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Nameless Chronicle #2
Ascent: Second Book of the Nameless Chronicle
You are walking along a railroad track through the wasteland. You are alone. You have no name. Your pockets contain a fortune in money taken from your opponents, as well as their weapons.
You have been walking for some time, and your stamina is draining—you need to kill someone soon.
Behind you: the grave you rose from, a massacre of your doing, and the lifeless body of your only friend. Somewhere before you: the mysterious Pyramid that might hold the secret to your past and abilities.
The Pyramid appears on the horizon, a massive structure containing four levels. You must make your way to the top to have a chance of discovering your identity. You approach the gate, manned by armed guards. What do you do next?
You have been walking for some time, and your stamina is draining—you need to kill someone soon.
Behind you: the grave you rose from, a massacre of your doing, and the lifeless body of your only friend. Somewhere before you: the mysterious Pyramid that might hold the secret to your past and abilities.
The Pyramid appears on the horizon, a massive structure containing four levels. You must make your way to the top to have a chance of discovering your identity. You approach the gate, manned by armed guards. What do you do next?
316 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 13, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 22, 2016
★ ★ ★ 1/2 (rounded up)
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
---
Can you read this without having read Risen? Yeah, but it'd be better if you didn't (and Risen is short enough that you might was well). I'm not sure how much time has passed since the last page of the first book, but we find Nameless pretty much how we left him -- wandering along, on the verge of . . . whatever exactly would happen to him if he didn't get more energy. Like before, almost as soon as he gets to town, he falls victim to a gang of sorts and is mugged. Of course, his first order of business (after recuperating from the beating) is revenge, which will give him the energy he needs to move around the Pyramid to search for the explanations he needs to understand his abilities, his nature and identity.
What's the Pyramid, you ask? It's a city in a giant 4-tiered structure (each tier housing a different caste). Nameless adopts a name, makes a little money on the lowest level -- full of crime, poverty and menial labor -- and buys himself access to the next level. Where he finds a new -- and legal -- way to use his fighting abilities to make money. Things go haywire from there.
There's a lot more going on in this book than there was in its predecessor, Risen -- if for no other reason than it's almost 3 times as long. It's still the same kind of book -- full of violence, some pretty good fight scenes, and a post-apocalyptic culture that's foreign, yet all-too familiar. There are many more characters, relating to Nameless in a variety of ways --- friendship, camaraderie, betrayal, exploitation, to name a few.
The way things went in Book One, I assumed that we were going to learn Nameless' origins, etc. over the course of a handful of books. Nope -- we get almost every question we had about where he came from answered -- and almost all of them are just dumped on us. There was no slow and steady learning here, just *BAM!* here are your answers. And it worked -- much better than a slow reveal, a giant dropping of information (which I usually am opposed to) took care of everything (while still leaving me with almost as many questions as Nameless had).
I shouldn't neglect to say that just because Nameless has almost all of his questions answered here, that he knows what to do with this information. I'm guessing part (or all of that) will be revealed in Book Three.
I don't normally do this, but I while writing this I went back to my post about Risen and chuckled because what I said there as a lot like the next point on my outline: "My one complaint is length -- just about everything is too short. The story is too short, most of the scenes are, too. But I'm pretty sure that's just my wanting more for myself -- to give us longer scenes would ruin the pacing, would mess with the way Miller's constructing the series. And really, when you get down to it "I wanted more!" is more of a compliment than a complaint -- but I'm calling it one nonetheless." His scenes aren't too short this time, but everything else I said there is still true. A lot of the action (especially the violence) is given to us in summary form -- we see the "important" fights, the ones that shape the story, but the rest is given in something like a re-cap mode (ditto with the flirting, with his conversations with others, and so on). So clearly, this is the kind of thing that's 1. Miller's style and/or 2. The style of this series. Either are perfectly acceptable. And honestly? If he'd given us more of the fights, more about Nameless' days in the new society he'd encountered, etc. I'd likely be complaining that he's reveling in the violence, bogging down the story with the details. So what do I know?
Ascent is a book that kept you guessing and leaves you in a very different world than you thought you were in at the beginning -- with a status quo that is so far from what it initially was that it'll leave you reeling. Taut, well-paced, with some pretty good hand-to-hand combat scenes -- and it won't let you go until the very end. Miller's really got something going here.
Disclaimer -- I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion. I appreciate that, Mr. Miller -- and thanks for being so cool about me forgetting the date.
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
---
Can you read this without having read Risen? Yeah, but it'd be better if you didn't (and Risen is short enough that you might was well). I'm not sure how much time has passed since the last page of the first book, but we find Nameless pretty much how we left him -- wandering along, on the verge of . . . whatever exactly would happen to him if he didn't get more energy. Like before, almost as soon as he gets to town, he falls victim to a gang of sorts and is mugged. Of course, his first order of business (after recuperating from the beating) is revenge, which will give him the energy he needs to move around the Pyramid to search for the explanations he needs to understand his abilities, his nature and identity.
What's the Pyramid, you ask? It's a city in a giant 4-tiered structure (each tier housing a different caste). Nameless adopts a name, makes a little money on the lowest level -- full of crime, poverty and menial labor -- and buys himself access to the next level. Where he finds a new -- and legal -- way to use his fighting abilities to make money. Things go haywire from there.
There's a lot more going on in this book than there was in its predecessor, Risen -- if for no other reason than it's almost 3 times as long. It's still the same kind of book -- full of violence, some pretty good fight scenes, and a post-apocalyptic culture that's foreign, yet all-too familiar. There are many more characters, relating to Nameless in a variety of ways --- friendship, camaraderie, betrayal, exploitation, to name a few.
The way things went in Book One, I assumed that we were going to learn Nameless' origins, etc. over the course of a handful of books. Nope -- we get almost every question we had about where he came from answered -- and almost all of them are just dumped on us. There was no slow and steady learning here, just *BAM!* here are your answers. And it worked -- much better than a slow reveal, a giant dropping of information (which I usually am opposed to) took care of everything (while still leaving me with almost as many questions as Nameless had).
I shouldn't neglect to say that just because Nameless has almost all of his questions answered here, that he knows what to do with this information. I'm guessing part (or all of that) will be revealed in Book Three.
I don't normally do this, but I while writing this I went back to my post about Risen and chuckled because what I said there as a lot like the next point on my outline: "My one complaint is length -- just about everything is too short. The story is too short, most of the scenes are, too. But I'm pretty sure that's just my wanting more for myself -- to give us longer scenes would ruin the pacing, would mess with the way Miller's constructing the series. And really, when you get down to it "I wanted more!" is more of a compliment than a complaint -- but I'm calling it one nonetheless." His scenes aren't too short this time, but everything else I said there is still true. A lot of the action (especially the violence) is given to us in summary form -- we see the "important" fights, the ones that shape the story, but the rest is given in something like a re-cap mode (ditto with the flirting, with his conversations with others, and so on). So clearly, this is the kind of thing that's 1. Miller's style and/or 2. The style of this series. Either are perfectly acceptable. And honestly? If he'd given us more of the fights, more about Nameless' days in the new society he'd encountered, etc. I'd likely be complaining that he's reveling in the violence, bogging down the story with the details. So what do I know?
Ascent is a book that kept you guessing and leaves you in a very different world than you thought you were in at the beginning -- with a status quo that is so far from what it initially was that it'll leave you reeling. Taut, well-paced, with some pretty good hand-to-hand combat scenes -- and it won't let you go until the very end. Miller's really got something going here.
Disclaimer -- I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion. I appreciate that, Mr. Miller -- and thanks for being so cool about me forgetting the date.
September 15, 2016
Book two in the Nameless Chronicles picks up right after the ending of the first book, Risen. (You can find my review here.) While Risen is a shorter book (87 pages), Ascent is much more fleshed out.
Once again the action scenes, which there are plenty, were very well written. A lot of times I’ll skim over these parts in books, but I followed along with most of them, and they made sense. There was no, how could that be possible, moments. Horace Bones, the main character, actually gets hurt, and it takes effort for him to be able to continue on.
We also meet a bunch of new characters, Rush, whom is chemically modified, being my favorite. There is also a dominatrix, whom I wish Miller would have wrote more detail as to what was going on in the torture chamber. I think there could have been lots of potential for some well written, if not dark and disturbing scenes. And I do think people who choose to read this series would be able to handle it. Perhaps Miller will in future books, or even write a novella focusing on her. With the fantasy world that’s been created, there are so many possibilities for character spin-off books.
And depending on how deep you want to think about the themes in this book, there are quite a few. Some of the themes include castes, body modification, and how much control is really yours. I could easily see a student having a field day writing a report on this book.
Another great book in this series, and I look forward to future books from Miller.
Once again the action scenes, which there are plenty, were very well written. A lot of times I’ll skim over these parts in books, but I followed along with most of them, and they made sense. There was no, how could that be possible, moments. Horace Bones, the main character, actually gets hurt, and it takes effort for him to be able to continue on.
We also meet a bunch of new characters, Rush, whom is chemically modified, being my favorite. There is also a dominatrix, whom I wish Miller would have wrote more detail as to what was going on in the torture chamber. I think there could have been lots of potential for some well written, if not dark and disturbing scenes. And I do think people who choose to read this series would be able to handle it. Perhaps Miller will in future books, or even write a novella focusing on her. With the fantasy world that’s been created, there are so many possibilities for character spin-off books.
And depending on how deep you want to think about the themes in this book, there are quite a few. Some of the themes include castes, body modification, and how much control is really yours. I could easily see a student having a field day writing a report on this book.
Another great book in this series, and I look forward to future books from Miller.
September 19, 2016
I’ve agreed to give an honest review in exchange for an ARC.
Our antihero is back, and this time he’s taking on more or less a whole city. But he sure as hell isn’t going to let that discourage him from learning who put the hit on him.There is a whole lot of fighting, intrigue, and mystery. The story is told really well, and some scenes (the acid flash comes to mind) have made me laugh myself stupid.
All of this leads to one of the most intense climaxes I’ve read in a while.
Whoever thought the short, breakneck ride of part one would lead to something THIS big?
Our antihero is back, and this time he’s taking on more or less a whole city. But he sure as hell isn’t going to let that discourage him from learning who put the hit on him.There is a whole lot of fighting, intrigue, and mystery. The story is told really well, and some scenes (the acid flash comes to mind) have made me laugh myself stupid.
All of this leads to one of the most intense climaxes I’ve read in a while.
Whoever thought the short, breakneck ride of part one would lead to something THIS big?
September 14, 2016
After the events of the first book, the Nameless is in a bad way as he makes his way toward the pyramid. Still struggling with the knowledge of what he has done, he keeps moving forward. The pyramid is actually the city of Babylon and he must pay his way inside, but is it any better than the waste land surrounding it? A good sequel, more interactions for the Nameless and we learn more about the world he lives in. Worth reading.
September 9, 2017
A divergent evolution from Risen
Risen reminded me a lot of the Spawn comic books I read growing up, and depicted an over-the-top dystopian narrative with a protagonist completely lost in a world he didn't understand; it was a story that bordered a lot of different genres from dystopia to horror to action adventure.
Ascent really diverges from the feel of Risen, but not in a bad way. Put simply Ascent feels like a blend of John Wick and American Gods with a little Blood Drive mixed in as we witness the Nameless fight his way through an endless swarm of bad guys.
I'd say Ascent starts to fall into what one could call a Grindhouse novel; but still has that comic book feel in many areas. It will be interesting to see what evolutions Strife has in store.
Risen reminded me a lot of the Spawn comic books I read growing up, and depicted an over-the-top dystopian narrative with a protagonist completely lost in a world he didn't understand; it was a story that bordered a lot of different genres from dystopia to horror to action adventure.
Ascent really diverges from the feel of Risen, but not in a bad way. Put simply Ascent feels like a blend of John Wick and American Gods with a little Blood Drive mixed in as we witness the Nameless fight his way through an endless swarm of bad guys.
I'd say Ascent starts to fall into what one could call a Grindhouse novel; but still has that comic book feel in many areas. It will be interesting to see what evolutions Strife has in store.
January 2, 2022
Absolutely excellent !
2nd book in the series is even better than the 1st! Both were unputdownable! Not a real word, I know but it should be. M.T.Miller has just become my favorite author. At least in this genre. The writing and editing is superb! The story has just become one of the rare and fattening desserts for my mind. Love this series! You will too if you like apocalyptic fantasy/ syfy. Book one is short but really good and book two makes up the difference in length. Starting book three as soon as this review is submitted. Thanks M.T. Miller!
2nd book in the series is even better than the 1st! Both were unputdownable! Not a real word, I know but it should be. M.T.Miller has just become my favorite author. At least in this genre. The writing and editing is superb! The story has just become one of the rare and fattening desserts for my mind. Love this series! You will too if you like apocalyptic fantasy/ syfy. Book one is short but really good and book two makes up the difference in length. Starting book three as soon as this review is submitted. Thanks M.T. Miller!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews