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The War Chronicles #1
Warrior
The Testing Time has arrived. The world is falling into darkness. Lirak, a young forest-dwelling stone-chipper has become a pawn in the eternal battle of the Gods. Born of an outsider mother, feared by superstitious villagers, distrusted and feared by his own brother, Lirak must fight back an invading army while learning how to control the fearsome powers that boil inside him. Lirak's path from simple stone-age villager to heroic warrior is only the first part a much longer and more dangerous journey.
333 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 18, 2015
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89 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
August 27, 2020
This was, simply put, not for me.
For me it was reminiscent of Pocahontas, if the English had Warlocks.
I thought there was a good deal of telling and not as much showing.
I didn’t really care about the characters, or their cause and to be honest I was ready to give up on it more than a few times.
What kept me reading? Sheer stubbornness. Not much else.
In the beginning Lirak was a bit of an outcast and for a good first 30% of the book, he dreamed, fell out with his brother. Dreamed, hunted. Repeat as necessary. Not much happened.
Like I've said, it just wasn't for me.
For me it was reminiscent of Pocahontas, if the English had Warlocks.
I thought there was a good deal of telling and not as much showing.
I didn’t really care about the characters, or their cause and to be honest I was ready to give up on it more than a few times.
What kept me reading? Sheer stubbornness. Not much else.
In the beginning Lirak was a bit of an outcast and for a good first 30% of the book, he dreamed, fell out with his brother. Dreamed, hunted. Repeat as necessary. Not much happened.
Like I've said, it just wasn't for me.
December 24, 2019
My rating wavered between 3.5 and 4, but I choose to go 4 because some people gave the book an unwarranted 1* and I hope this balances it out a bit.
The book had interesting ideas and themes and a twist on a familiar setting.
Unfortunately the book has some problems.
Some issues I have with the book is that of dialogue which did not fit the primitive culture represented.
Also the power-creep of Lirak is a thing and I dislike when characters become godlike in power in the span of a chapter...
Lirak single handedly changed the outcome of the battle, destroying hundreds and hundreds of enemies. I get that he became strong, but that was unbelievable/unconvincing.
I'll miss you, Thorn... Rest well, you were one of the characters I loved best.
Overall, I enjoyed most of it, I have been looking for a book/setting like this, exploring a primitive culture which is then invaded by a technologicaly advanced people, and the results of this.
The book explored this and I had fun delving into the possibilities.
I'm curious where the story is going.
The book had interesting ideas and themes and a twist on a familiar setting.
Unfortunately the book has some problems.
Some issues I have with the book is that of dialogue which did not fit the primitive culture represented.
Also the power-creep of Lirak is a thing and I dislike when characters become godlike in power in the span of a chapter...
Lirak single handedly changed the outcome of the battle, destroying hundreds and hundreds of enemies. I get that he became strong, but that was unbelievable/unconvincing.
I'll miss you, Thorn... Rest well, you were one of the characters I loved best.
Overall, I enjoyed most of it, I have been looking for a book/setting like this, exploring a primitive culture which is then invaded by a technologicaly advanced people, and the results of this.
The book explored this and I had fun delving into the possibilities.
I'm curious where the story is going.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 5, 2017
What do I think? Well, this book is horrible.
Let's start with the poorly executed native culture aspects. Is this author Native? I highly doubt it. It's a mish mash of crap. Loin clothes, moccasins, eagles.
Let's move onto the names. First we have a sort of bad Native American basis, followed by Christian and Iranian character names. Again, horribly written.
Let's move onto the rape. Normally I am actually totally fine with rape scenes in novels, but this made no sense. It didn't need to be in there. It was poorly represented. All the women were assaulted, it was just ridiculous.
Last but not least, there were parts of this book that just didn't make sense. Major flaws and it seemed like the author forgot what he had previously written in the story. The entire story was so all over the place. I don't think the author knew what he wanted to do or felt he had to do it all.
Overall I wouldn't even give this a 1 star.
Let's start with the poorly executed native culture aspects. Is this author Native? I highly doubt it. It's a mish mash of crap. Loin clothes, moccasins, eagles.
Let's move onto the names. First we have a sort of bad Native American basis, followed by Christian and Iranian character names. Again, horribly written.
Let's move onto the rape. Normally I am actually totally fine with rape scenes in novels, but this made no sense. It didn't need to be in there. It was poorly represented. All the women were assaulted, it was just ridiculous.
Last but not least, there were parts of this book that just didn't make sense. Major flaws and it seemed like the author forgot what he had previously written in the story. The entire story was so all over the place. I don't think the author knew what he wanted to do or felt he had to do it all.
Overall I wouldn't even give this a 1 star.
May 30, 2016
Ideally this would have been 3.5 Stars. Since I can't do halfs, I decided to round it to a 4.
I listened to this as an unabridged audiobook and honestly I choose it more because of the voice of the reader than the story itself. Hence I didn't know what to expect and was positively surprised.
Since I knew so little about the book, I thought after a while of listening to the story, that it must be a very old book. The way the story is told reminded me of Lord of the Rings and books that were written in the 50ties-70ties. It has this charm and innocence that I know from these older stories. When I discovered that is was actually written in 2015 I was delighted. Not many writers could pull that off!
The main criticism from my side is, that its relatively easy to predict, what's going to happen. There are hardly any surprises in the story. The reader puts 1 and 1 together much faster than the protagonist and then you have to watch the characters struggle with the relevation. It's inevitable if you describe the world through the eyes of a people, who live a native life in the woods and come into contact with civilization. Again, the writer gets points for consistency, because he never strays from this perspective from start to finish.
All in all an entertaining, "old fashioned - and I mean that in a good way" story about a boy who learns that he is destined for more than just chipping blades out of obsidian.
I listened to this as an unabridged audiobook and honestly I choose it more because of the voice of the reader than the story itself. Hence I didn't know what to expect and was positively surprised.
Since I knew so little about the book, I thought after a while of listening to the story, that it must be a very old book. The way the story is told reminded me of Lord of the Rings and books that were written in the 50ties-70ties. It has this charm and innocence that I know from these older stories. When I discovered that is was actually written in 2015 I was delighted. Not many writers could pull that off!
The main criticism from my side is, that its relatively easy to predict, what's going to happen. There are hardly any surprises in the story. The reader puts 1 and 1 together much faster than the protagonist and then you have to watch the characters struggle with the relevation. It's inevitable if you describe the world through the eyes of a people, who live a native life in the woods and come into contact with civilization. Again, the writer gets points for consistency, because he never strays from this perspective from start to finish.
All in all an entertaining, "old fashioned - and I mean that in a good way" story about a boy who learns that he is destined for more than just chipping blades out of obsidian.
February 21, 2015
A wonderfully gripping tale, once I could figure out how to pronounce some of the unfamiliar words. The well constructed characters had me on the edge of my seat as I read, feeling each time one of them got hurt, or discovered a new achievement, or even got lost somewhere.
The action sequences provided enough setting description I swear more than once I actually smelled the scene, rather than just read it. Even the battle scenes were able to do this for me.
This tale as the initial feel of a "Cowboy and Indian" story, especially with the presented cover, but this is not your normal conflict of primitive vs civilized cultures. The "primitives" in this case I think have more depth and complexity than the "civilized" ones. This is because of their close connection to, and belief in the world around them. This allowed Sean to fully highlight the unique personalities of the main character cast which drives the story from the beginning. The more "civilized" characters introduced later have their own unique flavor, and I look forward to getting to know them as the series develops.
Well done!
The action sequences provided enough setting description I swear more than once I actually smelled the scene, rather than just read it. Even the battle scenes were able to do this for me.
This tale as the initial feel of a "Cowboy and Indian" story, especially with the presented cover, but this is not your normal conflict of primitive vs civilized cultures. The "primitives" in this case I think have more depth and complexity than the "civilized" ones. This is because of their close connection to, and belief in the world around them. This allowed Sean to fully highlight the unique personalities of the main character cast which drives the story from the beginning. The more "civilized" characters introduced later have their own unique flavor, and I look forward to getting to know them as the series develops.
Well done!
November 21, 2016
This book has a lot going for it. Beautiful descriptions, very clear plot and writing, and respectable, likable main characters. I wish those qualities had gone into a different story. This felt very much like standard fantasy fare, with a Chosen One whose specialness and magical qualities are so obvious, it's a wonder that any character doubts it. Everything comes easily to him. Deities show up and give him the stuff he needs. He masters every skill and every challenge without breaking a sweat. I don't think he loses any battles. When he hears the Chosen One prophecy, he seems to pretty much assume, "Yup, I'm it," and he is.
It's a nice book. Just too straightforward for me, with the fantasy tropes played straight.
It's a nice book. Just too straightforward for me, with the fantasy tropes played straight.
May 31, 2020
I'm listening to the end of the first book,Warrior and I'm enjoying it. I read your bio and rated it four stars, though to be fair I'd be at 3.5. This is mostly because of how I listen to epic fantasy. I fall asleep to it as I find it promotes positive dreams. I do listen to it as I multitask too, in fact I am listening this very moment. I'm not an expert on high or epic fantasy, but I've read a fair amount (more than a score of series). I'm not a fan of dark, gore or horror; I enjoy happy endings and good defeating evil. I like how you built the magical scheme. The reason I am writing a review before I am finished is I happened to read the negative review just now. I have an adage I developed when considering a negative review. "For criticism to be credible and constructive there must be balance". I did not find any balance in that review and I hope the critic will not stalk me and my books...:-). Even if the last two hours turns out to be a disaster, I will still have positive things to say about your book. It is quite impressive to see your output for the last five years, keep rocking! cKs
November 1, 2020
Not a bad story but it falls short too often as a climax approaches. Big set-pieces are established only to be thrown away with an easy resolution. E.g.
Despite Golden clearly having good writing chops, I'm not a fan of plot armor. So, I'll leave this series to others.
Despite Golden clearly having good writing chops, I'm not a fan of plot armor. So, I'll leave this series to others.
December 6, 2018
I just didn't care about the tribe, and the MC is not all that interesting.
April 3, 2015
Intriguing right up to every woman previously introduced being Raped
I was enjoying the book and thought it was entertaining for the first half of the book.
Halfway through the book it became apparent that every (literally) other than the protagonist mother sole reason for being was to become fodder for the overused "rape as their test" plot line
The female protagonist is gang raped until her attackers believe she is dead or too exhausted to kill her. She's left with scaring bite marks on her face and breast. When she's found their are scabs on her inner thighs reflecting the number of men who have raped her and the brutality. The rest of her time in the book deals with her shame of not being able to stop them. Unfortunately this typical use of a female protagonist ruined my enjoyment of the book. There are plenty of ways to test a woman's inner strength without the constant rape.
Would have been 4 stars without the standard rape the female protagonist storyline.
I was enjoying the book and thought it was entertaining for the first half of the book.
Halfway through the book it became apparent that every (literally) other than the protagonist mother sole reason for being was to become fodder for the overused "rape as their test" plot line
The female protagonist is gang raped until her attackers believe she is dead or too exhausted to kill her. She's left with scaring bite marks on her face and breast. When she's found their are scabs on her inner thighs reflecting the number of men who have raped her and the brutality. The rest of her time in the book deals with her shame of not being able to stop them. Unfortunately this typical use of a female protagonist ruined my enjoyment of the book. There are plenty of ways to test a woman's inner strength without the constant rape.
Would have been 4 stars without the standard rape the female protagonist storyline.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 30, 2015
Warrior was a compelling and slightly addictive read for me. I often pick up a book and read for a few chapters before losing interest for a time only to come back later to read in a fitful and inconsistent manner. Not so with Warrior! I am pleased to report that I was ensnared by the characters, who are relate-able and multi-dimensional, as well as the plot, which is well-paced, entertaining and gripping. I kept reading to find out the Dwon's trials and tribulations, almost insatiably, and enjoyed the perspective of a primitive and innocent society being impacted terribly by a more advanced invader.
I loved it and can't wait for the next book!
I also appreciate very much the language used in this novel, which is descriptive and appropriate without being needlessly vulgar or coarse as seems to be in vogue for many Fantasy and Sci-fi authors. As with any war story there are scenes in this novel which were described evocatively without being salacious or explicit.
I loved it and can't wait for the next book!
I also appreciate very much the language used in this novel, which is descriptive and appropriate without being needlessly vulgar or coarse as seems to be in vogue for many Fantasy and Sci-fi authors. As with any war story there are scenes in this novel which were described evocatively without being salacious or explicit.
May 27, 2015
Great read
I felt the pacing was slow at first. Much was made of him being an outcast, and some inferences to his main detractor playing a larger role never came to fruition.
Fighting doesn't appear to be part of the culture, but they seem to be very good at it, which seemed out of place.
Some questions need answering, come on book 2!
I felt the pacing was slow at first. Much was made of him being an outcast, and some inferences to his main detractor playing a larger role never came to fruition.
Fighting doesn't appear to be part of the culture, but they seem to be very good at it, which seemed out of place.
Some questions need answering, come on book 2!
March 9, 2016
I thoroughly enjoyed Warrior. Not quiet the essence of Lord of the Rings, more like The Sword of Shannara, except the characters had more depth. The characters and scenes are well thought out and I found myself totally immersed into their lives. Looking forward to #2.
April 15, 2015
Read my review here:
http://moderndaybookshelf.blogspot.kr...
Can't wait for book 2!
http://moderndaybookshelf.blogspot.kr...
Can't wait for book 2!
March 30, 2017
A great fantasy
May 2, 2017
Super slow start but it gets better.
WARNING: I hated the last book.
WARNING: I hated the last book.
Read
September 24, 2018Thoroughly enjoyed.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews