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Seraph: Prelude to The Newer World
"Rule cadets in your family are friends; Rule other cadets are enemies; Rule except in self-defense, killing shall be limited to Open Field and such other times as Her Majesty the Eyesource permits; Rule killing outside prescribed windows will be punished with the loss of an appendage. Rule except in self-defense, killing a family member prior to graduation will be punished with the loss of a limb; Rule no weapons in class other than those brought by your Instructors; Rule survive."
Jack Ventura is the first from the remote province of Valley ever to gain admission to the elite war academy ARES. And though Jack is undoubtably talented, ARES will stretch him to his limits physically, mentally, and, to his surprise, even spiritually. For Jack, survival is a continual balancing act—one that will place him at the center of a plot to overthrow a god.
Jack Ventura is the first from the remote province of Valley ever to gain admission to the elite war academy ARES. And though Jack is undoubtably talented, ARES will stretch him to his limits physically, mentally, and, to his surprise, even spiritually. For Jack, survival is a continual balancing act—one that will place him at the center of a plot to overthrow a god.
313 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 12, 2016
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17 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 29, 2018
First, let me say that I know the author of this book and so am inclined to say nice things about it. :) That being said, I really enjoyed this book. I thought that it was going to be a typical coming-of-age tale as it starts off with a young man receiving summons to a presitigous, SEAL-like training center. However, it is less a coming of age story and more a story of a mix of religion and politics that has gone wrong. A majority of the populace is kept complacent through the fear of an existential threat that only the leader can protect them from. This same mechanism allows the government to wipe out undesirables. A rebellion is forming, but the threat of faeries and banshees seems to be enough for most of the population to maintain the status quo.
Enter Jack, a warrior prodigy, raised in the hinterlands and brought in to train to be a an elite soldier. The school is over-the-top in its competition and brutality which forces Jack to begin to consider blasphemous thoughts about the wisdom of the leaders. While this is going on, the rebellion enacts a plan to bring down the current system.
This is just the first of what could be a series of books, so don't expect too much closure by the end. However, the characters are well written and the world-building is pretty good. As in all self-published works, there are the occasional typo or error but not the type that really detract from the narrative. I could have used some more information on the history of the people to help flesh out the context. All in all though, I was very impressed by this.
Enter Jack, a warrior prodigy, raised in the hinterlands and brought in to train to be a an elite soldier. The school is over-the-top in its competition and brutality which forces Jack to begin to consider blasphemous thoughts about the wisdom of the leaders. While this is going on, the rebellion enacts a plan to bring down the current system.
This is just the first of what could be a series of books, so don't expect too much closure by the end. However, the characters are well written and the world-building is pretty good. As in all self-published works, there are the occasional typo or error but not the type that really detract from the narrative. I could have used some more information on the history of the people to help flesh out the context. All in all though, I was very impressed by this.
March 6, 2017
Jack Ventura is from a rural area and grew up shooting Banshees (winged creatures as vicious as harpies), and avoiding fairies (creatures that take over a human host’s body). Jack and all his people blindly worship the Lord Eldest, who communicates with them through the Eyesource, sending messages directly to individuals. Sometimes these messages order them to kill loved ones said to have been corrupted by fairies. When Jack is accepted to a prestigious military academy, one that no one in his region has ever been admitted to, he is elated by the honor. Despite his sharp mind and combat skills, though, Jack is not prepared for how ruthless and dangerous the academy proves to be, or the moral ambiguity he’s forced to deal with for the first time in his life.
Seraph has ingredients in common with Ender’s Game (a merciless military school and individual alliances and betrayals that come with it), The Hunger Games (students are expected to kill each other or be killed), and Mistborn (hints of an intricate plot to bring down a god-like dictator). I’m not spoiling anything by writing this--it’s obvious early on that The Lord Eldest is a hypocritical, first-class manipulator with an entire establishment under his thumb.
Seraph is nearly as suspenseful as any of the above. A first-time author, Slade sure knows how to pace a story--it’s intriguing from the first chapter and riveting from the second. There are a couple of things that I would love to see improved on for the sequel this book needs. The characters, while well defined, lack depth--there isn’t much more to them than the sum of their backgrounds, abilities, and how they respond to the conflict at hand. The story also requires some suspension of disbelief. The culture isn’t developed enough to understand the full mindset of the people and how their blind faith in “The Eyesource” fits in with their sense of self and reality.
There also aren’t any real surprises. Jack and his friend Ben are dual heroes, but considering they are two of the smartest and most physically adept (Ben’s early scores didn’t fool me), there’s little anxiety that either will be killed. That doesn’t mean the journey isn’t worthwhile. It’s all about how Ben’s plan will play out and whether Jack’s eyes will be opened. I think Hitchcock said that suspense is created when the audience knows something the character doesn’t. We spend the entire story knowing more than Jack. The suspense is less about life and death than about wanting this character to finally find out the truth and be willing to accept it. Jack wrestles with natural feelings of guilt over what he is ordered to do, even though blindly following orders is the religion instilled in him since birth, but he shows no sign (at least consciously) of seeing the cracks in his reality.
Last, the subtitle is important--this book is a prelude. It sets the stage for what promises to be a more epic scope than battle school. I’m excited to see what Slade ultimately has to say about faith and reality in this world. I highly recommend this book to anyone willing to branch out from bestseller lists for a good sci-fi thriller.
Seraph has ingredients in common with Ender’s Game (a merciless military school and individual alliances and betrayals that come with it), The Hunger Games (students are expected to kill each other or be killed), and Mistborn (hints of an intricate plot to bring down a god-like dictator). I’m not spoiling anything by writing this--it’s obvious early on that The Lord Eldest is a hypocritical, first-class manipulator with an entire establishment under his thumb.
Seraph is nearly as suspenseful as any of the above. A first-time author, Slade sure knows how to pace a story--it’s intriguing from the first chapter and riveting from the second. There are a couple of things that I would love to see improved on for the sequel this book needs. The characters, while well defined, lack depth--there isn’t much more to them than the sum of their backgrounds, abilities, and how they respond to the conflict at hand. The story also requires some suspension of disbelief. The culture isn’t developed enough to understand the full mindset of the people and how their blind faith in “The Eyesource” fits in with their sense of self and reality.
There also aren’t any real surprises. Jack and his friend Ben are dual heroes, but considering they are two of the smartest and most physically adept (Ben’s early scores didn’t fool me), there’s little anxiety that either will be killed. That doesn’t mean the journey isn’t worthwhile. It’s all about how Ben’s plan will play out and whether Jack’s eyes will be opened. I think Hitchcock said that suspense is created when the audience knows something the character doesn’t. We spend the entire story knowing more than Jack. The suspense is less about life and death than about wanting this character to finally find out the truth and be willing to accept it. Jack wrestles with natural feelings of guilt over what he is ordered to do, even though blindly following orders is the religion instilled in him since birth, but he shows no sign (at least consciously) of seeing the cracks in his reality.
Last, the subtitle is important--this book is a prelude. It sets the stage for what promises to be a more epic scope than battle school. I’m excited to see what Slade ultimately has to say about faith and reality in this world. I highly recommend this book to anyone willing to branch out from bestseller lists for a good sci-fi thriller.
March 12, 2017
Enjoyed the twists and turns in this well-developed world. A mix of military science fiction with a dash of potential dystopian fantasy all held together through an interesting coming of age story.
December 23, 2016
I'm not normally a science fiction kind of guy but I couldn't put this down! An enthralling read, Seraph is definitely worth your time. I hope there are more to come!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews