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Drowned Secrets
From the depths of the Trident Realms, treachery and war impact the lands of Mantica
After a bitter betrayal a young naiad, Ashal, and her bodyguard, are exiled from their home in the watery depths of the Trident Realm. Swearing revenge against those who have wronged her, Ashal begins her quest to seek out and destroy the people responsible for her sorrow. Her journey takes her to the remote Abbey of Danos on the outskirts of the human empire of Basilea where the first on her list has taken up residency. Waiting there will force her to face some uncomfortable truths about herself and the world in which she lives as well as open her eyes to a greater darkness than she had imagined could exist, especially within herself. There are others who seek the same vengeance as her, but should she trust them? Or will her single-minded goal of vengeance blind her to the dangers that await for her at the edge of the Abkhazla Mountains?
After a bitter betrayal a young naiad, Ashal, and her bodyguard, are exiled from their home in the watery depths of the Trident Realm. Swearing revenge against those who have wronged her, Ashal begins her quest to seek out and destroy the people responsible for her sorrow. Her journey takes her to the remote Abbey of Danos on the outskirts of the human empire of Basilea where the first on her list has taken up residency. Waiting there will force her to face some uncomfortable truths about herself and the world in which she lives as well as open her eyes to a greater darkness than she had imagined could exist, especially within herself. There are others who seek the same vengeance as her, but should she trust them? Or will her single-minded goal of vengeance blind her to the dangers that await for her at the edge of the Abkhazla Mountains?
320 pages, Paperback
Published August 11, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 24, 2020
This one is a really fun sword 'n sorcery action novel, with a terrifically detailed world by author Ben Stoddard.
It ties in with Kings of War from Mantic Games. I regret to say that I have not played the game (yet), but the miniatures this company makes are GORGEOUS. You can't spell "gorgeous" without "OGRE."
But anyways, this book. The hero of this book is not trying to find her true love. She is not trying to regain her crown. She is, and I quote from the back cover, aiming to "seek out and destroy the people responsible for her sorrow."
I can get behind that 100 percent. This story has metric tons of action, but doesn't leave out emotional resonance and deep dives into character building. In short: Good stuff, buy it now.
It ties in with Kings of War from Mantic Games. I regret to say that I have not played the game (yet), but the miniatures this company makes are GORGEOUS. You can't spell "gorgeous" without "OGRE."
But anyways, this book. The hero of this book is not trying to find her true love. She is not trying to regain her crown. She is, and I quote from the back cover, aiming to "seek out and destroy the people responsible for her sorrow."
I can get behind that 100 percent. This story has metric tons of action, but doesn't leave out emotional resonance and deep dives into character building. In short: Good stuff, buy it now.
May 1, 2020
There is an old Klingon proverb that states: “Revenge is a dish that is best served cold” (or at least Khan claims that, even though apparently the saying originated in 1841 in the book “Mathilde” by Eugène Sue). It basically means that it is better when carefully planned and prepared. What is the cost of vengeance? And when does the quest for justice cross the line to vengeance?
This seems to be a major them in this, the second novel in the Tales of Mantica series. Ashal, a young Naiad, and her placoderm bodyguard Magadolon find themselves betrayed and outcast from their society, unable to return to the home the watery Trident Realms beneath the waves. Ashal swears vengeance and thus her journey begins.
The book takes place on the borders the Hegemony of Basilea, and shares some similarities with the first book of the series. Basilea is one of the few ‘good’ kingdoms in Mantica, but even though the angels (Elohi) come down to fight alongside the human knights and sisterhood, there seem to be many there who practice the pure letter of the law while subverting and twisting it to their own evil purpose. In addition, the desire to fight against the oppressive regime for the good of the common people can often mean making very difficult choices – and at what point to do the planned ends justify the means to get there?
For a book based on a mass combat wargame, there are surprising few battles within (not a fault at all, as I personally rarely enjoy most fight scenes (and did not enjoy as much the book of short stories in the series, that seemed to be all setups for battles). Instead it is much more character driven, digging into what drives both the heroes and antagonists.
Some of the characters are not as fully fleshed out as I would have liked, and too many times it seems that we hear someone saying they are doing this for a better purpose, but then fail to ever attempt to show or even explain what that better purpose might be.
There are some good surprises in the book, and some unexpected revelations. (Ok, the fact that Naiads are all female is not really a revelation (it is right there in the third edition book), but it was still a surprise to me (since I haven’t finished reading all the fluff in the afore mentioned book). Not all characters are what they seem.
Overall an enjoyable read, and it did leave me wanting to know more about the future of at least one of the characters. It has also given me an idea (an inspiration) for a new army modelling project (though not what you might think). I do look forward to seeing what Stoddard does next.
This seems to be a major them in this, the second novel in the Tales of Mantica series. Ashal, a young Naiad, and her placoderm bodyguard Magadolon find themselves betrayed and outcast from their society, unable to return to the home the watery Trident Realms beneath the waves. Ashal swears vengeance and thus her journey begins.
The book takes place on the borders the Hegemony of Basilea, and shares some similarities with the first book of the series. Basilea is one of the few ‘good’ kingdoms in Mantica, but even though the angels (Elohi) come down to fight alongside the human knights and sisterhood, there seem to be many there who practice the pure letter of the law while subverting and twisting it to their own evil purpose. In addition, the desire to fight against the oppressive regime for the good of the common people can often mean making very difficult choices – and at what point to do the planned ends justify the means to get there?
For a book based on a mass combat wargame, there are surprising few battles within (not a fault at all, as I personally rarely enjoy most fight scenes (and did not enjoy as much the book of short stories in the series, that seemed to be all setups for battles). Instead it is much more character driven, digging into what drives both the heroes and antagonists.
Some of the characters are not as fully fleshed out as I would have liked, and too many times it seems that we hear someone saying they are doing this for a better purpose, but then fail to ever attempt to show or even explain what that better purpose might be.
There are some good surprises in the book, and some unexpected revelations. (Ok, the fact that Naiads are all female is not really a revelation (it is right there in the third edition book), but it was still a surprise to me (since I haven’t finished reading all the fluff in the afore mentioned book). Not all characters are what they seem.
Overall an enjoyable read, and it did leave me wanting to know more about the future of at least one of the characters. It has also given me an idea (an inspiration) for a new army modelling project (though not what you might think). I do look forward to seeing what Stoddard does next.
March 4, 2026
This story was such an interesting blend of magical systems, earth creatures, and religious overtones. I like how complicated the main character's story arch is and how the story explores motivation, choices, and mistakes.
November 9, 2020
I would preface this review by stating that I am a fan of the game series on which this book was based.
Having said that, if you're not a fan, you will find this book very confusing, as the author doesn't give you the luxury of describing any of the races of species (or much of the world) in which it's set. For example, one of the main characters is a placoderm. What do they look like? Feel free to guess. About half way through the book, the author mentions he has a beak, which was a bit of an eye opener.
This lack of descriptive power is typical unfortunately of a promising book. One of the villains seems three dimensional, but the other is hardly painted at all. At best she's given a completely out-of-place way too over-the-top torture scene (oh surprise, on a young girl, not at all pandering to cliches) which serves only to let readers know that she's mean. Like, really mean. The only thing that is vaguely described is her smile. Which is mean. Because she's a baddie.
The plot leaps from place to place with little to no continuity, introducing new characters with little to no background, who then disappear and never reappear. It's an incredibly frustrating read from what is clearly a very new author. A lot is clearly going on in his head, but he fails to put it down on paper, so you're left guessing what's going on, when you should be brought along with him.
I have given it two stars because the fight scenes are well written, and I really want books about kings of war to do well, but this is not a good book by any standard. Read steps to deliverance if you're interested in kings of war fiction, it's a great read.
Having said that, if you're not a fan, you will find this book very confusing, as the author doesn't give you the luxury of describing any of the races of species (or much of the world) in which it's set. For example, one of the main characters is a placoderm. What do they look like? Feel free to guess. About half way through the book, the author mentions he has a beak, which was a bit of an eye opener.
This lack of descriptive power is typical unfortunately of a promising book. One of the villains seems three dimensional, but the other is hardly painted at all. At best she's given a completely out-of-place way too over-the-top torture scene (oh surprise, on a young girl, not at all pandering to cliches) which serves only to let readers know that she's mean. Like, really mean. The only thing that is vaguely described is her smile. Which is mean. Because she's a baddie.
The plot leaps from place to place with little to no continuity, introducing new characters with little to no background, who then disappear and never reappear. It's an incredibly frustrating read from what is clearly a very new author. A lot is clearly going on in his head, but he fails to put it down on paper, so you're left guessing what's going on, when you should be brought along with him.
I have given it two stars because the fight scenes are well written, and I really want books about kings of war to do well, but this is not a good book by any standard. Read steps to deliverance if you're interested in kings of war fiction, it's a great read.
January 13, 2021
Drowned Secrets, it is worth noting that this is Ben's first novel, so that is naturally going to affect the novel.
Let's start with the good. Drowned Secrets has some really exciting and compelling moments. There is an excellent underwater battle, some really fun depictions of various factions, such as Forces of Nature, Undead, and sort of Basilea.
I particularly enjoyed the depiction of the Forces of Nature in the story. Ben's descriptions do a good job of painting a picture and inserting you into the scene.
At its core, there is a fun story here, taking a revenge story and following the repercussions.
However, there are several factors that I think hold this story back.
First, and foremost, through no fault of Ben's the Kings of War universe still feels very generic. It is beginning to try to expand out into something unique; however, that is still in its infancy, so the material Ben has to work with, in many ways feels generic fantasy.
However, novels, like this are a great opportunity to explore and create that unique flavor, and this sort of misses that mark. A lot of the beings and creatures are not fully explored or described, relying on game knowledge to know what something like the Trident Realms, a Placoderm, or a Naiad is. Even beyond that, the book doesn't explore how the main character, Ashal, a Naiad, is different from a human. I think this lack of exploring the world is a big missed opportunity.
The characters also aren't as fully fleshed out as needed to be truly engaging. Some of them are interesting, but they are more defined by their actions and goals, then by their traits, which makes some emotional moments not deliver as hard as they should. Some of this is because the cast is rather large, but even the main characters lack some dimension to them. The villains are particularly flat.
Finally, there are some pacing issues in the novel. The first half is extremely slow, even outside of true action there aren't really any major events that happen after the first chapter. This was a great time to explore the culture and environment, but it doesn't quite happen. The second half, however, is much better, with more events, better-written dialogue, more effort to establish characters.
Overall, I think this is an improvement from the short story compilation that came out several years ago. I think Ben shows promise as an author, and I hope that his next novel shows even more growth :).
Let's start with the good. Drowned Secrets has some really exciting and compelling moments. There is an excellent underwater battle, some really fun depictions of various factions, such as Forces of Nature, Undead, and sort of Basilea.
I particularly enjoyed the depiction of the Forces of Nature in the story. Ben's descriptions do a good job of painting a picture and inserting you into the scene.
At its core, there is a fun story here, taking a revenge story and following the repercussions.
However, there are several factors that I think hold this story back.
First, and foremost, through no fault of Ben's the Kings of War universe still feels very generic. It is beginning to try to expand out into something unique; however, that is still in its infancy, so the material Ben has to work with, in many ways feels generic fantasy.
However, novels, like this are a great opportunity to explore and create that unique flavor, and this sort of misses that mark. A lot of the beings and creatures are not fully explored or described, relying on game knowledge to know what something like the Trident Realms, a Placoderm, or a Naiad is. Even beyond that, the book doesn't explore how the main character, Ashal, a Naiad, is different from a human. I think this lack of exploring the world is a big missed opportunity.
The characters also aren't as fully fleshed out as needed to be truly engaging. Some of them are interesting, but they are more defined by their actions and goals, then by their traits, which makes some emotional moments not deliver as hard as they should. Some of this is because the cast is rather large, but even the main characters lack some dimension to them. The villains are particularly flat.
Finally, there are some pacing issues in the novel. The first half is extremely slow, even outside of true action there aren't really any major events that happen after the first chapter. This was a great time to explore the culture and environment, but it doesn't quite happen. The second half, however, is much better, with more events, better-written dialogue, more effort to establish characters.
Overall, I think this is an improvement from the short story compilation that came out several years ago. I think Ben shows promise as an author, and I hope that his next novel shows even more growth :).
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews