Two Thousand Leagues as the Seabird

by C.R. Smith

Exiled from the grasslands of his home, the soft-spoken Khatan is driven north into the violence of the endless, cyclical Long War; as khans and princes vie for the throne of an empire long dead.

But there is respite in the chaos: taken beneath the wing of Oman, charismatic warleader of the Empty Quiver, Khatan seems to have found the family, and love, that his wandering had denied him. As bannerman and captain, Stalking Wolf and Golden Leopard, the two strike out to carve their legend into the annals of the War.

Each new victory, though, and each rung on their climb to glory, seems to come at greater cost, and to strain the bonds both are so desperate to hold on to. And, as the Long War approaches its apocalyptic climax, signs appear that perhaps Khatan’s fate was never entirely his own . . .

319 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 27, 2019

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be perfectly honest, I found the beginning of this book a bit frustrating.
I initially had a hard time getting into the style of narrative that the author used.
By chapter two, I was starting to get into the cadence of the narrative and I found myself properly drawn into the story. It is an interesting journey, to say the least. Most of the time brutal, but beautiful in its own way.
"Brightness is in winter, as well as summer; some forget that sometimes, I think."
I really like that.
It was a glimpse into the life of a nomad.
The characters are well written, and I came to like the protagonist.
I would definitely check out the next book in this series.

[Deklyn Jessen · Rating 2 out of 5]

For a story written about war and battle and gore “Two Thousand Leagues as a Seabird” is very well written. There are many great qualities in this story. There are many entertaining chapters, the battles were well written, and lots of detail was used. There are also some negative qualities. Some of the chapters had a hard time catching my attention. The first couple of chapters were more difficult to read making it harder to get into the story. Although after continuing with the story it became more entertaining. Some of the words or details used frequently in the story were not described well so I was sometimes confused about what was being talked about.

[Mark Smith · Rating 1 out of 5]

This novel was difficult to review because it has some excellent elements and some terrible elements. Character development for this story is top notch. Each character is three-dimensional, has a well-crafted backstory, and includes a character flaw. The author did have a difficult time integrating the characters into the story. It was like the story was driving the characters rather than the opposite. The author would benefit from some form of outline. The book also reads as though this is his first attempt at writing and someone who has no formal experience or training.

[Tomás García · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's a lot to love about this book, but everytime I wanted to enjoy its world and characters something about it just felt off.

The story has a very distinct voice, but this doesn't relate to personality. There's so much about the world and characters I wanted to learn, but everytime I wanted to dive deep, the descriptions or interactions were shallow.

I felt a lot of the book lacked specificity about its own world, albeit it is a very passionate tale in an interesting world.

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two Thousand Leagues as the Seabird is a gem in the rough. It is the tale of a mercenary who is trying to find redemption and meaning by retracing the destruction he caused that led to his own downfall. The writing is really crisp, but the narrative needs a little fleshing out to be more compelling and a good editor to help with the structure.