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The White Umbrella Testament #1
The Eighth King
The Eight Weapon Hand. The Four Conflagration Touch. The Diamond Word. The Silken Palace Palm. The Crane’s Migration Step. The Infinitesimal Breath. The Eye of Ten Thousand Apprehensions. The Reflecting Pool Mind.
Eight generations ago, the Priestkiller Worm threatened to ravage all of Ua, but a hero named Tenshing subdued it. But soon the Worm will rise again. Only a master of all the Rigors Martial can stop it; and only a rightful king of Ua can master all eight Rigors.
King Tenshing Astama has mastered seven.
But a pretender to the Orchid Throne has gathered an army on Tenshing's doorstep—and the claim he brings may be good. Now Tenshing must plunge into the labyrinth of his own ancestry and choose wisely whether to defend his own claim… for if he makes the wrong choice, the realm will bleed.
Meanwhile, a country vintner's daughter named Datang has come to the capital, seeking glory in a troubled time. She swiftly stumbles on a mystery that will lead her and her brothers-in-arms to the pretender's homeland on a search for truth. What they find will shake the struggle for the throne. But can they ensure that the right man will face the Priestkiller Worm?
The omens of the Worm’s return have begun. For Tenshing and Datang alike, time is running out...
Eight generations ago, the Priestkiller Worm threatened to ravage all of Ua, but a hero named Tenshing subdued it. But soon the Worm will rise again. Only a master of all the Rigors Martial can stop it; and only a rightful king of Ua can master all eight Rigors.
King Tenshing Astama has mastered seven.
But a pretender to the Orchid Throne has gathered an army on Tenshing's doorstep—and the claim he brings may be good. Now Tenshing must plunge into the labyrinth of his own ancestry and choose wisely whether to defend his own claim… for if he makes the wrong choice, the realm will bleed.
Meanwhile, a country vintner's daughter named Datang has come to the capital, seeking glory in a troubled time. She swiftly stumbles on a mystery that will lead her and her brothers-in-arms to the pretender's homeland on a search for truth. What they find will shake the struggle for the throne. But can they ensure that the right man will face the Priestkiller Worm?
The omens of the Worm’s return have begun. For Tenshing and Datang alike, time is running out...
- GenresFantasy
ebook
First published January 1, 2017
184 people want to read
About the author
Matt Weber
11 books16 followersFor a free copy of my post-post-apocalyptic science fantasy,
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, subscribe to my mailing list! Or, for a ton of free-to-read short fiction, check me out on Wattpad.
My epic wuxia fantasy, The Eighth King , is now available on Kindle! I've published short fiction in Nature , Cosmos, and The Nassau Literary Review; I've been anthologized in Futures from Nature and twice won Honorable Mention in the Writers of the Future contest.
I’m a data scientist by trade, a neuroscientist by training, a father and husband by love and grit and happenstance, a coffee junkie by necessity. I have three small children who are better than all of you stacked on top of one another.
My epic wuxia fantasy, The Eighth King , is now available on Kindle! I've published short fiction in Nature , Cosmos, and The Nassau Literary Review; I've been anthologized in Futures from Nature and twice won Honorable Mention in the Writers of the Future contest.
I’m a data scientist by trade, a neuroscientist by training, a father and husband by love and grit and happenstance, a coffee junkie by necessity. I have three small children who are better than all of you stacked on top of one another.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 7, 2018
Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com
The Eight King was a difficult book for me. I wanted to like it so bad. It was original fantasy, set against a Chinese background, but maybe because it featured so many different and special elements, I found it hard to follow and to concentrate on the book.
As I'm always reading multiple books at the same time, I had to cut down the portions I read of The Eight King because I noticed the reading always haltered there. Which I think might be due to the writing which was to say the least special. Told from the all knowing third person perspective, the characters always feel far away, and with the characters each carrying multiple names (many of which have some sort of Ape in it) it was difficult to connect to them (or tell them all apart at times). At times the writing felt slightly condescending towards the characters.
It was a shame, because I loved the way magic was interwoven in the world. It was very whimsical, mainly providing problems rather than easy solutions. The politics involved were also really nice. I would like to know where the world is going, but I hope the writing would change a bit.
Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
The Eight King was a difficult book for me. I wanted to like it so bad. It was original fantasy, set against a Chinese background, but maybe because it featured so many different and special elements, I found it hard to follow and to concentrate on the book.
As I'm always reading multiple books at the same time, I had to cut down the portions I read of The Eight King because I noticed the reading always haltered there. Which I think might be due to the writing which was to say the least special. Told from the all knowing third person perspective, the characters always feel far away, and with the characters each carrying multiple names (many of which have some sort of Ape in it) it was difficult to connect to them (or tell them all apart at times). At times the writing felt slightly condescending towards the characters.
It was a shame, because I loved the way magic was interwoven in the world. It was very whimsical, mainly providing problems rather than easy solutions. The politics involved were also really nice. I would like to know where the world is going, but I hope the writing would change a bit.
Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
March 11, 2018
Notes: the author is a friend of mine, and I had previously read a draft, on which my initial star rating was based.
This book is very well written, with an excellently-crafted world with intriguing mythology and a rich and clever (I laughed a lot) narrative style, great dialogue, and complex characters. I probably would have appreciated the style even more if I were familiar with wuxia literature, but it was still very enjoyable given my ignorance.
Mistaken / hidden identity plots are not my cup of tea in general, and Weber goes too far in keeping characters and their identities and relationships opaque for my taste (multiple people going by the same title), so I spent a large portion of the book at least moderately confused. I think I didn’t read carefully enough, as I lost track of a major character for quite a while. I personally dislike requiring the reader to be quite so careful, especially in a book of this length and complexity, though I know that’s something other people enjoy. Even apart from my major mistake, there were a lot of other instances of things not being clearly explained or being deliberately highlighted as mysterious. I can understand this to some extent, especially given that sequels are planned, but I would have preferred somewhat less of it.
My only other complaint is actually a positive, in that there were many elements of the book (mostly other cultures, beings, or aspects of the magic system) that were only touched on briefly but I would love to hear more about. This speaks to the strength of Weber’s world building and the evocativeness of even brief passages of description of these elements. I hope they show up in the sequel(s).
Overall, this was a very enjoyable book, even if it did exceed my tolerance for deliberate opacity plot-wise. I’m impressed with Weber’s ability to imitate a fairly obscure (to a lot of modern Americans) literary style and setting, thoroughly enjoyed the world he has built in that setting and look forward to hearing what happens next to Datang and company.
This book is very well written, with an excellently-crafted world with intriguing mythology and a rich and clever (I laughed a lot) narrative style, great dialogue, and complex characters. I probably would have appreciated the style even more if I were familiar with wuxia literature, but it was still very enjoyable given my ignorance.
Mistaken / hidden identity plots are not my cup of tea in general, and Weber goes too far in keeping characters and their identities and relationships opaque for my taste (multiple people going by the same title), so I spent a large portion of the book at least moderately confused. I think I didn’t read carefully enough, as I lost track of a major character for quite a while. I personally dislike requiring the reader to be quite so careful, especially in a book of this length and complexity, though I know that’s something other people enjoy. Even apart from my major mistake, there were a lot of other instances of things not being clearly explained or being deliberately highlighted as mysterious. I can understand this to some extent, especially given that sequels are planned, but I would have preferred somewhat less of it.
My only other complaint is actually a positive, in that there were many elements of the book (mostly other cultures, beings, or aspects of the magic system) that were only touched on briefly but I would love to hear more about. This speaks to the strength of Weber’s world building and the evocativeness of even brief passages of description of these elements. I hope they show up in the sequel(s).
Overall, this was a very enjoyable book, even if it did exceed my tolerance for deliberate opacity plot-wise. I’m impressed with Weber’s ability to imitate a fairly obscure (to a lot of modern Americans) literary style and setting, thoroughly enjoyed the world he has built in that setting and look forward to hearing what happens next to Datang and company.
December 12, 2017
Everything about this book seems right up my alley: a historical-like setting but in a fantasy world, a strong female heroine, wuxa story elements, Chinese myth elements--sounds great, right? Unfortunately, the narration style falls flat, and I never felt drawn into the story.
Told from an omnipotent point of view, the characters lack any emotional depth or relatable attributes. All the voices sound the same (characters and narrator alike). Overall, though, the plot movement is told via a long, stoic bard’s tale with a dry and somewhat condescending bard doing the telling.
There’s a rich backdrop for the characters. I love that. However, I’m never brought into the world. I was constantly lost by the foreign ‘nicknames’ of people and events and movement styles. The narrative is simply too saturated with unique elements which the author never takes time to explain to readers. Instead, new terms are constantly introduced, and the reading becomes frustrating because the author never invites his readers into the world to explore and discover things on a personal level. I was an outsider, and no one let me in. Unfortunately, I haven’t mastered The Crane’s Migration Step like Datang in order to jump over the story’s wall. There’s no glossary, and no basis to compare the unique words to.
Conversely, if the setting is stylized after Chinese myth (the author calls the book an ‘epic wuxia fantasy,’ after all) why are French 17th Century turn-of-phrases (i.e., coup de grâce) being used? So the familiar metaphors that Weber did use were completely out of time and place.
I started this book extremely excited to discover the adventure Weber penned. I really wanted to like it and tried really hard to get drawn in. However, the objective (omniscient) third person narration style dropped the ball completely. Without internal thoughts, feelings, or motivations, all the reader is left with are facts. And when those facts are fantasy words you’re unfamiliar with, it just doesn’t work. I read a lot (I mean, a lot) of historical fiction and fantasy, and I’ve never felt so lost in a book before. It’s too cold and impersonal in its telling for my tastes.
I received a free copy from Curiosity Quills for an honest review. I appreciate their generosity!
Told from an omnipotent point of view, the characters lack any emotional depth or relatable attributes. All the voices sound the same (characters and narrator alike). Overall, though, the plot movement is told via a long, stoic bard’s tale with a dry and somewhat condescending bard doing the telling.
There’s a rich backdrop for the characters. I love that. However, I’m never brought into the world. I was constantly lost by the foreign ‘nicknames’ of people and events and movement styles. The narrative is simply too saturated with unique elements which the author never takes time to explain to readers. Instead, new terms are constantly introduced, and the reading becomes frustrating because the author never invites his readers into the world to explore and discover things on a personal level. I was an outsider, and no one let me in. Unfortunately, I haven’t mastered The Crane’s Migration Step like Datang in order to jump over the story’s wall. There’s no glossary, and no basis to compare the unique words to.
Conversely, if the setting is stylized after Chinese myth (the author calls the book an ‘epic wuxia fantasy,’ after all) why are French 17th Century turn-of-phrases (i.e., coup de grâce) being used? So the familiar metaphors that Weber did use were completely out of time and place.
I started this book extremely excited to discover the adventure Weber penned. I really wanted to like it and tried really hard to get drawn in. However, the objective (omniscient) third person narration style dropped the ball completely. Without internal thoughts, feelings, or motivations, all the reader is left with are facts. And when those facts are fantasy words you’re unfamiliar with, it just doesn’t work. I read a lot (I mean, a lot) of historical fiction and fantasy, and I’ve never felt so lost in a book before. It’s too cold and impersonal in its telling for my tastes.
I received a free copy from Curiosity Quills for an honest review. I appreciate their generosity!
December 30, 2017
one thing that always amazes me about fantasy writers is how they build these intricate worlds, with their own geographies and whole mythologies that make them something new and different. the eighth king pulls from chinese mythology, but the world is still new and intricate and complicated.
you have to be in the right frame of mind to pick up this novel, the prose is rich, filled with wordplay. sometimes it repeats, but sometimes you need that because there is a lot of description to keep track of. keeping it all straight can be a problem, though i also suffer from mom brain and am not the most visual of readers so all that description can cause me to glaze over. but the story flows and you find yourself caught up in the battle over the orchid throne.
this isn't my usual fare, but that doesn't mean i didn't enjoy it. tenshing and datang's story is epic and adventurous and fantastical in all the right places. and if you enjoy being in this world, you're in luck, because clearly this is a story that is meant to continue.
**the eighth king published on november 28, 2017. i received a digital galley courtesy of curiosity quills press in exchange for my honest review.
you have to be in the right frame of mind to pick up this novel, the prose is rich, filled with wordplay. sometimes it repeats, but sometimes you need that because there is a lot of description to keep track of. keeping it all straight can be a problem, though i also suffer from mom brain and am not the most visual of readers so all that description can cause me to glaze over. but the story flows and you find yourself caught up in the battle over the orchid throne.
this isn't my usual fare, but that doesn't mean i didn't enjoy it. tenshing and datang's story is epic and adventurous and fantastical in all the right places. and if you enjoy being in this world, you're in luck, because clearly this is a story that is meant to continue.
**the eighth king published on november 28, 2017. i received a digital galley courtesy of curiosity quills press in exchange for my honest review.
May 10, 2018
A strong, if not totally engrossing, start to what could be a super interesting fantasy series. The author definitely put the time in to create the rules of the world, which is great when dealing with magic, but it has a bit of distance that separates the reader a bit too much. A good start and a recommend for where the series may go.
I received an ecopy from the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received an ecopy from the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews