Omens of Fury

The Days of Ash and Fury #1

by Sean Hinn

alternate edition for Tahr ASIN B01IGQOBMC

The clever and roguish orphan Lucan Thorne comes of age in the capital of the corrupt kingdom of Mor, hustling a meager living in the city taverns. A cycle's ride north, elven princess Aria Evanti enjoys a life of comfort and security in the idyllic forested kingdom of Thornwood. To the east, nestled within the throat of the Maw, lies the majestic subterranean kingdom of Belgorne, home of the dwarven people. Its dutiful Firstson, Prince J'arn Silverstone, strives to earn the reverence and loyalty of his kin as he prepares to one day take his rightful place upon The Sovereign. In the deep tunnels of G'naath, north of Belgorne, a extraordinarily brilliant (and terminally inquisitive) young gnomish girl named Shyla Greykin lives an ostracized existence as she finds herself poorly suited for the toilsome, mundane life of her people.

These four young citizens of Tahr find their lives uprooted as omens of impending horrors emerge throughout their enchanted world. The mighty volcano Fang awakens. Smoke from unexplained and spontaneous fires foretell an unknown doom. As the very world begins to shudder and quake, the dark and powerful wizard Sartean D'Avers plots to enslave the people of Mor, depose its fool king, ascend the throne and secure unfettered control over the lands of Greater Tahr.

An epic quest takes shape as the magical world of Tahr weathers chaos and cataclysm in this captivating, character-driven first volume of "The Days of Ash and Fury."

Genres: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Fiction

311 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 25, 2016

About the author

Sean Hinn is the author of the Epic Fantasy series, "The Days of Ash and Fury."

Follow Sean on the web:

http://www.facebook.com/TahrSeanHinn
http://twitter.com/SeanHinn
http://www.seanhinn.com

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Hello"

Man, I love finding these gems. This book was a little short, but I was hooked from the first chapter. From Barris, an Elf Knight, we are introduced into the world of Tahr. A world of divided Kingdoms and many races, and the politics that come with having different people living close together.

The synopsis doesn't do this book justice, first it does read almost like a Prologue - the journey is just getting started here, and by the end you will want the next book. But we have unknown changes happening in the world of Tahr, the Elves would like to ally with a Human Kingdom to figure out what's going on. Of course, there is trust issues that we've come to know well in stories with elves/humans and not everything is as simple as just "lets go on quest and figure out the problem". Don't expect a sword swinging action story, while there is some, don't expect Logen Ninefingers to show up and Bloody Nine everyone.

Wizards scheming, corrupt Kings, wise Goodfathers and a Queen trying to do right by her daughter and people. And Lucan - my boy Lucan. It's rare that I really laugh out loud while reading, he made me laugh in his first chapter. There's more to Lucan then we are shown and by the end I'm sold the upcoming journey. Bring on book 2!

[Richard Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book

This story is about humans, gnomes, dwarves and elves and their interactions as a cataclysmic event is happening to their world. We see how groups either work together or look out for their own interests. A fast paced story and I can’t wait to get the second book in the series.

[Phyllis Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very fun book!

I don't normally write reviews but I have to say I really did enjoy this book. It was well written and has a lot of fun interaction between the characters. I like the different POV's and the pace was quick with lots of action. Sean Hinn is is definitely an author I will be reading.

[Artrain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Four things to say first: 1. My ratings are based on Goodreads guidelines (3* = liked it). 2. The review may contain mild spoilers. 3. The review is for entire series. 4. Although I will criticise a lot, I genuinely appreciate all new authors who have made us readers spoilt for choices. It takes a lot of courage and other qualities that I personally don't have myself to pursue career as an author, and despite what I think of the books, I consider the author in highest regard.

I'll begin by letting whoever is reading this know that although this series has 3 books currently, the story is not finished. According to the author the third book ends at around half way mark, so expect three more books by end of 2019. This might be important to some people as on first glance it seems a completed trilogy.

So about the story itself. I felt a heavy influence of Tolkein on the author. You'll have your regular tropes of elves, dwarves, dragons, humans (obviously) and gnomes in this case, with rare mentions of orcs and trolls as well. A lot of you might be dead tired of these (I also am to some extent), but to the author's credit he has presented these highly overused races in an honest manner which gives its own unique, albeit simple, charm.

The main characters are distinct, stay true to their personalities, and are interesting enough that I had no trouble sinking myself in the books.

Now to bring up some points that I did not like. There are multiple POVs for multiple main characters at the beginning, which is fine. But then later on when the characters come together and you expect large portions of the story to focus on them, the author just splits off and continues covering random characters related to the main characters. Now this might be okay to explain different scenes happening in different regions of the world (which the main characters originally come from), but one would expect these additional POVs to be used in moderation. Instead three-quarters, yes three-quarters of the book is filled with these POVs! Why? After introducing me to the main characters, I'm absolutely not interested in reading the POV of some dwarven barmaid one of them used to know, or the POV of the parents and grandmother of the other, or the mother of yet another, or some shady but powerful merchant and another powerful wizard in the city where one used to live. Its of no interest to me! Show me the characters that made me stick to the book!

After a while you start to doubt who is the main character of the story at all! Worse part is that these additional POVs come at the price of character development for the main characters. In fact, until the very end its the side-characters that end up going to massive character developments while the main characters are same as they started out!

The second thing is the journeying. There is too much of going from one place to another to yet another and then back again to where it all started from without anything much of note actually happening! That is inexcusable. You cannot waste so much of story time (especially when a sense of really urgent danger had been expressed in the beginning) and then not end up creating any situation of note.

The third is the prophecy. Prophecies are dime a dozen these days, which is why it is easy for readers to use them to separate authors who have carefully planned their story vs those authors who seem to just go with the flow without any clear plan. Sadly, this book makes it feel like the author falls in the latter category than the former. In this case we see a prophecy that clearly mentions five people will be required to fulfill it, but yet everyone agrees it has been fulfilled even though only four are present. And those four are gathered in such a dramatic and rushed fashion that you expect something will happen then and there, but.... nothing does?

All in all, plenty of room for improvement. But I'm bit of a sucker for adventure/fantasy genre, and the good points (author's honest writing style, and clearly defined and likeable characters) were enough for me to finish reading all three books and await for the next ones.

[T.L. Branson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Summary

Omens of Fury is set in the fantasy world of Tahr. The book follows four main characters listed by order of appearance: Aria, Shyla, Lucan, and J’arn. They are, respectively, an elf, a gnome, a human, and a dwarf. Each begin their tale in four different locations and throughout the book find their way to each other. Presumably, the second book is focused on their exploits together.

There are various antagonistic characters within the story, though none directly oppose our heroes in this novel. Instead, our main antagonist is not a person, but the very world itself. Tahr is falling apart around them. Vents are opening in the world’s crust, fires are igniting randomly, earthquakes rock the world, fissures are opened, and a mighty volcano erupts.

Our heroes are on a race against time to find a solution and save their lives and the entire world.


The Characters

Omens of Fury is a character-driven story. Much care and thought has been put into the development of these characters. Over the course of the novel, I grew attached to each one of them and watched as their personalities developed and grew.

My favorite of the four main characters is Shyla. I really connected with her more than any other as we see her, literally, uprooted from everything she has ever known and forced into a world of adventure.

Of the secondary characters, an elf named Barris would be at the top of my list. Level-headed and with a noble heart, Barris not only provides our heroes with protection and guidance, but he is set to have a story of his own as he battles internally with his feelings.

The storyline surrounding one of the antagonists, Sartean D’Avers, is both interesting and riveting. He is a plotter and a master chess player, planning and preparing his moves years in advance so that all the stars align for him.


The World

Hinn has created an intriguing world in Tahr. His descriptions of the world are vivid and help you paint a picture in your mind. There is a map toward the front of the book, but it’s not really needed as Hinn consistently gives the reader points of reference relative to known areas throughout the world.

Each of the areas are cleverly named from the Maw, a giant valley between mountain ranges, to the Boiler, a raging rapid that bubbles as if boiling.


The Plot

The plot for Omens of Fury is unlike most books that you read. This is no tale of hero versus villain. It’s not an unknown hero that sets out for revenge upon his enemies. No, Omens of Fury is a fight for survival itself. It’s a refreshing twist from the cliches of the genre.

The plot line does not resolve itself at the end of Omens of Fury, but continues on throughout the series. Instead, Omens of Fury is about the epic journey of our four heroes to find a solution to the crisis beset on their beloved world.

There are bumps in the road, fraught with dangers. There are personal struggles and deceptions. Multiple threads for romance abound, but very few take place in this novel. I anticipate, though, that Hinn will explore these threads in the remainder of the series.

The last chapter of the novel is the shortest in the bunch, but it ties in so beautifully with the beginning. It left me saying “Oh, wow, I can’t wait for the next book.”


Additional Thoughts

Overall, I enjoyed Omens of Fury for all the reasons listed above. I only gave it a four star review because of a few minor grievances. The first is that it takes a little while to get to know our heroes. Each chapter has the reader jumping between characters. So just as you have got a grasp on one character, you’re ripped to another and have to learn them all over again.

With main characters and secondary characters, there’s a lot of name-dropping in the first few chapters and it’s difficult to keep them straight. Once I got them all down, though, I appreciated the constant change of pace throughout the novel. The chapter breaks provided excellent cliffhangers leaving me wanting more.

Along with the chapter changes, there’s a lot of “head-hopping” going on. The story is written in third person omniscient. This means that we don’t follow one particular character, but rather the scene. Within a given scene, Hinn jumps between the thoughts of several characters. Some people enjoy this style. It is not my favorite. It did not detract from the overall story, but it did create moments of confusion at times until I sorted it out.

[~Cyanide Latte~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

**This review is for the first printing edition of this book, originally titled "Tahr: The Days of Ash and Fury volume 1".**

I sorely regret not having picked up and started reading this book sooner! Originally I'd discovered it via Twitter advertising self-published works, and it had been free on Kindle at the time, so I had gone ahead and added it to my personal elibrary, figuring I had nothing to lose. However, I learned quickly I couldn't stand ebooks and as such, shoved "Tahr" to the back burner for a time. Sorry, Sean Hinn! Later I decided I wanted to give it another shot and instead of attempting the ebook again, I searched on Amazon and wound up purchasing a used for-sale copy of the book, only to find that since I'd first discovered it on Twitter, the book has now been updated with a new cover and title, Omens of Fury. I hope to eventually purchase a brand new copy of the new edition, and I'm interested to see if any significant edits or changes have been made to the book since the repackaging.

"Tahr" initially reads very similarly to most high fantasy, especially in its world-building. The set-up is similar to pre-existing fantasy novels and most often I see other readers relating it to Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy. They aren't wrong in that regard; many elements of the story, the races, the plot, and the world-building feel very archetypal. Once I got further into the story, some of those elements gradually started becoming their own thing, and I have hopes that Hinn will continue to explore his world in hopes of seeing it become even more original.
I personally find the writing to be very well-polished; I think he had a very sound editor in regards to formatting, spelling, and grammar. Personally I think he would have benefited from having a few more beta-readers acting as a sounding board for his ideas, but for what it's worth, I genuinely enjoy the plot and the characters so far (though I will say I think we've gotten more character depth and development shown for side characters than we have most of our four main protagonists.)

One glaring criticism I see thrown at this book by others is the fact that there's no discernible climax and it all serves as more of a setup for the second book than a stand-alone novel. I don't disagree with this; there are a few climactic moments for each of our four protagonists, but nothing overly-developed and mind-blowing. The entire plot of this book (at least in this first printing, as I have yet to see if anything was changed or added to the newer edition) revolves around our four main protagonists making it to the same location by one means or another. True, there are additional things going on. We get a lot of insight as to what's going on with both our antagonists and a few of our side characters, but largely this novel is a setup for its sequel.

This very much feels like one early draft (though not the very first rough draft for sure) for a debut novel, and as such, due to the overall sense of incompleteness to this book, I cannot rate it a full five stars. It's clear that it needs work, and I can only hope the later edition and the following sequel show evidence of improvement on Hinn's part as a writer. I did however, thoroughly enjoy what I have read, and I am looking forward to eventually purchasing the newer edition of this book and the sequel!

[Caprice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting New World

I enjoyed reading Tahr, the first book in The Days of Ash and Fury by Sean Hinn. While this book does have quite a bit of action in it, it is mostly a set-up for future books in the series. It describes the main characters in the stories, but so far, there is not deep development of those characters. It is similar to J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings series in that it brings together several different races to fight a battle with evil that will destroy the land if the group doesn't defeat it. There are elves, dwarves, a gnome, and a human that by the end of the book have gathered together in one place. The evil side is also revealed in the King of Mor, the human part of the world of Tahr, and his chief sorcerer, Sartean D'avers.

I found this to be an entertaining read, and finished it in a day and a half. However, there are a few things missing that would greatly help readers to imagine and understand the World of Tahr. There really needs to be a map of the areas mentioned in the book. There is a description of the lay of the land, but it is hard to imagine without a visual aid. I would also like to see a list of the characters that tells their race, their loyalties and their place origin. Finally, and short glossary of terms used in the book that are unfamiliar. I'm still not certain of the terms used to measure time. There is also the elven language which is spoken occasionally that would be better understood with a translation of dictionary of terms and pronunciation.

All in all, this was a decent book for a first novel. I will be interested in reading further books in this series, because I thought the stopping place was an ideal end point for the first installment, happening just as the final members of the team of good guys arrive. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys epic fantasy and exploring new worlds. It's suitable for anyone over the age of 13, because it does have mild violence in the story.

[Taniqua Cary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well this was an interesting little read. I’m always nervous to read anything that isn’t very well known, but after reading this, I think I’ll start taking a slight bit more chances. I was in a book slump and knew I needed to read something different or I wouldn’t be able to get out of it and I’m glad this did it. I can tell this author put a lot of thought into his characters because each of the races, which are elves, humans,gnomes, and dwarves, had different mannerisms and personalities. There were multiple POVs and each character we meet is different and at first it was a little hard to get used to because going from the propriety of the elves, to the, let’s just say LESS proper way of the dwarves and ESPECIALLY the gnomes, it was a little jarring and I almost wanted to give up so it took me way longer to read than usual but something kept pulling me back into the story and I’m glad it did. It was amazing to read each character’s journey and how they were all heading to each other without knowing that they are somehow connected. I will definitely be reading the next one!

[Alex Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Take me to rehab, cuz I'm Addicted!

Until now I thought this kind of epic would be forever ruled by Tolkien and by Hickman/Weiss but now there's a new player and he is starting off STRONG! I enjoyed the Dragon Lance Chronicles but to be honest they were lacking in comparison. Sean Hinn, has in my mind leaped to the forefront of the genre with his debut novel. I became hopelessly enamored with multiple characters throughout this book and the relationships between them are woven as tight as a basket maker would their goods. The best thing for me was not the plot (which was great by the way) nor was it the action or the characters, it was the humor that was interspersed perfectly between all of my other favorite things :) bottom line...read this book, your mind will be happier than if it were swimming in the Grove's springs.

[Gayreth Walden · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book!

I am so glad I got this book. Sean Hinn is a new author for me and I am extremely pleased with his writing style. There are strange things happening across the land. It will be up to Aria, Lucan, Shyla and J'arn to figure out what is going on and what can be done about it. The cast of characters are diverse as you will ever find. Elven Knights, a powerful wizard with his own agenda, an unstable king and many more. I particularly liked that the author gave some good insight in what makes the main characters who they are and what motivates them. So this story is certainly character driven. The story is well written and the characters are well developed. This story continues into book two. I highly recommend this book! Note: The title is now "Omens of Fury".

[Rich · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Epic Start

Cute, but not cheesy. Deep, but not shallow. There are many characters and places, but Mr. Hinn has found a pace and method in which you are given just enough to make you turn the page. What else would an author want from his readers? By the end of it, I am wanting more, and so the journey will continue once I finish this review of the first book and find the second.

Thank you Mr. Hinn. A great an epic start to a promising journey. Likeable heros and detestable antagonists. Bravo!

[Kristi Cramer · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took a bit for me to get into this, but it only got better as I read on. Epic in scope and the cast of hundreds, with shades of GRRM in that I got the sense the possibility that not everyone would make it. I read the first 3 books of the series in a row, and this was the least favorite, probably because I was still picking up all the nuances of the world of Tahr. And Tahr is indeed nuanced.

Definitely worth the read. My rating would be PG17, for violence and some (not a lot of) coarse language. (I don't think I saw the F word.) Well done.

[Laura]

Debating if I even want to finish this one. I was really enjoying it until the chapter with the character Mila. Every male character is barely described (maybe just their hair color or height) while literally every physical aspect of the female character is described in detail down to her breasts and hip size. (I'm not even exaggerating when I say the description of her appearance and lack of clothing takes up almost an entire page.) Then on top of that, of course, she sleeps her way to being successful. Give me a break. Really ruined an otherwise very good book.

[Ryan Mueller · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a solid read, but something about it didn't quite click for me. The author does a great job with dialogue, and some of the characters are very interesting. The writing overall is smooth, with only a few editing issues.

For whatever reason, though, I never cared fully about the story that was unfolding. Interesting things seemed to be happening, but they didn't have me frantically turning pages. The ending was also a bit of a letdown, and this feels very much like the first part of a book rather than a complete story.

I may pick up the next book in the series at some point.

[Alisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is a bit slow getting into the story and the way it jumps between charaters at first can be confusing working out who is who as not every charather is given a strong opening as to who they are and what role they have to play in the story. I hope book 2 will be better as it seemed like things were just starting to come together at the end and getting to the real plot and storyline. Book 1 really seems to be more for setting up who is is who rather than storytelling

[Fee Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Omens of Fury by Sean Hinn is the first book in The Days of Ash and Fury series. We follow Lucan Thorne and other characters as we travel this world that is plagued with fires and quakes.

This is an interesting story. The characters are diverse, and the good vs evil trope rears its head. For me, this was a fun book, and has a Tolkien feel to it. I can't wait for the next book!

[Shekeilah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspiring.

Hope. That is what I feel about the book. The book is about the journey of . . . ERM. . . different kinds of race or I would rather say species. Somehow this kind of makes the story interesting. The pace is just slow for me. Despite that, I love the book and the introduction to a new world.

[Jason Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

glimpses of a good story. man, it is slow though. the dialogue is corny and high school writer level. I am hoping the author improves with more experience. there was enough there to make me download book 2

[Tracy Dickens · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is really good. I found myself getting very interested in the characters and what is going on in this world. I'm so curious what is going to happen next I bought the second book right after I finished. This one is definitely worth checking out.

[Tony Sommer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome Read

This was a very good story. Full of action and suspense. I can't wait to see the next book in the series.

[Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Epic fantasy perfection!

[Flynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice set up!

I'm liking all the characters so far, though Sartean is the weakest to me. Regardless, I'm looking forward to continuing this adventure while everyone bands together.

[Rachael Fick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of slow with a lot of world-building, but it looks like it's going to lead somewhere pretty good. Headed to book 2.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best fantasy series I have read. Eagerly awaiting the next book!

[Peter · Rating 2 out of 5]

This review would be 2.5 Stars, if Goodreads allowed me to rate half stars.

There were things about this book I liked, but the bad outweighed the good. For one, it was too short. I've read too many books lately that end after the first major action scene with nothing resolved. This one didn't even have a discernible climax. It just sort of ended. There are obvious parallels to the Lord of the Rings, in that a few groups of characters make their way to an Elvish settlement in order to have a council, but that's the entirety of what happens in Tahr. It's safe to say this entire novel is nothing more than buildup for Book 2.

The world is not fleshed out or even well constructed. "Greater Tahr", as the continent is called, is made up of four kingdoms, one for each race that's been introduced (Human, Elf, Dwarf, Gnome), although the Gnomish Kingdom and Dwarven Kingdom are so closely linked that they're separate in name only. I never really got a sense of scale for these kingdoms, even with the included map. There is only one major city in each kingdom, and sometimes just the one city, but traveling between them takes days or even weeks.

There are apparently things outside Greater Tahr, but they've never been discovered. I can't believe that none of these races, especially the Elves, ever pushed those boundaries. What you have here is a slice of a greater fantasy world introduced as a whole and complete fantasy world, and it doesn't work. It's like Hinn had a checklist of things to include, drew a square, and plopped them down wherever. There are far too many cookie cutter fantasy worlds with plenty of substance but no soul. Tahr has neither substance nor soul.

The politics don't work. One of the big selling points, according to the other reviews, is how the different kingdoms interact and hate each other. What interactions? They have one or two commodities they trade to the other races, and the entire Human economy is collapsing because between their two trading partners, nobody buys their stuff. Where are the alliances, the betrayals, the intrigue? Where are the economics of building kingdoms and driving armies? You can't have any of that with three and a half kingdoms (city-states?).

Okay, now onto the good. I really like the characters (except Lucan). A few of them fall flat, and there are a few too many "wise old mentors" floating around for my tastes, but many of them are interesting and a little deep, if not particularly original. My favorite by far is Shyla, the inquisitive Gnome with mysterious magic who's been thrown suddenly into a strange world. My worst favorite is Lucan, the erstwhile handsome young thief who wants to make something of this life.

The conflict at the heart of the story is not your typical light versus dark chosen one bull. It's all very apocalyptic, with volcanos and ash falls. The creatures haven't been seen yet except in dreams, but they seem to be quite terrifying. I am interested in seeing what happens next.

In conclusion, I will try Book 2 when it comes out, because it's free and because what happens therein will either make or break the series. I will modify this review accordingly after I've read it.

[T · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tahr reads like a perfectly respectable first draft of a high fantasy novel. If the author had access to a strong editor, and spent some time with a caring but critical writers group, Tahr could probably become something good.

As it is, there's not much new about Tahr or its inhabitants that you haven't read before in other fantasy novels, and those other novels were probably better. The author tends towards telling you about the world and its inhabitants rather than showing them to you, and the world-building is correspondingly a little clunky. The use of dialect in the non-human, non-elven characters seems like an easy way to mark them as "different" without taking any particular effort to show why they're different.

There are also some grammatical errors, some glaringly anachronistic phrasing in places, and at least one continuity error towards the end of the novel which temporarily added a different character to a conversation.

But despite its cliched setting, stereotypical characters, and less than polished writing, Tahr may evolve into something more interesting and compelling as the author works on his craft and shows us more of what's undoubtedly going on in the world he's building.

[Joshua Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I refuse to believe this is a debut author! Ok, maybe that's a bit extreme but what a great book! It's all about Shyla as far as I'm concerned, but to be fair I genuinely felt *something* about all the characters, and while the story seems to be far from over, I'm hooked.

Don't miss this one. I know I won't miss #2. Well done Mr. Hinn!

[Jessi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is free on kindle, it was pretty good, many things I didn't like but I loved the gnomes and dwarves, very cute. Also there is an intriguing story line but it's unfolding excruciatingly slow, but I plan to keep on with the series.