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Ren of Atikala #2
The Scars of Northaven
I am Ren of Atikala. Kobold. Prisoner. Experiment. My father owns me and my days are full of pain. I have many stories to tell. This one is about death.
Kobolds die every day. Even hatchlings are familiar with death, taught to understand it from an early age. Death is our nursemaid. By the time a hatchling has reached adulthood it has seen a hundred lives ended.
Humans do things differently. Humans avoid talking of death. It is spoken in whispers, avoided in conversation. When they must discuss it they use euphemisms, silly phrases like “passed on” or “sleeping” or “gone away”.
They are hoping, perhaps, they can pretend such euphemisms will not one day apply to them.
Ultimately, though, they always do.
These are some of the hardest times I have ever faced and some of my sweetest joys. I have so many stories to tell but this one should come next. It will take some time.
This is the story of how I came to truly understand death, and what it means to take a life.
Kobolds die every day. Even hatchlings are familiar with death, taught to understand it from an early age. Death is our nursemaid. By the time a hatchling has reached adulthood it has seen a hundred lives ended.
Humans do things differently. Humans avoid talking of death. It is spoken in whispers, avoided in conversation. When they must discuss it they use euphemisms, silly phrases like “passed on” or “sleeping” or “gone away”.
They are hoping, perhaps, they can pretend such euphemisms will not one day apply to them.
Ultimately, though, they always do.
These are some of the hardest times I have ever faced and some of my sweetest joys. I have so many stories to tell but this one should come next. It will take some time.
This is the story of how I came to truly understand death, and what it means to take a life.
- GenresFantasy
293 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 22, 2015
15 people are currently reading
49 people want to read
About the author
David Adams
54 books73 followersI've always been writing in my mind. I have way, way, way too many stories to tell and far too little time to tell them.
I've been involved in Star Trek roleplay-by-emails for a few years, where basically I learned my craft, but it's only last year that I actually started putting these thoughts to paper.
By day I'm a software engineer. But by night I write a little science fiction, a little fantasy, a little humour and comedy, and a little erotica under pen names.
I've been involved in Star Trek roleplay-by-emails for a few years, where basically I learned my craft, but it's only last year that I actually started putting these thoughts to paper.
By day I'm a software engineer. But by night I write a little science fiction, a little fantasy, a little humour and comedy, and a little erotica under pen names.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 5, 2016
Ren goes on another long-ass journey and makes some new friends to help her. She also runs into some old friends and gets sweet revenge on a couple sorry suckas. There was a certain "Scrappy Doo" character that I could do without sometimes, but this was good and I will continue the series.
January 26, 2024
This was a good book that explored love and the lack of love well. I also found moments very sad like the moment where Ren slept in the same bed as someone else as she was so used to it for she had to sleep in the same bed to keep warm as where she grew up was so cold.
October 6, 2020
This book is best in this series .
February 3, 2016
I have to say, I've grown quite attached to Ren. That is saying a LOT considering Ren is a reptilian underworld creature (a Kobold) that lives off of a diet consisting of glowbugs, and who wears human skin. Well, wore human skill. But to be fair, many humans wear snake skin boots, and quite a few gnomes in Northaven wear Kobold skin. Getting back to my point, it takes a good writer to make me care about such an unlovable creature.
Mr. Adams does a nice job of telling the story and revealing to the reader the larger world of Northaven and beyond. He wrote with a very classic D & D quest approach. The story is told from the first person (which I don't think worked as well in the first volume) so we are expanding our knowledge of the top world and other parts of the underworld just as it is revealed to Ren. I like Doryyd, the dwarf, and how she communicates with the stone (even pebbles). I like the addition of Khavi's progeny, Valen, because he added tension and amusement to our little adventure crew. And I most definitely liked Tyermumtician. What a cool dragon. Not like our other dragon, Contremulus. What a dick.
But I feel like David Adams has really started to get his mojo going in this series. The magic is pretty gnarly, the baddies are really psychotic, and it's hard to put down once you get going in this yarn. Yep, I'll be back if there's a third installment.
Mr. Adams does a nice job of telling the story and revealing to the reader the larger world of Northaven and beyond. He wrote with a very classic D & D quest approach. The story is told from the first person (which I don't think worked as well in the first volume) so we are expanding our knowledge of the top world and other parts of the underworld just as it is revealed to Ren. I like Doryyd, the dwarf, and how she communicates with the stone (even pebbles). I like the addition of Khavi's progeny, Valen, because he added tension and amusement to our little adventure crew. And I most definitely liked Tyermumtician. What a cool dragon. Not like our other dragon, Contremulus. What a dick.
But I feel like David Adams has really started to get his mojo going in this series. The magic is pretty gnarly, the baddies are really psychotic, and it's hard to put down once you get going in this yarn. Yep, I'll be back if there's a third installment.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews