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The Ascension Cycle #1
Soul of the World
A brilliant debut epic fantasy with a unique magic system and unforgettable characters.
It is a time of revolution. in the cities, food shortages stir citizens to riots against the crown. In the wilds, new magic threatens the dominance of the tribes. and on the battlefields, even the most brilliant commanders struggle in the shadow of total war. Three lines of magic must be mastered in order to usher in a new age, and three heroes must emerge.
Sarine is an artist on the streets of New Sarresant whose secret familiar helps her uncover bloodlust and madness where she expected only revolutionary fervor.
Arak'Jur wields the power of beasts to keep his people safe, but his strength cannot protect them from war amongst themselves.
Erris is a brilliant cavalry officer trying to defend New Sarresant from an enemy general armed with magic she barely understands.
Each must learn the secrets of their power in time to guide their people through ruin. But a greater evil may be trying to stop them.
It is a time of revolution. in the cities, food shortages stir citizens to riots against the crown. In the wilds, new magic threatens the dominance of the tribes. and on the battlefields, even the most brilliant commanders struggle in the shadow of total war. Three lines of magic must be mastered in order to usher in a new age, and three heroes must emerge.
Sarine is an artist on the streets of New Sarresant whose secret familiar helps her uncover bloodlust and madness where she expected only revolutionary fervor.
Arak'Jur wields the power of beasts to keep his people safe, but his strength cannot protect them from war amongst themselves.
Erris is a brilliant cavalry officer trying to defend New Sarresant from an enemy general armed with magic she barely understands.
Each must learn the secrets of their power in time to guide their people through ruin. But a greater evil may be trying to stop them.
619 pages, Paperback
First published June 27, 2017
161 people are currently reading
3385 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 117 reviews
July 4, 2017
I have to be honest, I'm a little conflicted about how to rate this book. There is a nearly even divide of good & bad here with the good coming out a nose ahead of the bad.
Here we go with a "Pros & Cons" review, as that seems to be my go-to with 3 star books. In this review though, I'm going to italicize the pros and bold the cons because often times there are positive & negative aspects of the same point.
⚔ The writing takes on a beautiful, French-influenced style, but is oddly constructed & tiresome to read. ⚔
Soul of the World is written in a way that causes my inner narrator to stumble all over the page. She tends to do that a little bit anyway, but in particular I found myself going back to reread sentences way more than I am comfortable with.
A couple peculiar, recurring word choices combined with an occasionally odd sentence structure had me feeling a little like I was reading a translation. The author's profile says that he speaks French, which may explain where some of the unfamiliar phrasing & language structure come from.
Now, this may not be a problem for everyone who reads this book, but it was for me.
That being said, I really enjoyed the French influence where naming conventions are concerned. Sometimes a paragraph or sentence would strike me exactly the way it was intended to, and seeing those moments in this book were lovely.
⚔ The magic systems in this world are unique & interesting, but the lack of a specific focus on any one system made it a little difficult to ground myself in the world. ⚔
To put it plainly, there's a lot going on here. There's a leyline manipulation system, a spirit-based system that branches off into several different types of power (shaman, guardian, etc.), and a magic possessed by small dragon companions called kaas.
Each one of these systems is really cool, with a couple distinctive features that can be difficult to accomplish in a genre that has already covered every conceivable magical concept. But the reader is kept at an arm's length while reading about them, never delving into any of the three in intimate detail.
There is a lot of magic-related talk throughout the book, but little in the way of thorough explanation which results in the reader feeling very much in the dark.
⚔ The main characters of this book are easily distinguishable from one another & given equal significance to the plot, but none of the three ever reached out to connect with me. ⚔
Sarine, Erris, and Arak'Jur all endure a range of physical & emotional challenges. They all experience some development, and they all feel believable within the bounds of the world Mealing has created. I had a few scattered moments where my investment spiked, but I never felt myself establish a personal link to any of them.
⚔ The plot is well thought out & complex, but the payoff of the conclusion is not worth the time it takes to get there. ⚔
Soul of the World spends the first 50% establishing each character in their routine existence. The last 50% details their role in the current conflict & begins weaving together their individual tales. This is normally a layout I can get behind.
Slow paces are my favorite, as I feel it allows the author much more time for world-building. The world Mealing has built here is by no means poorly assembled. I love the military & old world atmosphere that is established here.
But more often than not, I was slogging through the minutiae of the story just waiting for an interesting revelation or an action scene to pull me back in.
Overall, I'm glad to have read this story. Mealing is an author to keep an eye on, because this is a wonderful accomplishment of a debut. With a little more experience, all the tools to create something new & amazing are present.
This review and other reviews of mine can be found on Book Nest!
***I received a copy of Soul of the World from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Orbit and David Mealing for this opportunity.***
Publication Date: June 27th, 2017
Here we go with a "Pros & Cons" review, as that seems to be my go-to with 3 star books. In this review though, I'm going to italicize the pros and bold the cons because often times there are positive & negative aspects of the same point.
⚔ The writing takes on a beautiful, French-influenced style, but is oddly constructed & tiresome to read. ⚔
Soul of the World is written in a way that causes my inner narrator to stumble all over the page. She tends to do that a little bit anyway, but in particular I found myself going back to reread sentences way more than I am comfortable with.
A couple peculiar, recurring word choices combined with an occasionally odd sentence structure had me feeling a little like I was reading a translation. The author's profile says that he speaks French, which may explain where some of the unfamiliar phrasing & language structure come from.
Now, this may not be a problem for everyone who reads this book, but it was for me.
That being said, I really enjoyed the French influence where naming conventions are concerned. Sometimes a paragraph or sentence would strike me exactly the way it was intended to, and seeing those moments in this book were lovely.
⚔ The magic systems in this world are unique & interesting, but the lack of a specific focus on any one system made it a little difficult to ground myself in the world. ⚔
To put it plainly, there's a lot going on here. There's a leyline manipulation system, a spirit-based system that branches off into several different types of power (shaman, guardian, etc.), and a magic possessed by small dragon companions called kaas.
Each one of these systems is really cool, with a couple distinctive features that can be difficult to accomplish in a genre that has already covered every conceivable magical concept. But the reader is kept at an arm's length while reading about them, never delving into any of the three in intimate detail.
There is a lot of magic-related talk throughout the book, but little in the way of thorough explanation which results in the reader feeling very much in the dark.
⚔ The main characters of this book are easily distinguishable from one another & given equal significance to the plot, but none of the three ever reached out to connect with me. ⚔
Sarine, Erris, and Arak'Jur all endure a range of physical & emotional challenges. They all experience some development, and they all feel believable within the bounds of the world Mealing has created. I had a few scattered moments where my investment spiked, but I never felt myself establish a personal link to any of them.
⚔ The plot is well thought out & complex, but the payoff of the conclusion is not worth the time it takes to get there. ⚔
Soul of the World spends the first 50% establishing each character in their routine existence. The last 50% details their role in the current conflict & begins weaving together their individual tales. This is normally a layout I can get behind.
Slow paces are my favorite, as I feel it allows the author much more time for world-building. The world Mealing has built here is by no means poorly assembled. I love the military & old world atmosphere that is established here.
But more often than not, I was slogging through the minutiae of the story just waiting for an interesting revelation or an action scene to pull me back in.
Overall, I'm glad to have read this story. Mealing is an author to keep an eye on, because this is a wonderful accomplishment of a debut. With a little more experience, all the tools to create something new & amazing are present.
This review and other reviews of mine can be found on Book Nest!
***I received a copy of Soul of the World from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Orbit and David Mealing for this opportunity.***
Publication Date: June 27th, 2017
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October 3, 2023Dnf. Still reading, so go away.
September 6, 2017
I've had a lot of luck with debuts over the past year, and this one was no exception – it’s a great beginning to an epic fantasy series. Likeable main characters using multiple well thought out (and more importantly, interesting) magic systems, in a French Revolution-influenced setting. First thing I did upon finishing was look for any news on the sequel, which is always a good sign!
Not a caveat, necessarily, but definitely something to be aware of going in – it does have a fairly deliberate start as the three POV characters, each in very different social settings and with distinct magic systems, are introduced immediately and don’t (incredibly minor spoiler) cross paths until a fair bit later in the book. This means that even though each of the three storylines individually build at a good pace, the book as a whole takes longer to hit its stride because you’re getting three lots of that initial ‘building’ phase all at once.
Importantly, though, I never felt as though the story was actually slow at any point - and if you’re into epic fantasy then I don’t think that this sort of start would bother you anyway. It’s certainly not something I particularly mind as long as the pay-off is worth it by the end, and in this case I'm happy to report that it is.
Anyway, bottom line – I really enjoyed it. If epic fantasy is your thing, Soul of the World is definitely worth a look!
Not a caveat, necessarily, but definitely something to be aware of going in – it does have a fairly deliberate start as the three POV characters, each in very different social settings and with distinct magic systems, are introduced immediately and don’t (incredibly minor spoiler) cross paths until a fair bit later in the book. This means that even though each of the three storylines individually build at a good pace, the book as a whole takes longer to hit its stride because you’re getting three lots of that initial ‘building’ phase all at once.
Importantly, though, I never felt as though the story was actually slow at any point - and if you’re into epic fantasy then I don’t think that this sort of start would bother you anyway. It’s certainly not something I particularly mind as long as the pay-off is worth it by the end, and in this case I'm happy to report that it is.
Anyway, bottom line – I really enjoyed it. If epic fantasy is your thing, Soul of the World is definitely worth a look!
May 1, 2017
For once a much hyped debut that mostly lived up to expectations - set on a New World like continent where the analogue of 18th century French (Sarresant) and English (Gand) colonies battle it out between themselves, while revolution is brewing in the New Sarresant capital with its faux-Versailles (Rasailles) analogue, not to speak of quite a few French language interludes here and there to reinforce that, with analogue native Americans on the side - here there are magical big beasts (this is one of the highlights of the novel as quite a few appear) roaming on the continent against which the colonists don't have good defenses so after they dispossessed and exterminated the tribes close to the shore - with the help of interior tribes which were their hereditary enemies - they built a "magical" barrier to stop the beasts, so cannot expand easily in the interior despite having the usual superior firepower (guns etc), but there is trade and occasional discovery expeditions as the colonists magic expands based on territory (and its qualities) size
Lots of magic and high stakes - sometimes i felt the novel has a little too much magic for my tastes - and pointy villain hats/shiny superhero (1)-heroines (those are 2) costumes pretty much from page 1 (or at least from the page where their pov's appear as the book has the 3 alternating in pov's with various interludes from other players, all split in seasons like parts from Spring to Winter), but entertaining, twists, powerful narrative and imagery and a book that i was skeptical to start with (those magic systems) but then couldn't put down when started as the narrative flow is so powerful that it makes one turn the pages to see what happens; good ending (with one more cool twist) though clearly a stopping point to be continued.
Definitely needs a re-read to pick subtler points (and the cryptic utterances of Sarine's magical reptilian like companion Zi who is one of the coolest characters of the novel - having Zi who manifests himself at will to anyone else so is unseen by most people incidentally makes Sarine one of the few ever to have two kinds of magical power, the colonists' kind with bindings of various types and the rare and unknown at start to most people color based which Zi manifests, while the tribes' magic with spirits and talking with the magical beasts is the 3rd kind of course)
Overall quite highly recommended and a top 10 of mine for the year with the sequel a huge asap (there is an author interview at the end which gives hints about where the sequel will go and what new characters will appear)
Lots of magic and high stakes - sometimes i felt the novel has a little too much magic for my tastes - and pointy villain hats/shiny superhero (1)-heroines (those are 2) costumes pretty much from page 1 (or at least from the page where their pov's appear as the book has the 3 alternating in pov's with various interludes from other players, all split in seasons like parts from Spring to Winter), but entertaining, twists, powerful narrative and imagery and a book that i was skeptical to start with (those magic systems) but then couldn't put down when started as the narrative flow is so powerful that it makes one turn the pages to see what happens; good ending (with one more cool twist) though clearly a stopping point to be continued.
Definitely needs a re-read to pick subtler points (and the cryptic utterances of Sarine's magical reptilian like companion Zi who is one of the coolest characters of the novel - having Zi who manifests himself at will to anyone else so is unseen by most people incidentally makes Sarine one of the few ever to have two kinds of magical power, the colonists' kind with bindings of various types and the rare and unknown at start to most people color based which Zi manifests, while the tribes' magic with spirits and talking with the magical beasts is the 3rd kind of course)
Overall quite highly recommended and a top 10 of mine for the year with the sequel a huge asap (there is an author interview at the end which gives hints about where the sequel will go and what new characters will appear)
September 5, 2017
Review from Tenacious Reader: http://www.tenaciousreader.com/2017/0...
Soul of the World is a good debut that sets the stage for an epic, world spanning series featuring magic, fantastical creatures and beasts. Three very different perspectives are used to give us the world view, which features a new and old world, and while there are different names, it feels much like England, France and the Americas.
Aruk’Jar gives insights into the wilds and tribal life and customs. There is a strong tradition of gender roles here and even the magic is split according to “women’s magic”. But we do see strong females here, women can hold on to that magic as a power for themselves. Aruk’Jar has a very “do the right thing” type of personality and is driven to his best for the benefit of his tribe.
Erris shows the reader what life is like on the battlefield and an understanding of the war that is going on. She is in command of a military campaign and is doing a stellar job (I love women who excel in military positions). I really like Erris, she is a strong leader and soldier. She also has magic to aid her, and uses that to her advantage in keeping her troops as safe and effective as they can be.
Sarine is a street artist, and through her we find out what city life is like in New Serresant which seems to be on the brink of a revolution as the common people are beginning the fight for equality and to bring an end to nobles/aristocrats having so much control. It is a city that is beginning to boil with unrest, and Sarine finds herself with a prime seat it in action.
I love Sarine. In fact sometimes I felt like I loved her chapters to the point of it being a detriment to the others. I didn’t want to leave her, and found my interests waning a bit when I would have to shift gears and focus on another story line. Sarine also has a mysterious familiar (descriptions make it sound like a small dragon like creature) that is invisible to others. This creature helps guide Sarine, though his motivations and reasons are not always clear, it is clear he is helpful. And she is powerful. Anyone with magical ability is supposed to be tested (and then pretty much branded), but Sarine has managed to avoid that fate and keeps her abilities hidden. That adds a level of risk for her whenever she taps into her ability, as doing so runs the risk that someone might detect her ability.
My main complaint with this book is that I hate when I rank POVs so easily. And there was a definite hierarchy here for me, with Sarine at the top and Aruk’Jar at the bottom. I am guessing that won’t be the case for all readers as I do feel like all POVs are well written, and each has their own interesting element to add to the over all narrative. But for me, I felt a much stronger connection to Sarine and her story (followed by Erris). Is it wrong the author made me love them so much? No, definitely not. I just wish I was able to have a bit more of a connection to Aruk’Jar’s storyline. I think I felt somewhat similar to his storyline as I did about most of Daenerys’s chapters in A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin. I know these chapters are needed, and that there will likely be a stronger pay off as the series progresses, but currently, I feel more detached.
Overall, I would Soul of the World is a strong debut that brings interesting magic to a world that is on the brink of major changes and conflict. I am hoping some of the places where my interest waned a bit pay off in subsequent books (because when there is so much to learn about a world, sometimes the pace can slow).
Soul of the World is a good debut that sets the stage for an epic, world spanning series featuring magic, fantastical creatures and beasts. Three very different perspectives are used to give us the world view, which features a new and old world, and while there are different names, it feels much like England, France and the Americas.
Aruk’Jar gives insights into the wilds and tribal life and customs. There is a strong tradition of gender roles here and even the magic is split according to “women’s magic”. But we do see strong females here, women can hold on to that magic as a power for themselves. Aruk’Jar has a very “do the right thing” type of personality and is driven to his best for the benefit of his tribe.
Erris shows the reader what life is like on the battlefield and an understanding of the war that is going on. She is in command of a military campaign and is doing a stellar job (I love women who excel in military positions). I really like Erris, she is a strong leader and soldier. She also has magic to aid her, and uses that to her advantage in keeping her troops as safe and effective as they can be.
Sarine is a street artist, and through her we find out what city life is like in New Serresant which seems to be on the brink of a revolution as the common people are beginning the fight for equality and to bring an end to nobles/aristocrats having so much control. It is a city that is beginning to boil with unrest, and Sarine finds herself with a prime seat it in action.
I love Sarine. In fact sometimes I felt like I loved her chapters to the point of it being a detriment to the others. I didn’t want to leave her, and found my interests waning a bit when I would have to shift gears and focus on another story line. Sarine also has a mysterious familiar (descriptions make it sound like a small dragon like creature) that is invisible to others. This creature helps guide Sarine, though his motivations and reasons are not always clear, it is clear he is helpful. And she is powerful. Anyone with magical ability is supposed to be tested (and then pretty much branded), but Sarine has managed to avoid that fate and keeps her abilities hidden. That adds a level of risk for her whenever she taps into her ability, as doing so runs the risk that someone might detect her ability.
My main complaint with this book is that I hate when I rank POVs so easily. And there was a definite hierarchy here for me, with Sarine at the top and Aruk’Jar at the bottom. I am guessing that won’t be the case for all readers as I do feel like all POVs are well written, and each has their own interesting element to add to the over all narrative. But for me, I felt a much stronger connection to Sarine and her story (followed by Erris). Is it wrong the author made me love them so much? No, definitely not. I just wish I was able to have a bit more of a connection to Aruk’Jar’s storyline. I think I felt somewhat similar to his storyline as I did about most of Daenerys’s chapters in A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin. I know these chapters are needed, and that there will likely be a stronger pay off as the series progresses, but currently, I feel more detached.
Overall, I would Soul of the World is a strong debut that brings interesting magic to a world that is on the brink of major changes and conflict. I am hoping some of the places where my interest waned a bit pay off in subsequent books (because when there is so much to learn about a world, sometimes the pace can slow).
May 7, 2022
Si j'avais pu j'aurai mis bien au dessus des 5 étoiles !
Voilà ma plus belle lecture depuis décembre dernier... Une série pleine de promesses ! David Mealing mélange de l'Epic et de la Flintlock Fantasy et nous offre un premier tome exceptionnel, très axé sur ses personnages (tous cohérents et tellement attachants), une carte qui change des codes eurocentrés largement vus et pas moins de 3 (voir 6) systèmes de magie différents !!!!! L'histoire de ce Nouveau Monde, nous permet de plonger dans le concept de lutte de classes et d'égalité que ce soit dans les colonies ou bien les tribus indigènes. Tout est lié, la carte, les personnages, la magie.
Un récit qui a des airs à Jordan et Moorcock, quelques influences à la Jacqueline Carey dont Mealing est fan et forcément on pense aussi à Steven Erikson, Sanderson, Brent Weeks et Brian McClellan.
Un livre sans temps mort où la tension finale est digne d'une fin de série malgré un twist final qui appelle à une seule chose... Plonger dans le tome 2 lol
Voilà ma plus belle lecture depuis décembre dernier... Une série pleine de promesses ! David Mealing mélange de l'Epic et de la Flintlock Fantasy et nous offre un premier tome exceptionnel, très axé sur ses personnages (tous cohérents et tellement attachants), une carte qui change des codes eurocentrés largement vus et pas moins de 3 (voir 6) systèmes de magie différents !!!!! L'histoire de ce Nouveau Monde, nous permet de plonger dans le concept de lutte de classes et d'égalité que ce soit dans les colonies ou bien les tribus indigènes. Tout est lié, la carte, les personnages, la magie.
Un récit qui a des airs à Jordan et Moorcock, quelques influences à la Jacqueline Carey dont Mealing est fan et forcément on pense aussi à Steven Erikson, Sanderson, Brent Weeks et Brian McClellan.
Un livre sans temps mort où la tension finale est digne d'une fin de série malgré un twist final qui appelle à une seule chose... Plonger dans le tome 2 lol
August 8, 2017
Complex and interesting flintlock fantasy with 3 separate magic systems. The writing is a bit dense though, but the series has definitely potential. More thoughts will follow in a wrap-up/recent reads video.
July 5, 2017
Actual Rating 2.5 Stars
This had some great elements that I think adult fantasy readers would really enjoy. The magic system was creative, the beast were fascinating, the characters were well developped, and the world was intriguing. Despite all that, I had quite a few issues with it. All the names and titles were pretty confusing and some of the french was a little off. For example, instead of "sauver" it said "saver". Not to mention, one of the major enemies could have been eliminated if the main character had just killed him when he was unconscious instead of running away in the first part of the book.
It also took me a while to understand the world and I had to reread a lot of sentences at first because I didnt know what was going on. Once I understood the world more I was able to appreciate the fact that we get two different worlds in this book. The world of the tribes and the world with the monarchy. The different magic systems in these 2 different worlds was fantastic. The magic was one of the best parts. I thought the tribe magic and culture were compelling.
However, the military terms that drowned Erris perspective made me feel removed from her story because I didnt understand them. I dont mind strategic war planning but the terms I didnt understand were a big issue for me personally. I still thought she was a kickbutt female with an engaging story line. My favorite of the three main characters was probably Sarine. I loved that shes an artist and the idea of her having a familiar, but sadly, I didn't like her familiar all that much. He was just plain frustrating and not very likeable.
The main character from the tribes, ArakJur had an interesting story line, but some of his thoughts seemed a bit ridiculous at times. For example, "Let Corenna grieve with tears and sickness, the way of a woman. He would grieve with the roar of a man." I didnt like his girlfriend from the start, but her character developpement was fun to read about. I ended up rooting for a relationship between ArakJur and Corenna instead. I really liked Corenna. I thought she was a wonderful and strong female character.
I almost gave up on this book because it felt like it was taking me forever to finish. I have a short attention span so books need to be fast pace to hook me and this book wasnt. It took me over a week to read which is twice the amount of time it would take me to read a normal book that size. Once I finally got invested in a character, the story would switch to another characters perspective and Id lose interest. I was also disapointed that some of the plot twists were obvious, but I found the gods and spirits plot line entertaining. Overall, I just wasnt the right reader for this. I dont have the patience for it, but adult fantasy readers should enjoy this more than I did.
*received in exchange for an honest review*
This had some great elements that I think adult fantasy readers would really enjoy. The magic system was creative, the beast were fascinating, the characters were well developped, and the world was intriguing. Despite all that, I had quite a few issues with it. All the names and titles were pretty confusing and some of the french was a little off. For example, instead of "sauver" it said "saver". Not to mention, one of the major enemies could have been eliminated if the main character had just killed him when he was unconscious instead of running away in the first part of the book.
It also took me a while to understand the world and I had to reread a lot of sentences at first because I didnt know what was going on. Once I understood the world more I was able to appreciate the fact that we get two different worlds in this book. The world of the tribes and the world with the monarchy. The different magic systems in these 2 different worlds was fantastic. The magic was one of the best parts. I thought the tribe magic and culture were compelling.
However, the military terms that drowned Erris perspective made me feel removed from her story because I didnt understand them. I dont mind strategic war planning but the terms I didnt understand were a big issue for me personally. I still thought she was a kickbutt female with an engaging story line. My favorite of the three main characters was probably Sarine. I loved that shes an artist and the idea of her having a familiar, but sadly, I didn't like her familiar all that much. He was just plain frustrating and not very likeable.
The main character from the tribes, ArakJur had an interesting story line, but some of his thoughts seemed a bit ridiculous at times. For example, "Let Corenna grieve with tears and sickness, the way of a woman. He would grieve with the roar of a man." I didnt like his girlfriend from the start, but her character developpement was fun to read about. I ended up rooting for a relationship between ArakJur and Corenna instead. I really liked Corenna. I thought she was a wonderful and strong female character.
I almost gave up on this book because it felt like it was taking me forever to finish. I have a short attention span so books need to be fast pace to hook me and this book wasnt. It took me over a week to read which is twice the amount of time it would take me to read a normal book that size. Once I finally got invested in a character, the story would switch to another characters perspective and Id lose interest. I was also disapointed that some of the plot twists were obvious, but I found the gods and spirits plot line entertaining. Overall, I just wasnt the right reader for this. I dont have the patience for it, but adult fantasy readers should enjoy this more than I did.
*received in exchange for an honest review*
June 25, 2017
Honestly, I’ve been eager to read Soul of the World since I stumbled across it on Goodreads several months ago and had high expectations. I’m glad to say that overall it lived up to my hopes and, though not quite perfect, it was a riveting debut. It’s got everything I could possibly want in a fantasy book- a complex magic system, battles, and the comforting trope of the chosen one, though in this case it’s chosen ones.
Set in a colonial, flintlock fantasy era, Soul of the World provides a fascinating reflection of North American colonialism with more than a dash of French Revolution stirred into the mix as well. Personally, I love this era with all its finery and cries of egalité in the streets. There’s such upheaval and it lends itself quite well to a fantasy story. The need for a leader or hero in New Serresant is an opening that anyone with enough charisma or influence can fill which isn’t necessarily a good thing for anyone involved. While the elite are embroiled in their machinations, the soldiery is up against a foe that seems to know their every move, and the streets of New Serresant are about to erupt in riots. People are crying out for equality and a proper meal. All in all, it’s a rather compelling setting and atmosphere conducive to a tale of epic proportions and I haven’t even mentioned the tribes that exist beyond the Veil! The tribes were fascinating and had just as much as drama as the pseudo-European nobility found in the colonies. I’m glad to see the tribes played a significant role in the story and didn’t fall by the wayside as the colonial drama unfolded.
The magic system in Soul of the World is comparable to the storyline in its complexity. It doesn’t overwhelm at the beginning and the reader is introduced to new concepts in digestible amounts. I found that as the story progressed it got more and more confusing because the basic rules (which were vague) were no longer applicable. Let me give you a brief and simplified overview. First of all, you have Binders which use the energies found along leylines to summon power. They can enhance their senses, break bindings, set things on fire, and heal to name a few abilities. Second we have the tribal people’s gifts which are more varied and rely on spirits. Guardians gain the blessing of beast spirits each time they defeat a great beast, meaning they can mimic its abilities. Shamans can see the future and the women have elemental magic. Lastly we have those individuals like Sarine, who has an invisible companion called a kaas, which is a gem-like serpent creature that grants her some unique powers. Like I said, this is much simplified but you can begin to see how much of a role magic plays in Soul of the World.
Soul of the World was an excellent debut and a fine addition to my book collection. The whole point of the book is to introduce readers to the characters that will possibly be ascending to a semblance of godhood. The interludes give readers a glimpse of those who currently hold that title and how they work to hinder or help those that may replace them. I found the introduction to the larger purpose to be somewhat unenlightening and felt that it really needed more than a bare handful of chapters to really make me care. The characters however… I loved the characters. Each of the main POV’s was inherently good and very likable. Erris d’Arrent and Sarine were awesome, though I wish the two could have properly met and had a nice chat together. Arak’Jur, guardian of the Sinari tribe, was just so darn honorable! Even the secondary characters were well-written and I would love to have had POVs for a few of them, especially Reyne d’Agarre. If you’ve debate whether or not to invest your time in this rather hefty book, you can stop now. It was a top-notch read that I would highly recommend and can’t wait to see where the sequel will lead!
Set in a colonial, flintlock fantasy era, Soul of the World provides a fascinating reflection of North American colonialism with more than a dash of French Revolution stirred into the mix as well. Personally, I love this era with all its finery and cries of egalité in the streets. There’s such upheaval and it lends itself quite well to a fantasy story. The need for a leader or hero in New Serresant is an opening that anyone with enough charisma or influence can fill which isn’t necessarily a good thing for anyone involved. While the elite are embroiled in their machinations, the soldiery is up against a foe that seems to know their every move, and the streets of New Serresant are about to erupt in riots. People are crying out for equality and a proper meal. All in all, it’s a rather compelling setting and atmosphere conducive to a tale of epic proportions and I haven’t even mentioned the tribes that exist beyond the Veil! The tribes were fascinating and had just as much as drama as the pseudo-European nobility found in the colonies. I’m glad to see the tribes played a significant role in the story and didn’t fall by the wayside as the colonial drama unfolded.
The magic system in Soul of the World is comparable to the storyline in its complexity. It doesn’t overwhelm at the beginning and the reader is introduced to new concepts in digestible amounts. I found that as the story progressed it got more and more confusing because the basic rules (which were vague) were no longer applicable. Let me give you a brief and simplified overview. First of all, you have Binders which use the energies found along leylines to summon power. They can enhance their senses, break bindings, set things on fire, and heal to name a few abilities. Second we have the tribal people’s gifts which are more varied and rely on spirits. Guardians gain the blessing of beast spirits each time they defeat a great beast, meaning they can mimic its abilities. Shamans can see the future and the women have elemental magic. Lastly we have those individuals like Sarine, who has an invisible companion called a kaas, which is a gem-like serpent creature that grants her some unique powers. Like I said, this is much simplified but you can begin to see how much of a role magic plays in Soul of the World.
Soul of the World was an excellent debut and a fine addition to my book collection. The whole point of the book is to introduce readers to the characters that will possibly be ascending to a semblance of godhood. The interludes give readers a glimpse of those who currently hold that title and how they work to hinder or help those that may replace them. I found the introduction to the larger purpose to be somewhat unenlightening and felt that it really needed more than a bare handful of chapters to really make me care. The characters however… I loved the characters. Each of the main POV’s was inherently good and very likable. Erris d’Arrent and Sarine were awesome, though I wish the two could have properly met and had a nice chat together. Arak’Jur, guardian of the Sinari tribe, was just so darn honorable! Even the secondary characters were well-written and I would love to have had POVs for a few of them, especially Reyne d’Agarre. If you’ve debate whether or not to invest your time in this rather hefty book, you can stop now. It was a top-notch read that I would highly recommend and can’t wait to see where the sequel will lead!
April 24, 2018
4.5 out of 5. Click here for my full review:
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https://outofthisworldrev.blogspot.co...
December 6, 2017
I enjoyed this is parts. Great world building, some interesting characters (3 POVs) and 3 different magic systems for the separate characters. It was slow at times with a tonne of info dumps. I felt like this was very similar to Sanderson in style but just didnt get there in the end.
Each characters has there positives but I really didnt care too much for Erris. There just didnt seem to be a great connection there. Sarine was by far the best storyline as well as the side character Zi. Another gripe I had was that I just found that I was reading 3 separate characters who were slowly powering up in a sense like WoW.
The world buidling was slow but amazing, very reminiscent of a North American colonial times French etc. However, I also found the setting and stylistic features very familiar, as if the author had just read Sandersons stormlight archive series and written his own version.
I really enjoyed the magic systems but maybe if theyd been explained a little more in detail or quicker may have engrossed me a little more.
I was a little confused with the ending and some decision making on behalf of characters. All in all a solid debut, Im sure the sequel will only be better.
Each characters has there positives but I really didnt care too much for Erris. There just didnt seem to be a great connection there. Sarine was by far the best storyline as well as the side character Zi. Another gripe I had was that I just found that I was reading 3 separate characters who were slowly powering up in a sense like WoW.
The world buidling was slow but amazing, very reminiscent of a North American colonial times French etc. However, I also found the setting and stylistic features very familiar, as if the author had just read Sandersons stormlight archive series and written his own version.
I really enjoyed the magic systems but maybe if theyd been explained a little more in detail or quicker may have engrossed me a little more.
I was a little confused with the ending and some decision making on behalf of characters. All in all a solid debut, Im sure the sequel will only be better.
April 30, 2018
Thank you NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
I feel very conflicted about this book, hence the 3 star rating. I took me such a long time to understand what was going on and understand which each of the characters were. I think I was at about 25% of the book when everything started to make sense to me.
I really enjoyed reading the parts of some characters, but the others felt slow and a bit boring.
On a better note, I just loved how each story is intricately linked and how the characters meet and interact with each other.
The ending was much more interesting to me than the rest of the book so I will really consider reading the sequel.
(side note, as a French native, I was so annoyed about the massive grammatical French mistakes at the end. If you want to write dialogues in French, lease make sure you get this right)
I feel very conflicted about this book, hence the 3 star rating. I took me such a long time to understand what was going on and understand which each of the characters were. I think I was at about 25% of the book when everything started to make sense to me.
I really enjoyed reading the parts of some characters, but the others felt slow and a bit boring.
On a better note, I just loved how each story is intricately linked and how the characters meet and interact with each other.
The ending was much more interesting to me than the rest of the book so I will really consider reading the sequel.
(side note, as a French native, I was so annoyed about the massive grammatical French mistakes at the end. If you want to write dialogues in French, lease make sure you get this right)
January 7, 2019
F***k me, I don't know how but I managed to finish this one (okay tbh I skimmed like most of it). I was close on DNF:ing it several times. Don't know why I didn't. While I'm glad I managed to finish the book, I probably should have DNF bc I didn't get much out from it
Also I had apparently started reading it before? Had almost forgotten that but found a bookmark around chapter 5.
Was it a that bad book? Probably. I don't know. I couldn't get into it at all. It had several (like three) magic systems with little explanation but also flintlock elements. The only character arc f the three that we followed I could follow was Sarene's. I think the book might have tried to be a lot of stuff or maybe my brain is just generally confused. It takes until the end of the book for the main three characters to meet and the battle there should prolly have been more interesting and exciting hadn't I been bored out of my mind and skimmed like 70% of the book up to that point.
Also I had apparently started reading it before? Had almost forgotten that but found a bookmark around chapter 5.
Was it a that bad book? Probably. I don't know. I couldn't get into it at all. It had several (like three) magic systems with little explanation but also flintlock elements. The only character arc f the three that we followed I could follow was Sarene's. I think the book might have tried to be a lot of stuff or maybe my brain is just generally confused. It takes until the end of the book for the main three characters to meet and the battle there should prolly have been more interesting and exciting hadn't I been bored out of my mind and skimmed like 70% of the book up to that point.
March 20, 2017
Thank you, Netgalley, for the opportunity to read and review this book. My views are entirely my own.
I thoroughly enjoyed this read. Lovers of Jack Whyte's Camulod Chronicles, Sanderson's Mistborn series and Rothfuss's The Name of the Wind will love this book. Engaging characters, immersive storylines, a unique magic system and a beautifully painted world will grip characters and leave them begging for the sequel.
I thoroughly enjoyed this read. Lovers of Jack Whyte's Camulod Chronicles, Sanderson's Mistborn series and Rothfuss's The Name of the Wind will love this book. Engaging characters, immersive storylines, a unique magic system and a beautifully painted world will grip characters and leave them begging for the sequel.
Read
October 24, 2018I'm giving p on this one at around 20% because it just didn't really seem to be working for me. I think there were a few things that I struggled with when reading this, namely the different magic systems which seemed fairly complex and didn't really get explained as much as I hoped, and my lack of interesting in all of the storylines. I did find some parts I really liked, and Sarine seemed like a character I could easily enjoy reading about, but in the end her plot was overshadowed by the others which I didn't care for so much.
This story has a few different characters. We initially follow Sarine and her "familiar" who work the streets together as an artist and her hidden sidekick. She's a pretty intriguing character as personally I love artist characters and I think she had a lot of potential for slipping into interesting places and seeing things. However, her familiar was also a big draw and Zee (I think he was called that, it was on audiobook I listened to this) kept me really fascinated.
We then have Arak'jur who is a shaman of some kind. He wields a beast power and his is hoping to help his people as there is in-fighting all around him and he wants to unite them and teach them to fight for a good cause.
We have Erris too who is a cavalry officer leading a charge. I found her to be interesting at first (a lady in command is definitely more interesting to me than usual) but as time went on I didn't enjoy her plot as much as I wanted to and after having read a book quite recently about warfare led by a lady (Guns of the Dawn by Tchaikovsky) which I felt was executed better I struggled to enjoy her plot.
The magic of this world seems to be a bit vague at first, quite a few systems in play, some involving bindings and using the mind etc., but I just didn't really feel like I ever understood it.
The world was fairly standard too and didn't stand out too much as a unique world to me. I would have liked to see a little bit more variety and see more of the wider world, but maybe that would have come later on in the story.
In the end, I could just tell I was starting to struggle too much with wanting to read this, and I decided that I needed to give up on it. I won't rate it as I didn't get all that far with it, but I can't see it having improved to anything above a 2*s for me.
This story has a few different characters. We initially follow Sarine and her "familiar" who work the streets together as an artist and her hidden sidekick. She's a pretty intriguing character as personally I love artist characters and I think she had a lot of potential for slipping into interesting places and seeing things. However, her familiar was also a big draw and Zee (I think he was called that, it was on audiobook I listened to this) kept me really fascinated.
We then have Arak'jur who is a shaman of some kind. He wields a beast power and his is hoping to help his people as there is in-fighting all around him and he wants to unite them and teach them to fight for a good cause.
We have Erris too who is a cavalry officer leading a charge. I found her to be interesting at first (a lady in command is definitely more interesting to me than usual) but as time went on I didn't enjoy her plot as much as I wanted to and after having read a book quite recently about warfare led by a lady (Guns of the Dawn by Tchaikovsky) which I felt was executed better I struggled to enjoy her plot.
The magic of this world seems to be a bit vague at first, quite a few systems in play, some involving bindings and using the mind etc., but I just didn't really feel like I ever understood it.
The world was fairly standard too and didn't stand out too much as a unique world to me. I would have liked to see a little bit more variety and see more of the wider world, but maybe that would have come later on in the story.
In the end, I could just tell I was starting to struggle too much with wanting to read this, and I decided that I needed to give up on it. I won't rate it as I didn't get all that far with it, but I can't see it having improved to anything above a 2*s for me.
March 4, 2018
I have THOUGHTS. and FEELINGS. and I can't express them all now, but I will in a review hopefully later this week because I think more people should be reading this book.
Update (03.04.18):
I'm writing this review because I loved this book and great books deserved to be talked about! It's no secret I love epic fantasy. I enjoy a ton of genres, but there's no shaking epic fantasy from the #1 spot. However, it's a very frustrating genre because it's been so focused on straight white male protagonists. To me, and to many other readers, that's tired and boring by now. I don't need the genre to be reinvented. I just need it to be more inclusive, and I'm very happy with this one.
I picked up Soul of the World on a whim. I knew I wanted a big, thick fantasy, but honestly, I often shy away from male authors. That's the majority of the genre, though, so I grabbed this one in B&N one day and decided to buy it because I was excited by the prospect of two of the three main characters being women (and the other being a man of color, but I didn't realize that just from reading the back cover).
Basically, the story takes place in a new world across an ocean from the old, so very much inspired by Europeans coming to North America. In this new world, there are indigenous tribes, colonies of Sarresant and Gand, and a wall that divides the two. The plot isn't easy to distill into a sentence or two because there's just so much going on. There's very cool magic and revolution and a shifting of gender roles and giant animals and gods with mysterious motivations.
There's so much in this book to love. I knew within a few pages that I'd enjoy this book, but it wasn't until I was about 200 pages in that I realized I couldn't put it down. No, not everyone's going to be down with the pacing, which is deliberate. This is epic fantasy, though. When is pacing not deliberate? Mealing's working with three main characters in three different locations with three different story-lines. Just like it takes time to get one ball rolling, it takes even longer to get three going.
The main characters as previewed on the back-cover synopsis:
Sarine is an artist on the streets of New Sarresant whose secret familiar helps her uncover bloodlust and madness where she expected only revolutionary fervor.
Arak'Jur wields the power of beasts to keep his people safe, but his strength cannot protect them from war amongst themselves.
Erris is a brilliant cavalry officer trying to defend New Sarresant from an enemy general armed with magic she barely understands.
I liked Sarine right away because she's an underdog. She makes a living by selling her drawings of the city and its noble inhabitants, and she lives in a church with a priest she calls Uncle. She also has to hide her magic, which she often uses to sneak into places in order to sketch nobles, because anyone with magic has to either serve in the army or buy their freedom.
She also has a dragon-like companion named Zi, who's mysterious and doesn't like to give straight answers. That's one of the four magic systems, all of which are incredible and a lot of fun, present in the book.
Arak'Jur is a member of the Sinari, one of the indigenous tribes. He bears the "Arak" in his name because he's a guardian of his people, which means when he kills an animal, he can ask to be granted a gift from that animal. It's a little hard to explain, but he can call upon these gifts, such as speed, in battle. In addition to guardians, men from the tribes communicate with the spirits in order to see the future. Those together are the second of the magic systems.
It took me a little while to warm up to Arak'Jur, but that might have been because his is the only non-colonial perspective. Consequently, I spent a lot of time at the beginning of his story trying to gauge how it would dovetail with the others. The tribes have different roles for men and women. Even their magic is considered to be separate, and here's where the third form of magic comes in (I'm counting the men and women's magic as two separate systems). One of the aspects of this story-line that I really enjoyed was how Mealing explored gender role within the tribes through Arak'Jur's eyes. Arak'Jur is also the only perspective from a person of color, as far as I can tell. I can't decide for anyone else whether it's good representation, but I think it's great that, in the white-male-protagonist-dominated world of epic fantasy, Mealing chose two women and a man of color for his main characters.
And, oh, my goodness. Erris. I can't even explain how much I liked Erris. She's a badass rising through the ranks of the army and doing everything she can to defend New Sarresant against Gand by wielding the fourth and final magic system, which involves being able to see different forces resting along leylines and "tether" them to oneself or someone else. The main forces are Life, Death, Body, and Shelter, and exploring the new continent exposes them to more. It's very cool. Also, Erris's motto is "only excellence, nothing more," and she even relies on it when she disagrees with a command straight from the Crown Prince. That's just awesome. I love all three mains, but I'm really looking forward to seeing more from Erris in book two.
There's a lot I can't say without giving things away. I just want a lot of people to read this and love it and talk to me about it, okay? Thank you. But seriously, I'd recommend this to any reader who loves epic fantasy and is patient enough to settle in for a long, intense journey.
Update (03.04.18):
I'm writing this review because I loved this book and great books deserved to be talked about! It's no secret I love epic fantasy. I enjoy a ton of genres, but there's no shaking epic fantasy from the #1 spot. However, it's a very frustrating genre because it's been so focused on straight white male protagonists. To me, and to many other readers, that's tired and boring by now. I don't need the genre to be reinvented. I just need it to be more inclusive, and I'm very happy with this one.
I picked up Soul of the World on a whim. I knew I wanted a big, thick fantasy, but honestly, I often shy away from male authors. That's the majority of the genre, though, so I grabbed this one in B&N one day and decided to buy it because I was excited by the prospect of two of the three main characters being women (and the other being a man of color, but I didn't realize that just from reading the back cover).
Basically, the story takes place in a new world across an ocean from the old, so very much inspired by Europeans coming to North America. In this new world, there are indigenous tribes, colonies of Sarresant and Gand, and a wall that divides the two. The plot isn't easy to distill into a sentence or two because there's just so much going on. There's very cool magic and revolution and a shifting of gender roles and giant animals and gods with mysterious motivations.
There's so much in this book to love. I knew within a few pages that I'd enjoy this book, but it wasn't until I was about 200 pages in that I realized I couldn't put it down. No, not everyone's going to be down with the pacing, which is deliberate. This is epic fantasy, though. When is pacing not deliberate? Mealing's working with three main characters in three different locations with three different story-lines. Just like it takes time to get one ball rolling, it takes even longer to get three going.
The main characters as previewed on the back-cover synopsis:
Sarine is an artist on the streets of New Sarresant whose secret familiar helps her uncover bloodlust and madness where she expected only revolutionary fervor.
Arak'Jur wields the power of beasts to keep his people safe, but his strength cannot protect them from war amongst themselves.
Erris is a brilliant cavalry officer trying to defend New Sarresant from an enemy general armed with magic she barely understands.
I liked Sarine right away because she's an underdog. She makes a living by selling her drawings of the city and its noble inhabitants, and she lives in a church with a priest she calls Uncle. She also has to hide her magic, which she often uses to sneak into places in order to sketch nobles, because anyone with magic has to either serve in the army or buy their freedom.
She also has a dragon-like companion named Zi, who's mysterious and doesn't like to give straight answers. That's one of the four magic systems, all of which are incredible and a lot of fun, present in the book.
Arak'Jur is a member of the Sinari, one of the indigenous tribes. He bears the "Arak" in his name because he's a guardian of his people, which means when he kills an animal, he can ask to be granted a gift from that animal. It's a little hard to explain, but he can call upon these gifts, such as speed, in battle. In addition to guardians, men from the tribes communicate with the spirits in order to see the future. Those together are the second of the magic systems.
It took me a little while to warm up to Arak'Jur, but that might have been because his is the only non-colonial perspective. Consequently, I spent a lot of time at the beginning of his story trying to gauge how it would dovetail with the others. The tribes have different roles for men and women. Even their magic is considered to be separate, and here's where the third form of magic comes in (I'm counting the men and women's magic as two separate systems). One of the aspects of this story-line that I really enjoyed was how Mealing explored gender role within the tribes through Arak'Jur's eyes. Arak'Jur is also the only perspective from a person of color, as far as I can tell. I can't decide for anyone else whether it's good representation, but I think it's great that, in the white-male-protagonist-dominated world of epic fantasy, Mealing chose two women and a man of color for his main characters.
And, oh, my goodness. Erris. I can't even explain how much I liked Erris. She's a badass rising through the ranks of the army and doing everything she can to defend New Sarresant against Gand by wielding the fourth and final magic system, which involves being able to see different forces resting along leylines and "tether" them to oneself or someone else. The main forces are Life, Death, Body, and Shelter, and exploring the new continent exposes them to more. It's very cool. Also, Erris's motto is "only excellence, nothing more," and she even relies on it when she disagrees with a command straight from the Crown Prince. That's just awesome. I love all three mains, but I'm really looking forward to seeing more from Erris in book two.
There's a lot I can't say without giving things away. I just want a lot of people to read this and love it and talk to me about it, okay? Thank you. But seriously, I'd recommend this to any reader who loves epic fantasy and is patient enough to settle in for a long, intense journey.
March 27, 2017
4.5 stars.
If you had asked me at about 50% into this book what I thought about it, my answer would have been much less enthusiastic than it ended up being. Readers praise this novel for its unique magic system, and it definitely is that - alas, it is also very confusing. Persistent confusion was my constant companion as I was reading the novel, and I had to resort to frequent scanning of previously read chapters to try to make sense of the divine structure - a structure which just did not seem to add up. I have to admit that it lessened my in-the-moment enjoyment of the book considerably. The one allowance I was willing to give the author was that the scope of the novel was admittedly enormous - and very impressive. And then there were the characters, which are the real selling point of the novel for me; had I not invested heavily in two of them from the get-go, I would have given up on the novel.
The book follows an alternating POV chapter structure, which I am well familiar with - and fond of - having been an ardent fan of George R R Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" for years. I fell for the first POV immediately; Sarine is a perfect choice for our introduction into the world. I was then pleasantly surprised that the second of the three main characters was another woman, Erris, and that the position of power and respect she commanded was not an aberration, but a norm in this world. The novel's treatment of women as equals and its lack of male bias makes it a definite stand out in the genre, especially taking into an account that the story is roughly set in the equivalent of our own American Revolution. The only character I did not feel affinity for was Arak'Jur, the novel's version of a Native American, and for about half of the book I inwardly groaned coming across chapters with his name in the marquee. I credit this to the relative increase in confusion while reading his chapters, as the magic/the divine relationship contained within them was the most convoluted, and the character's goals and desires perhaps the least appealing.
I have to add, too, that the persistent questions of "where is this going?" and "what are the goals of this plot?" were definitely plaguing my reading experience throughout at least the first half of the story. It felt as if the author dropped us in the middle of this world and left us there to explore without giving us any actual direction what to look for. But as the novel progressed, and my grasp of the magical/divine structure became tighter, my understanding of what the story is actually about became much clearer. At exactly 62% of the reading, I realized that I was suddenly completely immersed and obsessed with the world, the outcome, and the fates of the characters. The feeling quite snuck up at me. I also became much more invested in the previously unappealing Arak'Jur.
It's hard to express reasons for my sudden turn around without spoiling the plot, so all I can say to those who might be struggling with this novel is to keep on going and latch on to whatever it might be that you love about it, and sooner or later the novel will open up to you like a flower bud blooming open. Please forgive the awkward metaphor, but it works for me. The places this story goes are delightfully surprising, the characters worth rooting for, and while the ending will probably leave you with some lingering confusion, well, that's what the next books in the series are there for, I suppose. And I cannot wait to get my hands on those.
[Can I add that I loved the inverse of the "France" equivalent being the one to colonize the New World, and the "Britain"/"Spain" equivalents trying to get their own chunk of the bounty in military action? Is this an alternate reality? Or is this still our Earth, only a different "cycle"? So many great questions...]
If you had asked me at about 50% into this book what I thought about it, my answer would have been much less enthusiastic than it ended up being. Readers praise this novel for its unique magic system, and it definitely is that - alas, it is also very confusing. Persistent confusion was my constant companion as I was reading the novel, and I had to resort to frequent scanning of previously read chapters to try to make sense of the divine structure - a structure which just did not seem to add up. I have to admit that it lessened my in-the-moment enjoyment of the book considerably. The one allowance I was willing to give the author was that the scope of the novel was admittedly enormous - and very impressive. And then there were the characters, which are the real selling point of the novel for me; had I not invested heavily in two of them from the get-go, I would have given up on the novel.
The book follows an alternating POV chapter structure, which I am well familiar with - and fond of - having been an ardent fan of George R R Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" for years. I fell for the first POV immediately; Sarine is a perfect choice for our introduction into the world. I was then pleasantly surprised that the second of the three main characters was another woman, Erris, and that the position of power and respect she commanded was not an aberration, but a norm in this world. The novel's treatment of women as equals and its lack of male bias makes it a definite stand out in the genre, especially taking into an account that the story is roughly set in the equivalent of our own American Revolution. The only character I did not feel affinity for was Arak'Jur, the novel's version of a Native American, and for about half of the book I inwardly groaned coming across chapters with his name in the marquee. I credit this to the relative increase in confusion while reading his chapters, as the magic/the divine relationship contained within them was the most convoluted, and the character's goals and desires perhaps the least appealing.
I have to add, too, that the persistent questions of "where is this going?" and "what are the goals of this plot?" were definitely plaguing my reading experience throughout at least the first half of the story. It felt as if the author dropped us in the middle of this world and left us there to explore without giving us any actual direction what to look for. But as the novel progressed, and my grasp of the magical/divine structure became tighter, my understanding of what the story is actually about became much clearer. At exactly 62% of the reading, I realized that I was suddenly completely immersed and obsessed with the world, the outcome, and the fates of the characters. The feeling quite snuck up at me. I also became much more invested in the previously unappealing Arak'Jur.
It's hard to express reasons for my sudden turn around without spoiling the plot, so all I can say to those who might be struggling with this novel is to keep on going and latch on to whatever it might be that you love about it, and sooner or later the novel will open up to you like a flower bud blooming open. Please forgive the awkward metaphor, but it works for me. The places this story goes are delightfully surprising, the characters worth rooting for, and while the ending will probably leave you with some lingering confusion, well, that's what the next books in the series are there for, I suppose. And I cannot wait to get my hands on those.
[Can I add that I loved the inverse of the "France" equivalent being the one to colonize the New World, and the "Britain"/"Spain" equivalents trying to get their own chunk of the bounty in military action? Is this an alternate reality? Or is this still our Earth, only a different "cycle"? So many great questions...]
May 1, 2017
Soul of the World presents a meaty, magical epic series beginning set in a fantastical world with complex characters.
Sardine, a street rat raised by a charitable priest in the slums of Maw, finds her gifts - which she'd never particularly considered significant before - raising her to new heights and exploring new avenues of magic. Erris, a military commander, adapts new avenues of magic to protect her men and finds herself struggling with military devotion and thoughts of independence. Arak'Jur, guardian of his tribe, goes on a journey of discovery himself and finds new spirits and magics along the way. All three come into contact with dangerous and questionable forces along the way as well as those who have been overrun by greed and ambition.
The book is told in chapters that alternate in perspective between the main characters with interludes from secondary characters. The work also prominently features strong women, not as an exception, but as a norm and natural, which I very much appreciated. I found the styles of magic found in the book compelling and very interesting, even as I was a little lost the entire time. Perhaps the one downside is that so much of the book focuses on action and political/military/hunting maneuvers that not as much time is paid to actual character development and a plethora of characters are constantly coming in and out, making it very confusing at times to keep track of who is who. With so many focuses, it's hard to get a sense of what is actually important and where the book is going at times. But overall, a greatly written epic and an interesting foundation for a series, and I look forward to seeing where the books go.
Thanks to the publisher for an ARC in exchange for a fair review!
Sardine, a street rat raised by a charitable priest in the slums of Maw, finds her gifts - which she'd never particularly considered significant before - raising her to new heights and exploring new avenues of magic. Erris, a military commander, adapts new avenues of magic to protect her men and finds herself struggling with military devotion and thoughts of independence. Arak'Jur, guardian of his tribe, goes on a journey of discovery himself and finds new spirits and magics along the way. All three come into contact with dangerous and questionable forces along the way as well as those who have been overrun by greed and ambition.
The book is told in chapters that alternate in perspective between the main characters with interludes from secondary characters. The work also prominently features strong women, not as an exception, but as a norm and natural, which I very much appreciated. I found the styles of magic found in the book compelling and very interesting, even as I was a little lost the entire time. Perhaps the one downside is that so much of the book focuses on action and political/military/hunting maneuvers that not as much time is paid to actual character development and a plethora of characters are constantly coming in and out, making it very confusing at times to keep track of who is who. With so many focuses, it's hard to get a sense of what is actually important and where the book is going at times. But overall, a greatly written epic and an interesting foundation for a series, and I look forward to seeing where the books go.
Thanks to the publisher for an ARC in exchange for a fair review!
October 31, 2017
A debut epic fantasy with a ton of potential. This is a pretty fat book, and almost took me a week to finish reading. Being a debut it has its flaws, but, nonetheless it delivers a strong story, with a unique magic system and battle-actions to prove its merit. At some point, I was on the verge of giving up due to its slow pacing, but, as I'm a lover of fantasy I persisted, and was paid off moderately.
Being a first book in the trilogy this book is almost bowed down by the worldbuilding, which at times is rather rugged and cumbrous. The writing at places is a bit rough which irked my attention to the story at some point. The mythology and the religion surrounding the world is also yet to be explained, which remains vague, and as a result I'm not able to grasp the full scope of events that were happening and are about to happen. I have to mention the fact that I'm very much confused about the nature of the gods and goddesses in Mealing's fantasy world. The process of Ascension and 'The Three' is yet to be explained in detail pertaining to the myths hinted in the story.
Regarding the worldbuilding, imagine a 17th/18th century France or Spain in the colonial era where they embarked on journeys across the seas and made new settlements. So, the world of Mealing is comprised of the Old World and the New World (colonies in this respect), and the division between the civilisation and savages comes into portrayal of the tribes in the wild. Many readers might find in this tale a allegorical thread bringing up the era of colonisation and imperialism in the fabric of fantasy, but whatever it is...the implications are possible enough.
The story and the plot is rather slow, although there are tensions prevailing in the midst. The setting of New Sarrasent reminded me of 18th century France, and the uprising revolution brought a historic reminiscent of the day of Bastille, going red with canons, muskets, and Swords. The story is told through three viewpoints of the principal characters- Sarine, Erris, and ArakJur, with occasional interludes that incorporates minor characters or other players behind the game. The plot is divided into four major sections named after the seasons of Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter, insisting perhaps at the nature of the Gods and Goddesses. The battle-scenes were rightly done with the chaos, destruction, gunfire, and gore which reminded me of Erikson's Malazan series. This is a plus point for the author.
I already mentioned about the rough writing, but it smooths towards the end. And, the characters are interesting, though I wasn't emotionally invested in them in the beginning. But, as the story progressd I was able to connect with them and their motives and actions. Mealing gives us strong female characters here in Sarine, Erris, and Correna. ArakJur, the guardian of the Sinari tribe was a good male character with strength that plays his part in the story. I suspect that we are yet to get the full cast in this starting point, but these characters didn't fall flat with the somewhat tedious worldbuilding. I'm very much interested to know more about their part in the big game.
The magic system is new and inventive, and I would credit the author in this. The beast magic, and the power of spirits connected to nature and the wild wielded by ArakJur and the tribes is pretty cool. The other magic linked to something called leylines or faith was complex which manifests in colours: for e.g; green for life, and black for death etc... There are also mysterious creatures called 'Kaas' linked to the leylines magic users, and, Zi, the mysterious companion of Sarine is very interesting, which I would like to know more about and his magical powers.
All in all, this was an interesting read, I wouldn't term it as entertaining, but, I'm curious about what is to follow in the later books. I think that the author perhaps pulled too much strings in worldbuilding which affected the pace of the story. It's not until some 300 pages that the tempo starts to build up and the story progresses at a modest pace. I'm not yet sure about the minor twists and the open ending, where I expected a sort of blast, the ending was abrupt and the action not satisfactory. I recommend this novel to patient fantasy lovers, who have the tenacity to go through slow plots, and vague easter-eggs that is littered in the story. For myself, I would definitely be waiting for the sequel to come out.
Being a first book in the trilogy this book is almost bowed down by the worldbuilding, which at times is rather rugged and cumbrous. The writing at places is a bit rough which irked my attention to the story at some point. The mythology and the religion surrounding the world is also yet to be explained, which remains vague, and as a result I'm not able to grasp the full scope of events that were happening and are about to happen. I have to mention the fact that I'm very much confused about the nature of the gods and goddesses in Mealing's fantasy world. The process of Ascension and 'The Three' is yet to be explained in detail pertaining to the myths hinted in the story.
Regarding the worldbuilding, imagine a 17th/18th century France or Spain in the colonial era where they embarked on journeys across the seas and made new settlements. So, the world of Mealing is comprised of the Old World and the New World (colonies in this respect), and the division between the civilisation and savages comes into portrayal of the tribes in the wild. Many readers might find in this tale a allegorical thread bringing up the era of colonisation and imperialism in the fabric of fantasy, but whatever it is...the implications are possible enough.
The story and the plot is rather slow, although there are tensions prevailing in the midst. The setting of New Sarrasent reminded me of 18th century France, and the uprising revolution brought a historic reminiscent of the day of Bastille, going red with canons, muskets, and Swords. The story is told through three viewpoints of the principal characters- Sarine, Erris, and ArakJur, with occasional interludes that incorporates minor characters or other players behind the game. The plot is divided into four major sections named after the seasons of Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter, insisting perhaps at the nature of the Gods and Goddesses. The battle-scenes were rightly done with the chaos, destruction, gunfire, and gore which reminded me of Erikson's Malazan series. This is a plus point for the author.
I already mentioned about the rough writing, but it smooths towards the end. And, the characters are interesting, though I wasn't emotionally invested in them in the beginning. But, as the story progressd I was able to connect with them and their motives and actions. Mealing gives us strong female characters here in Sarine, Erris, and Correna. ArakJur, the guardian of the Sinari tribe was a good male character with strength that plays his part in the story. I suspect that we are yet to get the full cast in this starting point, but these characters didn't fall flat with the somewhat tedious worldbuilding. I'm very much interested to know more about their part in the big game.
The magic system is new and inventive, and I would credit the author in this. The beast magic, and the power of spirits connected to nature and the wild wielded by ArakJur and the tribes is pretty cool. The other magic linked to something called leylines or faith was complex which manifests in colours: for e.g; green for life, and black for death etc... There are also mysterious creatures called 'Kaas' linked to the leylines magic users, and, Zi, the mysterious companion of Sarine is very interesting, which I would like to know more about and his magical powers.
All in all, this was an interesting read, I wouldn't term it as entertaining, but, I'm curious about what is to follow in the later books. I think that the author perhaps pulled too much strings in worldbuilding which affected the pace of the story. It's not until some 300 pages that the tempo starts to build up and the story progresses at a modest pace. I'm not yet sure about the minor twists and the open ending, where I expected a sort of blast, the ending was abrupt and the action not satisfactory. I recommend this novel to patient fantasy lovers, who have the tenacity to go through slow plots, and vague easter-eggs that is littered in the story. For myself, I would definitely be waiting for the sequel to come out.
January 22, 2018
Link to my blog: https://wordpress.com/post/thatreadhe...
Woooowww I am super pleased I picked this up on Boxing Day! This was the one I was most dubious about, because of the exorbitant price, but I am so glad I gritted my teeth and did :D Right from the start, it was a 5-star. The whole magic system, the different types of supernatural elements, the multiple POV and different settings of all of the characters. The writing style was top notch, the character development and backgrounds and everything. Nothing wrong with this book. My only fault was that I picked up the audio for it around halfway through, and whenever I pick up the audio I always slip a little. Really regretting that I did that, but it's the only way I was guaranteed to finish this month :p
I really love the separation between the characters, and then the way they all collided. Such a complex story <3 Will definitely be re-reading this one and continuing to buy the rest of the series when it's released.
Woooowww I am super pleased I picked this up on Boxing Day! This was the one I was most dubious about, because of the exorbitant price, but I am so glad I gritted my teeth and did :D Right from the start, it was a 5-star. The whole magic system, the different types of supernatural elements, the multiple POV and different settings of all of the characters. The writing style was top notch, the character development and backgrounds and everything. Nothing wrong with this book. My only fault was that I picked up the audio for it around halfway through, and whenever I pick up the audio I always slip a little. Really regretting that I did that, but it's the only way I was guaranteed to finish this month :p
I really love the separation between the characters, and then the way they all collided. Such a complex story <3 Will definitely be re-reading this one and continuing to buy the rest of the series when it's released.
August 28, 2021
I can't believe that David Mealings debut novel has still less than 100 reviews. It deserves way more attention.
We follow three likable main characters through the story. A girl growing up in a city, a female military leader and a tribal warrior. At first the three POVs were utterly disconnected and the settings were very different which made it a bit difficult to get into the novel. However each story line is very interesting and compelling on its own and later on those POVs weaves together. All three characters have magic abilities though quite different.
The magic systems reminded me a bit of Mistborn by Sanderson, not because the magic is similar but because of the rather formulaic way of presenting it to the reader. I personally would have preferred a more subtle approach for that but I seem to be in the minority there considering the huge army of Sanderson-fans out there.
The setting is clearly inspired by the French Revolution and the tribes had a native american feel to it at the time where the white man started to conquer the continent.
I really enjoyed reading it and will definitely checkout the sequel.
We follow three likable main characters through the story. A girl growing up in a city, a female military leader and a tribal warrior. At first the three POVs were utterly disconnected and the settings were very different which made it a bit difficult to get into the novel. However each story line is very interesting and compelling on its own and later on those POVs weaves together. All three characters have magic abilities though quite different.
The magic systems reminded me a bit of Mistborn by Sanderson, not because the magic is similar but because of the rather formulaic way of presenting it to the reader. I personally would have preferred a more subtle approach for that but I seem to be in the minority there considering the huge army of Sanderson-fans out there.
The setting is clearly inspired by the French Revolution and the tribes had a native american feel to it at the time where the white man started to conquer the continent.
I really enjoyed reading it and will definitely checkout the sequel.
January 18, 2018
If I had to summarize the best part of this book in a single sentence, I'd say it was the magic system. Mealing created three distinct and original magic systems that are well thought out and independent of each other. It's amazing when an author creates a single new magical world, but to have three completely new systems is awesome!
That being said, I wish he'd worked on the characters even half as much. While they are interesting, none of the three main characters felt fully developed. Sarine, whom I fell in love with at first, was the clichéd orphan girl surviving by her own wits, the help of friends, and magic. I liked that she was an artist. It added a more unique spin to her character, but I felt she could've been more fleshed out after her initial introduction. Her romance too felt fake and flat. I can see how she can fall into a Cinderella kind of relationship, but I'm glad it ended off early. It was badly done, they felt incompatible, and I felt there was very little to base their relationship on.
Erris & Arak'Jur's parts were less interesting at first. Erris' pov was mainly from the war front. So all she spoke about were battle scenes and techniques that I skimmed through, because I don't really care how many people you lead into battle or what your amazing strategy is. Just tell me you won the battle, and I'll be happy for you. As for Arak'Jur, his parts were interesting mainly for the wild beasts' magic that he used. Beyond that, I didn't feel too attached to his character. Again, he also did a lot of fighting, so if that's what you like to read about, you might find it more fascinating.
What I've said about the characters makes the book sound boring, but it really wasn't. Even though I didn't always connect to the characters, the plot and world building were intense enough to keep me reading further. I was also highly impressed with the gender equality. Most books set in historical times tend to have a male gender bias. This world is set in revolutionary American times, to a certain extent, but varies so much from actual history in culture and plot, that it's clear that very little is borrowed from our actual history. Especially the treatment of women. The fact that Erris becomes who she is in the army - without having the standard amazement announced by characters when they encounter a women in a high army position, just because there is no expectation against it. Women can be in power. There is no glass ceiling, and there is no affirmative action. It's simply natural and expected, and they don't have to go to the extremes just to prove they can be better than men.
Towards the end of the book, I actually became more interested in Erris' part than in Sarine's, even though I hated the switching POVs at first. And speaking of switching POVs - that really annoyed me. It's one thing when you switch between three different main characters - which is annoying, but bearable. However, I detest when new POVs are introduced for a single character in order to move along a certain plotline, and then they disappear once their job is done. Or the infrequent reappearance of another character's pov, again just to move the plotline, but I don't even know who s/he is or care about their perspective. Towards the end of the book, I realized how these little bits connect, but while I read them, they were annoying interruptions.
That also takes me to the main plot - some sort of ascension for an ultimate battle between good over evil. But even after I finished this first book, I'm left with more questions on that than answers. I feel that some of my questions might be answered by rereading the book, since I now understand why certain parts were put in, but I think the overall intention was to leave the reader wondering, and that most of these questions will be answered in future books. It's not exactly a cliffhanger, it just keeps you thinking, which is (I'll admit) a good way to end the book. It means that I don't forget about the book a day later, because I'm still trying to figure it out while I'm in the shower.
I'm trying to paint an accurate review here. I listed many bad features, but overall, I still rate the book at about 4.6 - 4.7 stars, because I liked it from the start. It was easy to read, compelling, the magic systems were awesome, the world and cultures were well developed, and I would enjoy reading the rest of the series. Yes, I wish the characters were better drawn, and that there was less detail on the fighting, but that's simply my opinion. I know many who love to read detailed battle scenes down to the last swing of the sword, so while I skimmed those parts, you might enjoy them. Overall, I rate this between 4.6 - 4.7 stars, I highly recommend it, and I'm looking forward to the next in the series.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
That being said, I wish he'd worked on the characters even half as much. While they are interesting, none of the three main characters felt fully developed. Sarine, whom I fell in love with at first, was the clichéd orphan girl surviving by her own wits, the help of friends, and magic. I liked that she was an artist. It added a more unique spin to her character, but I felt she could've been more fleshed out after her initial introduction. Her romance too felt fake and flat. I can see how she can fall into a Cinderella kind of relationship, but I'm glad it ended off early. It was badly done, they felt incompatible, and I felt there was very little to base their relationship on.
Erris & Arak'Jur's parts were less interesting at first. Erris' pov was mainly from the war front. So all she spoke about were battle scenes and techniques that I skimmed through, because I don't really care how many people you lead into battle or what your amazing strategy is. Just tell me you won the battle, and I'll be happy for you. As for Arak'Jur, his parts were interesting mainly for the wild beasts' magic that he used. Beyond that, I didn't feel too attached to his character. Again, he also did a lot of fighting, so if that's what you like to read about, you might find it more fascinating.
What I've said about the characters makes the book sound boring, but it really wasn't. Even though I didn't always connect to the characters, the plot and world building were intense enough to keep me reading further. I was also highly impressed with the gender equality. Most books set in historical times tend to have a male gender bias. This world is set in revolutionary American times, to a certain extent, but varies so much from actual history in culture and plot, that it's clear that very little is borrowed from our actual history. Especially the treatment of women. The fact that Erris becomes who she is in the army - without having the standard amazement announced by characters when they encounter a women in a high army position, just because there is no expectation against it. Women can be in power. There is no glass ceiling, and there is no affirmative action. It's simply natural and expected, and they don't have to go to the extremes just to prove they can be better than men.
Towards the end of the book, I actually became more interested in Erris' part than in Sarine's, even though I hated the switching POVs at first. And speaking of switching POVs - that really annoyed me. It's one thing when you switch between three different main characters - which is annoying, but bearable. However, I detest when new POVs are introduced for a single character in order to move along a certain plotline, and then they disappear once their job is done. Or the infrequent reappearance of another character's pov, again just to move the plotline, but I don't even know who s/he is or care about their perspective. Towards the end of the book, I realized how these little bits connect, but while I read them, they were annoying interruptions.
That also takes me to the main plot - some sort of ascension for an ultimate battle between good over evil. But even after I finished this first book, I'm left with more questions on that than answers. I feel that some of my questions might be answered by rereading the book, since I now understand why certain parts were put in, but I think the overall intention was to leave the reader wondering, and that most of these questions will be answered in future books. It's not exactly a cliffhanger, it just keeps you thinking, which is (I'll admit) a good way to end the book. It means that I don't forget about the book a day later, because I'm still trying to figure it out while I'm in the shower.
I'm trying to paint an accurate review here. I listed many bad features, but overall, I still rate the book at about 4.6 - 4.7 stars, because I liked it from the start. It was easy to read, compelling, the magic systems were awesome, the world and cultures were well developed, and I would enjoy reading the rest of the series. Yes, I wish the characters were better drawn, and that there was less detail on the fighting, but that's simply my opinion. I know many who love to read detailed battle scenes down to the last swing of the sword, so while I skimmed those parts, you might enjoy them. Overall, I rate this between 4.6 - 4.7 stars, I highly recommend it, and I'm looking forward to the next in the series.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
January 6, 2021
Soul of the World was an exciting adult fantasy book that followed three main characters to build out the plot/world. After getting into it a bit, I really enjoyed the pacing and liked how each chapter ended on it's own cliff-hanger of sorts. I would definitely recommend to those looking for their next fantasy read and am excited to see what happens next in this trilogy!
August 4, 2017
David Mealing's "Soul of the World" is something of a surprise for me. I was completely unaware of it until it came out, but was intrigued by the premise, and pulled in by a review response that was overwhelmingly positive. While the book hit all the right notes for me, it ultimately came down feeling too "safe" for me to say it's a great book. It almost gets there, but just falls short.
"Soul of the World" takes place in an analogue of New World North America, focusing on the Sarresant (read: French) colonies, whom are currently at war with the Gand (English) colonies. These colonies survive within a great barrier of magic that protects them from the beasts living in the wilds. Also living in the wilds are native tribes mired in tradition, who employ great spiritual protectors to protect themselves. These tribes have an uneasy peace with the "fairskins" living beyond the barrier, and far more complicated relationships between tribes. I'm all for fantasy settings that stray away from medieval Europe, and what Mealing has constructed here is solid, and not exactly the focus of the book. Worldbuilding takes something of a backseat, allowing more room for the plot and characters.
The book follows three main characters, as you can see in the blurb. Sarine, the resident "orphan with great power" living in New Sarresant; Erris, a commander in the Sarresant military; and Arak'Jur, a tribesman and guardian to his people. The three are distinct from one another, and are likable and interesting to follow, but they are the first hurdle where "Soul of the World" fell short to me. Like many of this book's features, they're passable but don't excel. Vessels for the story, but they never feel like they drive the story forward. Instead they are almost wholly reactionary to the plots and ploys of the book's villains. I also don't feel like Mealing every goes far enough with developing them, especially as they exist outside of the plot. He seems to have put the most effort into Sarine, as I could picture her living a life if the plot of the book hadn't started, but Erris and Arak'Jur are singular creatures, and I feel like I've barely gotten to know them.
The side characters are interesting, but there are only a few stand-outs. I particularly liked the side characters in Arak'Jur's chapters, but I generally favoured his scenes over the others anyway. The villains are appropriately menacing, but again did little to distinguish themselves from many of the other dastardly villains of Fantasy fiction.
One of the book's stronger aspects is its magic, though I suspect this will be a point of contention for some people. There are three distinct magic systems here (at least as far as the main characters employ; there are definitely more) that feel similar enough to plausibly exist in the same universe, including some powers that overlaps, while also mechanically being varied and visually interesting. Sarine and Erris both employ the most common magic that involves manipulating leylines to different affects, depending on one's gifts; Sarine also has a mysterious spectral colour-changing reptilian companion (by the way) who seems to channel powersthrough her, although this magic is the one Mealing plays closest to the chest; Arak'Jur takes on key powers of the spirits of the Great Beasts that he protects his people from. It seems like a lot to keep track of, but since the end results of the magic are so similar it's easy to keep track of, and Mealing usually reminds the reader what each leyline/colour/spirit does. For example, all three have a power that make them physically stronger and faster. Some people, I think, will be turned off by this, but I think it works here; there's also good in-universe justification for more than one magic system.
The magic allows itself for fun, easy-to-follow action scenes. The war scenes that Erris oversees were competently done, but the real star for me were the sequences where Arak'Jur would unleash his spirit magic to go toe-to-toe with a Great Beast or an equally threatening human. Well-described, easy to visualize, and not bogged down with too much detail.
The plot of the novel is, ultimately, lacklustre. You've probably read several books with the same broad strokes. Once again, it's serviceable, but it never really caught my attention. Like I said, the characters just felt too passive for me, without many active goals other than maintaining a status quo, so I didn't feel a momentum to the book. I went into this book ready to love it, but it never took itself one step further, didn't really employ any risks. It played its plot pretty safe, and so it just feels safe.
That said, one thing Mealing does do that I'm surprised his editor let him get away with is using multiple POV breaks in interludes. There are four parts to this novel, and sandwiched between each part are three interlude chapters each. That means there are twelve interludes, as well as two or three epilogues, each of these told from a perspective of a character we otherwise don't get perspective chapters from. This is ambitious for a debut novel, and I think it pays off. I, for one, love multiple perspectives, and these were my favourite parts of the book. I sat and read far longer than I had planned to once because I reached an interlude and wanted to see these chapters. Each interlude feels like it builds on the lore of the world and the story, and also appear extremely significant to the plot--some will introduce characters who are about to arrive in the main plot, while others hint at characters that might be major players later in the series, while others take even broader strokes, pulling the scope of the novel even farther back so you can understand just how overwhelming the opposition to our heroes feels.
I will also give credit to Mealing for setting up plenty of intrigue and mystery. The book walks the line between "too much information for me to be curious" and "so little information I'm annoyed." It's enough I can guess at subtexts and meanings and make guesses at what will happen in the future, but there's a palpable sense of mysteries waiting to be peeled back, many of which Mealing keeps in the wings until the very last chapters of the novel, almost guaranteeing I'm going to read Book 2 as soon as it is released.
David Mealing's debut is good, it's just not great. I would recommend it, generally speaking, and I think the series is going to go in a really positive direction, but I also think anyone would be justified in thinking it wasn't for them and not continuing on after this book. It plays a lot of familiar, safe notes and doesn't take many risks, but it's a competently crafted novel that could just as easily be your favourite book ever.
"Soul of the World" takes place in an analogue of New World North America, focusing on the Sarresant (read: French) colonies, whom are currently at war with the Gand (English) colonies. These colonies survive within a great barrier of magic that protects them from the beasts living in the wilds. Also living in the wilds are native tribes mired in tradition, who employ great spiritual protectors to protect themselves. These tribes have an uneasy peace with the "fairskins" living beyond the barrier, and far more complicated relationships between tribes. I'm all for fantasy settings that stray away from medieval Europe, and what Mealing has constructed here is solid, and not exactly the focus of the book. Worldbuilding takes something of a backseat, allowing more room for the plot and characters.
The book follows three main characters, as you can see in the blurb. Sarine, the resident "orphan with great power" living in New Sarresant; Erris, a commander in the Sarresant military; and Arak'Jur, a tribesman and guardian to his people. The three are distinct from one another, and are likable and interesting to follow, but they are the first hurdle where "Soul of the World" fell short to me. Like many of this book's features, they're passable but don't excel. Vessels for the story, but they never feel like they drive the story forward. Instead they are almost wholly reactionary to the plots and ploys of the book's villains. I also don't feel like Mealing every goes far enough with developing them, especially as they exist outside of the plot. He seems to have put the most effort into Sarine, as I could picture her living a life if the plot of the book hadn't started, but Erris and Arak'Jur are singular creatures, and I feel like I've barely gotten to know them.
The side characters are interesting, but there are only a few stand-outs. I particularly liked the side characters in Arak'Jur's chapters, but I generally favoured his scenes over the others anyway. The villains are appropriately menacing, but again did little to distinguish themselves from many of the other dastardly villains of Fantasy fiction.
One of the book's stronger aspects is its magic, though I suspect this will be a point of contention for some people. There are three distinct magic systems here (at least as far as the main characters employ; there are definitely more) that feel similar enough to plausibly exist in the same universe, including some powers that overlaps, while also mechanically being varied and visually interesting. Sarine and Erris both employ the most common magic that involves manipulating leylines to different affects, depending on one's gifts; Sarine also has a mysterious spectral colour-changing reptilian companion (by the way) who seems to channel powersthrough her, although this magic is the one Mealing plays closest to the chest; Arak'Jur takes on key powers of the spirits of the Great Beasts that he protects his people from. It seems like a lot to keep track of, but since the end results of the magic are so similar it's easy to keep track of, and Mealing usually reminds the reader what each leyline/colour/spirit does. For example, all three have a power that make them physically stronger and faster. Some people, I think, will be turned off by this, but I think it works here; there's also good in-universe justification for more than one magic system.
The magic allows itself for fun, easy-to-follow action scenes. The war scenes that Erris oversees were competently done, but the real star for me were the sequences where Arak'Jur would unleash his spirit magic to go toe-to-toe with a Great Beast or an equally threatening human. Well-described, easy to visualize, and not bogged down with too much detail.
The plot of the novel is, ultimately, lacklustre. You've probably read several books with the same broad strokes. Once again, it's serviceable, but it never really caught my attention. Like I said, the characters just felt too passive for me, without many active goals other than maintaining a status quo, so I didn't feel a momentum to the book. I went into this book ready to love it, but it never took itself one step further, didn't really employ any risks. It played its plot pretty safe, and so it just feels safe.
That said, one thing Mealing does do that I'm surprised his editor let him get away with is using multiple POV breaks in interludes. There are four parts to this novel, and sandwiched between each part are three interlude chapters each. That means there are twelve interludes, as well as two or three epilogues, each of these told from a perspective of a character we otherwise don't get perspective chapters from. This is ambitious for a debut novel, and I think it pays off. I, for one, love multiple perspectives, and these were my favourite parts of the book. I sat and read far longer than I had planned to once because I reached an interlude and wanted to see these chapters. Each interlude feels like it builds on the lore of the world and the story, and also appear extremely significant to the plot--some will introduce characters who are about to arrive in the main plot, while others hint at characters that might be major players later in the series, while others take even broader strokes, pulling the scope of the novel even farther back so you can understand just how overwhelming the opposition to our heroes feels.
I will also give credit to Mealing for setting up plenty of intrigue and mystery. The book walks the line between "too much information for me to be curious" and "so little information I'm annoyed." It's enough I can guess at subtexts and meanings and make guesses at what will happen in the future, but there's a palpable sense of mysteries waiting to be peeled back, many of which Mealing keeps in the wings until the very last chapters of the novel, almost guaranteeing I'm going to read Book 2 as soon as it is released.
David Mealing's debut is good, it's just not great. I would recommend it, generally speaking, and I think the series is going to go in a really positive direction, but I also think anyone would be justified in thinking it wasn't for them and not continuing on after this book. It plays a lot of familiar, safe notes and doesn't take many risks, but it's a competently crafted novel that could just as easily be your favourite book ever.
June 3, 2021
Soul of the World
by David Mealing
Slow. This book was slow. And the climax; slow and was solved abruptly.
There could have been so much more. The world was interesting, the different magics were intriguing, and the characters well thought-out, but there wasn't enough. Everything was vague, especially the magics.
For me, there wasn't enough. If the author had divulged more into the nature, the creation, and the power of the magics, and defined them better than red, yellow, and black, I would've enjoyed the story a lot more, but as it is, it was boring, and a letdown.
It's the same with the world and the characters. So much more should've been added to make them more real and relatable, so readers could and would connect and care more about them.
Another downfall of this book was the way it jumped from character to character, (and some characters having similar names), done for the building up to the blah climax, which had no punch. Very disappointing.
I'm not saying that it wasn't a good story, it was, but it was so lacking that it was a disappointment because it could've been so much better. It started off as if it was going to be good, but the jumping, the rambling, and lack of connection throughout most of the story ruined it for me.
Readers, (16 and over because of the violence and a little gore) who like the long, drawn-out, stories, without much of a climax, or vivid action, would enjoy this book.
2 stars.
by David Mealing
Slow. This book was slow. And the climax; slow and was solved abruptly.
There could have been so much more. The world was interesting, the different magics were intriguing, and the characters well thought-out, but there wasn't enough. Everything was vague, especially the magics.
For me, there wasn't enough. If the author had divulged more into the nature, the creation, and the power of the magics, and defined them better than red, yellow, and black, I would've enjoyed the story a lot more, but as it is, it was boring, and a letdown.
It's the same with the world and the characters. So much more should've been added to make them more real and relatable, so readers could and would connect and care more about them.
Another downfall of this book was the way it jumped from character to character, (and some characters having similar names), done for the building up to the blah climax, which had no punch. Very disappointing.
I'm not saying that it wasn't a good story, it was, but it was so lacking that it was a disappointment because it could've been so much better. It started off as if it was going to be good, but the jumping, the rambling, and lack of connection throughout most of the story ruined it for me.
Readers, (16 and over because of the violence and a little gore) who like the long, drawn-out, stories, without much of a climax, or vivid action, would enjoy this book.
2 stars.
July 25, 2017
Could not put it down
A gripping read. Looking forward to the sequel. The magic system... The characters... Can't wait to come back to this world.
A gripping read. Looking forward to the sequel. The magic system... The characters... Can't wait to come back to this world.
April 15, 2022
Ein solider Reihenstart mit spannenden Magiesystemen.
In Sarresant herrscht Krieg. Langsam, aber sicher marschiert das Reich Gand immer weiter vor und die Niederlage rückt immer näher. Mitten in diesem Krieg müssen drei mutige Menschen ihrem Schicksal folgen und im Spiel der Götter mitmischen.
Soul of the World ist das erste Buch der Trilogie Ascension Cycle von David Mealing und lässt sich dem Subgenre der Flintlock-Fantasy zuordnen. Damit setzt sich das Buch von den klassischen Fantasy-Büchern ab. Statt im Mittelalter findet es zu einer Zeit statt, die sich mit der Zeit der Kolonialisierung Amerikas vergleichen lässt. Daher werden die Kämpfe meist mit Pistolen oder Gewehren bestritten. Persönlich erinnerte mich Soul of the World stark an die Powder Mage-Reihe von Brian McClellan – nicht nur bezüglich des Settings, sondern auch in Hinsicht auf die Charaktere und die Magiesysteme.
Die Charaktere sind eher mittelmäßig. Ja, jeder der Hauptcharaktere hat seine Daseinsberechtigung und hat durchaus seine eigene Persönlichkeit. Dennoch sind sie alle sehr eindimensional und lassen sich mit je zwei bis drei Adjektiven zu genüge beschreiben.
Außerdem ist auch deren Entwicklung innerhalb des Buchs etwas unglaubwürdig. Zwei der drei Hauptcharaktere werden für meinen Geschmack viel zu schnell zu stark und bedeutungsvoll in ihrer jeweiligen gesellschaftlichen Umgebung.
Die Magiesysteme – richtig, es sind bisher 4 an der Zahl, aber wer weiß, was noch kommt – sind die größte Stärke des Buchs. Jedes einzelne ist für sich genommen schon interessant und einzigartig. Die Tatsache, dass einige Magier gleich mehrere davon in sich vereinen, macht es noch interessanter. Es ist besonders cool, wenn Sarine Rot von ihrem Kaas und die Leylinien-Magie Körper kombiniert. Das ganze Buch lebt meiner Meinung nach von derartigen Einbindungen der Magie in die Kämpfe.
Leider ergibt sich gerade durch die recht hohe Anzahl an Magiesystemen ein großes Problem: Keines der Magiesysteme kann voll zur Geltung kommen. Jedes Magiesystem bleibt für mich zu schwammig, wird nicht kreativ genug genutzt und sinnvoll in den Alltag der Leute integriert – was alles besonders komisch klingt, wenn man überlegt, wie detailhaft sie doch sind. Mir wäre es lieber gewesen, wenn es nur 2 Magiesysteme wären, die dafür voll und ganz im Rampenlicht des Buchs stehen. Hier bleibt zu hoffen, dass der nächste Teil mehr leisten kann, immerhin sind die Magiesysteme nach Ende des Buches schon recht gut etabliert.
Das Setting gefällt mir gut. Es ist eindeutig an die Kolonialisierung Amerikas angelehnt, was allein schon an dem Namen für den „neuen“ Kontinent, auf dem sich die Geschichte abspielt, New World klar wird. Die Soldaten der technisch fortgeschrittenen Nationen nutzen Pistolen und Gewehre, während die Ureinwohner stark an die Indianer erinnern. Eine Anlehnung an echte historische Ereignisse empfinde ich in häufig als positiv, dadurch wird das Setting zumeist glaubhafter.
Auch hier fehlt mir jedoch die Tiefe. Von dem Gesamtkontinent erfährt der Leser recht wenig, da ein sich Großteil ein Großteil der Ereignisse innerhalb der Stadt New Sarresant abspielt. Gleichzeitig erhält leider auch New Sarresant keine Tiefe. Die Stadt bleibt durchweg einfach nur ein Handlungsort. Abgesehen von dem Maw hebt sich hier nichts von einer anderen x-beliebigen Fantasy-Stadt ab. Weder die Stadt selbst noch einzelne Orte innerhalb der Stadt konnten sich in mein Gedächtnis einbrennen.
Insgesamt ist Soul of the World ein gutes Debut, dem es lediglich an Tiefe fehlt. Besonders die Magiesysteme heben das Buch dabei von anderen Werken ab. Für Fans von interessanten Magiesystemen und besonders für Fans der Powder Mage-Reihe dürfte das Buch lesenswert sein. Ich werde den nächsten Band auf jeden Fall lesen.
In Sarresant herrscht Krieg. Langsam, aber sicher marschiert das Reich Gand immer weiter vor und die Niederlage rückt immer näher. Mitten in diesem Krieg müssen drei mutige Menschen ihrem Schicksal folgen und im Spiel der Götter mitmischen.
Drei werden kämpfen. Drei werden sterben. Drei werden zurückkehren.
Soul of the World ist das erste Buch der Trilogie Ascension Cycle von David Mealing und lässt sich dem Subgenre der Flintlock-Fantasy zuordnen. Damit setzt sich das Buch von den klassischen Fantasy-Büchern ab. Statt im Mittelalter findet es zu einer Zeit statt, die sich mit der Zeit der Kolonialisierung Amerikas vergleichen lässt. Daher werden die Kämpfe meist mit Pistolen oder Gewehren bestritten. Persönlich erinnerte mich Soul of the World stark an die Powder Mage-Reihe von Brian McClellan – nicht nur bezüglich des Settings, sondern auch in Hinsicht auf die Charaktere und die Magiesysteme.
Die Charaktere sind eher mittelmäßig. Ja, jeder der Hauptcharaktere hat seine Daseinsberechtigung und hat durchaus seine eigene Persönlichkeit. Dennoch sind sie alle sehr eindimensional und lassen sich mit je zwei bis drei Adjektiven zu genüge beschreiben.
Außerdem ist auch deren Entwicklung innerhalb des Buchs etwas unglaubwürdig. Zwei der drei Hauptcharaktere werden für meinen Geschmack viel zu schnell zu stark und bedeutungsvoll in ihrer jeweiligen gesellschaftlichen Umgebung.
Die Magiesysteme – richtig, es sind bisher 4 an der Zahl, aber wer weiß, was noch kommt – sind die größte Stärke des Buchs. Jedes einzelne ist für sich genommen schon interessant und einzigartig. Die Tatsache, dass einige Magier gleich mehrere davon in sich vereinen, macht es noch interessanter. Es ist besonders cool, wenn Sarine Rot von ihrem Kaas und die Leylinien-Magie Körper kombiniert. Das ganze Buch lebt meiner Meinung nach von derartigen Einbindungen der Magie in die Kämpfe.
Leider ergibt sich gerade durch die recht hohe Anzahl an Magiesystemen ein großes Problem: Keines der Magiesysteme kann voll zur Geltung kommen. Jedes Magiesystem bleibt für mich zu schwammig, wird nicht kreativ genug genutzt und sinnvoll in den Alltag der Leute integriert – was alles besonders komisch klingt, wenn man überlegt, wie detailhaft sie doch sind. Mir wäre es lieber gewesen, wenn es nur 2 Magiesysteme wären, die dafür voll und ganz im Rampenlicht des Buchs stehen. Hier bleibt zu hoffen, dass der nächste Teil mehr leisten kann, immerhin sind die Magiesysteme nach Ende des Buches schon recht gut etabliert.
Das Setting gefällt mir gut. Es ist eindeutig an die Kolonialisierung Amerikas angelehnt, was allein schon an dem Namen für den „neuen“ Kontinent, auf dem sich die Geschichte abspielt, New World klar wird. Die Soldaten der technisch fortgeschrittenen Nationen nutzen Pistolen und Gewehre, während die Ureinwohner stark an die Indianer erinnern. Eine Anlehnung an echte historische Ereignisse empfinde ich in häufig als positiv, dadurch wird das Setting zumeist glaubhafter.
Auch hier fehlt mir jedoch die Tiefe. Von dem Gesamtkontinent erfährt der Leser recht wenig, da ein sich Großteil ein Großteil der Ereignisse innerhalb der Stadt New Sarresant abspielt. Gleichzeitig erhält leider auch New Sarresant keine Tiefe. Die Stadt bleibt durchweg einfach nur ein Handlungsort. Abgesehen von dem Maw hebt sich hier nichts von einer anderen x-beliebigen Fantasy-Stadt ab. Weder die Stadt selbst noch einzelne Orte innerhalb der Stadt konnten sich in mein Gedächtnis einbrennen.
Insgesamt ist Soul of the World ein gutes Debut, dem es lediglich an Tiefe fehlt. Besonders die Magiesysteme heben das Buch dabei von anderen Werken ab. Für Fans von interessanten Magiesystemen und besonders für Fans der Powder Mage-Reihe dürfte das Buch lesenswert sein. Ich werde den nächsten Band auf jeden Fall lesen.
May 19, 2019
This is the first book in an ambitious fantasy series that's inspired by the French empire of old. It makes for a very atmospheric setting that I haven't come across before. David Mealing cites his influences as Brandon Sanderson and Robert Jordan, and you can really feel their presence in his world building (his magic systems are straight out of Mistborn, and there's even a strain of magic that's tainted with madness a la the Wheel of Time). I think there's enough unique perspective here that this series steps out of those imposing shadows though.
My main problem is that there's just too much going on. I am no stranger to taking the long way round the plot in epic fantasy books, but Soul of the World has three main pov characters (Sarine - from the new world slums, Erris - a soldier bound to the military and Arak'Jur - a respected tribesmen leader). Each of them live within a vivid, detailed part of the story and each one has their own strain of magic (three in Arak'Jur's case!). This means that the pace is slow and ponderous for most of the book, as Mealing had to set out the rules for each magic system, as well as develop their characters AND manoeuvre them within the wider story. There's also an overarching 'chosen one(s)' plot that involves gods and spirits...
Another thing to note is that this is a very colonial story, and although I really liked the characters, Mealing really had to jump through hoops (and also ignore a lot of problematic hoops entirely) to have the native people and the colonisers on the same side.
All that said, I bought the next book as soon as I finished this one, so it does a lot of things right! If you like fantasy and you're willing to rumble along at a slow pace to earn some pretty epic rewards, I'd recommend it.
My main problem is that there's just too much going on. I am no stranger to taking the long way round the plot in epic fantasy books, but Soul of the World has three main pov characters (Sarine - from the new world slums, Erris - a soldier bound to the military and Arak'Jur - a respected tribesmen leader). Each of them live within a vivid, detailed part of the story and each one has their own strain of magic (three in Arak'Jur's case!). This means that the pace is slow and ponderous for most of the book, as Mealing had to set out the rules for each magic system, as well as develop their characters AND manoeuvre them within the wider story. There's also an overarching 'chosen one(s)' plot that involves gods and spirits...
Another thing to note is that this is a very colonial story, and although I really liked the characters, Mealing really had to jump through hoops (and also ignore a lot of problematic hoops entirely) to have the native people and the colonisers on the same side.
All that said, I bought the next book as soon as I finished this one, so it does a lot of things right! If you like fantasy and you're willing to rumble along at a slow pace to earn some pretty epic rewards, I'd recommend it.
March 18, 2023
i’m somewhere between a 3 and a 4 on this book.
there were some really great things about it, cool magic systems, some great character relationships, very interesting foreshadowing to future books, but there were also some things that i really struggled with.
each chapter (and pov of a main character) was way too short, so instead of me really enjoying the characters a quarter of the way through or so, i didn’t really like or enjoy any of them until i was well half way through the book; simply because i didn’t have enough time to live in their shoes and understand them. the author also had a knack of jumping forward past things that i felt would have been really cool, or important to actually read. for example, some of the big climaxes kind of fell short (in my opinion) because one minute everything was happening and the next minute it was like, “the next day after yadda yadda yadda.” i also felt like the author really wanted to introduce cool things dealing with all the gods and magic and ascensions throughout the book in secret and mysterious ways, but it really just ended up confusing or taking away from the current story. i love that there is more going on, but if i don’t enjoy the main story that i’m reading, then i’m not going to want to keep reading to find out what you’re hinting at.
i think all-in-all i did enjoy this book and want to read the sequels, but it took me a long time to get into the story and the characters at the start. the ending interludes alone almost made me want to increase my rating to a 4, but once again, i need to enjoy the story in reading before i can enjoy what’s to come.
there were some really great things about it, cool magic systems, some great character relationships, very interesting foreshadowing to future books, but there were also some things that i really struggled with.
each chapter (and pov of a main character) was way too short, so instead of me really enjoying the characters a quarter of the way through or so, i didn’t really like or enjoy any of them until i was well half way through the book; simply because i didn’t have enough time to live in their shoes and understand them. the author also had a knack of jumping forward past things that i felt would have been really cool, or important to actually read. for example, some of the big climaxes kind of fell short (in my opinion) because one minute everything was happening and the next minute it was like, “the next day after yadda yadda yadda.” i also felt like the author really wanted to introduce cool things dealing with all the gods and magic and ascensions throughout the book in secret and mysterious ways, but it really just ended up confusing or taking away from the current story. i love that there is more going on, but if i don’t enjoy the main story that i’m reading, then i’m not going to want to keep reading to find out what you’re hinting at.
i think all-in-all i did enjoy this book and want to read the sequels, but it took me a long time to get into the story and the characters at the start. the ending interludes alone almost made me want to increase my rating to a 4, but once again, i need to enjoy the story in reading before i can enjoy what’s to come.
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