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Earth's Knot: An Epic Fantasy Novella
When Merak, one of the best thieves of the infamous Black Feathers, botches up what should have been a simple job in the underground, maze-like city of Knot, all hell breaks loose.
Suddenly he’s being hunted by a mysterious entity which the Oculists–Knot’s bronze-masked high priests–are desperately searching for. For they need it in time for a rare cosmic event that will reveal a way for them to physically reach their God.
But Merak’s interference might just cost them that chance.
And there’s a secret he knows nothing about…that will change everything...
Suddenly he’s being hunted by a mysterious entity which the Oculists–Knot’s bronze-masked high priests–are desperately searching for. For they need it in time for a rare cosmic event that will reveal a way for them to physically reach their God.
But Merak’s interference might just cost them that chance.
And there’s a secret he knows nothing about…that will change everything...
80 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 8, 2015
71 people are currently reading
88 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 24, 2015
Hm... This is not a terrible story, and it is not terribly written. Based on the story alone, I'd have given it three stars. Problems I have with the writing knock off one of the stars and are as follows.
1.) Appears to be a self-published book and suffers from an apparent lack of a professional editor. There are some typos, misuse of commas, hyphens, and dashes, and consistent (so that it appears the author doesn't know the rules) misuse of punctuation in dialogue, particularly paragraphing for new characters and using opening quotation marks when a character's monologue carries over to a new paragraph.
These may seem nit-picky, but they matter because when reading, misuse of punctuation makes the reader have to stop and go back over a section to try to figure out what the author was intending - to understand intended phrasing, or to confirm that a character is still speaking. This breaks the flow of the writing. It breaks the illusion and shows the author through the fabric of the story, and not in a good way.
Now even the best authors make typos and even the best editors can miss one now and then... but this was repeated and consistent mistakes that broke the flow of the story.
Any author intending to publish should at minimum educate him/herself about basic punctuation rules. I found the lack of proper dialogue punctuation consistently irritating as I repeatedly found myself pausing to figure out if someone was still speaking, or if it was back to narrator voice.
2.) This is not a novella. It is structured as several chapters of an epic fantasy, yet sold as a complete work. When writing a short piece like this, there are certain conventions which make reading it satisfying to the reader.
Limiting the number of central characters and storylines is one of those conventions. Completing a story arc is another convention. Not introducing a completely new character midway through the story is another. Not introducing and then abandoning characters and storylines is another.
This novella starts out with two characters and a setting that is abruptly shifted and never revisited nor so much as referenced for the rest of the book. An apparently central character is only referenced briefly and not introduced until 50 percent through the story. There are at least three separate storylines (told through multiple third person POVs and not counting the initial, fourth, apparently abandoned storyline). This many storylines, through so many shifting points of view creates a very fractured reading experience especially in so short a piece of writing.
Again, this technique can work for skilled authors writing lengthy and well-developed epic fantasy novels. But those same authors do NOT use those same techniques when writing novellas.
This is titled as the first in a series, but even so, if it is written and published as a novella, there are certain conventions that have good reason to apply.
3.) World-building in the fantasy genre is a tricky beast. I felt the author, again, shows potential here, but, again mismatches the scope of the writing to the length of the book. In a novella, especially in fantasy, the world-building must be tight and efficient to avoid, first, losing the readers, and second, losing the plot and pacing of the story.
I see potemtial again in this author's efforts at world-building. Using the technique of quoting from "texts" at the beginning of chapters can be a good one and I think that it was used mostly to good effect here. Allowing the world-building to flow out of the character's thoughts and dialogue as opposed to info-dumping is also good and I feel this author is approximating that technique.
Where I felt things got weak was, again, in trying to put too much into too short a story, and failing to be brutal in revising to tighten the story to the degree it needed to be tightened.
There were references to multiple aspects of the world that were not apparently relevant in the story. Referencing the above-world, yet it paying no relevant part in the story. Referencing more than once the Way-finders and the expansion of the city, yet, again... not to any obvious purpose. Introducing conflicting forms of magic and religions, but without enough expansion. Introducing monsters but without explanation or follow-up once they go off-screen.
In reading a new fantasy world there is a learning curve for the reader. This may be enjoyable for some, for me it is an annoyance that I consider a necessary process to get through to achieve an appealing end result - being able to comfortably immerse myself in a fantastical other world.
The shorter the story, the faster I need to be able to understand the fundamentals of the world so that I can enjoy the story within that world.
In this case, I felt the education process was both continuous to the last page of the story, never allowing me to reach the comfortable story-enjoyment phase, and that I was being told information that never proved relevant to this specific story.
Additionally, even after completing the story, I am still not clear on what is, or how works one of the apparently primary aspects of magic on this world. Warplines are used multiple times, but with such different purposes (travel? paralysis? physical alteration?) and effected through different means (powder? hand gestures? imbuing objects?) that I am still confused about them even after finishing the story, not to mention the vague but, again un-expanded references to tattoos with magical power. I feel dissatisfaction at reading a story in its entirety, yet still having so vague an understanding of what is written as if it is a core and common aspect of this world and the characters' experiences.
Overall I see this as a new author with potential but needing a lot of polishing and professional development. While the web and self-publishing have created exciting new forums for authors to find audiences, I think it is also resulting in the loss of a certain degree of quality at times. This reminds me very much of the practicebof amateur authors posting stories to online forums in serial format, and depending on other amateur authors (and readers) for professional feedback and editing. This reads as an installment in a serial by a talented but still green amateur writer.
This may not be the case for this author, but I rather hope it is, because with such potential, the introduction of some professional-level coaching and editing could really bring out some amazing work.
1.) Appears to be a self-published book and suffers from an apparent lack of a professional editor. There are some typos, misuse of commas, hyphens, and dashes, and consistent (so that it appears the author doesn't know the rules) misuse of punctuation in dialogue, particularly paragraphing for new characters and using opening quotation marks when a character's monologue carries over to a new paragraph.
These may seem nit-picky, but they matter because when reading, misuse of punctuation makes the reader have to stop and go back over a section to try to figure out what the author was intending - to understand intended phrasing, or to confirm that a character is still speaking. This breaks the flow of the writing. It breaks the illusion and shows the author through the fabric of the story, and not in a good way.
Now even the best authors make typos and even the best editors can miss one now and then... but this was repeated and consistent mistakes that broke the flow of the story.
Any author intending to publish should at minimum educate him/herself about basic punctuation rules. I found the lack of proper dialogue punctuation consistently irritating as I repeatedly found myself pausing to figure out if someone was still speaking, or if it was back to narrator voice.
2.) This is not a novella. It is structured as several chapters of an epic fantasy, yet sold as a complete work. When writing a short piece like this, there are certain conventions which make reading it satisfying to the reader.
Limiting the number of central characters and storylines is one of those conventions. Completing a story arc is another convention. Not introducing a completely new character midway through the story is another. Not introducing and then abandoning characters and storylines is another.
This novella starts out with two characters and a setting that is abruptly shifted and never revisited nor so much as referenced for the rest of the book. An apparently central character is only referenced briefly and not introduced until 50 percent through the story. There are at least three separate storylines (told through multiple third person POVs and not counting the initial, fourth, apparently abandoned storyline). This many storylines, through so many shifting points of view creates a very fractured reading experience especially in so short a piece of writing.
Again, this technique can work for skilled authors writing lengthy and well-developed epic fantasy novels. But those same authors do NOT use those same techniques when writing novellas.
This is titled as the first in a series, but even so, if it is written and published as a novella, there are certain conventions that have good reason to apply.
3.) World-building in the fantasy genre is a tricky beast. I felt the author, again, shows potential here, but, again mismatches the scope of the writing to the length of the book. In a novella, especially in fantasy, the world-building must be tight and efficient to avoid, first, losing the readers, and second, losing the plot and pacing of the story.
I see potemtial again in this author's efforts at world-building. Using the technique of quoting from "texts" at the beginning of chapters can be a good one and I think that it was used mostly to good effect here. Allowing the world-building to flow out of the character's thoughts and dialogue as opposed to info-dumping is also good and I feel this author is approximating that technique.
Where I felt things got weak was, again, in trying to put too much into too short a story, and failing to be brutal in revising to tighten the story to the degree it needed to be tightened.
There were references to multiple aspects of the world that were not apparently relevant in the story. Referencing the above-world, yet it paying no relevant part in the story. Referencing more than once the Way-finders and the expansion of the city, yet, again... not to any obvious purpose. Introducing conflicting forms of magic and religions, but without enough expansion. Introducing monsters but without explanation or follow-up once they go off-screen.
In reading a new fantasy world there is a learning curve for the reader. This may be enjoyable for some, for me it is an annoyance that I consider a necessary process to get through to achieve an appealing end result - being able to comfortably immerse myself in a fantastical other world.
The shorter the story, the faster I need to be able to understand the fundamentals of the world so that I can enjoy the story within that world.
In this case, I felt the education process was both continuous to the last page of the story, never allowing me to reach the comfortable story-enjoyment phase, and that I was being told information that never proved relevant to this specific story.
Additionally, even after completing the story, I am still not clear on what is, or how works one of the apparently primary aspects of magic on this world. Warplines are used multiple times, but with such different purposes (travel? paralysis? physical alteration?) and effected through different means (powder? hand gestures? imbuing objects?) that I am still confused about them even after finishing the story, not to mention the vague but, again un-expanded references to tattoos with magical power. I feel dissatisfaction at reading a story in its entirety, yet still having so vague an understanding of what is written as if it is a core and common aspect of this world and the characters' experiences.
Overall I see this as a new author with potential but needing a lot of polishing and professional development. While the web and self-publishing have created exciting new forums for authors to find audiences, I think it is also resulting in the loss of a certain degree of quality at times. This reminds me very much of the practicebof amateur authors posting stories to online forums in serial format, and depending on other amateur authors (and readers) for professional feedback and editing. This reads as an installment in a serial by a talented but still green amateur writer.
This may not be the case for this author, but I rather hope it is, because with such potential, the introduction of some professional-level coaching and editing could really bring out some amazing work.
November 6, 2016
This review is featured on my blog Writerly Bookish Stuff
I rate this book 2.5/5.
This novella should garner more stars; innovative world, interesting concept, good prose, but the length of this book doesn't allow the world, characters, and concepts to grow. It really needed to be a full length book to do it justice. It's such a shame as I would have loved to see Deann develop her imaginative world.
This book, although, marketed as a novella, seems more like a prequel/ the first chapters of a much larger story. There wasn't a definite beginning, middle, or end, and I was left unsatisfied as a reader. If I went in knowing this was not a full story, I think it wouldn't have been as jarring to read. However, I would not buy only the first part of a story- the set-up is confusing. If the series of novellas was worked into a full novel, I would read it.
The narrative moved along at a good pace, and the characters came across as distinct. Mouse in particular felt well rounded and believable. Again, I wanted more, but novella length stopped Deann from a great deal of character development.
There is such promise with this book, and I know I'm not the only reader to sense it. I hope this series gets reworked in the future.
I rate this book 2.5/5.
This novella should garner more stars; innovative world, interesting concept, good prose, but the length of this book doesn't allow the world, characters, and concepts to grow. It really needed to be a full length book to do it justice. It's such a shame as I would have loved to see Deann develop her imaginative world.
This book, although, marketed as a novella, seems more like a prequel/ the first chapters of a much larger story. There wasn't a definite beginning, middle, or end, and I was left unsatisfied as a reader. If I went in knowing this was not a full story, I think it wouldn't have been as jarring to read. However, I would not buy only the first part of a story- the set-up is confusing. If the series of novellas was worked into a full novel, I would read it.
The narrative moved along at a good pace, and the characters came across as distinct. Mouse in particular felt well rounded and believable. Again, I wanted more, but novella length stopped Deann from a great deal of character development.
There is such promise with this book, and I know I'm not the only reader to sense it. I hope this series gets reworked in the future.
May 2, 2020
Unusual and Interesting
I have to admit that this isn't quite what I expected. The story style is more reminiscent of the "Dune" books than the average tale you find today. That made it a trifle off-putting at the start. However, once I realized that was what was bogging down my brain (& the mental "oh!" lightbulb went on) I got into it with no more problems.
This is the "set-up" story for the rest of the series, so if you're looking for a stand-alone story, this isn't it. It IS, however, an excellent choice for a "cliffhanger." I got to the end & went, "Wait! What happens next?! I need the next book!" There are all of the usual components we expect in our stories - darkness & light, good guys & bad guys, a monster for good measure - all in the right places & right proportions. What about a subterranean city? Can you dig it? I did! And now I'm off to get the next book that I was so viciously teased with at the end of this one. So there!
I have to admit that this isn't quite what I expected. The story style is more reminiscent of the "Dune" books than the average tale you find today. That made it a trifle off-putting at the start. However, once I realized that was what was bogging down my brain (& the mental "oh!" lightbulb went on) I got into it with no more problems.
This is the "set-up" story for the rest of the series, so if you're looking for a stand-alone story, this isn't it. It IS, however, an excellent choice for a "cliffhanger." I got to the end & went, "Wait! What happens next?! I need the next book!" There are all of the usual components we expect in our stories - darkness & light, good guys & bad guys, a monster for good measure - all in the right places & right proportions. What about a subterranean city? Can you dig it? I did! And now I'm off to get the next book that I was so viciously teased with at the end of this one. So there!
December 14, 2016
It's quite a difficult feat to tell a fantasy series through novellas. The characters are told well and we get a good feel for who they are. The only problem is the plot progression. What is told in this novella is what would be the starting few chapters in a novel. There is no ending or closure; only the set up for the next novella.
September 21, 2018
I read this book as a break from my usual , I didn't know I would be a fan who was looking forward to book two.
Carry on Katie with more books that have a wealth of characters, from a stout hearted female, a sad hero and
a good deal of baddies not to mention the unusual setting, to keep anyone happy. Great first book
Carry on Katie with more books that have a wealth of characters, from a stout hearted female, a sad hero and
a good deal of baddies not to mention the unusual setting, to keep anyone happy. Great first book
October 31, 2017
Read this one!!
This story was a very good read!I'm looking forward to reading the rest of this series. I would definitely recommend this book!
This story was a very good read!I'm looking forward to reading the rest of this series. I would definitely recommend this book!
November 16, 2020
Too short!
I like the descriptions of the characters and their professions. They mesh well and make me want more. Never boring. I’m looking forward to reading the series.
I like the descriptions of the characters and their professions. They mesh well and make me want more. Never boring. I’m looking forward to reading the series.
June 10, 2015
“And if we are ever to see the star below our feet rise, we must first set it free. We must bleed the darkness from it …”
So this was a good, quick read with a lot of story questions raised and little to no answers provided. It’s a basic intro to characters, a city, and some religion. I can’t really give an accurate blurb. There’s a few different story lines that are leading up to something to do with freeing a god, but we don’t know exactly what’s happening. Honestly, I think for such a short book there were too many PoV’s. Oh, and I wish I would have skipped the prologue. It would have added a bit more mystery to the thief nicknamed Mouse. Since I’ve read it, I feel like I know more than I should.
Normally I like my stories to move around settings. Give me travel and I’m usually very happy. This book stayed in one city. That said, I didn’t mind in the least. The city itself was unusual and I enjoyed exploring it. I felt entertained enough that I wasn’t itching to move on. The world was detailed enough for me and we’ve got a dose of religion, thieves guild, and a bit of how the city functions. I think I’m getting it, but those who like more detailed worlds might have the need for more. Since this is the first in a six part series, I’m sure we’ll understand more as the story progresses.
I liked the pace of the book. I felt it moved along nicely, though I’ll say again that a few less PoV’s would have beefed up the mystery and allowed the characters to be explored in more detail. Obviously this is just personal taste. I think there was a big chance here to spike my curiosity, but I knew too much.
The characters had their own voices, which was nice. They seemed separate, and Mouse was actually very realistically drawn. When faced with something horrible, he was scared to near paralysis, and with good cause. It made him human.
The writing itself was nice, but punctuation choices made this a bit odd to read at times. I’m not one to notice this stuff normally, but commas and dashes were oddly placed. I know Deann is working to get her book to a proofreader which should help.
I think the reason I liked this instead of it just being a “meh” book was the city itself and the potential of the story. At some point I’ll pick up the second installment. It’s raised enough of my curiosity, but not enough to move the second book up on my to-read list.
So overall, if you’ve got an hour or two to kill, this would be a great little book to pick up. Oh, and right now it's free!
You can see this and other review on my website: http://booksbylkevans.com
So this was a good, quick read with a lot of story questions raised and little to no answers provided. It’s a basic intro to characters, a city, and some religion. I can’t really give an accurate blurb. There’s a few different story lines that are leading up to something to do with freeing a god, but we don’t know exactly what’s happening. Honestly, I think for such a short book there were too many PoV’s. Oh, and I wish I would have skipped the prologue. It would have added a bit more mystery to the thief nicknamed Mouse. Since I’ve read it, I feel like I know more than I should.
Normally I like my stories to move around settings. Give me travel and I’m usually very happy. This book stayed in one city. That said, I didn’t mind in the least. The city itself was unusual and I enjoyed exploring it. I felt entertained enough that I wasn’t itching to move on. The world was detailed enough for me and we’ve got a dose of religion, thieves guild, and a bit of how the city functions. I think I’m getting it, but those who like more detailed worlds might have the need for more. Since this is the first in a six part series, I’m sure we’ll understand more as the story progresses.
I liked the pace of the book. I felt it moved along nicely, though I’ll say again that a few less PoV’s would have beefed up the mystery and allowed the characters to be explored in more detail. Obviously this is just personal taste. I think there was a big chance here to spike my curiosity, but I knew too much.
The characters had their own voices, which was nice. They seemed separate, and Mouse was actually very realistically drawn. When faced with something horrible, he was scared to near paralysis, and with good cause. It made him human.
The writing itself was nice, but punctuation choices made this a bit odd to read at times. I’m not one to notice this stuff normally, but commas and dashes were oddly placed. I know Deann is working to get her book to a proofreader which should help.
I think the reason I liked this instead of it just being a “meh” book was the city itself and the potential of the story. At some point I’ll pick up the second installment. It’s raised enough of my curiosity, but not enough to move the second book up on my to-read list.
So overall, if you’ve got an hour or two to kill, this would be a great little book to pick up. Oh, and right now it's free!
You can see this and other review on my website: http://booksbylkevans.com
April 19, 2016
Too many great ideas, too short a format
Can you write Epic Fantasy in a novella series? I'm sure someone could, but this installment looks more like watered down parts of a BIG novel.
Don't get me wrong, if this was a Words of Radiance sized novel at a thousand pages, Katie Deann would have the time and space to develop all her wonderful ideas, characters and world epic fantasy novel of stunning proportions. She could be the next bestselling fantasy author.
Earth's Knot in novella form barely dips it's toe into ... something; teasing your brain with a faint glimpse into Knot. If Katie fleshed out the characters, developed the storylines and built up the world details - all by an order of magnitude, she'd have something truly epic.
We have magic, a buried God, a living, underground, labyrinthine city filled with: thieves, priests, oculists, wardens, craftsmen, dockworkers and ? Where are the masses who normally do all the work to make the city function? How do they get their food? Clothing?
In Earth's Knot, the characters feel flat, there is little to no backstory, the worldbuilding is repetitive - yes, Knot grows by itself for no reason. I get it- and some characters are just a bit trope-ish. The novellas are like surveying bits of multiple, larger chapters strung together. The plot holds, but the motivations are nonexistent. Some detailed descriptions are inspired: examples being Rook's mask and the Water Mayor's barge of dead Docker's, but feel misplaced in an overall teasing prose.
Katie, please write this novel. It seems like the risk of time and effort is well worth the reward. If you are going to write in the style of Sanderson, then by all means, do it. You have all the pieces.
BTW, your website and email address expired two days ago, so I was unable to get the next novella in the series. I did follow you on Amazon, so look for an email that starts with pin and we'll be in business.
Good luck to you.
Can you write Epic Fantasy in a novella series? I'm sure someone could, but this installment looks more like watered down parts of a BIG novel.
Don't get me wrong, if this was a Words of Radiance sized novel at a thousand pages, Katie Deann would have the time and space to develop all her wonderful ideas, characters and world epic fantasy novel of stunning proportions. She could be the next bestselling fantasy author.
Earth's Knot in novella form barely dips it's toe into ... something; teasing your brain with a faint glimpse into Knot. If Katie fleshed out the characters, developed the storylines and built up the world details - all by an order of magnitude, she'd have something truly epic.
We have magic, a buried God, a living, underground, labyrinthine city filled with: thieves, priests, oculists, wardens, craftsmen, dockworkers and ? Where are the masses who normally do all the work to make the city function? How do they get their food? Clothing?
In Earth's Knot, the characters feel flat, there is little to no backstory, the worldbuilding is repetitive - yes, Knot grows by itself for no reason. I get it- and some characters are just a bit trope-ish. The novellas are like surveying bits of multiple, larger chapters strung together. The plot holds, but the motivations are nonexistent. Some detailed descriptions are inspired: examples being Rook's mask and the Water Mayor's barge of dead Docker's, but feel misplaced in an overall teasing prose.
Katie, please write this novel. It seems like the risk of time and effort is well worth the reward. If you are going to write in the style of Sanderson, then by all means, do it. You have all the pieces.
BTW, your website and email address expired two days ago, so I was unable to get the next novella in the series. I did follow you on Amazon, so look for an email that starts with pin and we'll be in business.
Good luck to you.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews