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The Cycle of Galand #1
The Red Sea
When Dante Galand was just a boy, his father Larsin sailed away to make his fortune. And never returned. Since then, Dante has become a great sorcerer. A ruler. A destroyer of kings. And he's just learned that his father is living on a forbidden island at the edge of the known world.
Where he's dying of a mysterious plague.
In the company of his friend, the swordsman Blays, Dante travels to the island. There, his magic can do nothing for his father. As Dante and Blays quest for a cure—beset by strange beasts, angry spirits, and violent coastal raiders known as the Tauren—Dante falls sick, too.
To save his father and himself, he'll have to rediscover the island's long-lost magic. But the hunt for its secrets leads Dante on a crash course with the Tauren—and island-wide civil war.
And as he's away, an old threat begins to move against his homeland.
Set in a USA Today-bestselling world, THE RED SEA is the first in a trilogy of warfare, sorcery, and friendship through the darkest times.
Where he's dying of a mysterious plague.
In the company of his friend, the swordsman Blays, Dante travels to the island. There, his magic can do nothing for his father. As Dante and Blays quest for a cure—beset by strange beasts, angry spirits, and violent coastal raiders known as the Tauren—Dante falls sick, too.
To save his father and himself, he'll have to rediscover the island's long-lost magic. But the hunt for its secrets leads Dante on a crash course with the Tauren—and island-wide civil war.
And as he's away, an old threat begins to move against his homeland.
Set in a USA Today-bestselling world, THE RED SEA is the first in a trilogy of warfare, sorcery, and friendship through the darkest times.
Audible Audio
First published June 9, 2015
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About the author
Edward W. Robertson
73 books1,236 followersEd is the author of the post-apocalyptic Breakers series and the epic fantasy series The Cycle of Arawn. A former New Yorker and Idaho-guy, he currently lives in the LA area. His short fiction has appeared in a whole bunch of magazines and anthologies.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 146 reviews
June 27, 2015
I may be an idiot because I read this book before reading the The Cycle of Arawn: The Complete Epic Fantasy Trilogy, but I REGRET NOTHING!!!
I gotta admit, I was skeptical in reading Fantasy books because Brandon Sanderson ruined me forever. So when I saw this and decided to read it, I said "Ok.Hope this one is passable."
But this effing book was like: "LOL. No bitch, I'm awesome!
I seriously want to slap myself for not reading about Dante and Blays before. Those friendship is awesome and they certainly compliment each other.
The world-building, the characters, the humor and suspense? All of it is in this book. I love it all and I can't believe I still have to wait for the second book.
Where's the justice?!
Edward W. Robertson, I may love you now.
July 17, 2016
Cool main character, cheeky sidekick, interesting magic plot driven story... I am enjoying it so far.
Soooo... I finished. Great book, I am on the second of the series now. Will writ more thoughts on this, but for now I leave you with this...
Culture Built on beautiful lies.
Religious zealotry used as a shield for corrupt selfish ambition
Main character that alternates between not giving a fuck and giving too many fucks
Sidekick that gives all the fucks and no fucks simultaneously and in the perfect manner
Father/Son relationship focus (huge for me)
Soooo... I finished. Great book, I am on the second of the series now. Will writ more thoughts on this, but for now I leave you with this...
Culture Built on beautiful lies.
Religious zealotry used as a shield for corrupt selfish ambition
Main character that alternates between not giving a fuck and giving too many fucks
Sidekick that gives all the fucks and no fucks simultaneously and in the perfect manner
Father/Son relationship focus (huge for me)
May 4, 2020
I started out reading The White Tree (Cycle of Arawn #1) a week or so ago and just couldn't get into it, mostly because of the younger age and nature of the main character. I heard there was a trilogy that can be read by itself which is set in a time where this character is older. I was hoping that the character would be more to my taste in the Cycle of Galand trilogy and I was right.
Dante and Blays are a duo not unlike Jean and Locke or Royce and Hadrian. They have a lot of sarcastic back and forth banter, and one tends to have a stronger conscience than the other. They make for a good pair and foil to one another.
Dante gets word from his father that he needs his help. Dante and his father have been estranged for a number of years. One day his father sailed off to go and find his mother and never came back (we get a lot more to that backstory in this one). There are a couple problems with the request for help. One is that his current residence is on The Plagued Islands, so aptly named because it's believed anyone go goes there comes back with a disease with a 100% fatality rate. It takes a long time to find a captain willing to go there, and getting there was only the very beginning of their troubles.
The island they sail to has a culture that has a multitude of words for different kinds of lies. It's one of the more unique cultures I've encountered in a while. It's extremely difficult to navigate a culture built around half-truths, dislikes strangers, and is insular and isolated from the rest of the world.
I feel like this felt a little serial, with each obstacle neatly conquered to move onto the next problem and so on. It did, however, move at a fairly quick pace, I got through this in just a couple days on audio. Which is voiced by the ever-lovely Tim Gerard Reynolds!
I didn't ever totally warm to the characters. I found them entertaining, to a point. The banter didn't always work for me and sometimes it got to be a little much. I do think that's really subjective though. It's not something I would take points off for in "writing", it would come out in 'personal enjoyment'. I can't put my finger on why I didn't totally connect with Dante as a character, perhaps the third person writing style was a bit too distant? It's difficult to put into words, but I felt like at times he was too close to other characters I've read before and not enough to make him stand out on his own. That said, I liked grown-up Dante much more than younger Dante, it's not as if I dislike the character, which is an improvement from The White Tree.
TLDR: A duo reminiscent of Locke and Jean bro-mance, laden with sarcastic banter. Lots of magic. Audiobook by TGR. Plagues. Island nations. Fast paced and fun.
Ratings:
Plot: 11/15
Characters: 11/15
World Building: 12/15
Writing: 12/15
Pacing: 12.5/15
Personal Enjoyment: 7/10
Originality: 10/15
Final Score: 75.5/100 or 3.5/5 on GR
Dante and Blays are a duo not unlike Jean and Locke or Royce and Hadrian. They have a lot of sarcastic back and forth banter, and one tends to have a stronger conscience than the other. They make for a good pair and foil to one another.
Dante gets word from his father that he needs his help. Dante and his father have been estranged for a number of years. One day his father sailed off to go and find his mother and never came back (we get a lot more to that backstory in this one). There are a couple problems with the request for help. One is that his current residence is on The Plagued Islands, so aptly named because it's believed anyone go goes there comes back with a disease with a 100% fatality rate. It takes a long time to find a captain willing to go there, and getting there was only the very beginning of their troubles.
The island they sail to has a culture that has a multitude of words for different kinds of lies. It's one of the more unique cultures I've encountered in a while. It's extremely difficult to navigate a culture built around half-truths, dislikes strangers, and is insular and isolated from the rest of the world.
I feel like this felt a little serial, with each obstacle neatly conquered to move onto the next problem and so on. It did, however, move at a fairly quick pace, I got through this in just a couple days on audio. Which is voiced by the ever-lovely Tim Gerard Reynolds!
I didn't ever totally warm to the characters. I found them entertaining, to a point. The banter didn't always work for me and sometimes it got to be a little much. I do think that's really subjective though. It's not something I would take points off for in "writing", it would come out in 'personal enjoyment'. I can't put my finger on why I didn't totally connect with Dante as a character, perhaps the third person writing style was a bit too distant? It's difficult to put into words, but I felt like at times he was too close to other characters I've read before and not enough to make him stand out on his own. That said, I liked grown-up Dante much more than younger Dante, it's not as if I dislike the character, which is an improvement from The White Tree.
TLDR: A duo reminiscent of Locke and Jean bro-mance, laden with sarcastic banter. Lots of magic. Audiobook by TGR. Plagues. Island nations. Fast paced and fun.
Ratings:
Plot: 11/15
Characters: 11/15
World Building: 12/15
Writing: 12/15
Pacing: 12.5/15
Personal Enjoyment: 7/10
Originality: 10/15
Final Score: 75.5/100 or 3.5/5 on GR
December 17, 2025
3.5*
Dante and Blys make a fun and funny friend/sidekick duo. The writing, pacing and action reminded me of a cross between Guy Gavriel Kay and Jim Butcher. The characters and their humor were my favorite of their quest. Sometimes the focus went on distracting tangents but for a friend-based fantasy quest this was enjoyable, although perhaps not the most memorable. I listened to the audiobook.
I plan on giving the second book a try The Silver Thief however with so many other enticing series on my TBR, so we'll see if I get to it in 2026. :D
Dante and Blys make a fun and funny friend/sidekick duo. The writing, pacing and action reminded me of a cross between Guy Gavriel Kay and Jim Butcher. The characters and their humor were my favorite of their quest. Sometimes the focus went on distracting tangents but for a friend-based fantasy quest this was enjoyable, although perhaps not the most memorable. I listened to the audiobook.
I plan on giving the second book a try The Silver Thief however with so many other enticing series on my TBR, so we'll see if I get to it in 2026. :D
October 13, 2016
Wanted something different, so I tried this. Hated it at first but it grew on me. I'll probably check out the next one
November 27, 2016
Hmmnnnn... not sure why everyone loves this book. I found it rather dull and the dialogue tried too hard to be clever.
July 9, 2020
DNF
Story is just too slow moving.
Story is just too slow moving.
January 2, 2016
I cannot describe the excitement I felt when I found that this book had been released!
This book, is an addition to The White Tree: The Cycle of Arawn: Book I series. When I had found that this had been released, I bought it immediately!
It seems that The Red Sea leaves off nearly where The Black Star ends. It once again had me in it's grips from the very beginning to the very end, and at this point is leaving me asking for more!
The writing style is exactly as I remember it, clear and concise, but still enough intelligent wording to keep the story from being too dry of a read. But still not too complicated that I have to check my Kindle dictionary every chapter.
The scenery descriptions are vivid enough for me to create a picture in my head while still leaving some of the world building to my own imagination, which I find preferable when reading. The character descriptions (other than the familiar characters from which I already had an image for from previous books) were a little lacking, but overall it only left me to create the character in my own imagination; that of which I do not mind at all. It did not in any way prevent me from being enveloped in the story, but it gives me a general idea of how I should be shaping characters in my head.
The story itself was packed with excitement, magic, danger, friendship, betrayal, mystery, fighting; all of the usual things you can expect if you have read the previous books in the series. I really like to see the growth of the characters over time, and how past events and lessons from previous books has been leading up to where Dante is so far, along with Blays.
I gave this book five stars, because after finishing the first three books in the series, I was satisfied, but still craved more. And The Red Sea did not disappoint in the least! It has me asking questions about what is in store for Dante and Blays, and I have hopes and fears about things that are unfolding in their world in the books to come. It was everything and more that I could have asked for as a reader of this series. I impatiently await the next installment!
This book, is an addition to The White Tree: The Cycle of Arawn: Book I series. When I had found that this had been released, I bought it immediately!
It seems that The Red Sea leaves off nearly where The Black Star ends. It once again had me in it's grips from the very beginning to the very end, and at this point is leaving me asking for more!
The writing style is exactly as I remember it, clear and concise, but still enough intelligent wording to keep the story from being too dry of a read. But still not too complicated that I have to check my Kindle dictionary every chapter.
The scenery descriptions are vivid enough for me to create a picture in my head while still leaving some of the world building to my own imagination, which I find preferable when reading. The character descriptions (other than the familiar characters from which I already had an image for from previous books) were a little lacking, but overall it only left me to create the character in my own imagination; that of which I do not mind at all. It did not in any way prevent me from being enveloped in the story, but it gives me a general idea of how I should be shaping characters in my head.
The story itself was packed with excitement, magic, danger, friendship, betrayal, mystery, fighting; all of the usual things you can expect if you have read the previous books in the series. I really like to see the growth of the characters over time, and how past events and lessons from previous books has been leading up to where Dante is so far, along with Blays.
I gave this book five stars, because after finishing the first three books in the series, I was satisfied, but still craved more. And The Red Sea did not disappoint in the least! It has me asking questions about what is in store for Dante and Blays, and I have hopes and fears about things that are unfolding in their world in the books to come. It was everything and more that I could have asked for as a reader of this series. I impatiently await the next installment!
July 20, 2017
This was a light and fun enough reading. I was feeling all surprised by the unusual beginning where the hero is starting all pumped up, having done a lot of awesome stuff in his past....until I realised there's actually a whole trilogy I didn't know about. Even without it, reading was enjoyable enough, but it did have moments I didn't care for much.
Also.....as good as the reading was, the book had too much....generically unique content. I'm not sure if that makes sense, but...though there were some unique ideas, they were unique in the same way in which yet another special fantasy name for magic is unique.
I would continue reading if I didn't have anything better to read, but since I do, this just doesn't draw me strongly enough.
Also.....as good as the reading was, the book had too much....generically unique content. I'm not sure if that makes sense, but...though there were some unique ideas, they were unique in the same way in which yet another special fantasy name for magic is unique.
I would continue reading if I didn't have anything better to read, but since I do, this just doesn't draw me strongly enough.
August 19, 2020
The banter between Dante and Blays made me chuckle out loud a few times. TGR is a joy to listen to, as usual. He really knows how to portray a couple of snarky besties like this, and so this was a nice, easy listen.
June 30, 2017
Quite an enjoyable story, but for the first quarter of the book I struggled a fair bit. The characters, world, and mechanics of the story were all clearly well developed but were left unexplained. I couldn't help but feel that I miss several books that came before this one... turns out that was because I did. Half way though I checked, and Book 1 of "The Cycle of Galand" is, in actuality, Book 4 of "The Cycle of Arawn" e_e.
I get that an author might want to do multiple series within the same universe, I even like it, but there needs to be some indication that this part of a larger series. Name it the Kingdom of Mallon Omnibus, or The Books of Nether and Ether, something. Due to this lack of information, I read the stories out of order and now have significant spoilers for the end of that series.
Other than that, the story was enjoyable enough, but I think lack of familiarity with the characters hurt my getting fully invested, there was just too much back story I missed.
3.5/5 stars, rounded up
I get that an author might want to do multiple series within the same universe, I even like it, but there needs to be some indication that this part of a larger series. Name it the Kingdom of Mallon Omnibus, or The Books of Nether and Ether, something. Due to this lack of information, I read the stories out of order and now have significant spoilers for the end of that series.
Other than that, the story was enjoyable enough, but I think lack of familiarity with the characters hurt my getting fully invested, there was just too much back story I missed.
3.5/5 stars, rounded up
March 22, 2018
I really enjoyed this book. It reminded me a lot of Michael Sullivan’s Riyira Revelations / Chronicles with the witty banter and strong battling duo mate-ship between Dante and Blays very similar to Royce and Haladin. The fact that the same narrator, Tim Gerard Reynolds worked on both books helped the comparison along as well. But it is a healthy, good comparison as I really enjoyed the Riyira series and I hope to do the same with this, The Cycle of Galand.
I do hope with the next few books, now that the scene has been set, the world established, the magic systems explained, that now we can develop the characters more and add their backstories. I particularly would like more on Dante and Blays, which would be a given, but more on Larsin’s lost years too would be interesting as well, perhaps a book of its own?
well, there’s enough to warrant continuing with and recommending the beginning of the series.
I do hope with the next few books, now that the scene has been set, the world established, the magic systems explained, that now we can develop the characters more and add their backstories. I particularly would like more on Dante and Blays, which would be a given, but more on Larsin’s lost years too would be interesting as well, perhaps a book of its own?
well, there’s enough to warrant continuing with and recommending the beginning of the series.
June 9, 2017
This is fantasy run amok. Nothing is edgy. It is more like a young child telling a story and as he embellishes it, he keeps adding more and more elements, making it so outlandish... well, you get the picture.
June 23, 2015
Fast paced book. Very interesting characters. I really enjoyed this read.
Read
December 17, 2016Omg this is slow. I can't. I just can't finish it. Life is too short.
September 8, 2017
Actual Rating 3.5 Stars
May 30, 2023
A sword and sorcery fantasy that just didn't do it for me. Lots of smart aleck dialog that got old, uneven pacing, and a hero I didn't really like. Too similar to other buddy stories in this genre. That's especially true because the narrator of the audiobook was Tim Gerard Reynolds, who did a fine job here, but I've apparently listened to too many fantasies he's read.
February 3, 2021
Very satisfying and I can't wait to read the next in the cycle!!
Definitely a 4.5/5
Definitely a 4.5/5
September 6, 2024
This book was pretty good. It was like the little sibling of the Riyira Chronicles - a bit simpler, but very similar in character in feeling.
Do note that the way magic is summoned in this series could be triggering to some people.
Do note that the way magic is summoned in this series could be triggering to some people.
June 5, 2025
Great story and fun characters. Read the original series years ago, but am glad to be able to finally return to this sequel series.
April 12, 2018
There were a couple of unexpected plot twists that really made the story even more interesting but I felt like the story was dragging on halfway through the book. Also, Blays is a badass, perfect character with two swords that reminds me of Hadrian Blackwater from Riyria Revelations by Michael Sullivan -- not that I'm complaining.
March 10, 2023
I'm completely sold on this author by now. My first time through the Cycle of Arawn I was a reluctant fan, at best. Two years later, however, I couldn't get the world and its characters out of my head and I returned for a second try. This time around, I was pleasantly surprised by how much the story had improved over the last two years. I finished the third book and immediately started on this one. I read and listened to it in every spare minute and finished fairly quickly. I found the villains much improved in this book than in the original three. These characters are so overpowered that they needed stronger villains, and the author delivered. It's going to be interesting to see where it goes from here.
January 30, 2018
The Red Sea is a nice return to the characters from the Cycle of Arawn. After reading the first Cycle series from Robertson, I have to first warn that you will not appreciate this series unless you have already read the Cycle of Arawn - despite the author's note to the contrary.
Notwithstanding, I have to say that the critiques in other reviews are a bit over the top - but not entirely wrong. Here's the deal, if you care more about character development and the storyline than you do about the development of the alternate worlds in fantasies, then you will probably like this series.
The banter between Dante and Blase remains interesting and sarcastic, although less overtly humorous in this installment. However, the development of the alternate world is more deftly done.
Notwithstanding, I have to say that the critiques in other reviews are a bit over the top - but not entirely wrong. Here's the deal, if you care more about character development and the storyline than you do about the development of the alternate worlds in fantasies, then you will probably like this series.
The banter between Dante and Blase remains interesting and sarcastic, although less overtly humorous in this installment. However, the development of the alternate world is more deftly done.
June 12, 2017
Continuation of the enjoyable Cycle of Arawn. I found this trilogy on audible due to listening to another book by the same narrator. I had a long drive down the east coast and figured I'd give it a shot.
The humor, adventure and enjoyment of this series makes me always look forward to my drives now. Mr. Robertson has done a great job coming up with continued quests for Dante and Blays. I look forward to the continuation.
The humor, adventure and enjoyment of this series makes me always look forward to my drives now. Mr. Robertson has done a great job coming up with continued quests for Dante and Blays. I look forward to the continuation.
October 9, 2017
It was pretty good. A little slow in the beginning and lacks from a clear antagonist but the protagonists make up for it. Avoids cliche love stories and convenient coincidences. There were a few wtf scenes that didn't line up that well but a lot of those were intentional and cleared up by the end. In the end it was a worthy, yet pretty stereotypical, fantasy read. As seems to happen with these kinds of books, only time will be able to tell if I get an itch to read another in the series.
October 28, 2017
Quite good. It grabbed me from the beginning and kept me interested the whole way though with lots of "wait, what?" moments :-)
I haven't read the previous trilogy, but I didn't need to know anything from the previous story to get into this one. Any references to past events were as well explained as any character backstory, although there was definitely a few more details than new characters usually get.
I haven't read the previous trilogy, but I didn't need to know anything from the previous story to get into this one. Any references to past events were as well explained as any character backstory, although there was definitely a few more details than new characters usually get.
December 9, 2016
Good for the most part. I felt like the protagonist was waxing poetically a bit too much near the end (by that I mean it sounded less like the character and more like the author just attempting to push their views). And there was the epilogue longer than most chapters introducing new characters for some reason.
November 11, 2018
I was a little concerned I would be lost listening to this story. It has been a very long time since I listened to the first set of books. Thankfully this book does well to have its own story that is not very dependent upon knowing the events of the first set of books.
The story was a little long in some places, but over all I enjoyed it. Off to listen to the second one.
The story was a little long in some places, but over all I enjoyed it. Off to listen to the second one.
April 2, 2018
I had a really good time reading this.
Good friendships are too rare, often overshadowed by romance.
Dante and Blays with their banter were a breath of fresh air.
The pace was a little slow but it was a minor negative point.
It's now 1am, but I'm going to start the second book, that's as much of a recommendation as you can get ^^
Good friendships are too rare, often overshadowed by romance.
Dante and Blays with their banter were a breath of fresh air.
The pace was a little slow but it was a minor negative point.
It's now 1am, but I'm going to start the second book, that's as much of a recommendation as you can get ^^
June 13, 2017
I actually listened to this one on audible. A couple times I got lost on what was going on. I think reading this one would have been better then listening for me. I gave it 3 stars because I saw potential:)
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