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Vox
Cover Art by Jen Lee http://www.jen-lee.com
Rated R: For graphic violence and some nudity
The time is one of constant discovery. The world expands by the day as colonists and empires search for new lands, or, more often, take old ones. Newer and better ships cross the seas constantly, but fear the unknown waters. People’s perspectives on the world change with every new revelation. Only a few precious elements stand firm. Those of faith turn to their churches, though there is fear of an imperial war looming with each visit to holy places. Loyalty to crowns is earned, but fewer and fewer leaders worthy of their people remain. The only ones who do not fear a holy territorial war are those already branded heretics. Those in search of a voice.
The Holy Church of Dioverit has spread its influence across all the lands of the nearby continents, and continues to grow. It purports to worship a god of light, but such a claim seems dubious to the people who fall under its ever-growing shadow. Some places have managed to remain out of its reach, but only through a combination of luck, vigilance, and very "sharp" responses to the monks who try to be the first to "convert" a new city of heathens. But more and more, the fear that it is only a matter of time before they fall under the shadow of the Holy Church spreads. However, there have always been some. Scoundrels, thieves, murderers, pirates. Those who are so much better at moving through the shadows, and who know well how to start a fire.
Rated R: For graphic violence and some nudity
The time is one of constant discovery. The world expands by the day as colonists and empires search for new lands, or, more often, take old ones. Newer and better ships cross the seas constantly, but fear the unknown waters. People’s perspectives on the world change with every new revelation. Only a few precious elements stand firm. Those of faith turn to their churches, though there is fear of an imperial war looming with each visit to holy places. Loyalty to crowns is earned, but fewer and fewer leaders worthy of their people remain. The only ones who do not fear a holy territorial war are those already branded heretics. Those in search of a voice.
The Holy Church of Dioverit has spread its influence across all the lands of the nearby continents, and continues to grow. It purports to worship a god of light, but such a claim seems dubious to the people who fall under its ever-growing shadow. Some places have managed to remain out of its reach, but only through a combination of luck, vigilance, and very "sharp" responses to the monks who try to be the first to "convert" a new city of heathens. But more and more, the fear that it is only a matter of time before they fall under the shadow of the Holy Church spreads. However, there have always been some. Scoundrels, thieves, murderers, pirates. Those who are so much better at moving through the shadows, and who know well how to start a fire.
317 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 8, 2015
17 people want to read
About the author
David Gerald King
11 books20 followersI have always enjoyed writing, but I imagine there are innumerable people who can say the same. There is a singular joy in creating a world the way one does in science fiction or fantasy, and a single challenge in trying to maintain the rules you have set forth for that world.
Since middle school, I've been trying to write a coherent, long-form story. I succeeded in this only while I was on study abroad in Japan, when I was able to start and finish "Utsukushii Kuro." It was a combination of English writing practice to keep my skills up and a gift to a friend. Following that came "Licantropa Sogno," more in tune with my preferences of subject, and "La Zorra Ciega," which was my first attempt at writing action scenes.
I have now released another 3 novels of more varied subjects. "Vox," has just been released, as a science fiction, pirate fantasy. It is also a writing experiment, a challenge I issued myself to try writing a story in which no one can speak. "Mind Capture" looks at a future where medical science has gone through one great advance, allowing human minds to be downloaded into computers, but deals with the idea of running into something science can't explain. "Sabem" is my take on the zombie motif, and will hopefully become my first series work. I go back a bit to the older idea of zombies as specifically-raised servants to a "master" that controls them, and explore the idea of enslaved undead, and everything that can go seriously wrong with that.
I am grateful to anyone who takes the time to read, and all the more thrilled to read any review of my work, even negative ones, so long as they are constructive. If you are kind enough to leave a review here, I would humbly ask that you leave the same at the Amazon pages, though I understand if you might be busy. Thank you all, and enjoi.
Since middle school, I've been trying to write a coherent, long-form story. I succeeded in this only while I was on study abroad in Japan, when I was able to start and finish "Utsukushii Kuro." It was a combination of English writing practice to keep my skills up and a gift to a friend. Following that came "Licantropa Sogno," more in tune with my preferences of subject, and "La Zorra Ciega," which was my first attempt at writing action scenes.
I have now released another 3 novels of more varied subjects. "Vox," has just been released, as a science fiction, pirate fantasy. It is also a writing experiment, a challenge I issued myself to try writing a story in which no one can speak. "Mind Capture" looks at a future where medical science has gone through one great advance, allowing human minds to be downloaded into computers, but deals with the idea of running into something science can't explain. "Sabem" is my take on the zombie motif, and will hopefully become my first series work. I go back a bit to the older idea of zombies as specifically-raised servants to a "master" that controls them, and explore the idea of enslaved undead, and everything that can go seriously wrong with that.
I am grateful to anyone who takes the time to read, and all the more thrilled to read any review of my work, even negative ones, so long as they are constructive. If you are kind enough to leave a review here, I would humbly ask that you leave the same at the Amazon pages, though I understand if you might be busy. Thank you all, and enjoi.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 30, 2018
Vox was a great read. I enjoyed it so much that I finished it in two short sittings only separated because I had to sleep. It pains me to only give it four stars. However, as flawless as 95% of the story is, the final chapter/epilogue disappointed me so much that I had to take a star. Don’t let this deter you. Vox is a unique read that any adventure lover should have on his/her to-read list. Vox has a world where nobody speaks. They all use sign language. This may sound like a bad thing, but it works amazingly. I was worried that it would get old, but it actually made the book refreshing. It truly stands out. You owe it to yourself to read this book. From this point on I will use spoilers.
The Good.
The writing is excellent. So many phrases struck me as superb. One specifically that sticks out is how the main character, Omina, had a “mortally wounded coin purse.” I literally laughed out loud when Omina was pretending to have sex with a teen and stopped shaking the bed sooner than he expected. When he questioned her (using sign language) her response was “don’t flatter yourself.”
Many authors create awesome characters and fall in love with them. Because they are awesome, they don’t want to harm them in any way. As a result, the reader must endure countless warnings of “imminent death” or “suicide missions” but never suffer any casualties. I HATE THIS. Thankfully, Vox doesn’t fall victim to this easy trap. Omina loses nearly her entire crew the first time she sails. The battle was intense, but it was also realistic. The fell into a trap to more numbers who were better armed. This leads to death in the real world and the Vox world. Only four make it off the ship. One then dies by sharks (another great/suspenseful scene). You expect many of these characters to be important to the story. You invest in their back stories, only to have them all ripped away.
Fratricide is also used in this book. It is both depressing and welcomed. Another character who seemed important to more than a few chapters gets an unfair end.
There are Northern Warriors (think Vikings). They are great. It gives Omina’s crew better odds in melee combat. They fall with smiles on their faces on mountains of bodies. The action is also entertaining.
Late in the book, there is a murder mystery on top of everything else. It doesn’t slow the action at all. Those chapters were an excellent change of pace. I changed my mind on which ending would be best several times.
The Bad.
I loved so much of this book, but there were four tropes used that really bugged me. Most were fine on their own, but taken together, they cost a star. First, the bad guys (the evil church in this case) fall on the old Darth Vader trick of killing their own people for petty reasons, typically by slightly offending the leader. Darth Vader commanded millions of people. He had replacements. He was also the first to do this, so it was cool. Every time I see it imitated I cringe. Killing your own people shows evil, true, but it also leads to revolts. I’ll give that the church here is likely very large and capable of replacing people, but it’s an overused way of showing the evilness of the bad guys.
Omina is too strong against hardened male warriors. Women can be tough. I like how she knows how to fight. If she fought nothing but town bullies who didn’t know how to fight, this wouldn’t be an issue. The fact is that a man with one hundred pounds of extra weight isn’t easily parried. If she dodged at all times and stuck her blade through openings, again, not a problem. When she arm wrestles a man for several minutes before finally losing. That brings another scoff. There’s sexism and there’s fact. The fact is, if a man has muscle and training, a woman of equal training will not block easily. She will dodge instead.
Vox introduces us to yet another annoying kid sidekick. Of course, the main character cares more about the kid than any other character. Of course, survives the carnage that fells nearly everyone else. Of course, the kid kills what I was led to believe was an elite warrior with nothing, but a few months of training. I was praying this kid would lose her head in two quick strokes of a blade. Of course, this didn’t happen.
The above tropes bothered me, but they didn’t take away from my overt love of Vox. This last one, is the sole reason for a drop in a star. I had such an emotional reaction to my disappointment that I had to take one. It just ends. There are dozens of bad guys still on the beach. They don’t kill the one wounded good guy for some silly reason. We never learn if they even realize he’s there. Another woman is left for dead in thick foliage. I accept that she could hide. The three survivors should have been ambushed when they reached the beach again. We never find out how they get back to the beach and take the enemy ship, while finding the two severely injured shipmates. Vox ends with the classic (and terrible method) of “Main Bad Guy is dead! Now all soldiers on his side must give up and stop caring.” At least if you’re gonna do this, show it. Instead, the main bad guy dies. The three characters turn to leave. The next scene is the epilogue and the now five survivors are on the bad guy ship. Sail into the sunset. The beginning, middle, and most of the end was so great, that I expected more than just this wave of the hand.
The Technical.
Vox is written in the third person omniscient. There is some head hopping in scenes, but it isn’t jarring because nobody speaks any way.
Vox is very violent. The fights are graphically described.
Just a reminder, nobody speaks in this book with words. They use sign language. It worried me before I started, but it turned out to be a non-issue.
The Good.
The writing is excellent. So many phrases struck me as superb. One specifically that sticks out is how the main character, Omina, had a “mortally wounded coin purse.” I literally laughed out loud when Omina was pretending to have sex with a teen and stopped shaking the bed sooner than he expected. When he questioned her (using sign language) her response was “don’t flatter yourself.”
Many authors create awesome characters and fall in love with them. Because they are awesome, they don’t want to harm them in any way. As a result, the reader must endure countless warnings of “imminent death” or “suicide missions” but never suffer any casualties. I HATE THIS. Thankfully, Vox doesn’t fall victim to this easy trap. Omina loses nearly her entire crew the first time she sails. The battle was intense, but it was also realistic. The fell into a trap to more numbers who were better armed. This leads to death in the real world and the Vox world. Only four make it off the ship. One then dies by sharks (another great/suspenseful scene). You expect many of these characters to be important to the story. You invest in their back stories, only to have them all ripped away.
Fratricide is also used in this book. It is both depressing and welcomed. Another character who seemed important to more than a few chapters gets an unfair end.
There are Northern Warriors (think Vikings). They are great. It gives Omina’s crew better odds in melee combat. They fall with smiles on their faces on mountains of bodies. The action is also entertaining.
Late in the book, there is a murder mystery on top of everything else. It doesn’t slow the action at all. Those chapters were an excellent change of pace. I changed my mind on which ending would be best several times.
The Bad.
I loved so much of this book, but there were four tropes used that really bugged me. Most were fine on their own, but taken together, they cost a star. First, the bad guys (the evil church in this case) fall on the old Darth Vader trick of killing their own people for petty reasons, typically by slightly offending the leader. Darth Vader commanded millions of people. He had replacements. He was also the first to do this, so it was cool. Every time I see it imitated I cringe. Killing your own people shows evil, true, but it also leads to revolts. I’ll give that the church here is likely very large and capable of replacing people, but it’s an overused way of showing the evilness of the bad guys.
Omina is too strong against hardened male warriors. Women can be tough. I like how she knows how to fight. If she fought nothing but town bullies who didn’t know how to fight, this wouldn’t be an issue. The fact is that a man with one hundred pounds of extra weight isn’t easily parried. If she dodged at all times and stuck her blade through openings, again, not a problem. When she arm wrestles a man for several minutes before finally losing. That brings another scoff. There’s sexism and there’s fact. The fact is, if a man has muscle and training, a woman of equal training will not block easily. She will dodge instead.
Vox introduces us to yet another annoying kid sidekick. Of course, the main character cares more about the kid than any other character. Of course, survives the carnage that fells nearly everyone else. Of course, the kid kills what I was led to believe was an elite warrior with nothing, but a few months of training. I was praying this kid would lose her head in two quick strokes of a blade. Of course, this didn’t happen.
The above tropes bothered me, but they didn’t take away from my overt love of Vox. This last one, is the sole reason for a drop in a star. I had such an emotional reaction to my disappointment that I had to take one. It just ends. There are dozens of bad guys still on the beach. They don’t kill the one wounded good guy for some silly reason. We never learn if they even realize he’s there. Another woman is left for dead in thick foliage. I accept that she could hide. The three survivors should have been ambushed when they reached the beach again. We never find out how they get back to the beach and take the enemy ship, while finding the two severely injured shipmates. Vox ends with the classic (and terrible method) of “Main Bad Guy is dead! Now all soldiers on his side must give up and stop caring.” At least if you’re gonna do this, show it. Instead, the main bad guy dies. The three characters turn to leave. The next scene is the epilogue and the now five survivors are on the bad guy ship. Sail into the sunset. The beginning, middle, and most of the end was so great, that I expected more than just this wave of the hand.
The Technical.
Vox is written in the third person omniscient. There is some head hopping in scenes, but it isn’t jarring because nobody speaks any way.
Vox is very violent. The fights are graphically described.
Just a reminder, nobody speaks in this book with words. They use sign language. It worried me before I started, but it turned out to be a non-issue.
January 4, 2016
Admittedly, I didn't want to put reviews for my own works, but apparently everyone can see me leaving it blank because I "read" it, but haven't reviewed it. So, rather than leave this blank...
Yes, I know, why should you believe a 5-star review of a book from its author? Agreed. If you wish to disregard this, I will not blame you. But while I was writing this story, I really did enjoy it.
I started with a premise that I wanted to write a fantasy, with as much sword-work as possible, in a world where no humans could speak. No vocal communication. As much as it was an outlet for grand sword fighting I truly wished to see, it was a writing experiment. "Can I write an entire novel without dialogue that holds together and isn't boring otherwise impossible to finish?"
The latter part of that question needs to be answered by others, and I eagerly await their comments, questions, reviews, both positive and critical. But the experience of writing this, of forming the full scenes and explaining everything, knowing no one would have a conveniently placed commentary. It was a joy to experience this world, writing it. I hope I communicated it well enough to everyone else that they can enjoy it as well.
Yes, I know, why should you believe a 5-star review of a book from its author? Agreed. If you wish to disregard this, I will not blame you. But while I was writing this story, I really did enjoy it.
I started with a premise that I wanted to write a fantasy, with as much sword-work as possible, in a world where no humans could speak. No vocal communication. As much as it was an outlet for grand sword fighting I truly wished to see, it was a writing experiment. "Can I write an entire novel without dialogue that holds together and isn't boring otherwise impossible to finish?"
The latter part of that question needs to be answered by others, and I eagerly await their comments, questions, reviews, both positive and critical. But the experience of writing this, of forming the full scenes and explaining everything, knowing no one would have a conveniently placed commentary. It was a joy to experience this world, writing it. I hope I communicated it well enough to everyone else that they can enjoy it as well.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews