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Chaoticum: Prelude
About the book - Prelude
Facing down the insanity of the Borderlands, Captain Ganse leads a handpicked team of Aether Guards on patrol.
Long trained and battled hardened, this band of heroes must forsake magic and hunt the vile Spawn with deadly determination, simple brutal weapons and obscure advice buried in an ancient book.
What starts as another routine sweep soon becomes a battle for survival as they are challenged by horrors powerful beyond record. Now, not even skill, experience and the Captain’s unique family legacy can guarantee the patrol’s survival. In a chain of battles where the soldiers must win every time but the enemy needs but a single victory, can the patrol triumph or will the Realm’s dark blood finally choke the bright heart of their homelands?
Grimmdark meets Bronzepunk in this action packed novella that launches a unique hard fantasy epic set in a deeply immersive character centred world.
About the series - Borderlands
Trapped in an eternal battle against the all surrounding Realm of Chaos, the nations of the The Rationalle fight to preserve the purity of their oasis and its most sacred relic, The Temporalis.
In the shadow of the Realm’s corruption, where steel turns to dust, stone walls crumble and spells turn on the caster the battle-hardened Aether Guard hunt down and destroy the ravening Spawn before it can reach their home.
Skill and experienced notwithstanding, their sworn enemy surfacing deep within the Rationalle itself catches them completely un-prepared. On this new battle front politics and ambition prove even deadlier than the Spawn they pursue. Can they keep up with their enemy, or will the Realm of Chaos finally desecrate the Temporalis itself?
Grimmdark marries Bronzepunk in this hard fantasy epic where action abounds in a unique and immersive world of captivating characters and frightful monsters.
Facing down the insanity of the Borderlands, Captain Ganse leads a handpicked team of Aether Guards on patrol.
Long trained and battled hardened, this band of heroes must forsake magic and hunt the vile Spawn with deadly determination, simple brutal weapons and obscure advice buried in an ancient book.
What starts as another routine sweep soon becomes a battle for survival as they are challenged by horrors powerful beyond record. Now, not even skill, experience and the Captain’s unique family legacy can guarantee the patrol’s survival. In a chain of battles where the soldiers must win every time but the enemy needs but a single victory, can the patrol triumph or will the Realm’s dark blood finally choke the bright heart of their homelands?
Grimmdark meets Bronzepunk in this action packed novella that launches a unique hard fantasy epic set in a deeply immersive character centred world.
About the series - Borderlands
Trapped in an eternal battle against the all surrounding Realm of Chaos, the nations of the The Rationalle fight to preserve the purity of their oasis and its most sacred relic, The Temporalis.
In the shadow of the Realm’s corruption, where steel turns to dust, stone walls crumble and spells turn on the caster the battle-hardened Aether Guard hunt down and destroy the ravening Spawn before it can reach their home.
Skill and experienced notwithstanding, their sworn enemy surfacing deep within the Rationalle itself catches them completely un-prepared. On this new battle front politics and ambition prove even deadlier than the Spawn they pursue. Can they keep up with their enemy, or will the Realm of Chaos finally desecrate the Temporalis itself?
Grimmdark marries Bronzepunk in this hard fantasy epic where action abounds in a unique and immersive world of captivating characters and frightful monsters.
- GenresFantasy
141 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 2, 2019
About the author
Charles Gull
6 books37 followersWhen not reading and reviewing books, I help indie authors on mutual critique platforms to improve their work.
As an indie author myself, I blend my experiences in advanced engineering and international sales to create fascinating BronzePunk worlds full of complex characters.
As an indie author myself, I blend my experiences in advanced engineering and international sales to create fascinating BronzePunk worlds full of complex characters.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
September 1, 2019
This is a fast-paced and intense military fantasy with plenty of unique content and a promise of a vast open world to explore. It is a prequel novella that focuses on a patrol captain who scouts a Misery-like Borderlands to eliminate encroaching Spawn monsters before they cross over into human civilization.
The captain is written with a no-nonsense, Tomas Piety-like voice that solves problems via logical tactics while scoffing at frivolity. It’s for the best, as everything in the Borderlands is trying to kill you: problems range from environmental attacks, looping insanity, and many, MANY monsters great and small. The various threats are all unique to this story, and their names bring to mind Michael Fletcher’s Manifest Delusions series.
There’s not much character development at all in this story. There’s only two people who have major roles, and you don’t learn about one’s history until the final pages. Since this is a novella, I think the author’s intention was to focus on heavy action instead of character work and it succeeded in spades. My only complaint is perhaps the author could have pumped the brakes a few times instead of relentlessly chaining every action scene together from start to finish.
Overall, this story worked for me as I’m interested in picking up the next book in the series. If you start this, don’t be surprised if you find yourself reading it in one sitting.
8.0 / 10
The captain is written with a no-nonsense, Tomas Piety-like voice that solves problems via logical tactics while scoffing at frivolity. It’s for the best, as everything in the Borderlands is trying to kill you: problems range from environmental attacks, looping insanity, and many, MANY monsters great and small. The various threats are all unique to this story, and their names bring to mind Michael Fletcher’s Manifest Delusions series.
There’s not much character development at all in this story. There’s only two people who have major roles, and you don’t learn about one’s history until the final pages. Since this is a novella, I think the author’s intention was to focus on heavy action instead of character work and it succeeded in spades. My only complaint is perhaps the author could have pumped the brakes a few times instead of relentlessly chaining every action scene together from start to finish.
Overall, this story worked for me as I’m interested in picking up the next book in the series. If you start this, don’t be surprised if you find yourself reading it in one sitting.
8.0 / 10
May 1, 2019
Holy smokes, this book took me for a ride. I initially picked it up because it was short, a rarity in a world of fantasy goat-gaggers. When I first started the adventure, I flinched because it was written in first person, not my favorite PoV. My dismay did not last long. This is an action story and the close and personal PoV had the affect of driving the action like a roller coaster. There were just enough breaks to allow some banter between the characters.
One of the concerns with first person is of course of what to do if you don't like the main character. I had no problem with than. The captain is likable, smart and caring. In the early part of the story she takes extra care to spare her horse's ear after a strange attack from the environment. She's tough but still feeling.
And then, just when I thought I could breath a sigh of relief - the ending. I won't say any more, as I don't want to ruin it for any readers, but oh, god, I lost sleep over that ending.
One of the concerns with first person is of course of what to do if you don't like the main character. I had no problem with than. The captain is likable, smart and caring. In the early part of the story she takes extra care to spare her horse's ear after a strange attack from the environment. She's tough but still feeling.
And then, just when I thought I could breath a sigh of relief - the ending. I won't say any more, as I don't want to ruin it for any readers, but oh, god, I lost sleep over that ending.
May 8, 2019
Loved the book but I had 1 minor issue
Okay. The author does a great job recounting multiple fight scenes in first person format. Loved it! I can still see the fights in my mind's eye. They are tough, people die, along with gore, etc. Truly great! Here's my ONLY issue with the book. As much as the author did a great job pulling me into the story, I kept getting knocked back again and again. It really wasn't that bad, but I would like to mention why. The narrative and dialogue used words & slang that is linked strongly to English over the last 30 years. The story is based on a world having nothing to do with Earth. The use of modern day language terms was minor compared to the enjoyment I got back from reading it. 5 star worthy though.
Okay. The author does a great job recounting multiple fight scenes in first person format. Loved it! I can still see the fights in my mind's eye. They are tough, people die, along with gore, etc. Truly great! Here's my ONLY issue with the book. As much as the author did a great job pulling me into the story, I kept getting knocked back again and again. It really wasn't that bad, but I would like to mention why. The narrative and dialogue used words & slang that is linked strongly to English over the last 30 years. The story is based on a world having nothing to do with Earth. The use of modern day language terms was minor compared to the enjoyment I got back from reading it. 5 star worthy though.
May 25, 2020
Borderlands Book 0 is an exciting start to a fantasy series.
As an introduction, the author has concentrated more on the world building to set the stage for greater things to come. To use a Game of Thrones analogy, Borderlands:Prelude would be a group of the Night's Watch patrolling beyond the Wall. While the plot is framed within the context of finding the solution to the enigma creeping into the Borderlands, the execution is episodic as the patrol is forced to deal with a diverse variety of foes that attacks not only their physical beings but their psyche as well.
The narrative is from the POV of the MC Captain Ganse and is well written, keeping the reader deeply immersed in several intense action scenes. The details to the world are vivid, you can feel yourself being part of the patrol and living in the world. The characters are for the most part, men trying to get their job done and get home, so most of the character development comes via the adversity of the challenges the patrol encounters. I like the variety of solutions, some by the fairly extensive "Book" (which is almost like a separately character), and the ones not by the "Book."
There is a nice MC revelation at the end (which I loved) and a hook for the next book.
Well worth the read and I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.
As an introduction, the author has concentrated more on the world building to set the stage for greater things to come. To use a Game of Thrones analogy, Borderlands:Prelude would be a group of the Night's Watch patrolling beyond the Wall. While the plot is framed within the context of finding the solution to the enigma creeping into the Borderlands, the execution is episodic as the patrol is forced to deal with a diverse variety of foes that attacks not only their physical beings but their psyche as well.
The narrative is from the POV of the MC Captain Ganse and is well written, keeping the reader deeply immersed in several intense action scenes. The details to the world are vivid, you can feel yourself being part of the patrol and living in the world. The characters are for the most part, men trying to get their job done and get home, so most of the character development comes via the adversity of the challenges the patrol encounters. I like the variety of solutions, some by the fairly extensive "Book" (which is almost like a separately character), and the ones not by the "Book."
There is a nice MC revelation at the end (which I loved) and a hook for the next book.
Well worth the read and I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.
November 22, 2019
Wonderful little novella that you can read in an afternoon. Beautiful language, lots of action. I couldn't put it down. This little book is the story of a patrol lead by valiant Captain Ganse in the strange Borderlands. The soldiers fight bizarre creatures and unnatural phenomena. That's about it, and it is brilliantly written.
I would prefer it if the author hadn't closed with a cliffhanger, and this is something I'd normally subtract a star for because I perceive it as a trick some writers use to sell more books. But in this case, I'll make an exception because this is the first book in months that I finished in one sitting.
There are very few errors/typos, and the writer is so eloquent and so obviously gifted with words that I attribute them to the well-known difficulties of self-editing.
I would prefer it if the author hadn't closed with a cliffhanger, and this is something I'd normally subtract a star for because I perceive it as a trick some writers use to sell more books. But in this case, I'll make an exception because this is the first book in months that I finished in one sitting.
There are very few errors/typos, and the writer is so eloquent and so obviously gifted with words that I attribute them to the well-known difficulties of self-editing.
April 17, 2019
Led by Captain Ganse, a group of soldiers patrol the Borderlands. They are tasked with protecting the Homelands and other countries of the Rationalle by destroying the mindless, brutal Spawn of the Realm of Chaos.
Prelude, Book 0 of the Borderlands series, is comparable to Grimmdark meets Bronzepunk—two subgenres I’m unfamiliar with. Loving fantasy, I was excited to try something completely different.
Between the forts, brave fighters, derring-dos, and circle-the-wagons vibes, this novella reminds me of the old frontier movies. (Quite a compliment, since I’m a big John Wayne fan.) The further the company travel, the more dire the danger. Will they all make it back? Will any of them? The vivid descriptions of the land and the monsters encountered paired with the first person, present tense point of view makes for an intense sense of urgency that works extremely well.
Gull caught me by surprise a couple of times with interesting plot twists. (Kudos, sir.) The world-building is top notch and the characters well fleshed out. The ending is a cliff-hanger, so I am anxious to read Book 1. I found Prelude a riveting tale of survival, conquest, and heroism and strongly recommend it.
Prelude, Book 0 of the Borderlands series, is comparable to Grimmdark meets Bronzepunk—two subgenres I’m unfamiliar with. Loving fantasy, I was excited to try something completely different.
Between the forts, brave fighters, derring-dos, and circle-the-wagons vibes, this novella reminds me of the old frontier movies. (Quite a compliment, since I’m a big John Wayne fan.) The further the company travel, the more dire the danger. Will they all make it back? Will any of them? The vivid descriptions of the land and the monsters encountered paired with the first person, present tense point of view makes for an intense sense of urgency that works extremely well.
Gull caught me by surprise a couple of times with interesting plot twists. (Kudos, sir.) The world-building is top notch and the characters well fleshed out. The ending is a cliff-hanger, so I am anxious to read Book 1. I found Prelude a riveting tale of survival, conquest, and heroism and strongly recommend it.
May 16, 2019
Never a dull moment in this quick paced adventure story. I really enjoyed that the author came up with some unique creatures. Well written and fantastic! First person stories are usually hard for me to read but this one was handled really well and kept me hooked.
December 19, 2019
This is a relatively short novella which is a taster for a series of longer novels. Echoes of the Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones with walls/forts protecting a civilised area from the evil beyond and troops patrolling into the danger zone. This a linear story about a patrol into the 'borderlands' which meets with and dispatches a series of monsters. The combat sequences flow well, the monsters are interesting and there's enough backstory to start awakening interest in the main character.
September 9, 2019
If you like AD and D . . .
I'm rounding 3.5 up. Stars based on my personal enjoyment, rather than any objective criteria. This is a first person, presence tense narrative. Through a series on increasingly difficult challenges to a small military unit on patrol, we learn about this fantasy world, constantly battling invasion from an adjacent chaotic realm. The world building is solid, and characters interesting. There is a surprise reveal at the end, but I really didn't see any reason for there to be a secret.
I'm rounding 3.5 up. Stars based on my personal enjoyment, rather than any objective criteria. This is a first person, presence tense narrative. Through a series on increasingly difficult challenges to a small military unit on patrol, we learn about this fantasy world, constantly battling invasion from an adjacent chaotic realm. The world building is solid, and characters interesting. There is a surprise reveal at the end, but I really didn't see any reason for there to be a secret.
April 23, 2019
Great start!
Unusual to read a first person fantasy story. The pace was quick, the characters believable, and the villains new. This new world the author has created will hopefully lead to many more sorties into the Borderlands. Worth the short time to read!
Unusual to read a first person fantasy story. The pace was quick, the characters believable, and the villains new. This new world the author has created will hopefully lead to many more sorties into the Borderlands. Worth the short time to read!
December 15, 2019
If you like science fantasy and a lot of action, this book will be great for you. The world is interesting and detailed, as is the endless battle and struggle of the characters. While the atmosphere is fantastic, I did feel the story was lacking in character development. Outside a couple of references to family, there isn't any insight to the characters' past and feelings until the very end. However, since I know this is just a short prelude to a series, it's more than possible that the following books delve better into these things. Definitely worth a look if you're into scifi, fantasy, action, and apocalyptic scenarios.
January 21, 2020
What I Did Like:
-Monsters. These monsters are unique and well written. You can picture them and they’re scary.
-Battle scenes. The battles are almost slowed down and zoomed in for us to catch every detail. They’re very well written.
-Challenging a stereotype. I almost didn’t mention this at the risk of making readers look for it. But, one of the best things about this is that the author reveals a detail about a character very late in the book and it makes you realize you may have held a stereotype for much of the book.
-Prelude. This is a genius way to introduce us to the Borderlands series and set us up for what to expect in that.
Who Should Read This One:
-Fantasy readers who enjoy epic battles with unique monsters.
-Action readers who like detailed fight scenes.
My Rating: 4 Stars. Fantasy readers are going to love this one, I know I did.
For Full Review (including what I didn’t like): https://youtu.be/-bHKdimK8f8
-Monsters. These monsters are unique and well written. You can picture them and they’re scary.
-Battle scenes. The battles are almost slowed down and zoomed in for us to catch every detail. They’re very well written.
-Challenging a stereotype. I almost didn’t mention this at the risk of making readers look for it. But, one of the best things about this is that the author reveals a detail about a character very late in the book and it makes you realize you may have held a stereotype for much of the book.
-Prelude. This is a genius way to introduce us to the Borderlands series and set us up for what to expect in that.
Who Should Read This One:
-Fantasy readers who enjoy epic battles with unique monsters.
-Action readers who like detailed fight scenes.
My Rating: 4 Stars. Fantasy readers are going to love this one, I know I did.
For Full Review (including what I didn’t like): https://youtu.be/-bHKdimK8f8
July 1, 2019
Fantastic
This was awesomely written. It was a really good introduction into the feel of the world and its soldiers. The tension stayed at the same level pretty much throughout and the surprises will surprise.
The characters are crisp and were written such that I didn't realize the genders of some until the last pages. I've read very few books that manage that and they've been Commonwealth writers, one and all. This is gritty storytelling, the battlefield is horrible and the mix of technology and (what seems like) magic makes this something akin to a mix of science fantasy, as well as horror.
Great job and looking forward to the next volume.
This was awesomely written. It was a really good introduction into the feel of the world and its soldiers. The tension stayed at the same level pretty much throughout and the surprises will surprise.
The characters are crisp and were written such that I didn't realize the genders of some until the last pages. I've read very few books that manage that and they've been Commonwealth writers, one and all. This is gritty storytelling, the battlefield is horrible and the mix of technology and (what seems like) magic makes this something akin to a mix of science fantasy, as well as horror.
Great job and looking forward to the next volume.
April 27, 2020
Set in a fantastic Universe with a strong leading character, I couldn’t stop reading this book.
Main character’s background and lore are naturally woven in the action as the story unfolds. Fast paced and ending in a cliffhanger, it will make you love this new universe and the characters.
In this first novella of the series, we meet Captain Ganse as she and her guards set on what was meant to be just another routine patrol of the Borderlands but soon escalates into a battle for survival.
Main character’s background and lore are naturally woven in the action as the story unfolds. Fast paced and ending in a cliffhanger, it will make you love this new universe and the characters.
In this first novella of the series, we meet Captain Ganse as she and her guards set on what was meant to be just another routine patrol of the Borderlands but soon escalates into a battle for survival.
February 23, 2020
This little book blew me away. It’s a fast read and the book description paints an accurate picture.
I’ll start by saying that I think one of the hardest parts of reading fully different world hard sci-fi or epic fantasy is that it can feel overwhelming to get saturated by so many new names for things. Magically, this author avoided putting me in the uncomfortable position of feeling like I need to keep notes about the names. It’s not to say there weren’t lots of new words for previously unheard of creatures (and I probably couldn’t tell them to you now, after having read them) but I wasn’t confused WHILE reading, which already makes the book head and shoulders above a lot of SFF. It could be because he kept the rest of the dialogue fairly simple and straight-forward, not saturating it with too many new terms, so the reader had a very clear anchor about what was happening.
Moving on to the actual story, I was so very impressed by the monsters that this author created. The action begins almost immediately, and it brings the team of soldiers on patrol up against challenge after challenge dealing with these different kinds of ‘spawn.’ However, the outside of the box thinking this author has completely impressed me, because the monsters are so varied that they aren’t even all physical entities in a traditional sense. It’s basically as if the entire area they patrol through is one giant enemy, and it manifests itself through weather and flora and, yes, also creatures.
Now if it was only the creatures that were fearsome and unique, that would be enough - but these patrols are the only thing standing in the way to protect their society from these monsters... which means they have to kill them. Fortunately for the reader, the ways they must defeat the various spawn are just as inventive as the monsters themselves.
The book ends on a cliffhanger but, given that the story is a prequel, I can live with that. I absolutely want to know if the member of the patrol from the last scene survives into the main storyline, and I’m putting the next book on my reading list. So, so, so good. Easiest five stars I’ve given in a while.
I’ll start by saying that I think one of the hardest parts of reading fully different world hard sci-fi or epic fantasy is that it can feel overwhelming to get saturated by so many new names for things. Magically, this author avoided putting me in the uncomfortable position of feeling like I need to keep notes about the names. It’s not to say there weren’t lots of new words for previously unheard of creatures (and I probably couldn’t tell them to you now, after having read them) but I wasn’t confused WHILE reading, which already makes the book head and shoulders above a lot of SFF. It could be because he kept the rest of the dialogue fairly simple and straight-forward, not saturating it with too many new terms, so the reader had a very clear anchor about what was happening.
Moving on to the actual story, I was so very impressed by the monsters that this author created. The action begins almost immediately, and it brings the team of soldiers on patrol up against challenge after challenge dealing with these different kinds of ‘spawn.’ However, the outside of the box thinking this author has completely impressed me, because the monsters are so varied that they aren’t even all physical entities in a traditional sense. It’s basically as if the entire area they patrol through is one giant enemy, and it manifests itself through weather and flora and, yes, also creatures.
Now if it was only the creatures that were fearsome and unique, that would be enough - but these patrols are the only thing standing in the way to protect their society from these monsters... which means they have to kill them. Fortunately for the reader, the ways they must defeat the various spawn are just as inventive as the monsters themselves.
The book ends on a cliffhanger but, given that the story is a prequel, I can live with that. I absolutely want to know if the member of the patrol from the last scene survives into the main storyline, and I’m putting the next book on my reading list. So, so, so good. Easiest five stars I’ve given in a while.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews