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Tales of the Verin Empire #1
Gedlund
The alternate cover edition of this book can be found here.
To the north sits Thyesten, the ancient Lich King of Gedlund. He has banished death, and for countless centuries ruled a land where ghosts, vampires, and other wicked undead keep men in feudal servitude. Elsewhere in the world, human civilization has flourished, and with rifle and iron rail, the power of the Elves has been banished at last. Foremost among the great modern nations is the Verin Empire, and with their prosperity threatened by forces the Elves once kept in check, they find themselves rushing headlong into war with Thyesten’s Kingdom of the Dead.
Tammen Gilmot is a young soldier sent to defend the Verin Empire’s colonial frontier who finds himself swept up into this reckless new campaign, pitting rifle and cannon against Gedlund’s ruthless Everlords and their legions of the dead. In the goblin-infested southern frontier, the sprawling metropolis of Gemmen, and the haunted northern kingdom of Gedlund, the modern world wars against the past as Tammen tries to find his place in the forming of history.
Gedlund is the story of a young man's rise to responsibility amid battles between humanity and the terrors of the distant past. Drawing inspiration from Lord of the Rings, Catch-22 and our own late 19th century, William Ray’s debut novel features a complex and nuanced world of memorable characters and unique perspectives on life in worlds of classic fantasy.
To the north sits Thyesten, the ancient Lich King of Gedlund. He has banished death, and for countless centuries ruled a land where ghosts, vampires, and other wicked undead keep men in feudal servitude. Elsewhere in the world, human civilization has flourished, and with rifle and iron rail, the power of the Elves has been banished at last. Foremost among the great modern nations is the Verin Empire, and with their prosperity threatened by forces the Elves once kept in check, they find themselves rushing headlong into war with Thyesten’s Kingdom of the Dead.
Tammen Gilmot is a young soldier sent to defend the Verin Empire’s colonial frontier who finds himself swept up into this reckless new campaign, pitting rifle and cannon against Gedlund’s ruthless Everlords and their legions of the dead. In the goblin-infested southern frontier, the sprawling metropolis of Gemmen, and the haunted northern kingdom of Gedlund, the modern world wars against the past as Tammen tries to find his place in the forming of history.
Gedlund is the story of a young man's rise to responsibility amid battles between humanity and the terrors of the distant past. Drawing inspiration from Lord of the Rings, Catch-22 and our own late 19th century, William Ray’s debut novel features a complex and nuanced world of memorable characters and unique perspectives on life in worlds of classic fantasy.
638 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 5, 2014
39 people are currently reading
257 people want to read
About the author
William Ray
4 books51 followersWilliam Ray is the author of Gedlund, named to Kirkus Reviews' Best Books of 2016, as well as The Great Restoration and other forthcoming tales within the Verin Empire setting.
Originally from North Carolina, he currently lives in Reston, VA with his wife and dogs. A graduate of Ithaca College, and Wake Forest's School of Law, he has worked in television, retail, patent prosecution, trademark law and other irrelevant nonsense. To paraphrase Lloyd Alexander, however, if being a life-long lover of fantasy literature qualifies one to write it, then he is well qualified indeed.
Originally from North Carolina, he currently lives in Reston, VA with his wife and dogs. A graduate of Ithaca College, and Wake Forest's School of Law, he has worked in television, retail, patent prosecution, trademark law and other irrelevant nonsense. To paraphrase Lloyd Alexander, however, if being a life-long lover of fantasy literature qualifies one to write it, then he is well qualified indeed.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
May 2, 2018
Overall 7.8
A big, flintlock epic with guns and goblins, ancient empires, and cannon blasting the walking dead. In many ways I felt immersed in a world much like the Warhammer universe, with the (British) Empire of man battling vampire counts and greenskins. This is a good thing, and basically I just really enjoyed it.
Setting/World-building
High-fantasy flintlock, with immaculate moustaches, ancient elven empires, and men with guns marching to glorious, imperial victory! Well, hopefully. At least when they're not getting splattered by lighting-spewing, regenerating golems, or torn apart by warping vampires, or drained by ghostly spectres, or enthralled by evil pipers, or...well, I could go on.
It's a rough life for the infantry of Verin. They may have a parliament now, with new-found industrial wealth and trains and steamboats and artillery, but magic remains a mighty foe. If it's not obvious I had a lot of fun with the setting, and for me it was probably the strongest aspect of the book - a great mix of myth and real historical knowledge and detail.
As an added bonus, every chapter has a sort of 'post-war' reference that really added to the feeling that this was a real world that existed far outside the characters and plot. These were really well done and I found myself looking forward to reading them.
Plot
A newly minted soldier of the Verin empire is sent to war, first against goblins, and then against an ancient undead king. Mostly he tries not to get killed at first, but the plot thickens, and our hero gets more useful and important as he goes. Overall it's a simple plot that tugs along as a military adventure, without straying far away from its purpose.
Characters
Tammen Gilmot is an overly educated soldier who wants to see the world. He's quickly unsure of this decision, but nonetheless perseveres through a wide variety of mortal dangers. Basically, I liked Tammen quite a bit. He's relatable, he's not an idiot, he's human. I'd have a beer with the guy at the very least. And I was rooting for him to end up not dead.
Attempting to keep him alive (sort of) is Captain Valdemar - a famous warrior, originally from the undead enemy's land of Gedlund, and 'frozen' as a sort of statue with magic. He comes equipped with a magic sword and a healthy dollop of testicular fortitude, both of which come in rather handy.
There's also the gruff, efficient Corporal Glynn, and a couple joke-cracking sergeants. I liked all these characters, too, save for one complaint of a POV switch fairly late in the book that knocked me out of the story a bit. I understand why it was included (the characters split up), but might have worked better if we'd seen a different POV sooner.
Writing
Very detailed, and very smooth. It's a readable book that carries you forward without much effort, which is much harder to do than it sounds. My only complaint is that it plodded on a bit, and with a fairly simple plot I feel the word count could have dropped pretty easily. But this is often a matter of taste, depending on how you like to consume your stories.
Final thoughts
I'll be reading the sequel(s?). It's actually not easy to find good flintlock fantasy, probably because it involves some of the difficulty of research like a historical novel, but I really enjoyed this. Easy recommend for flintlock or military fantasy fans, even epic fans. Oh, and, while it is quite long, it's also a stand-alone, with the next book(s) taking place in the same world but with different characters.
Thanks to Mr. Ray for the copy.
A big, flintlock epic with guns and goblins, ancient empires, and cannon blasting the walking dead. In many ways I felt immersed in a world much like the Warhammer universe, with the (British) Empire of man battling vampire counts and greenskins. This is a good thing, and basically I just really enjoyed it.
Setting/World-building
High-fantasy flintlock, with immaculate moustaches, ancient elven empires, and men with guns marching to glorious, imperial victory! Well, hopefully. At least when they're not getting splattered by lighting-spewing, regenerating golems, or torn apart by warping vampires, or drained by ghostly spectres, or enthralled by evil pipers, or...well, I could go on.
It's a rough life for the infantry of Verin. They may have a parliament now, with new-found industrial wealth and trains and steamboats and artillery, but magic remains a mighty foe. If it's not obvious I had a lot of fun with the setting, and for me it was probably the strongest aspect of the book - a great mix of myth and real historical knowledge and detail.
As an added bonus, every chapter has a sort of 'post-war' reference that really added to the feeling that this was a real world that existed far outside the characters and plot. These were really well done and I found myself looking forward to reading them.
Plot
A newly minted soldier of the Verin empire is sent to war, first against goblins, and then against an ancient undead king. Mostly he tries not to get killed at first, but the plot thickens, and our hero gets more useful and important as he goes. Overall it's a simple plot that tugs along as a military adventure, without straying far away from its purpose.
Characters
Tammen Gilmot is an overly educated soldier who wants to see the world. He's quickly unsure of this decision, but nonetheless perseveres through a wide variety of mortal dangers. Basically, I liked Tammen quite a bit. He's relatable, he's not an idiot, he's human. I'd have a beer with the guy at the very least. And I was rooting for him to end up not dead.
Attempting to keep him alive (sort of) is Captain Valdemar - a famous warrior, originally from the undead enemy's land of Gedlund, and 'frozen' as a sort of statue with magic. He comes equipped with a magic sword and a healthy dollop of testicular fortitude, both of which come in rather handy.
There's also the gruff, efficient Corporal Glynn, and a couple joke-cracking sergeants. I liked all these characters, too, save for one complaint of a POV switch fairly late in the book that knocked me out of the story a bit. I understand why it was included (the characters split up), but might have worked better if we'd seen a different POV sooner.
Writing
Very detailed, and very smooth. It's a readable book that carries you forward without much effort, which is much harder to do than it sounds. My only complaint is that it plodded on a bit, and with a fairly simple plot I feel the word count could have dropped pretty easily. But this is often a matter of taste, depending on how you like to consume your stories.
Final thoughts
I'll be reading the sequel(s?). It's actually not easy to find good flintlock fantasy, probably because it involves some of the difficulty of research like a historical novel, but I really enjoyed this. Easy recommend for flintlock or military fantasy fans, even epic fans. Oh, and, while it is quite long, it's also a stand-alone, with the next book(s) taking place in the same world but with different characters.
Thanks to Mr. Ray for the copy.
November 23, 2017
Tammen Gilmot is a young educated man that joined the army as a common soldier. Tam's goal is to see the world and get experience to write a book, but he quickly realizes he likely made a mistake. Tam is heading to dangerous Gedlund, a land where the Lich King rules the living, the dead, and things more frightening than both.
Gedlund truly was not what I was expecting when I first picked up the book. It wasn't until around 33% before anything felt fantasy like. Prior to that there were fights with goblins, mentions of Elves, and talk of an undead Lich King, but nearly no real magic to be seen. The storytelling was slow for much of the early going. My biggest complaint about the story is that large portions of it felt needlessly long. I was more than 200 pages into the story before it really caught my interest.
Gedlund did display a level of intricacy that I didn't notice until further into the novel. At the beginning of each chapter there were excerpts of hearings, reports, books, letters, and other bits of information that all took place during or after the Gedlund invasion. Once I finished the book I flipped back to the excerpts as they were telling a story that details the future in an interesting manner.
Nearly the entire story was told from Tam's point of view, but at about 58% of the way into a book a new point of view character was shown. It was slightly jarring to get a new point of view character after so much of the tale being told by Tam. That being said, I'd say that one of the two additional point of view characters seemed warranted.
One thing that surprised me was the utter lack of respect everyone had for common soldiers. If a person who isn't wealthy joins the Queen's Army they are treated like criminals on a work release. People, including the majority of their families, want nothing to do with them. It's truly hard to believe anyone would sign on for so much danger when nearly everyone would hate them for becoming a regular soldier.
The characters in Gedlund were largely average, the type of characters depicted by one or two characteristics and little else. Two characters particularly stood out to me, the affable Captain Valdemar (Val) Hoskaaner and stern Corporal Glynn. Val is an easy to like character as he's largely everything a writer could want in a hero. He's kind, brave, heroic, and uplifting. Despite being the Captain, Val was in the mix of every battle and would not ask anyone to do what he was unwilling to. Glynn is largely Val's opposite, but no less brave and heroic. Tam was ok, but I would have enjoyed Val or Glynn as the main character more.
Gedlund is a solid story that's different and deeper than it's description.
3 out of 5 stars
I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Gedlund truly was not what I was expecting when I first picked up the book. It wasn't until around 33% before anything felt fantasy like. Prior to that there were fights with goblins, mentions of Elves, and talk of an undead Lich King, but nearly no real magic to be seen. The storytelling was slow for much of the early going. My biggest complaint about the story is that large portions of it felt needlessly long. I was more than 200 pages into the story before it really caught my interest.
Gedlund did display a level of intricacy that I didn't notice until further into the novel. At the beginning of each chapter there were excerpts of hearings, reports, books, letters, and other bits of information that all took place during or after the Gedlund invasion. Once I finished the book I flipped back to the excerpts as they were telling a story that details the future in an interesting manner.
Nearly the entire story was told from Tam's point of view, but at about 58% of the way into a book a new point of view character was shown. It was slightly jarring to get a new point of view character after so much of the tale being told by Tam. That being said, I'd say that one of the two additional point of view characters seemed warranted.
One thing that surprised me was the utter lack of respect everyone had for common soldiers. If a person who isn't wealthy joins the Queen's Army they are treated like criminals on a work release. People, including the majority of their families, want nothing to do with them. It's truly hard to believe anyone would sign on for so much danger when nearly everyone would hate them for becoming a regular soldier.
The characters in Gedlund were largely average, the type of characters depicted by one or two characteristics and little else. Two characters particularly stood out to me, the affable Captain Valdemar (Val) Hoskaaner and stern Corporal Glynn. Val is an easy to like character as he's largely everything a writer could want in a hero. He's kind, brave, heroic, and uplifting. Despite being the Captain, Val was in the mix of every battle and would not ask anyone to do what he was unwilling to. Glynn is largely Val's opposite, but no less brave and heroic. Tam was ok, but I would have enjoyed Val or Glynn as the main character more.
Gedlund is a solid story that's different and deeper than it's description.
3 out of 5 stars
I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
May 27, 2018
Black powder weapons, railroads, steamships, spear chucking goblins, zombies, vampire lords, lightning giants and magic.
That was a list, not a sentence, but did it get your attention?
In Gedlund, William Ray takes blackpowder fantasy and merges it with sword and sorcery. What he produced is a war story set in a fantasy world that seems almost real. You know, except for the goblins and vampires and whatnot. So let's get to it...
Plot
"Thanks to rifle and iron rail, humanity now flourishes after centuries of submission. With the oppressive power of the Elves ended at last, human nations have grown mighty, and the Verin Empire's colonies spread civilization to the farthest corners of the world. But civilization has not taken root everywhere...
To the north sits Thyesten, ancient Lich King of Gedlund. He banished death, and for countless centuries he has ruled a land where ghosts, vampires, and other wicked undead keep mortal men in feudal servitude. Now, without the Elves to keep that monstrous realm in check, the Verin Empire must pit men and cannons against Gedlund's legions of the dead, it's ruthless Everlords, and terrifying ancient magics.
Tammen Gilmot, a young soldier defending the Empire's colonial frontier, finds himself swept into this reckless new campaign. Disowned by his family, yet ill-fitted among his new comrades, he must learn to lead them in order to survive the coming war."
As I write more of these reviews I hesitate more and more to say much about the plot for fear of giving away too much. The cover blurb above does a pretty good job of summarizing the story...enough to get you introduced to it at least.
Writing
Ray's writing style is pretty straight-forward. This is a war story and it's written like one. There's not a lot of flourish or fancy words - it's to the point. But it isn't dry by any means. Like any good war story you'll feel immersed in the battle scenes and come to care for the characters.
Ray has a knack for describing life in a 19th century army and translating that into a fantasy setting. I'll say more about this in the World Building section below, but as a former U.S. Civil War Re-enactor so much of his imagery and descriptions made me sit up and say "yes!" But it is evident in the descriptions of life on campaign and especially the battle scenes that Ray did his homework. The writing fits the subject, stays out of the story's way, and thrusts you into the scenes.
The narrative is told in the third person, mostly from the perspective of the protagonist Tam (Tammen Gilmot). About half-way or maybe two-thirds of the way through we also get to see it through the perspective of another character, Sergeant Gus. This shift is for narrative reasons, but is pretty unexpected giving how long the story went from the one perspective.
Each chapter also has a short little preface. At face value these serve to hint about something coming in the text, but there's more to them than that. At first you aren't sure who is speaking in these prefaces or how exactly they all connect but as the story nears its end it they all come together and manage to explain and convey even more of the story.
Pacing
I thought the pacing was well done. It starts off with a bang (pun intended) by jumping almost immediately into a battle scene. The initial chapters speed along and set a solid tone. But keep in mind the book is over 600 pages. As with any book of that lenght you're gonna have a long middle. It's almost impossible not to. The question is what do you do with it?
Ray fills that long middle with world building and character development. We get to see the broader world and culture in which the characters live, get a bit of history, and through it all get an attachment to not just the protagonist but the secondary characters as well. Ray uses these pages wisely so that as the climax nears you're invested. You're invested in the characters obviously, but you also become invested in the army of which they are a part, the land they are from, and the country they are invading. I felt Ray did a great job with this.
The pacing picks up steam again at the end as the battle scenes come one after the other. The climax doesn't let you down and it ends with you wanting more.
Characters
As I've noted above the protagonist is Tammen Gilmot. Tam begins the story as a private and we follow him through one campaign into another as his career progresses. Tam is actually of low aristocratic birth (very low) but is disowned by his family for entering the military as a way to see the world and for adventure and not pursuing the path set forth and allowed by his birth and education. Not having the money to buy an officer's commission Tam enters the military as a private and must navigate his new life circumstance amidst the ongoing imperial wars of his country.
Other main characters include the sword wielding Captain Val Hoskaaner (something of a mystery himself), Sergeants Claude and Gus, and Corporal Glynn, all officers or NCO's of the regiment Tam is assigned to. There are other characters both military and civilian, but this is primarily a war story set amidst an army on campaign, thus the civilians are limited in number. And though it could include lots of military characters Ray's decision to focus primarily on this small group adds to the intimacy of the reading experience, much like other fantasy novels do by following a small adventuring party.
World-Building
I loved Ray's world-building. He accomplishes it on a couple of different levels. At the macro level is the world itself. We really only come to know it as the book progresses and shifts from one campaign to the next. The book begins amidst life on campaign in a far flung colony of the Verin Empire, shifts from that campaign to an interlude in the home country itself, then shifts to the next campaign as the characters travel to another conquered land and then invade a foreign neighbor across a small sea. As locations shift more of the world is explored, its history shared, and peoples and cultures encountered. Yet by the time the novel comes to a close we realize we've only experienced a small portion of what this world has to offer us. Really it's a small portion of the world as seen through the lens of one Empire with hints of more to come. Its a world with technology such as black powder weaponry, trains, and steamships, coupled with the fantastical like Elves (or they're memory), goblins, zombies and vampires, and giants
At the micro-level is the army. Here is where the book shined for me on a personal level. I used to be a U.S. Civil War Re-enactor (48th Ohio) and there were so many details in the book that harkened back to experiences I had re-enacting. From the feel of the wool uniforms on skin, to the heat of gun barrels (and wrapping leather around them to keep your hands from burning), to the smoke and "fog of war" where you can't tell what's going on except in your immediate surroundings, the sound of cannons and rifles, and even tactics and camp life. The list goes on. I could tell Ray did some research here and it pays off in some of these little details. There's also the obvious research into the structure and culture of 18th and 19th century European militaries (like buying of commissions for one). All of this adds to the realism of the novel which for me is important in fantasy where I still want something to be grounded in a reality I can point to and experience that connects me with the story. The Verin empire reminds be a lot of Queen Victoria's British Empire. The opening campaign specifically made me think of the Battle of Rorke's Drift a la the movie Zulu.
Throughout it all is the blending of this black powder fantasy with the creatures and monsters of the typical fantasy world. Ray introduces us first to the goblin tribes of Rakhasin. These are warriors armed with spears alongside magic wielding shamans, fighting against rifle and canon of the Verin Empire. Lingering in the background is the memory of the Elves who disappeared after the last war without a trace, leaving behind the ruins of their once mighty nation. The last country to figure prominently in the story is Gedlund, a land ruled by the undead vampire lords whose people are held in serf-like servitude and live in a medieval culture compared to the industrialized Verins. The vampires though we don't get to know them in-depth are really well written and are pretty badass. One of my favorite creatures is the lightning giant, who is almost impossible to kill and with every step causes lightning to strike. Imagine him charging your battle line!
A Note On History
Like any good fantasy story there's a history to this world. That history is explained in part, but unlike much high fantasy where the entire history of the world has built to some potentially world destroying moment, in Gedlund we are set smack in the world's present where we understand that there is a long tale to come after. As Ray alludes to in the afterword to the book it is the present that matters more than the past in Gedlund. The story is about what happens in the world's here and now, or at least recent past.
In Gedlund we don't get Epic fantasy with the farmboy going to save the world from annihilation from some evil God. And frankly I'm thankful for that. I'm a little tired of that story. This is a world where this tale is just a part of a larger whole. It's a world with more history to be made and stories to be told.
Themes
Gedlund is also more than just a war story. Don't get me wrong, it is a war story, but it's more than just a bunch of battles strung together. Ray also hits upon themes and issues with parallels in our own world. Throughout the book the characters struggle with the norms and barriers of social mobility and equality, gender equality (even if you don't realize it at first), economic disparity, industrialization, and imperialism just to name a handful. And hanging over everything are questions about why nations go to war and why their soldiers fight, which at times may not be for the same reasons. Gedlund, though fantasy fiction, reflects much of the West's imperialistic and nationalistic past (and present), while not shying away from questioning whether it is right or wrong, not just within the story itself but within our own history as well. Gedlund is also a tale set at the boundaries of empire though it purports to be a story about the empire. It brings to light the notion that much can be said about a country and people based upon events that happen at its periphery.
Conclusion
I loved this book. From start to finish I was caught up in the conflict that had swept up its characters. I cheered for them, got angry with them, and felt sorrow for them. I wanted to rail against the leaders who sent them to war, and wanted to defend the people they were sent to liberate. I wanted them to break barriers and tear down walls, but mostly I wanted them to come home in once piece. I also just like well written war stories and this one fits the bill. Ray has made a new fan and I can't wait to read the next book in this world, The Great Restoration: A Tale Of The Verin Empire.
5 of 5 Stars
June 19, 2019
Tammen Gilmon is a scholarly young man with goals to make a career out of his writings- in particular, travelogues. Unable to afford travelling, he hopes to help jumpstart his career and travel, by joining the army.
Unfortunately, he doesn’t go to some of the more mundane destinations he expects and for his first time out, he is sent into the thick of things holding the line against Goblins. Which is how he ended up under Captain Valdemar Hoskaaner’s command and subsequently on his way to Gedlund.
We see the bulk of this story through Tammen. He is kind of a serious guy who puts his best effort into everything he does including helping others. I liked him and that we feel just as out of sorts and uncomfortably green as he does in the beginning. He starts settling in, and us along with him and it’s a comfortable read with a nice easy voice.
For that reason, the point of view change about midway was probably my biggest grievance. I’m not sure if it was the suddenness of having character’s that up until then we only saw briefly through Tam’s eyes, or if it was a little because neither were characters I cared about. But whatever it was, the change in pov jarred me out of my relaxed viewpoint.
I do understand why the change was needed, especially in the back-end where it helps to keep the scope of the battle as large as it was (luckily by then I was used to Gus, so it was comfortable again).
The world is a neat mix of goblins, elves, and other ghostly things, eerie creatures, and the very cool Everlords- Gedlund’s version of vampires.
I enjoyed the setting- it was atmospheric and there is a good sense of gradual creepiness with each encounter they have with the Everlords, making a nice build to the end.
I’m going to go on a bit here because I really love military fantasy. I don’t know what it is about it but I like the guns, the uniforms, even the silliness of some of the requirements. I like the order- everything has a place, a path, a chain of command- it all fits together and somehow the chaos of hundreds of soldiers manage to become a large-scale working instrument (and to think I can’t get three people to use a laundry basket)- they either do their job well, or they whole unit stands a chance of falling apart.
So as military fantasy’s go, I found a lot to like in this one. There’s a lot of battles which get progressively bigger until the finale. There are organising troops, gun use, and marching- some of my favorite parts were the parade row marching and just any of the scenes where they had to keep or use a tempo. I especially loved the use of sound combined with the visuals to bring the scenes alive.
I also like knowing how things work. I maybe don’t want it to be in-depth for pages and pages but the insights and little details included here and there of everything; from bookkeeping and requisitioning gear, to moving the army- be it, equipment, people, or just the large guns that have to be broken down for the ships or hauled across the land and put back together etc. this was totally my jam.
I appreciated those kinds of small details for helping to round out the world and adding that bit of realism to the inner workings of an army that is essentially the equivalent of a small-town worth of people. And this is one of the few books I’ve read where the war actually felt larger than just the company that our mc, Tam, belongs to. I don’t know if it was the imagery (the one I had in my head of that lightning golem stamping across the field of soldiers was pretty great) or what, but the battles felt huge- as if an actual army was there.
Some of the battles did get a little long. I personally think one in particular would have been more impactful having Tam and co. arrive in the aftermath but that’s my opinion. Though, I would have missed the cool parade march to ‘show off’ to the city and that would have been a shame.
This is a good solid story. I enjoyed it and it’s definitely worth checking out.
Other notes-
I liked the somewhat political turn the plot took.
Nicely placed foreshadowing to remind us of certain things we may have forgotten so when they came about in the final battle, they felt right.
Self contained story.
The logs/notes at the beginning of the chapter are a lot of fun, add a lot to the story and by the time you get to the end fill in some details that you may have not have realized you were going to want to know.
3.75
A special thank you to William Ray for the copy in exchange for a review.
Unfortunately, he doesn’t go to some of the more mundane destinations he expects and for his first time out, he is sent into the thick of things holding the line against Goblins. Which is how he ended up under Captain Valdemar Hoskaaner’s command and subsequently on his way to Gedlund.
We see the bulk of this story through Tammen. He is kind of a serious guy who puts his best effort into everything he does including helping others. I liked him and that we feel just as out of sorts and uncomfortably green as he does in the beginning. He starts settling in, and us along with him and it’s a comfortable read with a nice easy voice.
For that reason, the point of view change about midway was probably my biggest grievance. I’m not sure if it was the suddenness of having character’s that up until then we only saw briefly through Tam’s eyes, or if it was a little because neither were characters I cared about. But whatever it was, the change in pov jarred me out of my relaxed viewpoint.
I do understand why the change was needed, especially in the back-end where it helps to keep the scope of the battle as large as it was (luckily by then I was used to Gus, so it was comfortable again).
The world is a neat mix of goblins, elves, and other ghostly things, eerie creatures, and the very cool Everlords- Gedlund’s version of vampires.
I enjoyed the setting- it was atmospheric and there is a good sense of gradual creepiness with each encounter they have with the Everlords, making a nice build to the end.
I’m going to go on a bit here because I really love military fantasy. I don’t know what it is about it but I like the guns, the uniforms, even the silliness of some of the requirements. I like the order- everything has a place, a path, a chain of command- it all fits together and somehow the chaos of hundreds of soldiers manage to become a large-scale working instrument (and to think I can’t get three people to use a laundry basket)- they either do their job well, or they whole unit stands a chance of falling apart.
So as military fantasy’s go, I found a lot to like in this one. There’s a lot of battles which get progressively bigger until the finale. There are organising troops, gun use, and marching- some of my favorite parts were the parade row marching and just any of the scenes where they had to keep or use a tempo. I especially loved the use of sound combined with the visuals to bring the scenes alive.
I also like knowing how things work. I maybe don’t want it to be in-depth for pages and pages but the insights and little details included here and there of everything; from bookkeeping and requisitioning gear, to moving the army- be it, equipment, people, or just the large guns that have to be broken down for the ships or hauled across the land and put back together etc. this was totally my jam.
I appreciated those kinds of small details for helping to round out the world and adding that bit of realism to the inner workings of an army that is essentially the equivalent of a small-town worth of people. And this is one of the few books I’ve read where the war actually felt larger than just the company that our mc, Tam, belongs to. I don’t know if it was the imagery (the one I had in my head of that lightning golem stamping across the field of soldiers was pretty great) or what, but the battles felt huge- as if an actual army was there.
Some of the battles did get a little long. I personally think one in particular would have been more impactful having Tam and co. arrive in the aftermath but that’s my opinion. Though, I would have missed the cool parade march to ‘show off’ to the city and that would have been a shame.
This is a good solid story. I enjoyed it and it’s definitely worth checking out.
Other notes-
I liked the somewhat political turn the plot took.
Nicely placed foreshadowing to remind us of certain things we may have forgotten so when they came about in the final battle, they felt right.
Self contained story.
The logs/notes at the beginning of the chapter are a lot of fun, add a lot to the story and by the time you get to the end fill in some details that you may have not have realized you were going to want to know.
3.75
A special thank you to William Ray for the copy in exchange for a review.
January 11, 2018
I would have liked to see some deeper characterization but this is otherwise an assured start to a series (according to the author's note subsequent novels will deal with two of the supporting characters). The titular Gedlund reminded me a bit of the Ravenloft setting.
June 25, 2018
This was a very enjoyable read overall! Great military/flintlock fantasy with an earnest, likable protagonist and with a few deeper comments to make on history, the military structure, imperialism, sexism, and politics, which I very much enjoyed. Those points were not the central focus of the story, but I think the story was enriched by their presence. I liked that there were a few times I had to pause to look up words (and I consider myself well-read with a broad vocabulary), but this didn't happen so often as to feel intrusive or as if the author wrote with a thesaurus beside him.
The author chose to start each chapter with a brief quote from various (fictional) sources, some of which are not fully revealed or explained until right near the end of the narrative. They were excellent - I would honestly have been delighted to read a story that focused on the political byplay that the author managed to capture in those intriguing epigraphs.
We start off meeting our protagonist Tammen Gilmot, a somewhat hapless brand new enlisted soldier in the Verin army as he travels to his first posting in Rakhasin, a grassy/hilly area where the Queen's army is going to defend the colonists there from the attacks of the goblin natives. While in Rakhasin, we meet some of the characters that will continue through the storyline - the captain of Tam's new company, Valdemar Hoskaaner (who insists on being called Val and once was a statue), corporal Glynn, who is something of a scowling cipher at the start of the book, and Claude and Gus, the sergeants who provide the soundtrack of the march and some levity.
The portion of the story based in Rakhasin was a great introduction to the rest of the book, but in some ways felt a bit like a prologue or a part one as you transition into the main campaign the story follows. Just after Tammen reached Rakhasin, the news that the crown prince of Verin was assassinated reached the troops stationed there. They are quickly reassigned to a retaliatory campaign against the titular kingdom of Gedlund, ruled by a Lich King named Thyesten. Tammen receives a completely unexpected commission and becomes an officer, Ensign Tammen.
Where Rakhasin is sun-drenched grassland, Gedlund is a colder, haunted land of mists and shadows. It's ruled by its ageless Lich King and his subordinates, the Everlords (read vampires). The Everlords have kept Gedlund's people firmly under their thumbs as nearly medieval peasants, as Gedlund is a land where not much changes since the rulers never die. The army begins their campaign with what seems to be very little information on what they will face and a very direct plan of attack. Things go about as well as you might expect as they encounter a whole host of ghostly, vampiric, golems, zombies, and otherwise magical foes - not all of which guns are an ideal answer to.
This is a chunky book, weighing in at 667 pages. The pacing is steady, but not breakneck, and it does seem to get a bit bogged down in certain spots. Still, I really enjoyed it and I'm not normally a huge military fantasy fan (I could have done with a few less battles).
There were great bits of world-building with various different religious beliefs and the ruins and magic of Elves that disappeared from the world playing a part. I did like that the final climactic battle was solved in a way that was referenced earlier in the narrative - not a big deus ex machina solution. If you like big military battles and the chaos of the front-line experience, this is a fabulous book for you! The closest comparison book I can think of is Django Wexler's The Thousand Names.
The author chose to start each chapter with a brief quote from various (fictional) sources, some of which are not fully revealed or explained until right near the end of the narrative. They were excellent - I would honestly have been delighted to read a story that focused on the political byplay that the author managed to capture in those intriguing epigraphs.
We start off meeting our protagonist Tammen Gilmot, a somewhat hapless brand new enlisted soldier in the Verin army as he travels to his first posting in Rakhasin, a grassy/hilly area where the Queen's army is going to defend the colonists there from the attacks of the goblin natives. While in Rakhasin, we meet some of the characters that will continue through the storyline - the captain of Tam's new company, Valdemar Hoskaaner (who insists on being called Val and once was a statue), corporal Glynn, who is something of a scowling cipher at the start of the book, and Claude and Gus, the sergeants who provide the soundtrack of the march and some levity.
The portion of the story based in Rakhasin was a great introduction to the rest of the book, but in some ways felt a bit like a prologue or a part one as you transition into the main campaign the story follows. Just after Tammen reached Rakhasin, the news that the crown prince of Verin was assassinated reached the troops stationed there. They are quickly reassigned to a retaliatory campaign against the titular kingdom of Gedlund, ruled by a Lich King named Thyesten. Tammen receives a completely unexpected commission and becomes an officer, Ensign Tammen.
Where Rakhasin is sun-drenched grassland, Gedlund is a colder, haunted land of mists and shadows. It's ruled by its ageless Lich King and his subordinates, the Everlords (read vampires). The Everlords have kept Gedlund's people firmly under their thumbs as nearly medieval peasants, as Gedlund is a land where not much changes since the rulers never die. The army begins their campaign with what seems to be very little information on what they will face and a very direct plan of attack. Things go about as well as you might expect as they encounter a whole host of ghostly, vampiric, golems, zombies, and otherwise magical foes - not all of which guns are an ideal answer to.
This is a chunky book, weighing in at 667 pages. The pacing is steady, but not breakneck, and it does seem to get a bit bogged down in certain spots. Still, I really enjoyed it and I'm not normally a huge military fantasy fan (I could have done with a few less battles).
There were great bits of world-building with various different religious beliefs and the ruins and magic of Elves that disappeared from the world playing a part. I did like that the final climactic battle was solved in a way that was referenced earlier in the narrative - not a big deus ex machina solution. If you like big military battles and the chaos of the front-line experience, this is a fabulous book for you! The closest comparison book I can think of is Django Wexler's The Thousand Names.
March 9, 2018
Full review is here, on my blog.
Wow, this book had a really great start. I dunno what I was expecting here, but it certainly wasn’t me reading into the wee hours with sore eyes because I couldn’t put this beast down until I was nearly a quarter of the way through it.
This story follows Tammen, a young, educated, not-quite-noble man who has just joined the army. This is the sort of action that gets you disinherited, as ‘taking the Queen’s Coin’ is seen as below his station. He shows up for duty in the frontier only to be singled out by two young sergeants and asked to carry a crate to where their captain, Valdemar Hoskaaner, a very strange man who was cursed by the elves into being a statue for a couple centuries, stands on it and has him guard his back against the horde of primitive goblins hiding in the long grass attacking them while he jumps out into the action. After this kerfuffle, Tam gets pulled into this captain’s unit, and goes on a mighty adventure across the lands. An adventure that is full of ups and downs and twists and turns where you never really know what will actually happen, but there’s probably going to be some shenanigans.
Verin’s beloved prince has been assassinated by Gedlunders! So, they are ordered to invade Gedlund, a land ruled by a Lich King, full of the risen dead, vampires, and all sorts of other undead riffraff. Val Hoskaaner is from Gedlund, originally, and the mystery of his backstory was actually pretty riveting for me, at least in the beginning. This strange man from another time and another land in the Verin army with a giant magical sword where everyone else uses rifles and bayonets. He’s also such a likable character that I couldn’t help myself but latch right on. Val is what kept me reading past my bedtime here. The mystique of him, I suppose. I liked other characters as well, like Gus and Claude, the snarky sergeants who reminded me so much of Fred and George Weasley, and the unflappable, stoic corporal Glynn. I wish we got a little more backstory of how Glynn came to be in Verin’s army in the first place. That, I imagine, would be an interesting story.
This world is not very dissimilar to our own late 19th century, excepting that we don’t have Lichs, Goblins, Elves, Vampires, et cetera. But, this world does have guns and cannons as the primary weaponry of the army, as well as trains, telegraphs, cameras, and things of that nature, that give it a really Victorian vibe sometimes while still also feeling like a really sprawling high fantasy, if that makes sense. It’s maybe not exactly flintlock fantasy, but it’s not steampunk either. Perhaps it’s best to say that it falls somewhere between them. It was also full of zombies, vampires, ghosts, and monsters, so it had the feel of a bit of a horror novel as well at times.
It got a little slow in the middle, about when the POV shifted from one main character to two, as the characters had split from one group into two. I found myself a little less enthralled with it after the halfway mark (despite all the zombie shooting action and so on), and I’m not sure I can put my finger on why exactly…. but I think it’s because in the grand scheme of things, Val becomes a bit more of a background character and less the mysterious hero as the story continues and you get a good feel for his modus operandi. That, and I found myself liking Tammen less and less as the story progressed. There’s nothing inherently unlikable about him, but he just seemed rather… stodgy. Perhaps that’s the point. However, even with all that said, I did really enjoy this book as a whole much more than I think I was expecting. It’s really quite well written with a fantastic vocabulary, and some interesting ideas used in interesting ways. Best of all, it didn’t have any glaring grammatical errors or plot holes. That admittedly doesn’t always happen with self published novels, never mind self-pubbed debuts. Not finding errors seems almost a boon sometimes.
All told, I thought it was quite good. Although the story in this novel is quite self-contained, I do hope to one day read the next book in the series because from what I read of the blurb, it follows the exploits of one of my favorite characters from this one. This is a book that’s not in the SPFBO, but that I think should really be put forward for the next one, because I expect that it would do alright, at the very least. It would hold its own. With bayonets. *stab*
I was given a free copy of this book by the author, and in exchange I have honestly reviewed it. :)
Wow, this book had a really great start. I dunno what I was expecting here, but it certainly wasn’t me reading into the wee hours with sore eyes because I couldn’t put this beast down until I was nearly a quarter of the way through it.
This story follows Tammen, a young, educated, not-quite-noble man who has just joined the army. This is the sort of action that gets you disinherited, as ‘taking the Queen’s Coin’ is seen as below his station. He shows up for duty in the frontier only to be singled out by two young sergeants and asked to carry a crate to where their captain, Valdemar Hoskaaner, a very strange man who was cursed by the elves into being a statue for a couple centuries, stands on it and has him guard his back against the horde of primitive goblins hiding in the long grass attacking them while he jumps out into the action. After this kerfuffle, Tam gets pulled into this captain’s unit, and goes on a mighty adventure across the lands. An adventure that is full of ups and downs and twists and turns where you never really know what will actually happen, but there’s probably going to be some shenanigans.
Verin’s beloved prince has been assassinated by Gedlunders! So, they are ordered to invade Gedlund, a land ruled by a Lich King, full of the risen dead, vampires, and all sorts of other undead riffraff. Val Hoskaaner is from Gedlund, originally, and the mystery of his backstory was actually pretty riveting for me, at least in the beginning. This strange man from another time and another land in the Verin army with a giant magical sword where everyone else uses rifles and bayonets. He’s also such a likable character that I couldn’t help myself but latch right on. Val is what kept me reading past my bedtime here. The mystique of him, I suppose. I liked other characters as well, like Gus and Claude, the snarky sergeants who reminded me so much of Fred and George Weasley, and the unflappable, stoic corporal Glynn. I wish we got a little more backstory of how Glynn came to be in Verin’s army in the first place. That, I imagine, would be an interesting story.
This world is not very dissimilar to our own late 19th century, excepting that we don’t have Lichs, Goblins, Elves, Vampires, et cetera. But, this world does have guns and cannons as the primary weaponry of the army, as well as trains, telegraphs, cameras, and things of that nature, that give it a really Victorian vibe sometimes while still also feeling like a really sprawling high fantasy, if that makes sense. It’s maybe not exactly flintlock fantasy, but it’s not steampunk either. Perhaps it’s best to say that it falls somewhere between them. It was also full of zombies, vampires, ghosts, and monsters, so it had the feel of a bit of a horror novel as well at times.
It got a little slow in the middle, about when the POV shifted from one main character to two, as the characters had split from one group into two. I found myself a little less enthralled with it after the halfway mark (despite all the zombie shooting action and so on), and I’m not sure I can put my finger on why exactly…. but I think it’s because in the grand scheme of things, Val becomes a bit more of a background character and less the mysterious hero as the story continues and you get a good feel for his modus operandi. That, and I found myself liking Tammen less and less as the story progressed. There’s nothing inherently unlikable about him, but he just seemed rather… stodgy. Perhaps that’s the point. However, even with all that said, I did really enjoy this book as a whole much more than I think I was expecting. It’s really quite well written with a fantastic vocabulary, and some interesting ideas used in interesting ways. Best of all, it didn’t have any glaring grammatical errors or plot holes. That admittedly doesn’t always happen with self published novels, never mind self-pubbed debuts. Not finding errors seems almost a boon sometimes.
All told, I thought it was quite good. Although the story in this novel is quite self-contained, I do hope to one day read the next book in the series because from what I read of the blurb, it follows the exploits of one of my favorite characters from this one. This is a book that’s not in the SPFBO, but that I think should really be put forward for the next one, because I expect that it would do alright, at the very least. It would hold its own. With bayonets. *stab*
I was given a free copy of this book by the author, and in exchange I have honestly reviewed it. :)
October 16, 2018
Gedlund is a novel that is unlike most high fantasy novels I've read. This is, mostly, a great thing. Gedlund has revolvers and other type of guns which was incorporated nicely throughout the novel and battle scenes. The Everlords, which come later in the book, are members of the undead and I thought "Oh, this is going to be so out of place" but the author did a good job of incorporating vampires and other types of undead monsters and making them unique.
Tammen is a new soldier and it was great to see his growth throughout the story. He and the rest of the main characters had distinct personalities. Even the "twins", Claude and Gus, were fleshed out.
The author does an overall great job of character relationships and interactions. Dialogue was done well.
Now, some people may be wondering "Okay, but why the 3 star rating?" and here are the reasons:
The first hundred pages are set in this place called Rakhasin where the contingent Tammen is placed in fights goblins. After around a hundred pages, Tammen's contingent gets pulled out and told to go to Gedlund. After that, there isn't really a mention of Rakhasin in terms of the plot. It just seemed like the first hundred of pages didn't benefit the plot? At least, not in a way I could see. The pages in themselves were well written and entertaining, I just wish there was a sort of...full circle effect?
Next, there were a couple of times I was taken out of the story due to oddities that popped up which I was confused about. For example, while a character is dodging the undead, he says something along the lines "I always wanted to be a matador!". And it's not that authors can't use words like matador or things in this world in their books but rather, it made me think "Is there a place like Spain in this book? Is there a language like Spanish? Is there Spanish?". It's such a small thing but for me, it's something that stands out enough for me to remember it.
Overall, the book was entertaining and I will be interested to read the next book.
May you get lost in a book,
Chrissy
Tammen is a new soldier and it was great to see his growth throughout the story. He and the rest of the main characters had distinct personalities. Even the "twins", Claude and Gus, were fleshed out.
The author does an overall great job of character relationships and interactions. Dialogue was done well.
Now, some people may be wondering "Okay, but why the 3 star rating?" and here are the reasons:
The first hundred pages are set in this place called Rakhasin where the contingent Tammen is placed in fights goblins. After around a hundred pages, Tammen's contingent gets pulled out and told to go to Gedlund. After that, there isn't really a mention of Rakhasin in terms of the plot. It just seemed like the first hundred of pages didn't benefit the plot? At least, not in a way I could see. The pages in themselves were well written and entertaining, I just wish there was a sort of...full circle effect?
Next, there were a couple of times I was taken out of the story due to oddities that popped up which I was confused about. For example, while a character is dodging the undead, he says something along the lines "I always wanted to be a matador!". And it's not that authors can't use words like matador or things in this world in their books but rather, it made me think "Is there a place like Spain in this book? Is there a language like Spanish? Is there Spanish?". It's such a small thing but for me, it's something that stands out enough for me to remember it.
Overall, the book was entertaining and I will be interested to read the next book.
May you get lost in a book,
Chrissy
October 22, 2020
This is more than a fantasy story. Gedlund opens with an army fighting a guerrilla war against goblins but don’t let that deceive you. If you are a history lover, like me, you’ll appreciate the attention to detail that permeates the military world building in this story.
We see events through the eyes of a young man, Tam, who encounters battle and all the horrors that go with it within minutes of arriving at his camp. He’s hopelessly naïve, slow to assimilate what’s happening and stumbles through his first encounter with combat while managing to stay alive. It’s a good way to introduce the reader to war. Any war.
The historical component may not be apparent straight away but it’s there. It’s a variation of war fought at the end of the nineteenth century, with rifles, bayonets and cannon. Throughout the story the reality of this type of warfare is regularly revisited, it’s a story of soldiers being sent to places for reasons that are never fully explained, where they’re expected to lay down their lives. They do so in the belief they’re fighting for honour and patriotism whereas the reality is very different, it’s gory, painful and death is always there at your shoulder, waiting. I studied the First World War at length and there were so many times in this story when moments resonated with that conflict for these reasons.
The characters are rich, engaging and vivid. Tam develops as a soldier, his education, intelligence and courage are rewarded with promotions that put him in the centre of the conflicts. Rather than a lowly soldier throughout, his command role allows us to see the ignorance which leads to decisions being taken which cost men their lives. What I love about the best fantasy stories, is when real people are forced to encounter the fantastical. That’s what happens here. Yes, the unit’s captain turns out to possess magical abilities but otherwise these are normal people trying to find victory amidst the invasion of a land where magic rules, where the dead come to life and where the enemy are almost impossible to defeat.
One other clever ingredient which caught my eye; each chapter uses epistolary to inform or further define the story, primarily from the viewpoint of the investigation into the invasion which happened after the story itself ends. It offers a clever way to conclude events.
The writing is fluid, accomplished and literary in its quality. William Ray has the confidence to indulge in describing events in such detail not only are you transported to the location, you marvel at the manner in which he does it. It is enjoyable for this reason alone.
Look out for my next review of his work: The Great Restoration.
We see events through the eyes of a young man, Tam, who encounters battle and all the horrors that go with it within minutes of arriving at his camp. He’s hopelessly naïve, slow to assimilate what’s happening and stumbles through his first encounter with combat while managing to stay alive. It’s a good way to introduce the reader to war. Any war.
The historical component may not be apparent straight away but it’s there. It’s a variation of war fought at the end of the nineteenth century, with rifles, bayonets and cannon. Throughout the story the reality of this type of warfare is regularly revisited, it’s a story of soldiers being sent to places for reasons that are never fully explained, where they’re expected to lay down their lives. They do so in the belief they’re fighting for honour and patriotism whereas the reality is very different, it’s gory, painful and death is always there at your shoulder, waiting. I studied the First World War at length and there were so many times in this story when moments resonated with that conflict for these reasons.
The characters are rich, engaging and vivid. Tam develops as a soldier, his education, intelligence and courage are rewarded with promotions that put him in the centre of the conflicts. Rather than a lowly soldier throughout, his command role allows us to see the ignorance which leads to decisions being taken which cost men their lives. What I love about the best fantasy stories, is when real people are forced to encounter the fantastical. That’s what happens here. Yes, the unit’s captain turns out to possess magical abilities but otherwise these are normal people trying to find victory amidst the invasion of a land where magic rules, where the dead come to life and where the enemy are almost impossible to defeat.
One other clever ingredient which caught my eye; each chapter uses epistolary to inform or further define the story, primarily from the viewpoint of the investigation into the invasion which happened after the story itself ends. It offers a clever way to conclude events.
The writing is fluid, accomplished and literary in its quality. William Ray has the confidence to indulge in describing events in such detail not only are you transported to the location, you marvel at the manner in which he does it. It is enjoyable for this reason alone.
Look out for my next review of his work: The Great Restoration.
January 15, 2018
This satisfyingly hefty fantasy pits Victorian-style military might against a Dark Lord and his undead legions.
The basic premise here is that the human nation of Verin has abandoned magic in favour of steam trains, constitutional monarchy, Imperialism, and handlebar moustaches. Huzzah!
Young Tam, being poor, over-educated, and naive, joins the army as a foot soldier (in order to see the world) and is posted to the colonies, where the goblins are revolting. But before long, the army’s off to conquer the benighted and backward kingdom of Gedlund. The undead rulers of Gedlund don’t appreciate being invaded.
The writing is a little stodgy, which I assume is intended to give a period feel, but is very readable throughout and well edited. The plot has some minor weak points, including a few loose ends left unexplained at the end of what appears to be a standalone story. However good characters, a bit of humour, and tremendous set-piece battles make for an enjoyable read.
The basic premise here is that the human nation of Verin has abandoned magic in favour of steam trains, constitutional monarchy, Imperialism, and handlebar moustaches. Huzzah!
Young Tam, being poor, over-educated, and naive, joins the army as a foot soldier (in order to see the world) and is posted to the colonies, where the goblins are revolting. But before long, the army’s off to conquer the benighted and backward kingdom of Gedlund. The undead rulers of Gedlund don’t appreciate being invaded.
The writing is a little stodgy, which I assume is intended to give a period feel, but is very readable throughout and well edited. The plot has some minor weak points, including a few loose ends left unexplained at the end of what appears to be a standalone story. However good characters, a bit of humour, and tremendous set-piece battles make for an enjoyable read.
December 17, 2014
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I found it easy to empathize with the main character, Tam, as he struggled to find his place in his ever changing circumstances and surroundings. Overall the world and the characters are very well imagined and the action is non-stop. While the story may take place in a mythical place and the foes are not always human, I felt the battles to be incredibly realistic and imagine they give a good account of a soldier’s point of view in 19th century warfare.
Unfortunately, I can’t bring myself to give it the full five stars because it has the same minor editing problems that plague the majority of the kindle books I’ve read, but luckily they do not detract too much from the overall storytelling.
Unfortunately, I can’t bring myself to give it the full five stars because it has the same minor editing problems that plague the majority of the kindle books I’ve read, but luckily they do not detract too much from the overall storytelling.
December 23, 2014
This is a must read for fantasy lovers! With William Ray's masterful writing, you will quickly be immersed in the magical world of Verin. You will identify with Tammen, the main character, and be mystified by the easy going yet powerful Statue Man come to life. Ray's characters have both depth and dimension. He does an amazing job of weaving clues throughout the book that point towards the dramatic finale. Action abounds in the book as human technology is pitted against goblins, magic, ghost and scores of undead soldiers. The finale is both exciting and meaningful. Although I was a bit put off by the length at first, I was sad when the book was over. I wanted to stay in the magical world of Verin. One of the most exciting finale's I've read - couldn't put it down until I finished it!
November 22, 2017
Gedlund is the first tale of the Verin Empire about a journey through the mind of a young soldier who attempts to handle his daily life by defending the Empire’s frontier.
He goes through many stages of struggle and survival with his comrades, which lead him to find himself and identify with his duty.
Tam's narrative voice is very pleasant. He is serious at times and also resourceful in critical situations.
The action is continuous so it keeps your curiosity alive during the whole story. Also, the book has many well-defined words and phrases that will give you stunning images of the characters and landscapes, in which they are framed. I think this makes for an exciting read!
He goes through many stages of struggle and survival with his comrades, which lead him to find himself and identify with his duty.
Tam's narrative voice is very pleasant. He is serious at times and also resourceful in critical situations.
The action is continuous so it keeps your curiosity alive during the whole story. Also, the book has many well-defined words and phrases that will give you stunning images of the characters and landscapes, in which they are framed. I think this makes for an exciting read!
August 31, 2017
I really had the pleasure of reading this book.
Besides the rich and fulfilling visuals described by the author, the book is also filled with trilling action and hidden symbolism.
Another nice thing about the book is that we can see the events though the eyes of multiple evolving characters, constructed in a way that emphasis psychological struggles and difficult choices, that left us wonder where is the line between good and bad.
I feel like whatever you like: compelling action, epic storytelling and visuals, or fine psychological shades of grey, the book has something to offer.
Besides the rich and fulfilling visuals described by the author, the book is also filled with trilling action and hidden symbolism.
Another nice thing about the book is that we can see the events though the eyes of multiple evolving characters, constructed in a way that emphasis psychological struggles and difficult choices, that left us wonder where is the line between good and bad.
I feel like whatever you like: compelling action, epic storytelling and visuals, or fine psychological shades of grey, the book has something to offer.
January 3, 2015
This was a fabulous debut novel of fantasy, excitement, intrigue...I was riveted from the first chapter. I would highly recommend this book to anyone, but especially to lovers of this genre.
February 16, 2015
I recommend this book to anyone who loves the fantasy genre. I look forward to more tales from the Verin Empire and to learning more about its mythology and history.
February 18, 2019
A Great Industrial Fantasy Tale
Gedlund, the first novel by William Ray, starts out in the mud, and builds the world for you from there up. We start out following the adventures of Tammen Gilmot, an educated young man who enlists in the army in the war effort, in short, to see the world firsthand. Despite the initial motif we see of a mid-19th-century technological level, we are thrown into the hectic front-line against a faceless horde of hostile goblins, letting us know up front that this is not our earth, and that there is magic on both sides of this war, and there are monsters.
What Ray builds from there is a rising-industrial world that resembles the height of the British Empire, built on the remains of what had once been a world like Tolkien’s Middle Earth. There used to be elves in this world, but they have departed in ways unknown to parts unknown. The elves left behind relics, and these come into play in the story. This genre-bending setting takes us from the battlefront of the Verin Empire’s war against the goblins to a new front against an ancient and nearly-forgotten enemy - The Lich King in his fortress in Gedlund.
For the first half of the book we follow Tammen as he learns more about the world and we learn through him as the reader. Tam’s educational background in history lets him explain to the troops around him the context of some of the things they see, and in turn, they teach him much about how the army, and the rest of the world, truly works. He gathers a group of regulars in his personal orbit who accompany him through the story. Among them are Gus and Claude, two very similar sergeants that Tam initially can’t tell apart, but become his most trusted mentors; Glynn, the young soldier with a secret; and Val, the almost inhumanly charismatic captain of their troop, who takes the lead of the army as it ventures into Gedlund.
The second half of the book divides the point of view narration between Tam and Gus, as they split off in different directions to pursue different ends. Although Gus is a good narrative character, this shift is a little unexpected, and the voices are so different that it takes about a full chapter to get used to the difference in perspective.
William Ray shows great skill in crafting this world for the reader and doling out parts chapter by chapter, and only rarely resorts to a character giving anything like an expository info-dump. Each chapter could be a serialized story in a fantasy magazine, nearly complete while contributing to the overall plot of the novel. By these doses we are giving a fuller understanding of the world that builds to a dramatic and epic finish.
The characters are likewise developed in these rich vital moments that show us stage by stage who these people are. Although you don’t feel that any are underdeveloped, I wished for more time to get to know them better. I think a novel could be written about each of the main cast in the story, and some of the minor characters could also support their own tale.
Everything about this novel, each chapter, each arc, and each moment of character development, works together to bring you into this world and carry you into an epic struggle between good and evil, introducing you to people and places that will stay with you for a great while after you finish reading.
Gedlund, the first novel by William Ray, starts out in the mud, and builds the world for you from there up. We start out following the adventures of Tammen Gilmot, an educated young man who enlists in the army in the war effort, in short, to see the world firsthand. Despite the initial motif we see of a mid-19th-century technological level, we are thrown into the hectic front-line against a faceless horde of hostile goblins, letting us know up front that this is not our earth, and that there is magic on both sides of this war, and there are monsters.
What Ray builds from there is a rising-industrial world that resembles the height of the British Empire, built on the remains of what had once been a world like Tolkien’s Middle Earth. There used to be elves in this world, but they have departed in ways unknown to parts unknown. The elves left behind relics, and these come into play in the story. This genre-bending setting takes us from the battlefront of the Verin Empire’s war against the goblins to a new front against an ancient and nearly-forgotten enemy - The Lich King in his fortress in Gedlund.
For the first half of the book we follow Tammen as he learns more about the world and we learn through him as the reader. Tam’s educational background in history lets him explain to the troops around him the context of some of the things they see, and in turn, they teach him much about how the army, and the rest of the world, truly works. He gathers a group of regulars in his personal orbit who accompany him through the story. Among them are Gus and Claude, two very similar sergeants that Tam initially can’t tell apart, but become his most trusted mentors; Glynn, the young soldier with a secret; and Val, the almost inhumanly charismatic captain of their troop, who takes the lead of the army as it ventures into Gedlund.
The second half of the book divides the point of view narration between Tam and Gus, as they split off in different directions to pursue different ends. Although Gus is a good narrative character, this shift is a little unexpected, and the voices are so different that it takes about a full chapter to get used to the difference in perspective.
William Ray shows great skill in crafting this world for the reader and doling out parts chapter by chapter, and only rarely resorts to a character giving anything like an expository info-dump. Each chapter could be a serialized story in a fantasy magazine, nearly complete while contributing to the overall plot of the novel. By these doses we are giving a fuller understanding of the world that builds to a dramatic and epic finish.
The characters are likewise developed in these rich vital moments that show us stage by stage who these people are. Although you don’t feel that any are underdeveloped, I wished for more time to get to know them better. I think a novel could be written about each of the main cast in the story, and some of the minor characters could also support their own tale.
Everything about this novel, each chapter, each arc, and each moment of character development, works together to bring you into this world and carry you into an epic struggle between good and evil, introducing you to people and places that will stay with you for a great while after you finish reading.
November 16, 2017
This book was very interesting initially and my first thought was that I was going to love it. As the story moved on though, it seemed to lack some fundamental cohesion that kept you really interested in the characters. I decided that I felt the characters had a lack of depth, there didn't seem to be the normal amount of human emotion you would get from people in these type of situations. I thought the prose and style of writing were good and that the flow of the story kept it interesting on a scene by scene basis. If you look at any one scene of the book, it by itself may seem acceptable, but it all kind of runs in the same pattern never delving into that depth of emotion as I mentioned. I thought the world building was reasonably done, though I tend not to like when a story is just set down into some other authors basic world. It leads to problems with how the structure of the world works and how it would have ended up the way it is. I thought the 19th century setting for a magical mystical world of elves and undead was an interesting stage with many possibilities, but if it was supposed to be a continuance of Tolkein's world, then it just didn't really make sense. I am not sure the existence of an evil land in an ever advancing world makes sense either, but these issues don't affect my like or dislike of it nearly as much as the character depth. There was a fair amount of action all throughout the book and the battles with the undead may attract some readers. The ending of the book seemed a little anticlimactic, despite a climactic final battle. This comes back to the lack of depth in the main character, it's like he's just going through the motions, not really invested in his own story/life. I am giving this book 3 stars. There are no doubt many readers who will love it, but I think many will also see a lot of the issues that I do.
October 23, 2018
Remarkably good!
This is a book worthy of reading more than once. I have read Tom Sawyer around nine times, The Hobbit at least six, The Good Earth, perhaps seven...I will know better after a second reading whether this Steam/Fantasy has risen to the level of perennial review or is just a good book that I was in a great mood to read when I found it. Either way it is very well done and I will heartily recommend it to anyone who enjoys steampunk or middle-earthish fantasy. I am following the author and hope that his well of inspiration is overflowing.
I would like for there to be a bit more steampunk punk in some of his future writing, perhaps the lovely Mr. Glynn may find adventure in a part of the Empire where such tech is more common? Should Mr. Ray choose to reprise Tammen Gilmot's character, it would be quite interesting for him to be a bit of a sidekick to Glynn as a historian / biographer in the mould of Dr.Watson, following and assisting the indomitable Glynn, detective adventurer - foil to the establishment. Whatever the direction he takes with this world you may be sure that I will be reading.
This is a book worthy of reading more than once. I have read Tom Sawyer around nine times, The Hobbit at least six, The Good Earth, perhaps seven...I will know better after a second reading whether this Steam/Fantasy has risen to the level of perennial review or is just a good book that I was in a great mood to read when I found it. Either way it is very well done and I will heartily recommend it to anyone who enjoys steampunk or middle-earthish fantasy. I am following the author and hope that his well of inspiration is overflowing.
I would like for there to be a bit more steampunk punk in some of his future writing, perhaps the lovely Mr. Glynn may find adventure in a part of the Empire where such tech is more common? Should Mr. Ray choose to reprise Tammen Gilmot's character, it would be quite interesting for him to be a bit of a sidekick to Glynn as a historian / biographer in the mould of Dr.Watson, following and assisting the indomitable Glynn, detective adventurer - foil to the establishment. Whatever the direction he takes with this world you may be sure that I will be reading.
September 9, 2018
Awesome !!!
This beautifully written book with new ideas that work very well with the story line and goes beyond anything I've read in a long time.The attention to detail is a breathtaking experience and the weaving of story lines is impressive !The author is brilliant in the pacing of the story and the world the author wrote around the main characters are interesting and informative that made me not want to put the book down till it was finished .This book is worth the money and time to read but it's definitely different read the author does a masterful job putting everything together in a way that will immediately draw the readers attention that they are reading something very special !! Please saviour it and enjoy the ride !! Finally, a story line that has so many possible ways to be explored their only great books ahead .
This beautifully written book with new ideas that work very well with the story line and goes beyond anything I've read in a long time.The attention to detail is a breathtaking experience and the weaving of story lines is impressive !The author is brilliant in the pacing of the story and the world the author wrote around the main characters are interesting and informative that made me not want to put the book down till it was finished .This book is worth the money and time to read but it's definitely different read the author does a masterful job putting everything together in a way that will immediately draw the readers attention that they are reading something very special !! Please saviour it and enjoy the ride !! Finally, a story line that has so many possible ways to be explored their only great books ahead .
April 22, 2019
If you like stories that grab the reader and places you in the thick of things from page 1, this is a good one. At first you ask yourself the question of who is this character but through the interesting headers in each chapter, you develop a much fuller sense of who Tam is. Tam is easy to identify with as his initial choices, which go against his family's wishes in order to pursue his dream, are what puts him in his predicament in the first chapter. However, it doesn't turn out as he expected.
The author has built a nation of interesting religions, beliefs, characters (both human and non), and just enough battle detail to keep the reader in the thick of things without turning the story into a history lecture.
The author has built a nation of interesting religions, beliefs, characters (both human and non), and just enough battle detail to keep the reader in the thick of things without turning the story into a history lecture.
March 7, 2019
** I stopped reading this book at 55% of the way through so this review is based on the first half of the book only **
This is not a bad book. Not even close to being bad. But it just didn't work for me. I'm a slow reader so I have to be ruthless when it comes to choosing what I read and with this one I decided it wasn't worth the time to finish. If this had been a shorter story, it would have been better. The problem was, it's not a short book, and yet I didn't feel like the story was particularly rich, the characters were one dimensional, and I didn't enjoy the world-building much.
Recommended for fans of flintlock fantasy, not for busy people with a huge TBR pile!
This is not a bad book. Not even close to being bad. But it just didn't work for me. I'm a slow reader so I have to be ruthless when it comes to choosing what I read and with this one I decided it wasn't worth the time to finish. If this had been a shorter story, it would have been better. The problem was, it's not a short book, and yet I didn't feel like the story was particularly rich, the characters were one dimensional, and I didn't enjoy the world-building much.
Recommended for fans of flintlock fantasy, not for busy people with a huge TBR pile!
November 11, 2024
I checked this book out because I was a fan of the TV show Carnival Row and looking for books with a similar mix of fantasy and late 19th century/early 20th century technology. I really enjoyed this book series and and eager to read the second. I found the worldbuilding very detailed, and thought the main characters were interesting. I found it a very unique fantasy book, and a great choice for anyone looking for a firearm fantasy setting.
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