The story has a few twists and turns that kept it all interesting for me. Starts with a small town that is taken over, then focusses on our character being held as some sort of entertainment, then we get a bit of portal magic, prophecies and politics, fighting and action as well as trying to keep the peace.
Quite some mysteries going on, and a nice hint of what we might face in book two! Definitely has me hooked to find out what those are all about...
It has a few tropes, and I would have liked the female characters to be a bit stronger all around, but over all it was a quick and entertaining read!
The story was pretty fluent - and I liked that for once you actually get an explanation of how a boy who knows nothing about fighting can learn it over the course of one winter. I liked the main character a lot, and will definitely continue reading this series!
As said before the female characters were a bit of a disappointment to me. One is there purely to motivate the character. Another one is there to "breed" according to a prophecy. Her mother, who should be really powerful in politics seems to just accepts things that should not be accepted. And they all obviously need saving in a way... It's not really bad (no chain mail bikinis or princesses held as prisoner in a tower), but I've become used to well fleshed out female characters in my latest books. And I missed them being everything from strong to weak, soldier to bard, fighter to diplomat - and everything in between. I hope they will start to go *their own* way in the next book!
The story has a few twists and turns that kept it all interesting for me. Starts with a small town that is taken over, then focusses on our character being held as some sort of entertainment, then we get a bit of portal magic, prophecies and politics, fighting and action as well as trying to keep the peace.
Quite some mysteries going on, and a nice hint of what we might face in book two! Definitely has me hooked to find out what those are all about...
January 8, 2015
[[This review is for the series rather than just this first book.]]
Have you read that fantasy series where a young, innocent boy raised on a farm becomes an amazing warrior/wizard/hero/chick magnet, gets a magic sword, and fights some great evil? If you did, you pretty much already read the Trysmoon saga.
The author does put in some twists to break from the genre's tropes, I especially liked how he changed up the "chosen one" stuff. But overall he follows the formula relatively closely. The romance bits take up too many pages for my taste and as the series goes on we spend quite a bit of time in characters' heads as they pine for each other, made more unpleasant than usual because the main love triangle is a bit icky. My final quibble is that it seemed like the 7 or 8 villains that were practically indestructible could have killed the fragile heroes any time they wanted, and it's never quite clear why they don't.
All that said, I liked the books. They were good, they were affordable, but they weren't great. I think the author has a lot of potential and I will definitely check out his future works. If, like me, you have kindle unlimited and want to read a fantasy series without paying $50 for the privilege, these books are worth a look.
Have you read that fantasy series where a young, innocent boy raised on a farm becomes an amazing warrior/wizard/hero/chick magnet, gets a magic sword, and fights some great evil? If you did, you pretty much already read the Trysmoon saga.
The author does put in some twists to break from the genre's tropes, I especially liked how he changed up the "chosen one" stuff. But overall he follows the formula relatively closely. The romance bits take up too many pages for my taste and as the series goes on we spend quite a bit of time in characters' heads as they pine for each other, made more unpleasant than usual because the main love triangle is a bit icky. My final quibble is that it seemed like the 7 or 8 villains that were practically indestructible could have killed the fragile heroes any time they wanted, and it's never quite clear why they don't.
All that said, I liked the books. They were good, they were affordable, but they weren't great. I think the author has a lot of potential and I will definitely check out his future works. If, like me, you have kindle unlimited and want to read a fantasy series without paying $50 for the privilege, these books are worth a look.
March 4, 2015
This was a great book, but I couldn't help but feel like there could have been a couple twists that would have made this story really mind-blowing. The main character is Gen, and we basically follow him linearly from his simple small town life through increasingly epic adventures. At the end of this book, looking back, I can only imagine how awesome it would have been to see Gen step out of nowhere in the middle of his adventures, and have people surrounding him sort through clues and hints of his past to discover where he came from and who he is. Seeing his story from the beginning, everything seems just a little too straightforward.
However, despite that minor complaint, the story was still good. Characters had a good amount of depth (to be more specific would probably be a spoiler), with some interesting conflicting goals instead of the classic cookie-cutter good and evil. Well, there was a little straightforward good vs evil, but there was also some ambiguity.
Also, this series seems like it was probably written as one long book and broken into parts. Book 1 alone is a bit of an incomplete experience, and book 2 picks up immediately where book 1 leaves off.
However, despite that minor complaint, the story was still good. Characters had a good amount of depth (to be more specific would probably be a spoiler), with some interesting conflicting goals instead of the classic cookie-cutter good and evil. Well, there was a little straightforward good vs evil, but there was also some ambiguity.
Also, this series seems like it was probably written as one long book and broken into parts. Book 1 alone is a bit of an incomplete experience, and book 2 picks up immediately where book 1 leaves off.
November 24, 2017
The author's fixation (read fetish) with blonde, blue eyed, tall and slender beings aside, this book was quite enjoyable. (after he stopped mentioning his fixation with the blonde, blue eyed, tall and slender).
I think the crazy King was my favorite
I will read the next book, but I think it is downright dirty how the author ended this novel on a cliffhanger. He knew he could have put more chapters in here, or at least lengthened the chapters.
3.95/5 Stars
I think the crazy King was my favorite
I will read the next book, but I think it is downright dirty how the author ended this novel on a cliffhanger. He knew he could have put more chapters in here, or at least lengthened the chapters.
3.95/5 Stars
June 12, 2015
Better than anticipated
Fuller has constructed a world full of wonders. I found myself pondering how this planet maintained its orbit and atmosphere after destruction. He also did a great job with the characters. There are so many Dasons in real life. I'm glad Fuller brought justice to the young man quickly. I am excited about the next book to find out how our hero overcomes death at the hands of the Ilch! In my opinion, this book would be enjoyed by any fantasy buff.
Fuller has constructed a world full of wonders. I found myself pondering how this planet maintained its orbit and atmosphere after destruction. He also did a great job with the characters. There are so many Dasons in real life. I'm glad Fuller brought justice to the young man quickly. I am excited about the next book to find out how our hero overcomes death at the hands of the Ilch! In my opinion, this book would be enjoyed by any fantasy buff.
July 20, 2015
Immensely enjoyed the book and was dragged into the series immediately. The novel starts out slow, but is engaging. Shortly into the story it takes a turn and everything changes. The main character becomes a new man, prophecy unfolds, and wars rage.
This book feels fresh and unique in the fantasy world. It has magic whose power is fundamental to the world, but the users and uses of that magic is kept bare to prevent it from feeling like this is Dungeons and Dragons.
This book feels fresh and unique in the fantasy world. It has magic whose power is fundamental to the world, but the users and uses of that magic is kept bare to prevent it from feeling like this is Dungeons and Dragons.
March 23, 2016
If the rest of the series continues on this track this series is going to be great. There are a lot of great scenes in this book, it's fast paced, and has engaging characters.
It loses a star from me only because some things that I believe were important were just glazed over, and that the ending was not really a complete arc. I understand this is part of a series, but it still should have more of a complete ending. Luckily, the series is done and I can start book 2 immediately
It loses a star from me only because some things that I believe were important were just glazed over, and that the ending was not really a complete arc. I understand this is part of a series, but it still should have more of a complete ending. Luckily, the series is done and I can start book 2 immediately
May 18, 2015
Got this as a free download on Amazon a week ago and now i will definitely be reading the remaining 3 books in the saga-
Great storytelling- I love the transformation of the main character and I have some theories as to where this is all going-
Great storytelling- I love the transformation of the main character and I have some theories as to where this is all going-
Want to read
March 19, 20168 January 2016: $0.99 on Kindle
October 8, 2018
3 stars.
This review is going to be a hard one. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book, because I am a sucker for Hero's Journey tales, and I liked the writing and the conversation. The Trysmoon saga is what you'd expect from a Hero's Journey tale, a young man must find is path, a terrible evil waiting to escape, and races that are similar to what you'd find in LotR. I think there is a lot of potential here and this is indeed a short book.
Overall, this is a good start with a good cast of characters. There is one character, the first mother who is very well done, and I think does the author credit. I just hope that there is more interesting magic to come, and perhaps a bit more explanation of the magic system and better world building.
I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good Hero's Journey tale. There is nothing groundbreaking here, but the writing is good, there is interesting banter, and it does lay the foundation of an interesting cycle.
This review is going to be a hard one. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book, because I am a sucker for Hero's Journey tales, and I liked the writing and the conversation. The Trysmoon saga is what you'd expect from a Hero's Journey tale, a young man must find is path, a terrible evil waiting to escape, and races that are similar to what you'd find in LotR. I think there is a lot of potential here and this is indeed a short book.
Overall, this is a good start with a good cast of characters. There is one character, the first mother who is very well done, and I think does the author credit. I just hope that there is more interesting magic to come, and perhaps a bit more explanation of the magic system and better world building.
I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good Hero's Journey tale. There is nothing groundbreaking here, but the writing is good, there is interesting banter, and it does lay the foundation of an interesting cycle.
February 2, 2016
This was a wonderful book!The first of a series I'd like to read in full. Simon Vance narrates this novel in 3rd person.He is a wonderful narrator.
Gen is a bards apprentice.One day his village is taken over by a terrible man and his army.For some reason Gen is picked out and made to go with him.He suffers torments and trials.He is battered and bruised and everyday the man heals him.Finally Gen is free and is now a warrior.His cause?To protect the Holy couple so the Holy babe can be born. There is a lot more...but you get the gist.
This audiobook was provided to me at no cost for a fair and honest review
Gen is a bards apprentice.One day his village is taken over by a terrible man and his army.For some reason Gen is picked out and made to go with him.He suffers torments and trials.He is battered and bruised and everyday the man heals him.Finally Gen is free and is now a warrior.His cause?To protect the Holy couple so the Holy babe can be born. There is a lot more...but you get the gist.
This audiobook was provided to me at no cost for a fair and honest review
Displaying 1 - 30 of 172 reviews