The Redemption of Erâth: Consolation

by Satis

In the fallen world of Erâth, a place overrun by the forces of Darkness, a young boy is taken in by his grandfather when his parents perish in a fire at his birth. Feared and misunderstood by everyone around him, Brandyé Dui-Erâth grows up alone, save for a single family who sees the sadness in his heart.



Through his grandfather's many fireside tales, Brandyé begins to learn the true nature of the world around him. As Darkness and its creatures begin to creep into the once-safe lands of Consolation, he discovers that he has a connection to the long-forgotten ancient world. As events force him down a path of ever-growing danger, he finds his destiny is to suffer both joy and sorrow, and to learn the true nature of Darkness and Death.



The Redemption of Erâ Consolation is the first in a series of novels chronicling the epic journey of Brandyé Dui-Erâth through the dark and terrifying world of Erâth—a journey that will take him to the ends of land and time and put the salvation of all men in his hands.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction

283 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 10, 2014

About the author

Raised between the soaring peaks of the Swiss alps and the dark industrialism of northern England, beauty and darkness have been twin influences on his creativity since an early age. Throughout his life, he has expressed this through music, art and literature, delving deep into the darkest parts of human nature, and finding the elegance therein.

He met his wife in England, even though she grew up in New Jersey. A dedicated scientist, she makes sure that he brushes his teeth and cleans the dishes even when he wants to write. Together they have an eleven-year-old son.

Now residing in northern New Jersey, he still enjoys walking in the woods and taking pictures, and sometimes still writes music—when he's not absorbed in the world of Erâth.

Reviews

[EJ Roberts · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have just done what I swore I’d never do; which is post a 2-star review. I normally keep these silent and contact the author directly. However, this is a different case entirely. The story itself is well-written and there are almost no errors in the manuscript itself. That is impressive. And for many, this book may be great. I read all 250+ pages of it just fine.

As a writer, I’m well aware of the need to create an elaborate back story for characters, especially the main character, in order to be able to show a rich and complete character to the reader. Unfortunately, in my opinion, that’s all this book was. It was the intricate back story that tells us what made Brandye what he is. I kept waiting for the story to fully develop and things to happen. While there are great scenes in the book where I thought, “Here we go, there’s the story,” it would fall short and back up a bit. Those great areas could easily have been worked into a different book as flashbacks, or something similar, so we could see what happened to make Brandye the way he was. When this book ended, I thought, “Now we reach what should have been the first book.”

Do not get me wrong. This entire book was well-written. That is the reason why I’m leaving a 2-star review for the first time. There are plenty of people out there that may very well disagree with me and believe this made a terrific first book to what appears will be a great series. I will admit that I’m intrigued and would be willing to read the second book to see what happens next. There are so many ways this could go from the end point that I’m fascinated to see what will happen.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a refreshingly well written tale. The descriptions, the world building, and the storyline all flowed together so well that I never once became lost or confused. True enough, maybe not a lot "happens" in this book, but I never lost interest. I feel I know the main character very well, and am quite concerned about where his unpredictable journey will lead him next.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author via Voracious Readers Only*

[Suhaib Ghazanfar · Rating 4 out of 5]

*NOTE: I received a complimentary copy of the book from the author via Voracious Readers Only which has no impact on the honesty of my review*

This was a very enjoyable coming of age fantasy novel and caught me off guard with how polished it is. We follow the story of Brandye, our MC, in the early years of his life as he navigates a cruel and bleak world which seems to have nothing but contempt for him. We follow him as he slowly grows up, makes friendships and starts dealing with the inevitable challenges of becoming an independent man.

This is very much a character driven novel with extremely good worldbuilding and character introspection. Satis' writing style was beautiful and brought the land of Consolation alive in my mind and is definitely one of the greatest strengths of this book. His writing style is reminiscent of Robin Hobb's and was just a treat to experience, and considering this was a self-published novel, there were barely any grammatical errors which shows the care Satis took to polish his work.

That being said, the plot did feel like it was on the backburner for the majority of the novel which I didn't hate as it gave Satis time to develop his characters and establish the world. There also isn't much action in this first book but the book didn't feel slow or boring at all, it was very much a page-turner. We are also introduced to the beginnings of what feels like a soft magic system and the mystery surrounding it really makes me want to pick up the sequel ASAP.

All in all, an excellent first book in a series and an unexpected treat.

[Marion Craggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of the book free from the author via vorocious readers in exchange for an honest review and was pleasantly surprised. This is honestly the best written free book I have read this year. The author writes in such a way that I can easily visualise the scene and feel I know the characters so well, the se if descriptive language is amazing. The whole story flows and I did not spot any mistakes which again is unusual in a free book. I found myself feeling for the characters within the story and will be nterested to read further books in the series to find out about the fate of our Main character in particular but would also be interested to find out what happpens to other characters such as Eleven and Farmer Tar.
I would recommend this book to those who enjoy fantasy reading, the only word of warning I would give is that the story does take time to develop and you need to take time to read it. Having finished the book it is obvious that this book actually sets the scene for the rest of the series.

[Samantha Wynd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Firstly I reviewed a complementary copy of this book through Voracious Readers Only in return for an honest review. But this hasn't in anyway influenced my favourable review.
This book started a little slow but once I perseveres through the first chapter or 2 I was totally bewitched and couldn't put it down. The novel is centred around Brandeye, a young orphan who lives with his Grandfather. As much as Brandeye tries to always do right his character is made all the more relatable and real due to the fact his attempts aren't always successful and he has faults as well as redeemable character traits..
The fantasy land and beings are well described in such a way that the story appears more as a tale being told around a fire or bar than a book.And the story written in such a way that I never felt lost or as if I'd missed or didn't follow some point. I also enjoyed the underlying spiritual weave to the tale.
A great start to what I believe will be an epic fantasy journey and highly recommended especially for readers of the Lord of the Rings or Terry Brooks type novels.

[Katie Paradis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a complimentary copy of the book from the author via Voracious Readers Only in exchange for an honest review.

I have so many unanswered questions. These questions never detracted from the story, in fact, they make everything so much more intriguing! I would love to continue reading this series.

The writing is beautiful. A phrase near the end of the first chapter sounded so much like something Morgan Freeman would say in a narration that I read the majority of the book like that; it was very entertaining.

The way everything flows through the book, it's a wonderfully smooth read. You can feel the passage of time throughout the book, see how choices affect the characters, and all the while you're still left wondering what's to happen next. So much happens that it should feel rushed, but it doesn't. Everything plays out in due time, and while you question what is to come, you're not left questioning what has already passed because the decisions made were the best at the time. There are no glaring plot holes, no poor decisions solely for the drama.

I feel like I should say more, but I'm at a loss for words. This is a work of art.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a complimentary copy of the book from the author via Voracious Readers.

I really liked this book. Immediately, the writing had a good flow, and the style is pleasant. The set-up and imagery reminded me quite a bit of The Hobbit, but not so specifically that it wasn't original. There's enough mystery in the book that I was interested, but not so much that I was irritated when not everything was explained in the end. This book sets up nicely for a series while being a fine book of its own
What I think was one of the finest points of the book is the intense emotional challenges and growth of the main character, most of which is at the latter end of the book. I can't be more explicit without spoilers.
I've already purchased the second book of this series and look forward to reading it.

[Charlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I received a free copy of this book from the author via voracious readers only in exchange for an honest review* I will start by saying I really enjoyed this book it was well written and interesting to read. However I will agree with some other reviewers that there seemed to be maybe too much backstory and not enough actually going on, I kept waiting for things to progress and although I fully enjoyed the ride I felt like it was dragged out a bit too much in places. Having said that I definitely want to know what happens next so I will read the next book in this series.

[Amanda Hallam-Taillon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book through VoraciousReadersOnly.

This book is an intriguing beginning of a saga. It has well prepared a path for the remainder to play out. Beautifully written and leaving some compelling questions to be answered in future, it’s a great start of a series. This will appeal to those who love epic sagas.

[Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book ! I received a complimentary copy from the author via Voracious Readers Only.
Now, I rate based on entertainment, how well my interest is held. I was not prepared for some of the twists, but I was held and entertained, wanting more. I will get the next one!

[Buttercupp77 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot overstate how much I enjoyed this novel!

The world-building is fantastic and immersive.
The characters feel very real because they have both flaws and redeeming traits, which are evident to the reader.
The story itself is a very interesting start to what is, presumably, an epic adventure.
The author has created a world where the rules are fairly easy to grasp while leaving some pretty big questions yet to be explored. I particularly like that there is a spiritual/mythical component to this world. While this wasn't a primary focus in this novel, I have high hopes that it will come to bear more heavily in future installments.

The writing is very engaging with plenty of description. The action sequences are well-created and easy to follow. The author uses dialogue very well.

My favourite element of this novel is that the readers don't learn more than the main characters know - and they are smart enough to have plenty of doubts about their choices. They also have regrets, when that is an appropriate reaction to the consequences they may not have foreseen.

There were a few typos (and similar errors) throughout, but not so many that it was a distraction from the flow of the novel.

I am eagerly anticipating the next installment in this series. It ranks very highly for me.

[J. Else · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won a copy of this book through a good reads giveaway. This has not influenced or biased my opinions.

I almost did not feel like I was reading a book. Rather, I felt I was being told a story by a traveling bard. The language of this book is crafted beautifully. It was descriptive and engaging. However, at times the way sentences are constructed are different from how you would expect them to be, so I had to re-read the way things were worded here and there. I liked how things were worded. It challenged me but also set the tone for the tale itself. And it fit perfectly with the story line and setting. This book is more description than exposition. Yet the story never lost me or bored me.

There were only a couple spots where there was an editing error (a period instead of a comma, etc). Otherwise, the book itself was well crafted. I look forward to reading more from this book series. The ending is hopeful yet ominous all at once. I liked the hints at the history of the world too. I very much look forward to discovering more of the Illuen and the world beyond Consolation.

Good story and well told.

[E.P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A rich and evocative high fantasy novel about a boy who, unlike in Faust, is always willing good but keeps doing evil. Brandye is orphaned as a baby and raised by his grandfather, one of the few who has ever ventured outside the land of Consolation. Brandye finds he doesn't fit in amongst the others in his village, and is distressed by the oppression of the ruling family. However, when he joins a group to fight against them, things go badly. The novel breaks off just as things might be about to take a turn, although whether for the better or the worse is left for the next book to reveal.

The world- and mood-building are excellent, and set the somber tone for the book. This is not a quick read, but it is a detailed and atmospheric one, and Brandye's encounters with the enormous wolves that stalk him both in his dreams and in real life are quite spine-chilling! An intriguing beginning to a promising high fantasy series, and well worth checking out by readers who enjoy psychological fiction.

[Alex Sandison · Rating 2 out of 5]

First I should say, I received a complimentary copy of the book from the author via Voracious Readers Only.

This book felt to me like if borrows from Shannara (Terry Brooks), in that there are similar allusions to a past world, and current state far on in time. This was a promising premise, as I am a fan of the world of Shannara.

What I liked:
The world building is solid, and the story being told has potential.
There is a solid background for continuation in this book.
The main character seems well thought out and presented.

So, why do I rate it as only OK?
The writing quality was not great, there are huge chunks of exposition, telling us what is going on, but not showing us. The blurb refers to fireside tales, but unfortunately these are not the main source of information, instead we are just being informed by the author.
Little things, like lack of natural contractions in speech detracted from the flow.
The whole book feels more like a preface to the main story, background to allow it to move forward, but in this volume, I just felt like I was reaching the starting place.

For all this, there is great potential, and with guidance, and quality editing, further works by this author will be worth a look.

[Suzanne Cruz Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you for sending me this book.

I love this book and for some reason, I felt like this has something to do with Jesus' life when he was young, don't ask me why but it was something I thought while reading but it wasn't the story. This book though was engaging and I felt excited to read it and every page to me was just "what's going to happen next".

The characters were also well thought out and their stories behind these characters were great. I like Sonora personally though. I also like that in the center of it all it was this boy who was orphaned and taken by his grandfather. I don't know if he was fond of him in a way though because the grandfather was very private and he also has secrets, especially the part that was very compelling to me at first was that locked room.

I think it was slow-paced but overall I loved reading it.

Congratulations to the Author.

[Angela Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given a free copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.
This is tale of a boy named Brandye, born in a fire which his parents died in. Living with a Grandfather whom tells wonderful tales, but in a town where most, save one family, dislike him, it's a lonely life. But darkness is looming and Brandye will experience a lot of emotional turmoil along his travels. I really felt this book touched on some really true feelings we can experience, love, despair, disbelief and joy. The author writes this so well you can feel the emotion that has gone into it, really loved this.Satis

[Ramona Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Redemption of Erâth: Consolation I received this book from the author through Voracious Readers Only. This Book immediately caught my interest and flowed along very nicely. The characters were developed so well that I felt I knew them completely. The building of the world and the way it worked was very well established. I think the story flows seamlessly into the next, or it can stand alone in it's own rite. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and hope you do too.

[Meara Fisher · Rating 3 out of 5]

This exceptionally well-written book had me fighting to get through it. While this book was very much a good book and I am curious about the next one, I have to say; it didn't get interesting until about 60 percent in. Once you get that far, you get the main plot and climax. The last forty percent makes you want to read the next book, but the first sixty percent makes you nervous that it will be painstakingly slow.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review from Voracious Readers Only.

[Monika · Rating 3 out of 5]

The redemption of Erath is the first book in the series with well written world creation and fantasy! Its kind of like The Lord of Rings. The only drawback is that the story starts of slow, and gets interesting very slowly. Needs a lot of focus! The characters were very real and well written. I felt the story was lacking a bit action and suspense. Overall a good read. Not so boring.
Thank you Voracious readers only and the author for reader’s copy of this book. This review is my own and is not influenced in any way.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thanks to the author and Voracious Readers for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I admittedly kept dropping this down the ‘to read list’ as I was influenced by some of the comments describing it as ‘too slow’ and ‘too descriptive’... and upon finishing, I’m sorry that I did. The writing is excellent and there is plenty of intrigue & action, both of which urge Brandye’s story forwards. By the end you are left with a clear feeling of ‘ooo what now’, a pretty good indicator of an (imagined) fireside story well built.

[Hina Rastogi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review, through voracious readers.

The story is quite interesting and manages to keep you on your tenterhooks even though, some parts are a little slow for me (but essential for building the back stories, I guess). I really loved the descriptions of characters and how they were not all perfect, glossy, shining. It's something that is uncommon but makes the characters more relatable. What I would want for the next book is probably a map to assist wandering in the author's imaginary world.

Waiting for the next book!

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the owner through Voracious Readers Only.

The world building at the start of this novel reminded me of the Inheritance cycle, with tales of ancient races. However, as the plot developed it became clear that it was its own story.

There were a couple of minor typos, but they didn't detract from the book and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

[Catalina Fugariu · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hate to give this book so low of a star rating but like all of the other reviews before me, this book was so BORING. It's a shame that it is basically a book about nothing. The writer writes beautifully and the theme for high fantasy is there with a hint of LOTR and Sword of Shannara in it but with absolutely none of the adventure.

[Newlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got a copy of this book from Voracious Readers Only in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book, it was very well written and the imagery that the words invoked were amazing, it was almost like watching a movie for me. I've not come across a lot of books/authors that can make my imagination fly like that.

[Lex Marsden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I felt the author absolutely nailed dark fantasy. His descriptions of the darkness and beauty within the world he has created is something that plays with my visualisation of it in a brilliant way. I enjoyed the lighter details across the book, with moral quandaries scattered throughout, I look forward to joining the rest of the adventures with Brandyé Dui-Erâth.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is very good fantasy book for anyone who enjoys reading this genre. The plot moves along great and at a good pace. The character development is wonderful and just as well paced at the plot. The settings were described beautifully that you will no problem at all picture them in your own mind.

[Donna King · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the whole I enjoyed this book, although, I did find it a little slow at times. The beginning of the story reminded me of a series of books that I had read years ago so I kept expecting something different to happen. I want to read the next book in the series to see how everything ends.

[Kristina Mihelich · Rating 3 out of 5]

The introduction was confusing, and the plot was quite slow to begin. Every time the plot started to make sense, it would drop again. It was hard to finish, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. The characters were interesting, and im curious as to where the plot will go.

[Margaret Both · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating and heartbreaking come to mind. This book makes us think about our assumptions of others versus reality. Extremely well written!
Many thanks to Satis for the Complimentary Copy of this Book via Voracious Reader’s Only.
Very much looking forward to book 2!

[Susanne Thele · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. The champion character’s struggle kept me involved as the plot evolved. It takes place in Medieval times with the question “will evil” eventually overtake all the good in the known world