The Opus Discordia

by James Daniel Ross

They say that music soothes the savage beast. Bah! Who the heck are these people and what do they know? I was reborn in a castle of corpses, and I knew nothing. I survived the assassins, the mercenaries, and all the nasty little tricks they could throw at me. I regained my memories and have been taken under a new wing. Now, it's time to move on. Noria is a whole kingdom looking to kill me, so I flee to the Principalities of Hammarfall. I have sacks of gold, a magic sword, and the skills of a lifetime as an assassin. I should be able to carve out a little niche of heaven and live happy and fat until a ripe old age, right? Right? Only, Hammarfall is in turmoil, the God of Murder still has yet to forgive me for leaving his service, and there are ravens everywhere I look. Then there is this music. I can't get the haunting melody out of my mind… But one thing hasn't changed. I am going to survive.

330 pages, Paperback

Published August 1, 2017

About the author

A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, James has been an actor, computer tech support operator, historic info-tainment tour guide, armed self defense retailer, automotive petrol attendant, youth entertainment stock replacement specialist, mass market Italian chef, low priority courier, monthly printed media retailer, automotive industry miscellaneous task facilitator, and ditch digger.

The Radiation Angels: The Chimerium Gambit is his first novel.

James Daniel Ross shares a Dream Realm Award with the other others in Breach the Hull, and an EPPIE award with the others appearing in Bad Ass Faeries 2.

Most people are begging him to go back to ditch digging.

Reviews

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was worth the wait

I am a big fan of Fox Crow and his creator. Writing style flows it's funny and full of every other emotion. I could read Crow stories forever.

[David Fosco · Rating 4 out of 5]

A phenomenal and unique continuation of the first book!

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

The snarky-ness of Fox Crow really drives this story, but I would like a little more dialogue and a little less internal monologuing; it just makes the story creep along.

[Dave Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent ride. If you enjoyed "I Know Not", and wanted more Fox Crow, then this is a trip you will enjoy greatly. Not only will you find out more about Fox's history and personality, but you'll see him employ his impressive skillset, not only in practical use, but also as he takes on the role of master to an apprentice named Raina. In this context, we also get to see why he does what he does, instead of merely enjoying him doing it (I hope that makes sense, lol)...

These two (Fox and Raina) make a great team, as they embark on a quest to retrieve the titular MacGuffin - actually, that's not too fair... the Opus Discordia is more than a mere MacGuffin (though it does keep the story moving along). It has lore attached to it that is well-thought-out and well-presented. The characters and themes are on point, and well crafted. The dialog is tasty, the story full of action. The only slight quirk I had with the whole project (aside from typos) is that for some reason, the ending didn't quite sit right with me. I'll need to chew on it a bit more, maybe re-read the climax again. I can't tell if the ending was rushed, or perhaps I was rushing myself to finish it...

Anyways, all in all, this is the most enjoyable book I've read in 2017. JD Ross is a skilled fantasist. If he could find a skilled proof-reader and a professional cover artist, there's no reason he couldn't be presented alongside the big names in the genre.

2024 December Re-read: I still hold to the above glowing assessment, as well as the questionable ending sequence. It seems jarring, for some reason, and a tad over-worked. Still, love the characters and the story lines and the writing style. But that ending, though.... hmm.....