Realm Wars

Eyes of the Descendants #1

by Jesse James

The year is 2081, the world is at war again, and Europe lies in ruins. Genetically engineered super soldiers roam the ruined cities searching for relics of mythical power, constructs of technology indistinguishable from magic, and hunting beings whose genetic origin is not of this Earth...

Realm Wars is a Military Science Fantasy adventure, set in a fictional universe that is a semi-realistic version of our world and future where stem cell regeneration, telekinetic abilities, cybernetic and genetically enhanced humans are real, the first chapter is available for free with concept art inside if you click on the book cover so there's no harm in checking it out!

188 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 18, 2019

About the author

For an author my grammar is crap. Luckily for you I pay a professional editor on everything I publish so you won't have to deal with that in my writing.

Reviews

[Dean P.R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Realm Wars is an exciting marriage of classic sci-fi and fantasy elements and reminds me a lot of the Halo books by Eric Nylund. The pace is often quick and action packed. Overall it's a good read.
However, the book suffers from a few things that should have been picked up in edit, such as roving POVs, and telling instead of showing and vice versa, as well as a few issues with scene flow.
The story itself is quite gripping, leaving a lot of mystery that keeps you wanting more. Though the main character's god-like presence sometimes squashes conflict before it can properly drive the scenes home.
Overall I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys the sci-fi genre and I look forward to seeing this author grow in future instalments of the series.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed it! The characters are fine, but what really interests me is the worldbuilding and lore. Aside from a couple passages regarding the state of the world, there's numerous little hints scattered throughout, which I really hope are expanded upon in future material. The setting is not so far away that everything is unrecognizable, but still very much familiar, with a feeling of "what went wrong with the world?" pervading through the main characters. The antagonists are also intriguing, and are just begging for more elaboration upon.

Aside from that, the action is pretty well done. It's not overwhelming in terms of how often it occurs, it's just right. All in all, enjoyable read, but very much needs future installments to continue the story.

[Lawrence Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the fresh perspective this book has—familiar concepts but presented in a different way. I very much enjoyed the story, and I look forward to the next one. My only issues with this book are the author's mechanics—things like head hopping, passive verb use, and telling not showing. I've struggled with some of those same issues in my writing, and hopefully, this author will address those for the second novel in this intriguing, genre bending, sci-fi series.

[Eric Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The world building is good, and the character interaction is believable. The book features some drawings and pictures to show the characters on how the author portrayed them which is also featured of course on the cover of the book. The only real negative thing about the book is that it's dry and makes it kind of unreadable. Other than that I like how the story flowed and how the characters fit into the universe created by the author.

[Cameron · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has everything I've looked for; military, religion, and even the paranormal. The author does a good job of bringing all those elements into an amazing story. One of the things I love about this book is the military aspect and how the author was pretty much spot on with how the military works, as a Marine it means alot.
I've read some other comments talking about showing vs telling but honestly the story and pace were so spot on I didn't even notice. I will definitely be reading book two when it comes out. I would recommend this book to any book lover.

[Matt Burgess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read. Enthralling from page 1. The story is layered with a well thought out plot that takes the reader on a visual journey.

Be warned however..... this book leaves you wanting more.

Can't wait for book 2.

[Edward Hochsmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good early effort for a new writer. Needs some work on the mechanics but he has created an intricate and interesting near-future world. Rather intense at times and not for the faint of heart. However, if you like intense action and graphic detail, you might find something you like here.

[Brandon Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite an omnipotent main protagonist who often negates any tension the author creates, the story is well-written and unique. I am eager to read the next chapter in the series.

[Chris Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful story with great world building and compelling characters. The kind of story that sits in your head and asks all kinds of questions leaving you wanting more.

[Yvette · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great start to a new series. Strong male and female leads that have me intrigued and wanting to get to know them better. Love the premise and good world building. Looking for to the next one.

[Thomas Webb · Rating 4 out of 5]

When an author has a name like Jesse James, you expect that the writing will probably be pretty cool. This one didn't disappoint. Was a fun military sci-fi read. Some interesting takes on how the future might play out, with plenty of action thrown in. A couple of the angles I didn't see coming at all, but in a good way. Would definitely recommend.

[Kirsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was really hard to rate this. I actually really enjoyed the writing and the character development of the main narrative. However, when we started getting into Thoth v. Majic, it got a little too preachy or what I call unnecessary explanations.

However, that only brought it down to 3 stars and I really look forward to book #2.

[Riley Allis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really solid book! A good mix of Sci Fi and fantasy with brilliant descriptions and original concepts. Keen for book 2

[Tonille Walsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the book mesmerising and descriptive! Unfortunately, a little more than halfway through there seemed to be a lot going on. I had a hard time taking it all in

[Richard Dowling · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was great fun, and would be a fun film. What set this apart from many books in the genre is the attention to the world-building and lore of the story; everything from the troubles in the Middle East to the nature of Jesus Christ plays a part.

The opening action sequence does a great of setting the tone and introducing the characters, and the pacing never flags, which makes this a very easy read. There's also some cool artwork included as a bonus.

If I have one grumble it's that the book ends a little abruptly, but since this is the first novel in a series it certainly did the job of making me curious to see how the story goes.

[Dennis Cope · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very fun read, and for a first book this author shows much promise. This is not just pulp fiction. The plot is very compelling and the story makes you want to keep reading it from start to finish. My only minor complaint would be that it ended abruptly, but there are sequels coming, so not a huge deal. If you like sci fi with a touch of fantasy, you should love this book.

[Caleb Fast · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, and the author seemed to be very knowledgable on a wide array of topics that he touched on through his book. His characters were very lifelike, and my favorite "quirks" included Cooper's hatred of ducks and Martin's joke about his missing arm.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pretty good science fiction book that is just getting started. The author brings in so many strange (and possibly, controversial ) concepts that most of the story seems like background for future books. While the action seems to be all in the first chapter, there are a few action scenes that may or may not really happen. You’ll find out what that means when you read the book.

Our main character is Jack Mikel, and he’s one tough dude! Jack is also some ninety years old, but he’s “young for his age” passing himself off at about the age of 24 or so. You need to read the book to figure that one out.

Jack’s companions are normal young adults although Martin doesn’t act like it most of the time. Rachel, Jack’s former Lance Corporal turns out to be much more to Jack than just another soldier. She even has to warn off a Vampire to “keep her fangs out of Jack”! Again, read the book.

The story does touch on some long held beliefs by some people that Earth has been visited by aliens as far back as recorded time. That may or may not be true, but this story still puts good against evil and even throws the Pope in just for the hell of it!

I believe the author is from Australia, so there’s a lot of mixing Australian stuff with United States stuff. I’m not sure that’s all that necessary and it still works most of the time. His idea of a split USA is downright wacky, but I have to say that since I’m a US citizen! Ain’t gonna’ happen!

Overall, I did like the book. It just needs to get more action going which I suppose will happen in the next book. I hope that one comes soon because there are a lot of action packed sci-fi books already out there.