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Dissolution Cycle #1.7
Journey to the Top of the Nether
Climb the Unclimbable!
Natina grew up studying the artifacts found by her mother, the famous explorer Morvu Francita Januti. Now, her mother has discovered an ancient machine able to drill into the previously impenetrable mineral of the Nether, and is leading an expedition to climb its incredibly high walls for the very first time. She wants Natina to be part of the expedition, but Natina is more comfortable helping her parents research at home—if only her mother were home more often.
The Nether's walls are smooth like crystal, any fall will mean certain death, and no one knows what, or who, may lurk above the clouds. There are even rumors of another team of explorers following them, trying to steal their glory. It could be the chance of a lifetime for Natina, and a good way to learn how her mother became the most famous explorer of the ten species—if they survive.
Natina grew up studying the artifacts found by her mother, the famous explorer Morvu Francita Januti. Now, her mother has discovered an ancient machine able to drill into the previously impenetrable mineral of the Nether, and is leading an expedition to climb its incredibly high walls for the very first time. She wants Natina to be part of the expedition, but Natina is more comfortable helping her parents research at home—if only her mother were home more often.
The Nether's walls are smooth like crystal, any fall will mean certain death, and no one knows what, or who, may lurk above the clouds. There are even rumors of another team of explorers following them, trying to steal their glory. It could be the chance of a lifetime for Natina, and a good way to learn how her mother became the most famous explorer of the ten species—if they survive.
- GenresFantasy
188 pages, Paperback
Published August 28, 2018
3 people are currently reading
34 people want to read
About the author
William C. Tracy
35 books107 followersWilliam C. Tracy writes tales of the Dissolutionverse: a science fantasy series about planets connected by music-based magic instead of spaceflight. This series currently includes a three-book epic space opera cycle. It also includes five novelettes and novellas, including a coming of age story, tales of political intrigue, a Sherlock Holmes-like mystery, a Jules Verne style adventure. Several books include LGBT-friendly elements.
His first epic fantasy from NineStar Press is Fruits of the Gods, about a land where magic comes from seasonal fruit, and two sisters plot to take down a corrupt government.
William is a North Carolina native and a lifelong fan of science fiction and fantasy. He has a master's in mechanical engineering, and has both designed and operated heavy construction machinery. He has also trained in Wado-Ryu karate since 2003, and runs his own dojo in Raleigh NC. He is an avid video and board gamer, a reader, and of course, a writer.
In his spare time, he cosplays with his wife such combinations as Steampunk Agent Carter and Jarvis, Jafar and Maleficent, and Doctor Strange and the Ancient One. They also enjoy putting their pets in cute little costumes and making them cosplay for the annual Christmas card.
You can get a free Dissolutionverse short story by signing up for William's mailing list at http://williamctracy.com/contact-me/
Or follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/wctracy for writing updates, cat pictures, and thoughts on martial arts.
His first epic fantasy from NineStar Press is Fruits of the Gods, about a land where magic comes from seasonal fruit, and two sisters plot to take down a corrupt government.
William is a North Carolina native and a lifelong fan of science fiction and fantasy. He has a master's in mechanical engineering, and has both designed and operated heavy construction machinery. He has also trained in Wado-Ryu karate since 2003, and runs his own dojo in Raleigh NC. He is an avid video and board gamer, a reader, and of course, a writer.
In his spare time, he cosplays with his wife such combinations as Steampunk Agent Carter and Jarvis, Jafar and Maleficent, and Doctor Strange and the Ancient One. They also enjoy putting their pets in cute little costumes and making them cosplay for the annual Christmas card.
You can get a free Dissolutionverse short story by signing up for William's mailing list at http://williamctracy.com/contact-me/
Or follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/wctracy for writing updates, cat pictures, and thoughts on martial arts.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 17, 2019
This one grabbed my attention with a quirky cover. The story is full of surprises and unexpected settings. The famous explorer Morvu Francita Januti has discovered an ancient, insect-shaped machine able to drill through the Nether. She takes her daughter, Natina, on an expedition to climb Nether’s smooth walls for the first time. Such an expedition comes with a risk, but if they survive, they will enjoy fame and glory. Not to mention that Natina will spend more time with her always busy mother and finally understand how she became the most famous explorer of the ten species.
The story impressed me with an imaginative and unique setting, and exciting exploration of the Nether, high above the clouds. It seems Journey of the Top of the Nether is the sixth book of the Dissolution Cycle series, but it stands on its own. I think William C. Tracy made a good job of introducing the world while using no info-dumps. Unfortunately, some terms or the names of the species were casually thrown into the story as something obvious. It’s cool that Natina and her mother are Etanela but I know nothing about Etanela, or other species in the Dissolution verse, except the fact they’re taller than most other Nether’s inhabitants. A glossary would help.
Although the prose contains some awkward turns of phrase, it flows well, with Tracy never losing sight of his target audience (as proved by age-appropriate dialogue). The well-crafted illustrations of Justin Donaldson add life and depth to the author’s words. I love the way they picture the world - each illustration complements the unfolding story. I wouldn't mind seeing more of them!
In all, an enjoyable and imaginative book suitable for a younger audience.
The story impressed me with an imaginative and unique setting, and exciting exploration of the Nether, high above the clouds. It seems Journey of the Top of the Nether is the sixth book of the Dissolution Cycle series, but it stands on its own. I think William C. Tracy made a good job of introducing the world while using no info-dumps. Unfortunately, some terms or the names of the species were casually thrown into the story as something obvious. It’s cool that Natina and her mother are Etanela but I know nothing about Etanela, or other species in the Dissolution verse, except the fact they’re taller than most other Nether’s inhabitants. A glossary would help.
Although the prose contains some awkward turns of phrase, it flows well, with Tracy never losing sight of his target audience (as proved by age-appropriate dialogue). The well-crafted illustrations of Justin Donaldson add life and depth to the author’s words. I love the way they picture the world - each illustration complements the unfolding story. I wouldn't mind seeing more of them!
In all, an enjoyable and imaginative book suitable for a younger audience.
Read
August 4, 2021Hello folks! I'll be using this space to provide some updates for the Dissolutionverse stories!
First off, I get a lot of questions about which books to read first. A good place to start is either Tuning the Symphony, or the big epic space opera, The Seeds of Dissolution, however, I've purposefully written these books so you can read them in any order, depending on what you like! Journey to the Top of the Nether is one of the most stand-alone books, and you won't miss anything by starting here.
I'm currently writing the sequels to The Seeds of Dissolution, and the story will probably be five books long. However, Right now there are four side novellas to choose from: an adventure, a political intrigue, a Sherlock Holmes-style mystery (this one), and a Jules Verne-like adventure. Each one adds a bit more to the universe...
August 4th, 2021: Been a while since I did one of these, but I'm very pleased to announce that my first anthology, Distant Gardens, is released! My stories include one in the Dissolutionverse and one in a new universe. There are eight other stories as well, by my fellow authors!
April 21st 2021: The audiobook for Tales of the Dissolutionverse is released on Audible! Go check it out!
August 25th 2020: Book 3, Fall of the Imperium is out! Time to go finish up the trilogy. What lies in store for Sam, Enos, and Inas?
July 23rd 2020: The cover for book 3, Fall of the Imperium, has been revealed! Mark your calendars for August 25th and the release of the last book of the trilogy!
June 24th 2020: Book 2, Facets of the Nether is released! Go out and get it, people! I'm hoping to finish up Fall of the Imperium in 2-3 weeks, and that one will be released in August to finish out the trilogy.
May 13 2020: The Kickstarter is finished and the covers and illustrations are funded. Thanks to everyone who helped this project. In other news, I've finished the last draft of Facets of the Nether (The Dissolution Cycle book 2) and the planned release date is June 23rd! Now on to another round of edits on book 3, planned for August 2020...
April 08 2020: The Kickstarter for books 2 and 3 of The Seeds of Dissolution is live! You can get the books early, become a character in the story, or have a special Dissolutionverse story written just for you. Check out the link here:
https://kickstarter.com/projects/spac...
February 18 2020: Draft 4 of book two in the Seeds of Dissolution timeline is complete! This fixes the last bits of feedback, as well as some consistencies I noticed while writing the third book. That means it's back to book 3, to start making large structural changes based on my writing group feedback. The Kickstarter is still a go for April!
January 15 2020: I'm finished with draft 2 of book three in the Seeds of Dissolution timeline! Going back now to make some small changes based on feedback in book two. I plan to release these in May and July of 2020, with a Kickstarter running in April. You can the first copies of the books as well as some cool swag by backing! The titles are as follows:
The Seeds of Dissolution (Book 1)
Facets of the Nether (Book 2)
Fall of the Imperium (Book 3)
October 8 2019: Starting on the first draft of book three in the Seeds of Dissolution timeline! I'm planning to release books 2 and 3 close together in 2020.
July 31 2019: The audiobook for The Seeds of Dissolution is now out! So if you like to listen to your books instead of read them, go try it out!
April 26 2019: I finished the second draft of the sequel to The Seeds of Dissolution last week! Currently it's going out to my first batch of alpha readers, and I know a lot of places I need to tidy things up. I should be starting the next draft soon, and will probably start outlining the third book soon.
Feb 20, 2019: If you want a story to tide you over until the sequel comes out, how about a novelette about Origon's past? You can get it for free right here! BookHip.com/PAHQDG
Jan 09, 2019: I'm finished with the rough draft of the next book! Take a look at the page for The Seeds of Dissolution for a full update, since this will be a sequel. I'll be putting in sneak peeks in my monthly newsletter. If you want to sign up (and get a free short story too) head on over to http://williamctracy.com/ and sign up.
First off, I get a lot of questions about which books to read first. A good place to start is either Tuning the Symphony, or the big epic space opera, The Seeds of Dissolution, however, I've purposefully written these books so you can read them in any order, depending on what you like! Journey to the Top of the Nether is one of the most stand-alone books, and you won't miss anything by starting here.
I'm currently writing the sequels to The Seeds of Dissolution, and the story will probably be five books long. However, Right now there are four side novellas to choose from: an adventure, a political intrigue, a Sherlock Holmes-style mystery (this one), and a Jules Verne-like adventure. Each one adds a bit more to the universe...
August 4th, 2021: Been a while since I did one of these, but I'm very pleased to announce that my first anthology, Distant Gardens, is released! My stories include one in the Dissolutionverse and one in a new universe. There are eight other stories as well, by my fellow authors!
April 21st 2021: The audiobook for Tales of the Dissolutionverse is released on Audible! Go check it out!
August 25th 2020: Book 3, Fall of the Imperium is out! Time to go finish up the trilogy. What lies in store for Sam, Enos, and Inas?
July 23rd 2020: The cover for book 3, Fall of the Imperium, has been revealed! Mark your calendars for August 25th and the release of the last book of the trilogy!
June 24th 2020: Book 2, Facets of the Nether is released! Go out and get it, people! I'm hoping to finish up Fall of the Imperium in 2-3 weeks, and that one will be released in August to finish out the trilogy.
May 13 2020: The Kickstarter is finished and the covers and illustrations are funded. Thanks to everyone who helped this project. In other news, I've finished the last draft of Facets of the Nether (The Dissolution Cycle book 2) and the planned release date is June 23rd! Now on to another round of edits on book 3, planned for August 2020...
April 08 2020: The Kickstarter for books 2 and 3 of The Seeds of Dissolution is live! You can get the books early, become a character in the story, or have a special Dissolutionverse story written just for you. Check out the link here:
https://kickstarter.com/projects/spac...
February 18 2020: Draft 4 of book two in the Seeds of Dissolution timeline is complete! This fixes the last bits of feedback, as well as some consistencies I noticed while writing the third book. That means it's back to book 3, to start making large structural changes based on my writing group feedback. The Kickstarter is still a go for April!
January 15 2020: I'm finished with draft 2 of book three in the Seeds of Dissolution timeline! Going back now to make some small changes based on feedback in book two. I plan to release these in May and July of 2020, with a Kickstarter running in April. You can the first copies of the books as well as some cool swag by backing! The titles are as follows:
The Seeds of Dissolution (Book 1)
Facets of the Nether (Book 2)
Fall of the Imperium (Book 3)
October 8 2019: Starting on the first draft of book three in the Seeds of Dissolution timeline! I'm planning to release books 2 and 3 close together in 2020.
July 31 2019: The audiobook for The Seeds of Dissolution is now out! So if you like to listen to your books instead of read them, go try it out!
April 26 2019: I finished the second draft of the sequel to The Seeds of Dissolution last week! Currently it's going out to my first batch of alpha readers, and I know a lot of places I need to tidy things up. I should be starting the next draft soon, and will probably start outlining the third book soon.
Feb 20, 2019: If you want a story to tide you over until the sequel comes out, how about a novelette about Origon's past? You can get it for free right here! BookHip.com/PAHQDG
Jan 09, 2019: I'm finished with the rough draft of the next book! Take a look at the page for The Seeds of Dissolution for a full update, since this will be a sequel. I'll be putting in sneak peeks in my monthly newsletter. If you want to sign up (and get a free short story too) head on over to http://williamctracy.com/ and sign up.
August 10, 2018
What a fun story! I was impressed with how well Tracy captured the voice of the young protagonist. It set a nice tone for a well-thought out adventure story perfect for 10 to 12 year olds. I enjoyed once again learning about a different dimension of the Nether, as well as seeing through the eyes of a new POV. A good read!
January 1, 2024
Another great story by William C. Tracy! Vividly imaginative and top of the Nether fun! The Symphony weaves deeper and more complex with every book I read…so much more to explore and experience…
Justin Donaldson’s art is wonderful and in perfect harmony with Tracy’s writing!
Justin Donaldson’s art is wonderful and in perfect harmony with Tracy’s writing!
December 30, 2018
Review coming soon!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews