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The Chronicles of the Pale #1
The Pale
The Outside can be a dangerous place.
But so can the inside.
It’s been years since the original cataclysm, but life has been structured, peaceful, and most of all uneventful in the Pale. The humachine citizens welcome the order provided by their ruler, the baleful Regent.
However, when one of their own rescues a human boy, Hector, from ravenous ferals on the Outside, their careful systems are turned upside down.
As Hector grows more and more human-strange, the citizens of the Pale grow uneasy.
What will happen when the Outside tries to get in?
But so can the inside.
It’s been years since the original cataclysm, but life has been structured, peaceful, and most of all uneventful in the Pale. The humachine citizens welcome the order provided by their ruler, the baleful Regent.
However, when one of their own rescues a human boy, Hector, from ravenous ferals on the Outside, their careful systems are turned upside down.
As Hector grows more and more human-strange, the citizens of the Pale grow uneasy.
What will happen when the Outside tries to get in?
- GenresDystopiaScience Fiction
256 pages, Paperback
Published September 15, 2017
4 people are currently reading
78 people want to read
About the author
Clare Rhoden
26 books52 followersClare Rhoden started making up stories early and never stopped. She writes sci-fi, fantasy and historical fiction with loveable characters, adventurous plots and awesome world building.
Clare loves books, books, books, dogs, cats, craft and gardening.
Oh, and her husband - forever.
Clare is a writer, editor and reviewer from Melbourne Australia.
Clare loves books, books, books, dogs, cats, craft and gardening.
Oh, and her husband - forever.
Clare is a writer, editor and reviewer from Melbourne Australia.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
July 21, 2019
The Pale is science fiction set in a post-apocalyptic dystopia. Amid the destitution of the Broad Plain, the Pale itself is a policosmos, a walled colony ruled by a tyrannical Regent and filled with humachines – machine-augmented humans not known for their empathy. Tad, a humachine that cares a little too much, lets in a human child, Hector, when he arrives at the Pale's gate. Outside, the caninis struggle to survive after a devastating earthquake destroys their habitat. The tribes and the Settlement also struggle for survival. Four groups, four distinct societal structures. What unfolds is a tightly woven plot that centres around a struggle for survival in the harshest of conditions.
Rhoden demonstrates tremendous descriptive powers and impressive world building, The Pale reminiscent of the intelligent science fiction novels of old. I am reminded of my favourite science fiction author, Phillip K. Dick. The Pale is filled with well-crafted and engaging characters – including dogs – in what amounts to a classy read with an important moral message, making the reader question where we are heading and whose side we are on and what it means to be fully human. Add to this an elegant writing style which makes The Pale accessible to teens and adults alike, and I imagine it won't be too long before this novel catches on big time.
The allegorical aspect of The Pale provides much fodder for contemplation in today's pre-apocalyptic climate change reality, something all good high school teachers should relish were they to lay their hands on copies for their classrooms. In all, Rhoden has penned a feast for the speculative fiction aficionado.
Rhoden demonstrates tremendous descriptive powers and impressive world building, The Pale reminiscent of the intelligent science fiction novels of old. I am reminded of my favourite science fiction author, Phillip K. Dick. The Pale is filled with well-crafted and engaging characters – including dogs – in what amounts to a classy read with an important moral message, making the reader question where we are heading and whose side we are on and what it means to be fully human. Add to this an elegant writing style which makes The Pale accessible to teens and adults alike, and I imagine it won't be too long before this novel catches on big time.
The allegorical aspect of The Pale provides much fodder for contemplation in today's pre-apocalyptic climate change reality, something all good high school teachers should relish were they to lay their hands on copies for their classrooms. In all, Rhoden has penned a feast for the speculative fiction aficionado.
July 2, 2019
The Pale is the kind of intelligent speculative fiction read that I love. I highly recommend it.
On the surface it presents as a complete dystopian world, living factions well formed and interacting in the ebb and flow of a great story: humachines, canini, tribes, settlers and more. The world building is detailed and immersive, the language as alternately stark and poetic as the setting.
Then on a deeper level, individual characters emerge to challenge your moral compass, introducing you to a dystopian future that is all too possible. And while life in The Pale begins as structured, peaceful and uneventful, you just know it's not going to stay that way. I loved the slow decay wrought on the careful systems by beings failing to adhere to the group mores, and even the environment itself, bucking the trend.
Though it's not all conflict and power play. The future is not black and white, and the twists and turns held so many shades of grey in the values, choices and actions of the inhabitants.
The writing is subtle and powerful.
I'm glad Rhoden has already released Book 2. I need to read about what happens next.
On the surface it presents as a complete dystopian world, living factions well formed and interacting in the ebb and flow of a great story: humachines, canini, tribes, settlers and more. The world building is detailed and immersive, the language as alternately stark and poetic as the setting.
Then on a deeper level, individual characters emerge to challenge your moral compass, introducing you to a dystopian future that is all too possible. And while life in The Pale begins as structured, peaceful and uneventful, you just know it's not going to stay that way. I loved the slow decay wrought on the careful systems by beings failing to adhere to the group mores, and even the environment itself, bucking the trend.
Though it's not all conflict and power play. The future is not black and white, and the twists and turns held so many shades of grey in the values, choices and actions of the inhabitants.
The writing is subtle and powerful.
I'm glad Rhoden has already released Book 2. I need to read about what happens next.
September 21, 2018
The Pale centres around the fallout from a cataclysmic earthquake, which affects many different groups in a post-apocalyptic society: settlers, tribes, canini, and the modified humans of the Pale.
The Pale itself is a walled city populated with humachines: humans who have been augmented with technology in order to become more efficient citizens. Genetic breeding is commonplace. Those who are no longer considered worthy of 'upgrades' are 'recycled', and this is considered perfectly normal to the inhabitants of the Pale. The fortress-like city is run by a Regent devoid of empathy, who rules with a tyrant’s fist. Rhoden’s impressive prose captures the Regent's nuances well.
“The Regent was exhibiting her particular brand of brilliant anger. Jaxon watched with some admiration as sparks erupted from the anthracite curls of her lashes, and her brows flashed arcs of light. Most alarming of all, Jaxon noticed, was the ripple of power that flowed over her skin, as if her body was insufficient to contain the emotion that roiled through her blood, that jagged through every biowire and agitated every nerve.”
In true dystopian style, The Pale looks into the future to show where our own obsession with technology might lead us. A thought-provoking read reminiscent of George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four and Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? The Pale raises many questions as to what it truly means to be human.
The Pale itself is a walled city populated with humachines: humans who have been augmented with technology in order to become more efficient citizens. Genetic breeding is commonplace. Those who are no longer considered worthy of 'upgrades' are 'recycled', and this is considered perfectly normal to the inhabitants of the Pale. The fortress-like city is run by a Regent devoid of empathy, who rules with a tyrant’s fist. Rhoden’s impressive prose captures the Regent's nuances well.
“The Regent was exhibiting her particular brand of brilliant anger. Jaxon watched with some admiration as sparks erupted from the anthracite curls of her lashes, and her brows flashed arcs of light. Most alarming of all, Jaxon noticed, was the ripple of power that flowed over her skin, as if her body was insufficient to contain the emotion that roiled through her blood, that jagged through every biowire and agitated every nerve.”
In true dystopian style, The Pale looks into the future to show where our own obsession with technology might lead us. A thought-provoking read reminiscent of George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four and Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? The Pale raises many questions as to what it truly means to be human.
November 4, 2018
When I first started reading this book I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it. It had a slower pace than my usual reads and there was some head hopping as it introduced the four distinct sets of people that inhabited the post-apocalyptic world. But as I read on I found myself drawn in to the story more and more while watching the human boy Hector grow up in the Pale, the city of the humachines, while the canini fought for survival after the earthquake that decimated their denning sites and hunting grounds. I grew to care about the people of the tribes as they mourned the loss of many of their loved ones and strove to keep the remaining members alive, and watched with interest to see how those in the Settlement would react to the calamity that had befallen them and their allies.
The world came alive for me, through the characters, the dangers they faced and their actions toward others. In the Regent, ruler of the Pale, I found a character I loved to hate. She was contrasted perfectly with Tad, the humachine who was considered to have too much empathy. His actions to save a human boy revealed the human side that had been suppressed in the other humachines. In the caste system of the Settlement, I found a leader worthy of the title of Chief as Valkirra struggled to do what was right for her people, even if that meant going against custom and the guidelines of the Temple. But it was the canini and the tribes that offered the most hope in the dark times, with the way they cared for their own and for others, and worked to live lightly upon the land that provided both food and shelter. It offered hope that all was not lost for humanity in the dark shadow of the cataclysmic events that rocked their world.
It was wonderful to see some of my favourite characters meet up and join forces despite their differences, even as I worry what the future holds for them considering the events taking place in the Pale toward the end of the book. One thing is for sure, navigating the dangerous landscape they live in will not be an easy task, and I am looking forward to reading the second book in the series to find out what happens next. In all, this story might have had a slow start, but it made up for it with a heartfelt message of hope amidst so much adversity.
The world came alive for me, through the characters, the dangers they faced and their actions toward others. In the Regent, ruler of the Pale, I found a character I loved to hate. She was contrasted perfectly with Tad, the humachine who was considered to have too much empathy. His actions to save a human boy revealed the human side that had been suppressed in the other humachines. In the caste system of the Settlement, I found a leader worthy of the title of Chief as Valkirra struggled to do what was right for her people, even if that meant going against custom and the guidelines of the Temple. But it was the canini and the tribes that offered the most hope in the dark times, with the way they cared for their own and for others, and worked to live lightly upon the land that provided both food and shelter. It offered hope that all was not lost for humanity in the dark shadow of the cataclysmic events that rocked their world.
It was wonderful to see some of my favourite characters meet up and join forces despite their differences, even as I worry what the future holds for them considering the events taking place in the Pale toward the end of the book. One thing is for sure, navigating the dangerous landscape they live in will not be an easy task, and I am looking forward to reading the second book in the series to find out what happens next. In all, this story might have had a slow start, but it made up for it with a heartfelt message of hope amidst so much adversity.
December 19, 2019
Thank you to the author and Rachel's Random Resources for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own and are not influenced in any way.
Goodreads Blurb:
The Outside can be a dangerous place.
But so can the inside.
It’s been years since the original cataclysm, but life has been structured, peaceful, and most of all uneventful in the Pale. The humachine citizens welcome the order provided by their ruler, the baleful Regent.
However, when one of their own rescues a human boy, Hector, from ravenous ferals on the Outside, their careful systems are turned upside down.
As Hector grows more and more human-strange, the citizens of the Pale grow uneasy.
What will happen when the Outside tries to get in?
The Pale takes us to a time when the world has been destroyed and humans have attempted to rebuild what is left. We have the humachines, mechanically altered humans, canini, genetically altered canine and a whole cast of characters created with some outside-the-box thinking.
What I Didn't Like:
It was hard to keep focused on this book. There's a lot going on so you need to be paying attention to keep it all straight. I found myself getting bored which led to getting lost and had to reread certain things to keep track of what was going on. To me, I found a lot of filler in the book that took away from the actual story. This is a slow-paced novel, which is something I dislike in general.
What I Did Like:
The canini. I absolutely loved them. The canini are altered canines with thumbs and the ability to mindspeak. Who wouldn't love for their dog to mindspeak to them? There was just something about them that really grabbed my attention. Their parts were done very well and was definitely my favorite parts of the book. The Temple Lady. This lady is a character you hate to like. She isn't the nicest person in the book, far from it actually, but she is enjoyable in a god-I-wanna-slap-her way. You know, the type of character that you don't like as a person but you enjoy reading about them anyway. There are a whole cast of characters in this book that are enjoyable.
The ending picked up a bit for me. There are a few events that happen near the end that set up for book 2 Broad Plain Darkening in the sense that you want to find out what happens next. I feel like it seemed the story begun but never really went anywhere, just minor events to start a snowball later on.
Rating this book is difficult because while I didn't particularly enjoy this book it does have a lot of good qualities that I think others would enjoy. Overall I feel neutral about the book. I didn't hate it, I didn't love it.
You can find this and all my other reviews at https://fourmoonreviews.blogspot.com/...
Goodreads Blurb:
The Outside can be a dangerous place.
But so can the inside.
It’s been years since the original cataclysm, but life has been structured, peaceful, and most of all uneventful in the Pale. The humachine citizens welcome the order provided by their ruler, the baleful Regent.
However, when one of their own rescues a human boy, Hector, from ravenous ferals on the Outside, their careful systems are turned upside down.
As Hector grows more and more human-strange, the citizens of the Pale grow uneasy.
What will happen when the Outside tries to get in?
The Pale takes us to a time when the world has been destroyed and humans have attempted to rebuild what is left. We have the humachines, mechanically altered humans, canini, genetically altered canine and a whole cast of characters created with some outside-the-box thinking.
What I Didn't Like:
It was hard to keep focused on this book. There's a lot going on so you need to be paying attention to keep it all straight. I found myself getting bored which led to getting lost and had to reread certain things to keep track of what was going on. To me, I found a lot of filler in the book that took away from the actual story. This is a slow-paced novel, which is something I dislike in general.
What I Did Like:
The canini. I absolutely loved them. The canini are altered canines with thumbs and the ability to mindspeak. Who wouldn't love for their dog to mindspeak to them? There was just something about them that really grabbed my attention. Their parts were done very well and was definitely my favorite parts of the book. The Temple Lady. This lady is a character you hate to like. She isn't the nicest person in the book, far from it actually, but she is enjoyable in a god-I-wanna-slap-her way. You know, the type of character that you don't like as a person but you enjoy reading about them anyway. There are a whole cast of characters in this book that are enjoyable.
The ending picked up a bit for me. There are a few events that happen near the end that set up for book 2 Broad Plain Darkening in the sense that you want to find out what happens next. I feel like it seemed the story begun but never really went anywhere, just minor events to start a snowball later on.
Rating this book is difficult because while I didn't particularly enjoy this book it does have a lot of good qualities that I think others would enjoy. Overall I feel neutral about the book. I didn't hate it, I didn't love it.
You can find this and all my other reviews at https://fourmoonreviews.blogspot.com/...
November 15, 2019
Imagine a landscape more forbidding than Central Australia, the Sahara, the Atacana desert. A landscape still shifting with the after shocks of a cataclysmic event that, 197 years before The Pale begins, destroyed most species.
'How does anything live out there?' Tad murmured.
Serviceman Tad patrols the Pale, the last place left that bears any resemblance to a city. Within the walls exist - you can hardly say 'live' - a hierarchical society of citizens who, like Tad, are partly liveware (tissue) and partly hardware. The Pale has wholly adopted technology and rationality as its survival mechanism. Subservience by the citizens to the poli-cosmos is the order of the day. (I think it no accident that the author's use of 'policosmos' without a hyphen somehow gives it an overtone of 'police state'.) Even so, there are unsettling signs in at least two Servicemen, Tad and his protégé Hector, of the Pre-catalcym human trait deemed most dangerous: empathy. The story of how this 'weakness' affects the Pale could have made a good novel in itself, I think, but Clare Rhoden interweaves it with so much more.
Outside the Pale, somehow life clings on. Here subsist the humans (fully liveware) of the Settlement. In their zeal to live up to Pre-cataclysmic ideals they have turned to biology. Strict breeding protocols result in a caste system. Beyond the Settlement roam Tribes. Some tribespeople have close bonds with the packs of Canini, wolf-like creatures. I defy any reader to not be fascinated by the Canini. Their codes and imperatives also serve as a contrast with the humans. All living things fear the Ferals, hybrids of biology and machine, a nightmare offspring of the former technological world. These scour the plains hunting biofuel i.e. flesh.
Clare Rhoden quickly establishes this ghastly world in our minds. At the same time she moves the narrative along with fascinating characters to care about. I particularly liked the depiction of how the mentality, society and even biology of humans could evolve not only as means of survival but also in efforts to eliminate the problems of Pre-Cataclysm humanity. In some dystopian stories all we really see, I think, is the last angry males mindlessly fighting each other to the last club and bullet. Here, to my relief, and I'm sure yours too, we have leaders, mostly female, relying on mutual respect, discussion, and the cross seeding of ideas between groups. This intelligent and thought provoking series looks at how the best attributes of we humans, empathy, hope, kindness, can have the power to lift us above struggle and misery.
'How does anything live out there?' Tad murmured.
Serviceman Tad patrols the Pale, the last place left that bears any resemblance to a city. Within the walls exist - you can hardly say 'live' - a hierarchical society of citizens who, like Tad, are partly liveware (tissue) and partly hardware. The Pale has wholly adopted technology and rationality as its survival mechanism. Subservience by the citizens to the poli-cosmos is the order of the day. (I think it no accident that the author's use of 'policosmos' without a hyphen somehow gives it an overtone of 'police state'.) Even so, there are unsettling signs in at least two Servicemen, Tad and his protégé Hector, of the Pre-catalcym human trait deemed most dangerous: empathy. The story of how this 'weakness' affects the Pale could have made a good novel in itself, I think, but Clare Rhoden interweaves it with so much more.
Outside the Pale, somehow life clings on. Here subsist the humans (fully liveware) of the Settlement. In their zeal to live up to Pre-cataclysmic ideals they have turned to biology. Strict breeding protocols result in a caste system. Beyond the Settlement roam Tribes. Some tribespeople have close bonds with the packs of Canini, wolf-like creatures. I defy any reader to not be fascinated by the Canini. Their codes and imperatives also serve as a contrast with the humans. All living things fear the Ferals, hybrids of biology and machine, a nightmare offspring of the former technological world. These scour the plains hunting biofuel i.e. flesh.
Clare Rhoden quickly establishes this ghastly world in our minds. At the same time she moves the narrative along with fascinating characters to care about. I particularly liked the depiction of how the mentality, society and even biology of humans could evolve not only as means of survival but also in efforts to eliminate the problems of Pre-Cataclysm humanity. In some dystopian stories all we really see, I think, is the last angry males mindlessly fighting each other to the last club and bullet. Here, to my relief, and I'm sure yours too, we have leaders, mostly female, relying on mutual respect, discussion, and the cross seeding of ideas between groups. This intelligent and thought provoking series looks at how the best attributes of we humans, empathy, hope, kindness, can have the power to lift us above struggle and misery.
February 21, 2019
The Pale, a post-apocalyptic vision of a world where many sentient species must, as they emerge from disaster, learn to rebuild together, is refreshingly nuanced and complex. Characters are not predictably or stereotypically "good" or "evil"; instead, each has a plausible rationale for their choices, and these choices have realistic and wide-reaching consequences. This alone raises this book above the ordinary. However, it's the meticulous, deeply thought-out, and intelligent worldbuilding that makes it shine. Rhoden has clearly taken extraordinary pains to create a world with both opportunities and constraints, with complex societies and societal interactions, and with a geography that goes well beyond facile maps and convenient watering holes. My only quibble is that the book is perhaps *too* rich, with too many plots and subplots intertwining. I would have liked to see a few of them followed through at greater length, rather than jumping back and forth to keep the timelines relatively consistent. However, that is in no way keeping me from eagerly anticipating reading the sequel, which I see has now been published. Anyone who likes their worldbuilding sophisticated and intricate will very much enjoy this book.
August 16, 2019
I’m not huge on sci-fi but I really enjoyed the intertwining stories and if you love taking dogs you will enjoy this book
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September 28, 2020This is my first dystopian novel and I thank Clare for introducing me to this genre. I did struggle at first as I found the themes jumped around a lot between the four groups and I would have liked more character development earlier in this book. However, this is a big story to tell and Clare writes with a great deal of imagination and cleverly creates her own language along the way. I saw so many parallels with our world today and what it may become due to greed, ignorance and politics and the ebbs and flows of this story are very thought provoking. I am intrigued to read more!
July 21, 2019
The Pale is a wonderful book. It took me through the best and worst of times for the characters and how they came together to take back the land from an Apocalypse setting. Very well written and kept me looking forward to my reading time. I enjoyed this book and I am sure you will too.
October 10, 2020
[Disclosure: received The Pale, Broad Plain Darkening and The Ruined Land as gift from author.]
The Pale is the first book in a trilogy. Taken as a whole, the trilogy creates a complex multi-layered world and a satisfying set of stories. Interrupting narratives is an authorial no-no, but Rhoden's ability to jump between cultures, and species, weaves a cohesive narrative rather than a series of interrupted stories, as each increasingly relates to what we know about the others.
While the stories flow for the large cast of characters, and their tribal groups / herds / packs, the differences and similarities often had me pause to reflect on what it means to be human, canine, equine or a mix. I also reflected on how large, tech-advanced populations of humans bring catastrophe upon themselves and their world - just as we're doing now, and what kind of human and culture would be required to recover and grow from that disaster.
Rhoden broaches a topic, and finds a solution, to the issue of how to build a creature NOT inclined to mindless inter-tribal, anti-'other', violence - creatures to whom cooperation is the first instinct rather than the last.
There's a lot to think about during the course of the entire series, and I very definitely enjoyed doing so. A great ride through a very different world.
The Pale is the first book in a trilogy. Taken as a whole, the trilogy creates a complex multi-layered world and a satisfying set of stories. Interrupting narratives is an authorial no-no, but Rhoden's ability to jump between cultures, and species, weaves a cohesive narrative rather than a series of interrupted stories, as each increasingly relates to what we know about the others.
While the stories flow for the large cast of characters, and their tribal groups / herds / packs, the differences and similarities often had me pause to reflect on what it means to be human, canine, equine or a mix. I also reflected on how large, tech-advanced populations of humans bring catastrophe upon themselves and their world - just as we're doing now, and what kind of human and culture would be required to recover and grow from that disaster.
Rhoden broaches a topic, and finds a solution, to the issue of how to build a creature NOT inclined to mindless inter-tribal, anti-'other', violence - creatures to whom cooperation is the first instinct rather than the last.
There's a lot to think about during the course of the entire series, and I very definitely enjoyed doing so. A great ride through a very different world.
June 5, 2020
Finding engagement with this story took me a while but I was well rewarded for the effort. The Pale is an intelligent and well-crafted tale of hope and endurance. The post-apocalyptic backstory provides the reader with a potent warning; our civilisation will pay a price for ignoring the needs of our planet.
Clare Rhoden presents several main characters, while holding together the story of four disparate groups: human, part-human, tribal and animal – all of them struggling to survive. The Pale is a walled city protected by advanced technology, cutthroat wire, and a ruthless recycling system. The atmosphere is claustrophobic. Hector, the human boy child they accept into their community, might be their one true hope though hope is not an emotion permitted in the Pale. In fact, any inhabitant guilty of having feelings or empathy will likely be recycled.
The story begins with a quake followed by aftershocks that wrack the land, echoing the Great Conflagration of the past and heralding a dire and uncertain future for all. In the Pale, the Regent and the manipulative Senior Forecaster react by tightening their massive defence systems. Those who live Outside re-consider their attitudes to each other and begin to forge new communities.
Despite the Pale’s savage restrictions, Hector grows into a young humachine who manages to maintain his humanity, a fact not unnoticed by the Senior Forecaster. When Hector is cruelly abandoned to the perils of Outside, he finds a home with the Outsiders: humans and animals.
In The Pale, Rhoden has created an exciting and thought-provoking beginning to her trilogy. Book 2, Broad Plain Darkening, promises to be a page-turning journey.
Clare Rhoden presents several main characters, while holding together the story of four disparate groups: human, part-human, tribal and animal – all of them struggling to survive. The Pale is a walled city protected by advanced technology, cutthroat wire, and a ruthless recycling system. The atmosphere is claustrophobic. Hector, the human boy child they accept into their community, might be their one true hope though hope is not an emotion permitted in the Pale. In fact, any inhabitant guilty of having feelings or empathy will likely be recycled.
The story begins with a quake followed by aftershocks that wrack the land, echoing the Great Conflagration of the past and heralding a dire and uncertain future for all. In the Pale, the Regent and the manipulative Senior Forecaster react by tightening their massive defence systems. Those who live Outside re-consider their attitudes to each other and begin to forge new communities.
Despite the Pale’s savage restrictions, Hector grows into a young humachine who manages to maintain his humanity, a fact not unnoticed by the Senior Forecaster. When Hector is cruelly abandoned to the perils of Outside, he finds a home with the Outsiders: humans and animals.
In The Pale, Rhoden has created an exciting and thought-provoking beginning to her trilogy. Book 2, Broad Plain Darkening, promises to be a page-turning journey.
October 14, 2019
The Pale is the first book in what promises to be an excellent sci-fi/fantasy series. A large part of part one of the book is dedicated to familiarising the reader with the environment and it’s inhabitants, and although this means it is a bit of a slow starter, the number of different species and the way they live means that such intricate world building is essential to give a broad enough understanding of the post-Conflagration existence. Sometimes it is tempting to rush straight into the action of a story, but I find that more often than not this just leaves me with more questions, and I am so glad that Clare Rhoden took the time to introduce us gently to her world, and did so in exquisite detail. For a world so far removed from our current one, I found I could picture each character and habitat perfectly.
By part two, I found that I was completely invested in the characters and had become really attached to a few of them. I found that I was particularly drawn to the canini, and the sacrifices they had to make broke my heart. I also grew fond of Kilimanjara and Feather of the Storm, and I enjoyed their family dynamic.
This definitely strikes me as a series that needs to be read back to back – certainly by the time I had reached the end of The Pale, I was very glad that I had Broad Plain Darkening already lined up to read.
By part two, I found that I was completely invested in the characters and had become really attached to a few of them. I found that I was particularly drawn to the canini, and the sacrifices they had to make broke my heart. I also grew fond of Kilimanjara and Feather of the Storm, and I enjoyed their family dynamic.
This definitely strikes me as a series that needs to be read back to back – certainly by the time I had reached the end of The Pale, I was very glad that I had Broad Plain Darkening already lined up to read.
September 3, 2019
This was a gripping and fun ride from start to end! A new take of a dystopian future that had me engaged start to end, looking forwards to finding what was to come. I often enjoy dystopian novels, or I really don’t, with not much in between! So why did I like this one? Well...
The thing that I really enjoy about post apocalyptic books, is also the thing that often makes me dislike them, and that’s the plausibility. If it has it, i love it. If it doesn’t, it’s like dragging nails down a chalk board for me. It has to be believable, it has to have some sense of potential future to it, or where’s the fun?
This considered the world after a series of earthquakes, and for myself, this already rings as possible. There are more all the time, so it seems plausible this could happen more and more closely together. I’m not a scientist, but it makes sense, and the way it is explained herein follows the same lines, you don’t need to be a scientist, but the story is logical in it’s assumptions of future earth.
I enjoyed seeing how the story progressed, getting to know the characters and the changes in situation. There were plenty of surprises along the way and I didn’t find the storyline to be predictable!
I’m excited to get stuck into book two and see where this story is going to take me next! Well worth picking up for anybody who loves a gripping Dystopian storyline!
The thing that I really enjoy about post apocalyptic books, is also the thing that often makes me dislike them, and that’s the plausibility. If it has it, i love it. If it doesn’t, it’s like dragging nails down a chalk board for me. It has to be believable, it has to have some sense of potential future to it, or where’s the fun?
This considered the world after a series of earthquakes, and for myself, this already rings as possible. There are more all the time, so it seems plausible this could happen more and more closely together. I’m not a scientist, but it makes sense, and the way it is explained herein follows the same lines, you don’t need to be a scientist, but the story is logical in it’s assumptions of future earth.
I enjoyed seeing how the story progressed, getting to know the characters and the changes in situation. There were plenty of surprises along the way and I didn’t find the storyline to be predictable!
I’m excited to get stuck into book two and see where this story is going to take me next! Well worth picking up for anybody who loves a gripping Dystopian storyline!
September 13, 2019
In an apocalyptic/dystopian world there are many groups struggling to survive after a cataclysmic earthquake. The Pale is a wall civilization where humachines live, humans that have merged with machines to remove the emotions which ruin people. The canini are upgraded wild dogs that live closer to the earth and stay to their packs. The tribes are a group of people that seem to have a connection with the canini. Then there are the settlers, a group of people that live by strict rules of survival and procreation.
This book is an introduction to this world and the different characters. You will meet a maniacal ruler call the Regent in the Pale and a young humachine called Tad discovers a boy outside the walls of the Pale and brings him inside. This is the main story of the book but you will find yourself wandering through the other areas and people. Times are changing and not everyone will survive.
This was a wonderful dystopian world, I just loved it. My one complaint was that there was so much going on that I would get frustrated bouncing around instead of letting one story line follow through.
I did enjoy this book and am very glad that I have the whole series to read. I can’t wait to find out what happens next.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.
This book is an introduction to this world and the different characters. You will meet a maniacal ruler call the Regent in the Pale and a young humachine called Tad discovers a boy outside the walls of the Pale and brings him inside. This is the main story of the book but you will find yourself wandering through the other areas and people. Times are changing and not everyone will survive.
This was a wonderful dystopian world, I just loved it. My one complaint was that there was so much going on that I would get frustrated bouncing around instead of letting one story line follow through.
I did enjoy this book and am very glad that I have the whole series to read. I can’t wait to find out what happens next.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.
September 8, 2019
WOW. Wow. Wow. The Pale blew my mind. It’s a post-apocalyptic story with incredible world building, characters and all around writing. I am so excited I had the opportunity to read this one!
The world-building is incredibly detailed. Clare Rhoden’s writing is almost poetic, I could vividly see what she was describing in great detail. I absolutely love the writing style. I was able to forget everything and immerse myself into this story.
The characters are also incredibly written. I love a good character-driven novel, and The Pale accomplishes this. There are characters to love and characters to hate, but every one of them felt real. I was impressed.
The Pale is a thought-provoking dystopian that feels like it could happen. I highly recommend checking it out.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book as part of a blog tour with Rachel's Random Resources. All opinions are my own.*
Find this review and more on my blog: https://www.jessicabelmont.wordpress.com
The world-building is incredibly detailed. Clare Rhoden’s writing is almost poetic, I could vividly see what she was describing in great detail. I absolutely love the writing style. I was able to forget everything and immerse myself into this story.
The characters are also incredibly written. I love a good character-driven novel, and The Pale accomplishes this. There are characters to love and characters to hate, but every one of them felt real. I was impressed.
The Pale is a thought-provoking dystopian that feels like it could happen. I highly recommend checking it out.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book as part of a blog tour with Rachel's Random Resources. All opinions are my own.*
Find this review and more on my blog: https://www.jessicabelmont.wordpress.com
April 23, 2021
Loved it! Clare sets up the characters so well. Wonderful futuristic story about different tribes - including animals, after the 'great conflagration'. After I finished it I had to immediately start the 2nd book of the series to see what happened!
February 28, 2019
I read this one because I had already read the second in the series and I wanted to find out what happened before.
It reads well, better than lots of post apocalyptic sci fi. Good characters.
It reads well, better than lots of post apocalyptic sci fi. Good characters.
August 31, 2019
Full review on blog from 4th September 2019
Summary:
Imaginative and addictive reading. Multi-strand tale.
Summary:
Imaginative and addictive reading. Multi-strand tale.
September 7, 2019
The Pale is the first book in the Chronicles of the Pale series, and it's definitely a wild read. I did struggle with getting into at first, because there is a lot to take in and keep track of, but after a bit, everything started to click in my head and make more sense to me. I found myself curious and wanting to know more.
The Pale is set in the future. There was an event known as the Great Conflagration, and now the world has changed. The book focuses on four main groups of characters.
There's the humachines of the Pale. They're a mash-up of humans and machines. Their city is walled, and they tend to keep to themselves. Anything or anyone that wanders too close is usually killed or taken in to be studied/recycled for food/upgrades/etc. They're ruled by a woman known as the Regent.
Then there's the Canini. They're intelligent wolf-like dogs that can mindspeak to one another and some humans. They also have opposable thumbs. They mainly keep to themselves, but will run with the humans if necessary.
There's the Tribes, a group of humans who live in the South (I believe) and trade with the humans of the Settlement. Some of the tribe can mindspeak with the Canini and use it to learn about what's going on in their new world.
And there's the Settlement, a town of humans who follow a strict code where only those deemed worthy are allowed to procreate and live a more comfortable life.
The book jumps into things with a humachine named Tad discovering a wailing human child outside the gates of the Pale. His mother is dead (killed by ferals), and he's all alone. Tad decides to bring him into the Pale, which doesn't sit well with the others, but they figure they can use him. He's trained to work with Tad, but the more he grows, the more human he seems, even with the modifications the Pale provides. What happens when the Regent decides Hector and Tad are no longer worthy of being citizens of the Pale? You'll have to read it and find out.
I don't want to give too much away, because I know I'll spoil things, so I'll just say this: If you enjoy though-provoking, intelligent dystopian fiction, you'll want to check out The Chronicles of the Pale. Although the first book was a bit slow to get going (at least for me), and I struggled a bit, I found it intriguing and engaging, and by the time it ended, I was eager for more.
I'm rating it 3.5 stars.
The Pale is set in the future. There was an event known as the Great Conflagration, and now the world has changed. The book focuses on four main groups of characters.
There's the humachines of the Pale. They're a mash-up of humans and machines. Their city is walled, and they tend to keep to themselves. Anything or anyone that wanders too close is usually killed or taken in to be studied/recycled for food/upgrades/etc. They're ruled by a woman known as the Regent.
Then there's the Canini. They're intelligent wolf-like dogs that can mindspeak to one another and some humans. They also have opposable thumbs. They mainly keep to themselves, but will run with the humans if necessary.
There's the Tribes, a group of humans who live in the South (I believe) and trade with the humans of the Settlement. Some of the tribe can mindspeak with the Canini and use it to learn about what's going on in their new world.
And there's the Settlement, a town of humans who follow a strict code where only those deemed worthy are allowed to procreate and live a more comfortable life.
The book jumps into things with a humachine named Tad discovering a wailing human child outside the gates of the Pale. His mother is dead (killed by ferals), and he's all alone. Tad decides to bring him into the Pale, which doesn't sit well with the others, but they figure they can use him. He's trained to work with Tad, but the more he grows, the more human he seems, even with the modifications the Pale provides. What happens when the Regent decides Hector and Tad are no longer worthy of being citizens of the Pale? You'll have to read it and find out.
I don't want to give too much away, because I know I'll spoil things, so I'll just say this: If you enjoy though-provoking, intelligent dystopian fiction, you'll want to check out The Chronicles of the Pale. Although the first book was a bit slow to get going (at least for me), and I struggled a bit, I found it intriguing and engaging, and by the time it ended, I was eager for more.
I'm rating it 3.5 stars.
July 14, 2021
Riveting dystopian fiction
When reading the first in this series of three books by Clare Rhoden, I felt a bit like an anthropologist experiencing culture shock in the course of doing fieldwork among a little known culture. In fact, she created four complete sets of cultural contexts, that is, four very different sets of communities trying to survive in the aftermath of a major cataclysmic event. These are the humachines, the tribes, the people living in what was called the settlement, and the canini, a world of canines with an ability to communicate through mindspeak. The connecting link is Hector, a young man who had been orphaned only to be raised in a society of people altered and enhanced by technology to such an extent that they are described as humachines by members of the other societies. The world building is phenomenal, with vivid details injected into the story.
The author has created a fascinating, multilayered, and complex world. At times, I felt a bit overwhelmed, bouncing around among the various cultures. But that is not a criticism; if one sticks with this book, one is richly rewarded. Several themes are raised throughout the book—the challenges of communication among groups with entirely different cultural expectations, questions of ethics, for instance in regard to population control as well as exploitation of labor, and questions of what makes a viable community. Throughout the reader is reminded that cultures change constantly and that some patterns of behavior that may have been adaptive at a certain point in time need to be reconsidered. Just like anthropologists have repeatedly discovered in the course of such fieldwork, the strange and inexplicable after a while becomes more comprehensible at the same time as one finds a number of familiar patterns of behavior and cultural dynamics. The “other” is not as different from oneself as one might think.
When reading the first in this series of three books by Clare Rhoden, I felt a bit like an anthropologist experiencing culture shock in the course of doing fieldwork among a little known culture. In fact, she created four complete sets of cultural contexts, that is, four very different sets of communities trying to survive in the aftermath of a major cataclysmic event. These are the humachines, the tribes, the people living in what was called the settlement, and the canini, a world of canines with an ability to communicate through mindspeak. The connecting link is Hector, a young man who had been orphaned only to be raised in a society of people altered and enhanced by technology to such an extent that they are described as humachines by members of the other societies. The world building is phenomenal, with vivid details injected into the story.
The author has created a fascinating, multilayered, and complex world. At times, I felt a bit overwhelmed, bouncing around among the various cultures. But that is not a criticism; if one sticks with this book, one is richly rewarded. Several themes are raised throughout the book—the challenges of communication among groups with entirely different cultural expectations, questions of ethics, for instance in regard to population control as well as exploitation of labor, and questions of what makes a viable community. Throughout the reader is reminded that cultures change constantly and that some patterns of behavior that may have been adaptive at a certain point in time need to be reconsidered. Just like anthropologists have repeatedly discovered in the course of such fieldwork, the strange and inexplicable after a while becomes more comprehensible at the same time as one finds a number of familiar patterns of behavior and cultural dynamics. The “other” is not as different from oneself as one might think.
September 16, 2019
Divided into seven districts, the Pale was the largest surviving colony on the continent. The only one worth saving, according to the doctrines of the city’s forecasters. The bucolic settlement to the south and the flimsy camps of the wandering tribesfolk out there on the plain were but poor travesties of survival.
This story is a post-apocalyptic story filled with a plethora of characters from livewares, humachines, settlers, tribesmen, recyclers, caninis, ferals, and many more. However, it is centered around a young boy and Outsider named Hector who is saved by a serviceman for The Pale.
As Hector gets older, Hector's unusually large stature and unknown origin ia a mystery and the recyclers are uneasy what this means for The Pale.
The Pale is the first book in the Chronicles of the Pale series and after learning the dynamics of the districts and the good and evil within them, the story will draw you in with unpredictable characters and events. Another series I have added to my list.
Thank you to Ms. Rhoden for giving me the opportunity to review her book without the expectation of a positive review.
This story is a post-apocalyptic story filled with a plethora of characters from livewares, humachines, settlers, tribesmen, recyclers, caninis, ferals, and many more. However, it is centered around a young boy and Outsider named Hector who is saved by a serviceman for The Pale.
As Hector gets older, Hector's unusually large stature and unknown origin ia a mystery and the recyclers are uneasy what this means for The Pale.
The Pale is the first book in the Chronicles of the Pale series and after learning the dynamics of the districts and the good and evil within them, the story will draw you in with unpredictable characters and events. Another series I have added to my list.
Thank you to Ms. Rhoden for giving me the opportunity to review her book without the expectation of a positive review.
August 3, 2025
This is the first of a series of three; I’m captivated by the imaginative storytelling, the excellent descriptive writing and the superb character development. Set in the not too distant future following a catastrophic event resulting from the Anthropocene, five distinctively different populations have emerged. The Humachines are humanoid robots living within a walled city and ruled by a tyrannical Regent who reminded me of a current prominent world leader. The Settlers who live in a hierarchal caste system that strives for genetic purity and enslaves those deemed to be impure. The Tribes are a somewhat nomadic group who has a close relationship with the canini, the doggos, the most compassionate of the groups. The final group is the ferals, we know little about them apart from them being ruthlessly dangerous.
This is excellent dystopian speculative fiction. Thank you Clare. Onto book two.
This is excellent dystopian speculative fiction. Thank you Clare. Onto book two.
May 26, 2018
I was so looking forward to this book but just couldn’t get into it! Will definitely try again when I’m not in such a reading rut
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