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The Bowl of Souls #11
Behemoth
The conclusion of the Jharro Grove Saga and the 11th book in the acclaimed Bowl of Souls Series, a continuing action-filled fantasy series set in a world of magic, mystery, and monsters!THE FINALE OF THE JHARRO GROVE SAGAThe Behemoth was created a thousand years ago, its body stretching for miles under Malaroo’s swamplands turning them into a dangerous and uninhabitable place. Now it has learned to swallow the peoples of Malaroo and transform them into its own army; a twisted mix of troll and man known as the Trollkin. It hungers to consume the power of the Jharro Grove and if it succeeds the world will be plunged into darkness.Justan and Jhonate, forced to hold off their wedding until the threat is over, find themselves stuck between the two rival factions that are the only hope of defeating the Behemoth and its everlasting hunger.Join Justan, Fist, and Tarah on an epic journey that will pit them against dark forces that plot to destroy the Jharro Grove and end the world. Ogres and trolls, warriors and wizards are destined to clash, their fates guided by The Bowl of Souls.The Bowl of Souls THE MOONRAT SAGABook Eye of the MoonratBook 1.5: Hilt's PrideBook Messenger of the Dark ProphetBook Hunt of the BandhamBook The War of StardeonBook Mother of the MoonratTHE JHARRO GROVE SAGABook Tarah WoodbladeBook Protector of the GroveBook The Ogre ApprenticeBook The Troll KingBook Priestess of WarBook BehemothTHE DARK PROPHET SAGA12. Sir Edge 13. Halfbreeds (2021)
- GenresFantasy
557 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 30, 2017
67 people are currently reading
80 people want to read
About the author
Trevor H. Cooley
32 books251 followersI was born in South Carolina and have lived all around the United states. Utah, New Mexico, Michigan and Tennessee.
I started reading novels in second grade and my love of Fantasy started with Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain series. I couldn't get enough, continued with David Eddings, Tolkein, Robert Jordan. All I wanted was to become a published writer.
The characters and concepts that eventually became the Bowl of Souls series started in my teens. I wrote short stories, kept notebooks full of ideas, and generally dreamed about my world constantly. There were several attempts at starting a novel over the years.
Not long after I was married, my wife told me to stop talking about the story and write it down. Here I am, many years and rewrites and submissions and rejection letters later taking the plunge into self publishing.
The Bowl of Souls Series:
THE MOONRAT SAGA
1. Eye of the Moonrat
2. Messenger of the Dark Prophet
3. Hunt of the Bandham
1.5. Hilt's Pride
4. War of Stardeon
5. Mother of the Moonrat
THE JHARRO GROVE SAGA
1. Tarah Woodblade
2. Protector of the Grove
3. Ogre Apprentice
4. The Troll King
5. Priestess of War
6. Behemoth (2017)
THE DARK PROPHET SAGA
1. Sir Edge (Upcoming)
TALLOW JONES
1. Tallow Jones: Wizard Detective (Fall 2017)
NOOSE JUMPERS
1. Noose Jumpers: A Mythological Western
2. (Upcoming)
I currently live in Idaho with my wife and four children.
I started reading novels in second grade and my love of Fantasy started with Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain series. I couldn't get enough, continued with David Eddings, Tolkein, Robert Jordan. All I wanted was to become a published writer.
The characters and concepts that eventually became the Bowl of Souls series started in my teens. I wrote short stories, kept notebooks full of ideas, and generally dreamed about my world constantly. There were several attempts at starting a novel over the years.
Not long after I was married, my wife told me to stop talking about the story and write it down. Here I am, many years and rewrites and submissions and rejection letters later taking the plunge into self publishing.
The Bowl of Souls Series:
THE MOONRAT SAGA
1. Eye of the Moonrat
2. Messenger of the Dark Prophet
3. Hunt of the Bandham
1.5. Hilt's Pride
4. War of Stardeon
5. Mother of the Moonrat
THE JHARRO GROVE SAGA
1. Tarah Woodblade
2. Protector of the Grove
3. Ogre Apprentice
4. The Troll King
5. Priestess of War
6. Behemoth (2017)
THE DARK PROPHET SAGA
1. Sir Edge (Upcoming)
TALLOW JONES
1. Tallow Jones: Wizard Detective (Fall 2017)
NOOSE JUMPERS
1. Noose Jumpers: A Mythological Western
2. (Upcoming)
I currently live in Idaho with my wife and four children.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
October 23, 2017
My Thoughts:
Reading this book after waiting for so long after the last book was like meeting old friends again! And I am particularly happy to see Fist again, being his lovable ogre self! By now I am an old die hard fan of this series. And this book was a wonderful 5 star read! The down side is, that you have to trudge through previous books first to get here! And that is not an arduous task as it may sound. It has its down sides and upsides. You just have to roll with the bad as with the good. And the series has lots and lots of good reading times!
Sure, some would say that the plot is kind of formulaic, so what? It is the pleasure of reading it that matters! And it is a pleasurable read! At first I was kinda reluctant to read through the book so I only listened to it halfway through. I was reluctant because I knew this book is going to be a cliffhanger simply because every single book in this series is a cliffie. And it is kind of one, but only if you read the epilogue. Even then, it is still kind of not... This book closes 12 books worth of story and it is very satisfying! Of course I want more! So the epilogue tells me what to expect next and I very much like that, so those of you who is thinking of following this series, read the epilogue! :) Needless to say that this is the best book in the series!
Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 5
Character development = 4.5
Story itself = 4.5
Writing Style = 5
Ending = 4.5
World building = 5
Cover art = 4
Pace = 4.5
Plot = 4.5
Narration = 5
Overall Rating: 5 out of 5
Reading this book after waiting for so long after the last book was like meeting old friends again! And I am particularly happy to see Fist again, being his lovable ogre self! By now I am an old die hard fan of this series. And this book was a wonderful 5 star read! The down side is, that you have to trudge through previous books first to get here! And that is not an arduous task as it may sound. It has its down sides and upsides. You just have to roll with the bad as with the good. And the series has lots and lots of good reading times!
Sure, some would say that the plot is kind of formulaic, so what? It is the pleasure of reading it that matters! And it is a pleasurable read! At first I was kinda reluctant to read through the book so I only listened to it halfway through. I was reluctant because I knew this book is going to be a cliffhanger simply because every single book in this series is a cliffie. And it is kind of one, but only if you read the epilogue. Even then, it is still kind of not... This book closes 12 books worth of story and it is very satisfying! Of course I want more! So the epilogue tells me what to expect next and I very much like that, so those of you who is thinking of following this series, read the epilogue! :) Needless to say that this is the best book in the series!
Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 5
Character development = 4.5
Story itself = 4.5
Writing Style = 5
Ending = 4.5
World building = 5
Cover art = 4
Pace = 4.5
Plot = 4.5
Narration = 5
Overall Rating: 5 out of 5
July 20, 2017
I am finding in the multiple re-writes I have done concerning this review, that I cannot talk about it as a singular volume. The reason being, is the book is literally the sum of everything that has come before it, so in order to talk about it. I must talk about the Saga as a whole.
I apologize to those of you who wish a review of this novel to be of it specifically, but I am finding that for me, it is impossible.
To understand what makes the book fantastic enough to obtain 5 stars, you have to understand where the story came from. You see, ever since Tarah Woodblade kicked off this Saga, the cast has been growing. With that growth, has come an expanded story line. This has caused something that happens often in epic fantasy. Slower pacing, and an absence of various characters in large segments of the story.
Now, in my opinion, this Author is best when there is less plot threads, and a singular focus. I enjoyed the first Saga very much because it was closer to that formula, this Saga was a departure from that for some time.
However, this volume BEGINS with all but one story really left untold. It is all the better for it! The book has pacing that is simply unbelievable. Chapters would fly by as I head to turn page after digital page just to see what would be happening.
The characters have had much time to be fleshed out over the last few volumes, so the pacing and jumping between character viewpoints is not jarring and actually makes the novel feel more epic.
Overall with this finale I believe Mr. Cooley has written the best of his career so far. The promise of more to come has me excited!
I apologize to those of you who wish a review of this novel to be of it specifically, but I am finding that for me, it is impossible.
To understand what makes the book fantastic enough to obtain 5 stars, you have to understand where the story came from. You see, ever since Tarah Woodblade kicked off this Saga, the cast has been growing. With that growth, has come an expanded story line. This has caused something that happens often in epic fantasy. Slower pacing, and an absence of various characters in large segments of the story.
Now, in my opinion, this Author is best when there is less plot threads, and a singular focus. I enjoyed the first Saga very much because it was closer to that formula, this Saga was a departure from that for some time.
However, this volume BEGINS with all but one story really left untold. It is all the better for it! The book has pacing that is simply unbelievable. Chapters would fly by as I head to turn page after digital page just to see what would be happening.
The characters have had much time to be fleshed out over the last few volumes, so the pacing and jumping between character viewpoints is not jarring and actually makes the novel feel more epic.
Overall with this finale I believe Mr. Cooley has written the best of his career so far. The promise of more to come has me excited!
August 7, 2017
I REALLY ENJOYED READING THIS BOOK AND AM WAITING IMPATIENTLY FOR THE NEXT BOOK IN THE SERIES. I WILL DEFINITELY READ MANY MORE BOOKS BY TREVOR H COOLEY.
February 12, 2018
Exciting!
The author Trevor Cooley ends another saga with another masterpiece. Behemoth is a bottleneck type book where all these many different storylines and character plots come together all into one exciting story. Some good things happen and some bad, all answering questions or solving mysteries. I can’t wait for his next saga to come out. I recommend any of Trevor’s books to everyone!
The author Trevor Cooley ends another saga with another masterpiece. Behemoth is a bottleneck type book where all these many different storylines and character plots come together all into one exciting story. Some good things happen and some bad, all answering questions or solving mysteries. I can’t wait for his next saga to come out. I recommend any of Trevor’s books to everyone!
January 3, 2018
Cooley is a genius
Totally awesome. The series is a mindblowing adventure with everything unimaginable that can happen. I went from the first book to the last all to quickly. I simply could not put it down. Mr. Cooley, your choice of characters & their roles is way past anything Llord of the Rings did. Tolkien would shake your hand.
Totally awesome. The series is a mindblowing adventure with everything unimaginable that can happen. I went from the first book to the last all to quickly. I simply could not put it down. Mr. Cooley, your choice of characters & their roles is way past anything Llord of the Rings did. Tolkien would shake your hand.
July 8, 2017
A very good conclusion to the grove arc.
October 16, 2017
Awesome series
The bowl of souls is a great series. Great epic adventure that has amazing characters. I have all of them and they are among my favorites
The bowl of souls is a great series. Great epic adventure that has amazing characters. I have all of them and they are among my favorites
March 5, 2019
“I can never forget. The sight of him drawing his blade across Esmine’s throat is burned in my mind.”
“I didn’t say forget. I said forgive”
Behemoth is the 6th book of the Jharro Grove saga and the 11th of the Bowl of Souls series. Throughout this series I think I've only review 5 or 6 books so I wanted to take this time to not only review this one, but both sagas as a whole.
The Bowl of Souls saga, which I consider books 1-5, I though was fantastic. I thought they were the very epitome of the phrase 'getting better as time goes on'. I love that series, the plot and the characters were amazing throughout and was excited up till the last sentence. The Jharro Grove series was much more of a mixed bag for me that had its ups and downs. While I did enjoy the saga overall, I though several books were slower than others and didn't seem to move the overall plot forward whatsoever. Trevor did try to give backstory and depth to characters old and new alike but without the plot movement it got a little slow and stale. That being said even the books that I rated 3 stars I still enjoyed, the the 11 book series as a whole was really fun for me.
Behemoth itself was a good book and probably my favorite of the Jharro saga. In it we conclude our arc and journey and wrap up the story that started with book 6. There were plenty of fun and exiting moments throughout the book that kept me on edge and it was good to see reunion of characters that have not met up since book 5. He did leave a cliffhanger alluding to his new saga titled the Dark Prophet Saga (in which book 1 is already released).
Overall I was happy to tear through the series this past few weeks and I love to see the maturation of Justan as a character. I look forward to dive into his new saga after a little break to see where he is after all this time.
"“Thank you,” Justan said, “And in gratitude, I shall not try to hug you before you leave.”
With another hiss, Deathclaw darted off into the night."
“I didn’t say forget. I said forgive”
Behemoth is the 6th book of the Jharro Grove saga and the 11th of the Bowl of Souls series. Throughout this series I think I've only review 5 or 6 books so I wanted to take this time to not only review this one, but both sagas as a whole.
The Bowl of Souls saga, which I consider books 1-5, I though was fantastic. I thought they were the very epitome of the phrase 'getting better as time goes on'. I love that series, the plot and the characters were amazing throughout and was excited up till the last sentence. The Jharro Grove series was much more of a mixed bag for me that had its ups and downs. While I did enjoy the saga overall, I though several books were slower than others and didn't seem to move the overall plot forward whatsoever. Trevor did try to give backstory and depth to characters old and new alike but without the plot movement it got a little slow and stale. That being said even the books that I rated 3 stars I still enjoyed, the the 11 book series as a whole was really fun for me.
Behemoth itself was a good book and probably my favorite of the Jharro saga. In it we conclude our arc and journey and wrap up the story that started with book 6. There were plenty of fun and exiting moments throughout the book that kept me on edge and it was good to see reunion of characters that have not met up since book 5. He did leave a cliffhanger alluding to his new saga titled the Dark Prophet Saga (in which book 1 is already released).
Overall I was happy to tear through the series this past few weeks and I love to see the maturation of Justan as a character. I look forward to dive into his new saga after a little break to see where he is after all this time.
"“Thank you,” Justan said, “And in gratitude, I shall not try to hug you before you leave.”
With another hiss, Deathclaw darted off into the night."
July 17, 2017
So endeth the Troll Queen, long may she rot. I think her death felt almost anticlimactic. After so many books filled with her extreme atrocities, I wanted to see her suffer, plead, etc.
There is some interesting character development. I enjoyed the backstory for Troll King and Troll Mother and the First. Aloysius ended up being a flat fizz, but maybe he'll play a stronger role in the sequel series. Forgiveness for Arcon came too easily. I expected Whisper to set Artemis free. Guess I was wrong.
Some fun twists in the plot.
Some predictable bits.
Some typos, but not too many.
Not enough progress on the larger issues -- who is the creator? How did the 4 prophets get chosen? Who is the 4th prophet? We know Matthew the Stranger, John the Prophet, David the dark, but who is number 4?? And...what great cataclysm occurred eons ago? Is this an alternate earth?
Author isn't done with this world yet. New spin-off series in press, where Justan/ Sir Edge is 16 years older.
Ps. The planet geography is still unclear, but it's taking shape. This book mentioned Elise on a ship, at sea.
There is some interesting character development. I enjoyed the backstory for Troll King and Troll Mother and the First. Aloysius ended up being a flat fizz, but maybe he'll play a stronger role in the sequel series. Forgiveness for Arcon came too easily. I expected Whisper to set Artemis free. Guess I was wrong.
Some fun twists in the plot.
Some predictable bits.
Some typos, but not too many.
Not enough progress on the larger issues -- who is the creator? How did the 4 prophets get chosen? Who is the 4th prophet? We know Matthew the Stranger, John the Prophet, David the dark, but who is number 4?? And...what great cataclysm occurred eons ago? Is this an alternate earth?
Author isn't done with this world yet. New spin-off series in press, where Justan/ Sir Edge is 16 years older.
Ps. The planet geography is still unclear, but it's taking shape. This book mentioned Elise on a ship, at sea.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 21, 2017
Nice conclusion to this part of the series but I've had some issues with certain parts of the novel and certain approaches to how some things were shown. Still it's an engaging story and I'm looking forward to the next part of this saga.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 24, 2017
An excellent conclusion to this second series. This second series got better as it went on.
December 18, 2018
Great book
Best book yet, so much happen so many small things from the other books make sense now. Can’t wait to read the next book
Best book yet, so much happen so many small things from the other books make sense now. Can’t wait to read the next book
September 20, 2017
Superb as usual mr. Cooley. Very well done indeed
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews