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Death Cloud: An Epic Fantasy Adventure
Defeat ten extraordinary fighters or be annihilated.
Jayton Baird survived the journey to the Tournament. But now he actually has to fight in the ten round death match. And if he doesn’t win, the enemy obtains a weapon making him nigh unstoppable. The fighters grow stronger with each round, leading up to the unbeatable champion that waits in the finals.
Jayton can’t leave the Tournament grounds, but his friends are fighting for survival in the war. Thousands die defending the Wall, the Elves fight a retreating battle to protect their capital, while enemies seek to destroy the East Side.
Jayton struggles with being stuck in the Arena, unable to leave or help on the war front, though he knows he should focus on the Tournament – especially on his final opponent.
Each victory brings him closer to his goal. But will Jayton and his crew find a way to beat the Uland, keep the weapon out of Malstrak’s hands, and save Terraunum? Or will they be struck down in the attempt?
Incredible powers, epic battles, and powerful warriors collide in Death Cloud, the second installment of R.J. Batla’s The Senturians of Terraunum Series. A mashup of epic fantasy, The Last Airbender, superheroes and manga, with a slight dystopian/sci-fi feel. Download your copy to join the adventure in this fast paced, action packed epic fantasy novel!
Jayton Baird survived the journey to the Tournament. But now he actually has to fight in the ten round death match. And if he doesn’t win, the enemy obtains a weapon making him nigh unstoppable. The fighters grow stronger with each round, leading up to the unbeatable champion that waits in the finals.
Jayton can’t leave the Tournament grounds, but his friends are fighting for survival in the war. Thousands die defending the Wall, the Elves fight a retreating battle to protect their capital, while enemies seek to destroy the East Side.
Jayton struggles with being stuck in the Arena, unable to leave or help on the war front, though he knows he should focus on the Tournament – especially on his final opponent.
Each victory brings him closer to his goal. But will Jayton and his crew find a way to beat the Uland, keep the weapon out of Malstrak’s hands, and save Terraunum? Or will they be struck down in the attempt?
Incredible powers, epic battles, and powerful warriors collide in Death Cloud, the second installment of R.J. Batla’s The Senturians of Terraunum Series. A mashup of epic fantasy, The Last Airbender, superheroes and manga, with a slight dystopian/sci-fi feel. Download your copy to join the adventure in this fast paced, action packed epic fantasy novel!
528 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 27, 2018
34 people are currently reading
15 people want to read
About the author
R.J. Batla
11 books175 followersR.J. Batla is a fantasy author and fan of the genre. He’s working on series in both epic and urban fantasy, and likes to write fast paced books that take the reader on an adventure that they can see in their mind. His books reflect influences from novels, comic books, manga, and other cartoons/media, and he joys in blending in these elements in his books.
Author, Christian, Husband, and Father, R.J. Batla enjoys everything outdoors and takes as much time as he can with his family. When he’s not writing, you’ll find him outside (thinking about writing), working out (and thinking about writing) or various other places (all while thinking about writing).
To get a FREE BOOK, visit his website at www.rjbatla.com and sign up for my mailing list.
Follow, like, or email, he'd love to hear from you!
Twitter: @RJBatlaAuthor
Facebook: fb.me/rjbatlaauthor
Email: rjbatlaauthor@gmail.com
Author, Christian, Husband, and Father, R.J. Batla enjoys everything outdoors and takes as much time as he can with his family. When he’s not writing, you’ll find him outside (thinking about writing), working out (and thinking about writing) or various other places (all while thinking about writing).
To get a FREE BOOK, visit his website at www.rjbatla.com and sign up for my mailing list.
Follow, like, or email, he'd love to hear from you!
Twitter: @RJBatlaAuthor
Facebook: fb.me/rjbatlaauthor
Email: rjbatlaauthor@gmail.com
Ratings & Reviews
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
December 28, 2018
I hope to one day meet RJ Batla, like maybe at a con or something. On that day, I will initiate a three step process:
1.) Shake his hand and congratulate him on his awesome books.
2.) Offer to buy him a drink sometime
3.) Give him a dirty look and a lecture about keeping people up all night when they have to pick their kids up the next day and take them to celebrate Christmas with their extended family. 'Taint fair
Seriously guys, be careful with Batla's newest, Death Cloud. It causes this weird disease where you can't take your eyes off of the page and sleeping becomes something that other people do. I couldn't put this thing down. That can be a problem if you've got some weird real world stuff going on like, oh, I dunno work or family or school or something. It's worth it. Just plan a vacation or send the kids to Grandma's house or something. I mean, who doesn't need some time off?
Death Cloud is a mix between Steampunk, Fantasy, Superhero Fiction and a fight movie (ala Bloodsport) or a fighting game (similar to like a Mortal Kombat or Soul Blade) although the Steampunk elements are a lot less pronounced than in the first book. It's a really entertaining mix. Given the fact that the supers in the book have levels to their powers, I kind of wonder if maybe Batla hasn't done a bit of pen and paper RPGing as well. This one sets up and moves.
Those of you who have read the first book will remember that it revolved around the trials and travails of one Jayton Baird and his training and journey to compete in a tournament. Well, now he's there and the fights are intense. watching Jayton try to navigate these fights and plan for his enemies and their abilities is fascinating. Remember when you were a kid and you'd sit across the lunch table at school and argue over who would win in a fight between Green Lantern and Superman? (hint: Green Lantern. Kryptonite is green.) This book is like a series of those fights, except that most of the heroes in Death Cloud have more powers than your average comic book superhero.
And it gets better too, because not only is there a tournament going on, there is a war going on too. This is not Marvel's Civil War either. It's a war fought the way real wars are fought: As a battle royal, two sides against each other and piles of bodies. It's entertaining but it's a little crazy. I mean, how many different powers can hit all at the same time? What kind of carnage could that cause? And what does war look like on a world where people's most potent weapons aren't the ones in their hands, they're the powers locked inside their bodies? It's an interesting look at something I hadn't really considered before, at least with these kinds of powers.
The characters in the book are pretty amazeballs. Jayton's team is composed of some totally awesome people on it. They're focused on their twins missions of winning the war and helping Jayton win the tournament but they have a lot of other things going on besides. There are romances brewing and personal issues abound. I actually had pegged one of them as a bad guy, but it turns out I was wrong. It looks like they really were who they claimed to be and I'm just a suspicious asshole. Who knew? (Huh? Whaddaya mean everybody?)
There is a cast of villains here as well. Batla did a really good job of making the villains in Death Cloud believable. Most of them want riches and power but how is that different than what ordinary people want? (If you disagree think about it this way: You may be comfortable financially or you may not but you probably want a nicer car or a bigger house. You may claim you don't want power, but there's probably something you'd like to change in society. It takes power to do that.) They're willing to take things further than a lot of us probably would, but those people exist in the real world as well. Gang bangers, mafia members, politicians, etc. are all willing to go to extreme lengths to get what they want. I like villains that make sense. I like villains who do what they do for a reason. Batla did this right.
Our main villain, once again, is the evil Malstrak. He's crazy and wants to run everything. Okay, so that's an archetype from history, but it works. He's got followers and an agenda. He's not going to lose no matter what happens, just ask him. All of Death Cloud is focused on the defeat of this one individual. He's a batshit insane wannabe dictator with an attitude problem. He's the kind of guy I can love to hate. He's perfect.
Our hero, Jayton Baird is believable because he is flawed. He has the same power that makes Malstrak such a complete nutcase (nope, not a spoiler. It was revealed in like the first ten pages of Fire Eyes Awakened, the first book.) and he struggles to overcome it. How he deals with it makes for an interesting subplot. I'm waiting to see where this goes in the next book, because there is something building here and I can't tell what. I'm waiting for the big reveal. Something big is going to happen because of this power I can't wait to find out what it is. He also finds himself dealing with a major recurring distraction throughout the story. I kept waiting for the distraction to kill him.
Per Batla's mailing list emails,Death Cloud is the second in a four book series. I'm waiting (im)patiently for the next two. The book obviously sets up a sequel and it promises to be a good one. Keep your eyes peeled,
1.) Shake his hand and congratulate him on his awesome books.
2.) Offer to buy him a drink sometime
3.) Give him a dirty look and a lecture about keeping people up all night when they have to pick their kids up the next day and take them to celebrate Christmas with their extended family. 'Taint fair
Seriously guys, be careful with Batla's newest, Death Cloud. It causes this weird disease where you can't take your eyes off of the page and sleeping becomes something that other people do. I couldn't put this thing down. That can be a problem if you've got some weird real world stuff going on like, oh, I dunno work or family or school or something. It's worth it. Just plan a vacation or send the kids to Grandma's house or something. I mean, who doesn't need some time off?
Death Cloud is a mix between Steampunk, Fantasy, Superhero Fiction and a fight movie (ala Bloodsport) or a fighting game (similar to like a Mortal Kombat or Soul Blade) although the Steampunk elements are a lot less pronounced than in the first book. It's a really entertaining mix. Given the fact that the supers in the book have levels to their powers, I kind of wonder if maybe Batla hasn't done a bit of pen and paper RPGing as well. This one sets up and moves.
Those of you who have read the first book will remember that it revolved around the trials and travails of one Jayton Baird and his training and journey to compete in a tournament. Well, now he's there and the fights are intense. watching Jayton try to navigate these fights and plan for his enemies and their abilities is fascinating. Remember when you were a kid and you'd sit across the lunch table at school and argue over who would win in a fight between Green Lantern and Superman? (hint: Green Lantern. Kryptonite is green.) This book is like a series of those fights, except that most of the heroes in Death Cloud have more powers than your average comic book superhero.
And it gets better too, because not only is there a tournament going on, there is a war going on too. This is not Marvel's Civil War either. It's a war fought the way real wars are fought: As a battle royal, two sides against each other and piles of bodies. It's entertaining but it's a little crazy. I mean, how many different powers can hit all at the same time? What kind of carnage could that cause? And what does war look like on a world where people's most potent weapons aren't the ones in their hands, they're the powers locked inside their bodies? It's an interesting look at something I hadn't really considered before, at least with these kinds of powers.
The characters in the book are pretty amazeballs. Jayton's team is composed of some totally awesome people on it. They're focused on their twins missions of winning the war and helping Jayton win the tournament but they have a lot of other things going on besides. There are romances brewing and personal issues abound. I actually had pegged one of them as a bad guy, but it turns out I was wrong. It looks like they really were who they claimed to be and I'm just a suspicious asshole. Who knew? (Huh? Whaddaya mean everybody?)
There is a cast of villains here as well. Batla did a really good job of making the villains in Death Cloud believable. Most of them want riches and power but how is that different than what ordinary people want? (If you disagree think about it this way: You may be comfortable financially or you may not but you probably want a nicer car or a bigger house. You may claim you don't want power, but there's probably something you'd like to change in society. It takes power to do that.) They're willing to take things further than a lot of us probably would, but those people exist in the real world as well. Gang bangers, mafia members, politicians, etc. are all willing to go to extreme lengths to get what they want. I like villains that make sense. I like villains who do what they do for a reason. Batla did this right.
Our main villain, once again, is the evil Malstrak. He's crazy and wants to run everything. Okay, so that's an archetype from history, but it works. He's got followers and an agenda. He's not going to lose no matter what happens, just ask him. All of Death Cloud is focused on the defeat of this one individual. He's a batshit insane wannabe dictator with an attitude problem. He's the kind of guy I can love to hate. He's perfect.
Our hero, Jayton Baird is believable because he is flawed. He has the same power that makes Malstrak such a complete nutcase (nope, not a spoiler. It was revealed in like the first ten pages of Fire Eyes Awakened, the first book.) and he struggles to overcome it. How he deals with it makes for an interesting subplot. I'm waiting to see where this goes in the next book, because there is something building here and I can't tell what. I'm waiting for the big reveal. Something big is going to happen because of this power I can't wait to find out what it is. He also finds himself dealing with a major recurring distraction throughout the story. I kept waiting for the distraction to kill him.
Per Batla's mailing list emails,Death Cloud is the second in a four book series. I'm waiting (im)patiently for the next two. The book obviously sets up a sequel and it promises to be a good one. Keep your eyes peeled,
March 10, 2019
Death Cloud by RJ Batla is the second book of the Senturians of Terraunum series and is every bit as good as the first. This installation covers Jayton Baird's quest in the west to win the Darkstone. Well into enemy territory, faced with overwhelming odds, and many new enemies, including one much closer than they knew, the team also forges surprising friendships with potential allies in the war for Terrarunum. All the while, the East is under siege by Malstruk’s massive armies, and he’s found a way to guarantee the Fire Eyes won’t be able to assist them. The book contains action, intrigue, suspense, a dash of romance, and strategy. All the while, Batla masterfully weaves more world and character building seemlessly into the story. I am so excited for book 3. Fantasy fans need to check out this series.
January 4, 2019
This book is a really fun read. They combinations of super powers by both the main characters and their adversaries is really well done, and it is just a really fun read. Entertaining from start to finish, this book was a blast. I can't wait for the next book in the series!
December 6, 2018
A slam-bang action novel,with great characters and plot-line! So good I was riveted,and finished it in one day.A true page-turner!
December 28, 2018
Jayton May have survived the tournament, but he’s far from safe. Impossible to put down.
May 16, 2019
R.J. Batla has done it again.
Jayton Baird finally makes it to the Bowl, preparing to fight for the fate of all of Terraunum, most especially the east side. His goal is to fight all ten rounds in the tourney defeat the Uland, (a very fierce and strong mercenary of his arch enemy Malstrak) and win the Darkstone, a powerful stone which can turn the tide of the war for the better in the right hands, but in the wrong hands, can cause nothing but destruction.
Jayton defeats the Uland, becoming the champion of the tourney but realizes that Malstrak had the Darkstone the entire time. He also finds out that the tourney was all a distraction planned by Malstrak to keep him from saving lives in the east. As a result of this, thousands of senturians and people from the other races are killed. Jayton gets to the east but arrives late, the easterners have put up a brave fight this whole time but being overwhelmed by the numbers of Malstrak's army they begin retreating. Jayton fights Malstrak despite being asked not to do so by the last remaining oracle and loses. He gets a lot of his power drained by the Darkstone and absorbed into Malstrak, making him much more powerful.
This is the 4th book by R.J. Batla that I've read and I'm yet to be disappointed, (After reading this book I guess that's never gonna happen). After reading the first book, I couldn't wait to get my hands on this one, it kept me up all night and I found myself fighting sleep just to read it. It's an amazing book and I can't wait for the next one.
Jayton Baird finally makes it to the Bowl, preparing to fight for the fate of all of Terraunum, most especially the east side. His goal is to fight all ten rounds in the tourney defeat the Uland, (a very fierce and strong mercenary of his arch enemy Malstrak) and win the Darkstone, a powerful stone which can turn the tide of the war for the better in the right hands, but in the wrong hands, can cause nothing but destruction.
Jayton defeats the Uland, becoming the champion of the tourney but realizes that Malstrak had the Darkstone the entire time. He also finds out that the tourney was all a distraction planned by Malstrak to keep him from saving lives in the east. As a result of this, thousands of senturians and people from the other races are killed. Jayton gets to the east but arrives late, the easterners have put up a brave fight this whole time but being overwhelmed by the numbers of Malstrak's army they begin retreating. Jayton fights Malstrak despite being asked not to do so by the last remaining oracle and loses. He gets a lot of his power drained by the Darkstone and absorbed into Malstrak, making him much more powerful.
This is the 4th book by R.J. Batla that I've read and I'm yet to be disappointed, (After reading this book I guess that's never gonna happen). After reading the first book, I couldn't wait to get my hands on this one, it kept me up all night and I found myself fighting sleep just to read it. It's an amazing book and I can't wait for the next one.
July 9, 2019
Batla delivers again!
This second book in R.J. Batla's The Senturians of Terraunum series picks up where the first one left off and continues to build on the rich world and unique magic system laid down in the first book. We get to follow Jayton and his friends as he battles to save Terraunum from the evil Malstrak. From the great characters to the imaginitive world, Death Cloud doesn't disappoint. I highly recommend this book and R.J. Batla as an author and can't wait to get book 3 in my hands!
This second book in R.J. Batla's The Senturians of Terraunum series picks up where the first one left off and continues to build on the rich world and unique magic system laid down in the first book. We get to follow Jayton and his friends as he battles to save Terraunum from the evil Malstrak. From the great characters to the imaginitive world, Death Cloud doesn't disappoint. I highly recommend this book and R.J. Batla as an author and can't wait to get book 3 in my hands!
April 17, 2019
Creative series
Liked this book . The Author kept me guessing as to what would happen next. Didn't want the book to end!
Liked this book . The Author kept me guessing as to what would happen next. Didn't want the book to end!
June 20, 2019
Damn, what a story! I felt like I was in the thick of it with all the emotional rollercoaster ride that you will love. This series just keeps getting better and I can't wait to see what is next.
June 10, 2020
Kept my interest I read it all in one setting. Great job to the author
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews