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Beginnings
In the primal era of Tearah's history, there were five people who tamed the wild creatures who threatened their world.
One was a young woman bent on stopping a tribal war...
Another was too old to shed tears...
The third was a boy desparate to save his mother's life...
A fourth only wanted to protect her children...
And the last was a man who wanted to prove himself to the woman he loved...
Their stories are the beginnings of the tamers: the Equus, the Ixites, the Draconians, the Lycan, and the Eritam. Which is which? Well, you'll just have to read this Christian Fantasy short story collection to find out!
One was a young woman bent on stopping a tribal war...
Another was too old to shed tears...
The third was a boy desparate to save his mother's life...
A fourth only wanted to protect her children...
And the last was a man who wanted to prove himself to the woman he loved...
Their stories are the beginnings of the tamers: the Equus, the Ixites, the Draconians, the Lycan, and the Eritam. Which is which? Well, you'll just have to read this Christian Fantasy short story collection to find out!
34 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 5, 2019
About the author
M.H. Elrich
11 books141 followersM.H. Elrich is a Christian Fantasy author, reader, otaku, and teacher who wears too many hats. In her spare time, she watches T.V. with her husband, rides horses, and travels to places with lots of trees. Her work has been featured in two separate books: Finding God in Anime and Where Giants Fall, and her stories have won several awards at the Kern County Fair. She is currently writing and publishing the Daughters of Tamnarae series.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 20, 2023
Lovely short stories with subtle allusions to God (Deo) throughout the writings.
Animals seem to be the theme in the book from a cute unicorn foal to a protective wildcat and wolf! These beginnings will set the scene for this author’s brilliant books Etania’s Worth and Etania’s Calling.
Recommended for those who have already read other books by this author or if the reader can only read in short bursts then these bite size, clean stories are perfect!
Received this collection of stories as an Advanced Reader Copy for free and this is my own opinion.
Animals seem to be the theme in the book from a cute unicorn foal to a protective wildcat and wolf! These beginnings will set the scene for this author’s brilliant books Etania’s Worth and Etania’s Calling.
Recommended for those who have already read other books by this author or if the reader can only read in short bursts then these bite size, clean stories are perfect!
Received this collection of stories as an Advanced Reader Copy for free and this is my own opinion.
January 31, 2025
Actually this book on my iPhone is 214 pages not 66 pages. I liked all the short stories they made me want more. I didn’t like the way they ended so abruptly.
November 5, 2023
I liked getting to see snippets of this world and the different people groups within it. My favorite of these five short stories was the one involving unicorns. I have a soft spot for them and usually enjoy anything I can find about them.
June 6, 2023
Beginnings is a great collection of short stories by M.H. Elrich! It tells the origins of her animal-tamer fantasy races across different eras and from differing POVs.
I enjoyed most of the stories and loved how varied they were. The only reason I'm giving this 4 stars is that I had plot and believability issues with one story in particular, but overall, it was a great read.
The first and last stories were fun and showed the beginnings of established Tamnarae races. The second-to-last one, about the Lycan, was very well-written and kept me in suspense. My all-time favorite, though, was "Her Tears."
Telling the story of an Asian-inspired culture we haven't yet seen, it was fascinating and evoked incredible emotion. "Her Tears" flowed amazingly, had a fantastic MC, and introduced me to a beautiful place I wanted to visit IRL. Absolutely stunning short story that definitely dropped my jaw! I think this one is worthy of an award.
My only complaint was the middle story. There were several inconsistencies that broke my suspension of disbelief, and the ending wrapped up way too conveniently. I found the most errors in this one, which is a shame, considering all the other stories were good to phenomenal. I’m aware that others actually rated this story as their favorite, so take it worth a grain of salt.
Overall, I highly recommend Beginnings. M.H. Elrich transports the reader to fascinating eras and places, and she’s created a collection of origin stories well worth reading.
I enjoyed most of the stories and loved how varied they were. The only reason I'm giving this 4 stars is that I had plot and believability issues with one story in particular, but overall, it was a great read.
The first and last stories were fun and showed the beginnings of established Tamnarae races. The second-to-last one, about the Lycan, was very well-written and kept me in suspense. My all-time favorite, though, was "Her Tears."
Telling the story of an Asian-inspired culture we haven't yet seen, it was fascinating and evoked incredible emotion. "Her Tears" flowed amazingly, had a fantastic MC, and introduced me to a beautiful place I wanted to visit IRL. Absolutely stunning short story that definitely dropped my jaw! I think this one is worthy of an award.
My only complaint was the middle story. There were several inconsistencies that broke my suspension of disbelief, and the ending wrapped up way too conveniently. I found the most errors in this one, which is a shame, considering all the other stories were good to phenomenal. I’m aware that others actually rated this story as their favorite, so take it worth a grain of salt.
Overall, I highly recommend Beginnings. M.H. Elrich transports the reader to fascinating eras and places, and she’s created a collection of origin stories well worth reading.
March 2, 2023
"Beginnings" is the first book by M.H. Elrich that I have read.
Essentially, the book is a collection of short stories taking place at the beginning of each race in her series.
These short stories provide insight into how the different races began. It is here you will read the story of the first Dragon-Tamer (Draconians), Unicorn-Tamer (Equus), Wildcat-Tamer (Lycan), and Wolf-Tamer (Eritam), and how they became what they were.
I really enjoyed reading each of the stories. It is a great introduction to her book series. I have not read them yet, but after reading "Beginnings," I am definitely going to.
Essentially, the book is a collection of short stories taking place at the beginning of each race in her series.
These short stories provide insight into how the different races began. It is here you will read the story of the first Dragon-Tamer (Draconians), Unicorn-Tamer (Equus), Wildcat-Tamer (Lycan), and Wolf-Tamer (Eritam), and how they became what they were.
I really enjoyed reading each of the stories. It is a great introduction to her book series. I have not read them yet, but after reading "Beginnings," I am definitely going to.
October 28, 2023
This collection of short stories was a great introduction to M.H. Elrich's work. Each story offers a glimpse into the origins of all of the different races on the planet Tearah, which is where her Daughters of Tamnarae series is set.
The beauty of this collection is that each of the characters' stories shone with their own personalities. I would love to have read longer stories with each of them, and while this is my first book by M.H. Elrich, it definitely will not be my last. I look forward to diving into her series and see how the world that was set up in these stories continues to develop.
The beauty of this collection is that each of the characters' stories shone with their own personalities. I would love to have read longer stories with each of them, and while this is my first book by M.H. Elrich, it definitely will not be my last. I look forward to diving into her series and see how the world that was set up in these stories continues to develop.
February 10, 2023
Awesome short stories!! The characters were believeable and well written. I love the animals and how they were tamed without violence. These stories are the perfect introduction into the world of Tamnarae and I enjoyed them greatly!!
March 15, 2023
A companion book to this author's series. This book offers a set of short stories that offers insights into the beginning of the different races in her other books. It reminds me of Holly Black's book like this. I think it is a great set of stories and adds depth and richness to the existing works by this same author. Certainly worth the read - even as a stand alone; but certainly if you are a fan of this author's works.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews