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The Tale
The Tale is a chronicle prepared by one of the greatest historians of the galaxy. It represents his life’s work and in the opinion of many of his peers, it is a study of significant importance to the history of the period. Moreover, what a time it was… Coalition starships routinely patrolled thousands of star-systems. It was an era of majesty, a time of euphoria. The self-assured citizens of the Protectorate were regrettably unprepared for what was to come. Everything they relied upon was about to change.
Deep space vessels find anomalies in the fabric of space, great tears in the dimensional walls from which rivers of deadly anti-life energy flowed. Coalition scientists have no idea that these are the first clumsy attempts by a race of hellish beings to free themselves.
The loathsome race of primordial demons was casting aside the shackles of their bondage. A species born of evil was about to be unleashed upon an unprepared galaxy. Humans struggle to maintain order in a congregation cast into chaos. Meanwhile, two of the most vicious races ever to grace the field of battle rejoice in the glory of the bloodbath. Violent space confrontations see the destruction of planets and the near extinction of entire races. The Protectorate tried to live up to its promises. They tried defending their coalition of worlds, but in the end, the forces under the command of the beasts crushed their mighty fleets.
A powerful ancient people had incarcerated these creatures of darkness eons ago. Unfortunately, their jailers have long since ascended, leaving the galaxy almost defenceless. Salvation then was down to the support of a sophisticated android and his sentient if unconventional starship. However, perhaps equally as important was the fellowship between a handful of brave companions who found themselves bound together on a quest to find one of the omnipotent guardians of reality.
Deep space vessels find anomalies in the fabric of space, great tears in the dimensional walls from which rivers of deadly anti-life energy flowed. Coalition scientists have no idea that these are the first clumsy attempts by a race of hellish beings to free themselves.
The loathsome race of primordial demons was casting aside the shackles of their bondage. A species born of evil was about to be unleashed upon an unprepared galaxy. Humans struggle to maintain order in a congregation cast into chaos. Meanwhile, two of the most vicious races ever to grace the field of battle rejoice in the glory of the bloodbath. Violent space confrontations see the destruction of planets and the near extinction of entire races. The Protectorate tried to live up to its promises. They tried defending their coalition of worlds, but in the end, the forces under the command of the beasts crushed their mighty fleets.
A powerful ancient people had incarcerated these creatures of darkness eons ago. Unfortunately, their jailers have long since ascended, leaving the galaxy almost defenceless. Salvation then was down to the support of a sophisticated android and his sentient if unconventional starship. However, perhaps equally as important was the fellowship between a handful of brave companions who found themselves bound together on a quest to find one of the omnipotent guardians of reality.
- GenresScience Fiction
350 pages, Hardcover
First published July 19, 2013
2 people are currently reading
720 people want to read
About the author
David Kingsley Evans
2 books19 followersBorn in beautiful South Wales as a young boy I benefitted from the green valleys, gently sloping hills, and unmatchable coastline. I have enjoyed a life of sunshine and sin; I used to think I was untouchable. And with that mentality, I climbed many mountains and enjoyed a number of triumphs! Then with the passing years, my invulnerability waned and I was humbled many times; eventually tasting the bitterness of failure and defeat. Nevertheless, no matter how many times I fell from grace I simply smiled dusted myself off and picked myself up again. I did it countless times not noticing that each time it became a little harder. You see I was getting older; I was no longer unassailable! Then my health failed, first I was diagnosed with Diabetes; then with Parkinson's disease. I felt physically disabled and psychologically crushed. Luckily, thanks to the internet I found a charity called 'Parkinson's UK' and by becoming a member, I was able to read about people who had turned their lives around despite the debilitating degenerative effects of Parkinson's disease. Throughout my life, I had read and enjoyed Science Fiction and Science Fantasy tales. I decided it was my turn to write in the genre I loved. I hope others enjoy my stories; in any event, through my writing I have been able to forget my problems and discover a completely new reality!
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
April 8, 2014
This was the first of two SF novels I recently read. This was more mainstream SF and I thought it was very well written. The plot is intriguing and quickly draws you into it and the author David Kingsley Evans has created many memorable characters which I could easily see in a film - BV
September 8, 2014
This book was recently entered in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:
FEEDBACK
Author: David Kingsley Evans
Title: The Tale
COVER: 6/10
In general, they readers liked the cover. They thought the image of the ‘monster’ was powerful and the lettering genre-appropriate and easy to read. However, a few of the readers felt the ‘monster’ was a bit too ‘cartoonish’; one reader even compared it to a 1970s Dr Who monster. Another problem was the blurb. Almost all of the readers felt it was way too long and needed to be edited down.
CONTENT 7/10
All 16 of the readers enjoyed the story. Although a few felt the fighting was a bit ‘too much’, they liked the interesting future you created and the complicated plot. They also liked the ‘history class’ angle to the story. They thought it worked well and was highly original. One reader (man, aged 45) put in his feedback, ‘This is perfect for any sci-fi fan: lots of monsters, lots of planets and lots of spaceships. There is even the added twist that the story is merely a lecture in a classroom. I liked that a lot.’
One of the biggest problems was the speech. The readers felt the speech, of which there is a lot, felt very similar no matter which character was talking. One reader (woman, aged 56) put, ‘The characters sound very robotic. No character has a speech impediment, no character has a distinct dialect. Everybody sounds very formal. The author needs to work on this.’
EDITING 7/10
The readers thought the book was well edited and discovered no glaring problems with grammar, punctuation or spelling. However, a number of the readers spotted the odd sentence that was a little clumsy. E.G. “Doctor, the death toll is rising daily and my popularity with the electorate is falling,” she snapped. It is very hard to ‘snap’ when the character is saying so much!
The readers though the book generally had excellent pacing although it did slow a bit in the middle.
STYLE 8/10
The readers liked the author’s style of writing. They felt he described characters well and also setting, very important in a futuristic-type book. They also liked the ‘history lesson’ style plot device the author used as a method of telling the story.
STATS
Of the 16 readers:
9 liked the cover; 7 thought the monster was too ‘silly-looking’ and the blurb needed-working and shortening.
12 thought the plot was the best part of the book.
4 thought the futuristic galaxy the author created was the best part of the book.
15 would like to read another book by this author.
‘A punchy, over-the-top sci fi thriller. Highly recommended.’ The Wishing Shelf Awards
FEEDBACK
Author: David Kingsley Evans
Title: The Tale
COVER: 6/10
In general, they readers liked the cover. They thought the image of the ‘monster’ was powerful and the lettering genre-appropriate and easy to read. However, a few of the readers felt the ‘monster’ was a bit too ‘cartoonish’; one reader even compared it to a 1970s Dr Who monster. Another problem was the blurb. Almost all of the readers felt it was way too long and needed to be edited down.
CONTENT 7/10
All 16 of the readers enjoyed the story. Although a few felt the fighting was a bit ‘too much’, they liked the interesting future you created and the complicated plot. They also liked the ‘history class’ angle to the story. They thought it worked well and was highly original. One reader (man, aged 45) put in his feedback, ‘This is perfect for any sci-fi fan: lots of monsters, lots of planets and lots of spaceships. There is even the added twist that the story is merely a lecture in a classroom. I liked that a lot.’
One of the biggest problems was the speech. The readers felt the speech, of which there is a lot, felt very similar no matter which character was talking. One reader (woman, aged 56) put, ‘The characters sound very robotic. No character has a speech impediment, no character has a distinct dialect. Everybody sounds very formal. The author needs to work on this.’
EDITING 7/10
The readers thought the book was well edited and discovered no glaring problems with grammar, punctuation or spelling. However, a number of the readers spotted the odd sentence that was a little clumsy. E.G. “Doctor, the death toll is rising daily and my popularity with the electorate is falling,” she snapped. It is very hard to ‘snap’ when the character is saying so much!
The readers though the book generally had excellent pacing although it did slow a bit in the middle.
STYLE 8/10
The readers liked the author’s style of writing. They felt he described characters well and also setting, very important in a futuristic-type book. They also liked the ‘history lesson’ style plot device the author used as a method of telling the story.
STATS
Of the 16 readers:
9 liked the cover; 7 thought the monster was too ‘silly-looking’ and the blurb needed-working and shortening.
12 thought the plot was the best part of the book.
4 thought the futuristic galaxy the author created was the best part of the book.
15 would like to read another book by this author.
‘A punchy, over-the-top sci fi thriller. Highly recommended.’ The Wishing Shelf Awards
May 25, 2014
I was really enjoying this book...until I left it in a plane :( I thought the story was shaping up very well, and every once in a while there would be some sort of hilarious comment about 'old earth'. It seemed like it would have made a very good book indeed. I would be anxious to find out what happens!
I have now finally had the chance to finish this book! Thanks to David Kingsley Evans, the author, who sent me another free copy of this book after having learnt that I left mine on the plane. Now that I've read the entire book, I still find that I enjoyed it immensely! Cool idea and great creation of suspense. I hope to be able to read the next books in the series!
I have now finally had the chance to finish this book! Thanks to David Kingsley Evans, the author, who sent me another free copy of this book after having learnt that I left mine on the plane. Now that I've read the entire book, I still find that I enjoyed it immensely! Cool idea and great creation of suspense. I hope to be able to read the next books in the series!
September 22, 2013
Colourful but flawed characters stride the Galaxy. In an emotional whirlpool races struggle to survive when faced with a terrible darkness from the past. The story is dark, deep, violent and in parts even humorous. You meet two of the most vicious races ever to evolve in anyone’s imagination. Then comes the violent epic space battles. Entire worlds are destroyed; species are brought to the brink of extinction. A brilliant but annoying end leaves you desperate for the next book in the series. This is certainly a writer to watch.
September 22, 2013
Yes ‘The Tale’(by David Kingsley Evans) certainly describes Science fiction of galactic proportions. This is the author’s first book and it clearly displayed raw talent for storytelling with good use of the ‘Historian’ which helped set the scene and propelled the story forward. There was no shortage of creative imagination which, revealed a fresh approach and left one with the thought that this could be the theme for an epic SF film. I look forward the sequel and the solution to the cliff hanger.
W M Thomas
W M Thomas
July 29, 2016
Wow. This book is incredible. So much imagination and thought went into this book, different races and worlds. There is a lot of violence, but really I expected there to be after reading the first few pages. The use of the Historian to tell background information and set up events is brilliant. For anyone interested in science fiction novels, this is a must read. Very much looking forward to the second book, and to see the development of the author since this is his first book.
March 26, 2014
It says a tale of galactic proportions and it's exactly what The Tale is. I like my SF to be expansive with lots of well developed and colourful characters and it's exactly what author David Kingsley Evans delivers. It's a big story and one you can easily lose yourself in, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
April 8, 2014
I've only recently started getting back into Science Fiction and was really pleased to have the opportunity to read The Tale. I thought it was very original and I really like the authors style of writing. The plot is quite involved and he creates some very believable characters.
January 10, 2016
Fantastic book. Really enjoyed every part of the world this book takes you into - Violent but believable characters battle to the death… a truly awesome story.
10/10 would read again.
10/10 would read again.
September 6, 2013
Excellent book, definitely worth a read. I would recommend it to anyone!
June 11, 2016
So the Tale is a book written by David Kingsley Evans and is the first book in his new SyFy series. So right away you can tell there are a lot of wheels and cogs turning to keep the story in motion. The perspective is constantly shifting, putting you in the mind of all the characters in the book, and there are a lot of characters. From the good guys to the bad guys you quickly understand the motivations of every single character, and sometimes the constant shift is abrupt and other times it's smooth; but, I never found myself bored. The story is thus, an Intergalactic Federation named The Protectorate notices these planet-destroying anomalies popping up all over various quadrants in the universe. As a Federation of peace they allow themselves to intervene in helping these planets, all the while inducting them into the Protectorate; but not all is well, as they come to find out these anomalies are being caused by a race of aliens forgotten in history, known as the Kree; whom are trapped in a sort of pocket Dimension, which the head of the species is using psychokinetic powers to breach the wall, allowing them to enter our Galaxy once again. And once they escape its war and chaos. The Kree are just blowing things up and causing mass genocide. Killing and pillaging, trying to make the universe there's. But these aren't even the high points of the story; first off this is a character book. The action takes a backseat to all of the wonderful characterizations of the characters that are in the book; we discover what drives them and getting to know their personalities; and this is where the story really excels. The author knows how to write likeable and interesting characters. I feel as if I like what I'm supposed to like and I hate how I'm supposed to hate; there isn't any room to think otherwise of these characters. So without spoiling it, there's a character in this book who has a pet, and every time this creature is on the page anywhere I can't help but bust a gut. I'm not sure if that was supposed to be intentional but, that's how it was for me. All in all, the book has an interesting story, great characters, and is a great piece of science fiction. So if alien spaceships are your thing and you want to go on a epic adventure, well then, theTale is a galactic story definitely worth buying.
April 23, 2016
This is what I call Sci-Fi we have a galaxy ravaged by war. A race of vicious sadistic vampires that feed upon any species they encounter. Fleets of starships do battle, entire planets are destroyed and peaceful races are brought to the brink of extinction. The Protectorate try to maintain order but what hope is there when the enemy leader has a telekinetic mind that he can project across vast areas of space. Only an advanced alien android left behind by an ascended civilisation may save the day. If you enjoy adult science fiction this is a must read book.
December 21, 2016
I read this story quite a while ago and really enjoyed it. What's not to like about humans, aliens and intergalactic war?
It's told from an unusual point of view - a history lesson. So all the events have happened at some time in the past. That doesn't stop the story having a "now" feel about it.
There are likeable characters and building relationships. And there are the evil Kree - determined to destroy all life as we know it (and even as we don't know it).
It's an easy, enjoyable read.
It's told from an unusual point of view - a history lesson. So all the events have happened at some time in the past. That doesn't stop the story having a "now" feel about it.
There are likeable characters and building relationships. And there are the evil Kree - determined to destroy all life as we know it (and even as we don't know it).
It's an easy, enjoyable read.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews