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Celestine Chronicles #5

Sword of the Tyrant

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NEVER split the party ...

Tyrfing is both the key to success in Terry Mack's quest to destroy the Dust Lord, and a death sentence for any template foolish enough to go after the cursed blade.

With Baba Yaga prophesying doom should he pursue the weapon himself, Terry is compelled by his lovers and companions to allow Yuri to retrieve the sword instead while he moves to secure the tiger kin and bring them home.

Yet Terry arrives to find every male of the tribe missing, captured by a monster with strange, hypnotic powers. Faced with an antagonist who can vanish without trace at will, Terry struggles to find some way to force a confrontation before the people he was charged to keep safe are lost forever.

Meanwhile Yuri finds that the area around Svartheim has been devastated, its people slaughtered, and the one clue he has to their disappearance is an ominous note naming the dungeon as both the source of the destruction, and the birthplace of a warlord known as Halfrekkr ...

Warning: This book does not pan to waving curtains and fade to black. Those uninterested or under the age of eighteen are strongly warned of explicit content.

361 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 4, 2019

233 people are currently reading
160 people want to read

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Cebelius

22 books546 followers

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5 stars
583 (61%)
4 stars
260 (27%)
3 stars
89 (9%)
2 stars
14 (1%)
1 star
6 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews
Profile Image for Steve Naylor.
2,527 reviews125 followers
October 6, 2019
Rating 4.0 stars

This is a very good series. There are two objectives in this story. The first one is to get the sword that can kill the Dust Lord. The second is to find Yuri's people and bring them back. Baba Yaga told Yuri that if Terry goes to get the sword he will die. Having two objectives, it was decided that the group would split up. Terry goes to help Yuri's people and Yuri goes to get the sword. I was thinking that the group was getting to big to keep track of everyone so having the groups split up was a good solution to that problem. It allowed each characters unique personality to continue to be explored. Each character also continues to grow. While Terry is a good guy and continues to try and do the right thing, he has also gotten to the point where is isn't going to take shit from anyone. There was a big change at the end of the book and I am excited to find out what happens next. I also wonder how many books are going to be in the series?
33 reviews
October 8, 2019
WTF why is this so good?

I pick this series just for something to waste time because monster girls are not my thing but this has been a must read at release ASAP. I also get the audio just to go through the story again. It's funny, it's sad, it teaches me about different cultures myths and lore. I was worry and sad when author mention that he ending the series soon after book three but four and now five has warp up nicely to help lead us to a conclusion. While the reluctant hero grated on my nerves I have come to appreciate the story and the hero as a more realistic approach to someone in that situation. Recommend to read this series
Profile Image for Alfred.
138 reviews7 followers
May 5, 2025
High quality fantasy

Upon finishing this penultimate volume of the Celestine Chronicles, I have to say that I would genuinely rate this series amongst the greats of fantasy. Cebelius has outdone himself here, and I now find myself filled with both excitement as I prepare to dive into the conclusion and sadness that I will soon have to leave this world and these characters behind.
Profile Image for Nuri Nelson.
63 reviews
October 5, 2019
An amazing cliffhanger at the end of a great arc

Let it never be said that a harem novel is incapable of great and believable character development. This book was amazing from start to end!!
56 reviews2 followers
January 9, 2020
Great series

Can't remember when a book in this genre had me welling up but that letters chapter..... man!! that really hit me.
Profile Image for Steve.
1,629 reviews62 followers
October 8, 2019
The only thing I didn't like about this book is that it shows that this story is almost over. It has to happen of course, but I've really enjoyed the series, and it's best that it go out on top of its game.

The emotional complexity of this story is probably the best I've seen in this genre. Terry tries so hard to hold to his vision of the "high road" and his rigidity in that regard in the face of his women's certainty that he needs more bonds is the prime example of that.

Really, once you have more than two women, whether it's three or ten any illusions of monogamy are out the window and some solely transactional bonds are win/win. The need to be emotionally connected to them, even a need to like them should be subordinate to the mission. On the (at least my) scale of morality in a situation requiring this level of bloodshed, giving some Eldritch the babies they want in exchange for power shouldn't be the thing that bothers you. I also don't think I could be as relentlessly guilt-ridden about shit that I didn't do/couldn't avoid, but this isn't a book about me.

That rant aside, I strongly suspect this this is the penultimate book in this series so I eagerly await the conclusion, and whatever the author has planned to follow this.
Profile Image for D. Clark.
6 reviews19 followers
June 7, 2023
Tess Irondale is a truly fantastic narrator, and while the author is both extremely creative and a talented storyteller. However…
I struggled to make it this far in this series, so many nauseating characters, the repetitive “I am the morally grey good guy cause I keep my word” from the mc while either making horrible choices that he will inevitably be oh so guilty about later, or somehow be justified by the predictable, but no less slimy, gaslighting manipulation from the women around him.
By the beginning of this book I was already so used to the utter spinelessness of the mc , and the slimy manipulation of the female characters that I didn’t think the author could do anything to surprise me.
I was waiting for the introduction of a female character who eats children and and sets fire to puppies only for the mc to inevitably sleep with her, and spout off some drivel about how she deserves a second chance.

Again, the world building is well done, aspects of the story are good, even the erotica is well written, definitely gross at times, but well done.

But if I never have to read (or listen) to another description of a female Minotaur being milked, I’ll die happy.

286 reviews4 followers
October 28, 2019
Yay?

Let me just start off by saying Cebelius is an amazing writer. This authors work thus far has been nuanced engaging and thoroughly emotional despite being part of the fantasy/otherworld/harem genre....With all that being said I think I hate this story and I've had enough. If you want an intelligent deconstruction of what happens when your standard hero archetype finds himself flung into the thick of unexpected and largely unwanted relationships and a save the world plot...READ THIS BOOK....if you want a fun, breezy, power fantasy full of wins and upgrades and all that jazz...stay away...stay faaarrrr away. In context, as a person and observer, I totally can sympathize and understand the MCs stances, approaches and reactions to things. Out of context, or rather in the context of a reader, this is like watching someone cry and rage and go through all the stages of depression and grief, whilst trapped next to them on what should have been a fun themepark ride... Its disconcerting, unexpected in a bad way, and not what I wanted to deal with today.
25 reviews
October 13, 2019
Praise for Cebelius!

Dam! What can I say. Since the ending of book 1 i fell in love with this tale. I especially loved Euryale and reading about her love and adoration from her perspective at the end of the first book. Now here we have arrived and this book did not disappoint in the least. The fight scenes, the grueling toil/exhaustion of the characters. It was like I could feel it. There was one scene with the demon that I could see coming from a mile away but even that was brilliant. I so look forward to the next book. I'm dreading the ending. I just wish that I could look forward to another installment in the series every year. I've read Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time and Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials and thought no other series would be as beloved as those two. This series is well on it's way to being put on that pedestal of true works of art. Praise for Cebelius!
Profile Image for Dannan Tavona.
1,002 reviews11 followers
November 24, 2019
Great story here

This story is gamelit light, harem with monster girls and adult situations. This is book 5 in a series. If this book interests you, start with book 1; this series builds on itself, so to get full appreciation, start at the beginning.
The characters continue to grow the MC Terrence Mack works toward completing his quest. Shy, Laina, Halla, Asturial, Euryale, Prada, and Mila, and the others are here with new ones -- both temporary and part of the growing cast. Plenty of action interspersed with good prose, and Marion's revenge was extremely well done. The poignant ending ala cliffhanger was misty-eyed good, too.
For most of us, it takes time to write a good story, and a reader can finish it in a day or so. That's the harsh truth for both readers and writers. Even so, I'm ready for book 6. Today. So, here's me asking, Cebelius -- moah plez! Highly recommended.
Profile Image for Dave Stone.
1,351 reviews98 followers
March 11, 2020
Was Not disappointed. surprise ending!
By the 5th book even the best authors have an off book, or start to run out of steam but not Cebelius. This dude is chugging along, keeping my interest razor sharp without resorting to lame tricks or gimmicks. If you're peeking ahead to see it it's worth starting this series, it is.
Profile Image for Kody.
76 reviews1 follower
November 9, 2019
Good series. Author takes his job seriously.

I appreciate that the author only added one more girl to the harem. The problem with harem series is that the romance factor gets lost after so many girls join the relationship. Personally and this is just me, I like when the harem is set up like wolf pack with one girl being the alpha who allows all the others to be in the relationship (basically an open relationship), but only if the male and alpha female agree on her. I dislike when every girl is treated equally especially after more than 3 join the harem. I think the best part of this book was when author intoduced the monogamous romance between Yuri and twisted. Props to the author for making the decisions tough and the consequences tougher. You really get a sense of doom reading from Terry's perspective.
524 reviews8 followers
October 18, 2019
Heart

This series, and this volume in particular, has a lot of parts. Violence, rage, sex, penance, politics, abduction, violence, assassination, and more, but the heart of the story and what keeps it compelling is the relationships, the heart shown by the main cast and the growth those relationships drive them to.

This volume gets bogged down in politics, split parties, relentless violence, and even a drawn out sex scene, but the relationships and heart are compelling and believable, able to keep attention and pull the reader along.
And the ending knows that, pulling hard on heartstrings.
5 reviews
October 28, 2019
Ego Stroke 9000

All the characters are properly fleshed out and any and every motivation and feeling is grounded in a firm character base that doesn't feel shody or contrived in the least. In a world that snatches heroes from their afterlife it is entirely conceivable that characters like Austurial foe could develop with the mind set and emotions she has. I don't often leave a review but my imagination thoroughly satisfied and the only negative thing I can say is that I wish you'd write faster but as a person with a brain I know good fiction takes time and I look forward to your next release.
138 reviews1 follower
March 11, 2020
Ahh cliff hanger alert.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
586 reviews
October 9, 2019
High emotions and epic dungeon battles

The book was moving along at a nice pace, increasing bonds gathering strength.... right up until the last chapter where the story took a sharp and unexpected turn. I want to read the next book but I also feel I need to smack Terrance upside the head. It seemed like the story needed a next phase, but it just seemed out of character, or I suppose a throwback to how he got there in the first place. A good read with a frustrating and I suppose somewhat of a cliffhanger end.
57 reviews4 followers
October 9, 2019
Another great book

Another great book in the set, but this time with less overall sexual content. I personally feel this is a wise choice, and shows maturity of the author. Sex is a part of life in this world, above and beyond normally, and I find the sex in this book to be well balanced with the story. I appreciate that the story treats the characters as people with actual emotions, merits, and flaws. I look forward to the next one. Congrats on going full time on your dream Cebelius. You have braved the gap between dreaming and achieving.
288 reviews2 followers
October 17, 2019
Excellent till the last drop

What started out as a test of a new author has morphed into one that's been added to my list of favorites, well done. These books are filled with a very fleshed out world, full of emotions, a MC that has issues but does his best, and a story that just keeps getting better.

It's hard starting a new career, but your on an amazing journey and have the right mindset and skills to keep true and succeed.

Can't wait for the next books, keep up the great work!
33 reviews1 follower
December 4, 2019
A solid 5 from beginning to end

I got to say from book one I new instantly this was an amazing story and book five does not disappoint at all. Continuing the story where book 4 left of I got to say the story gets better and better we get more of what makes this book amazing, which is more character interactions and development, world building and best of all Yury gets to neration on himself. And to top it of that ending, man I just loved it, such and amazing cliffhanger. All and all 5 out of 5 with out a dubt.

95 reviews
October 6, 2019
Final book of a love filled series

Inevitably, good things come to an end. Readers should start at the beginning of the series, lest they drown in the intricate plot, large cast of characters and flow of events that you have to have the context from previous books. This series is depthful, heartfelt, delving into assumptions and the realities of good and evil, regardless of the face.
1 review
October 13, 2019
Eager for the next book and a completed story line

Cebelius has delivered arousing sex scenes and harem elements with a rousing good story. Sadly that’s a true rarity for this genre. I’m looking forward to the next volume to see how it ends. He has been successful in ending each prior volume at a natural transition point and I have confidence that he will complete the story in one or two more . Not abandon it as is very common.
43 reviews5 followers
October 17, 2019
lesions of life.

This whole series is not only entertaining, but offers some of real I've formulas for sucess. The hero of the story strives to always do the right thing, no matter how hard it what the cost to him. He also does everyt thing possible to make sure that his people come to no harm .This whole series of books is well written, and I recommend the series to everyone who enjoys action adventure books.
14 reviews
October 17, 2019
You Rooster!

Amazing book with an ending that'll get you simultaneously ruled up and impressed.
At this point I feel as if my reviews repeat themselves. So I will try something a bit different.
The characters in this series all have depth and growth without taking from the main plot, which ties in nicely to the world building the author has going. Not so much that it overwhelms anything else, but enough to give the reader a sense of a wider world.
Profile Image for Casey Dougherty.
13 reviews
November 4, 2019
Awesome

From the first book to now I have been hooked on these books, and every book leaves me wanting more. The real kick is that this isn’t just some harem book it’s a lot more than that, the MC’s constant struggle to come to terms with his current reality and the hardships of the world he was thrust into makes this series the epitome of harem fantasy for me thank you for quitting your job to write full time I’ll be sure to read everything you push out man 10/10
11 reviews
November 19, 2019
Loved it

I loved this book. I saw a side of Terry that let me see him in a different light. Yuri’s character was great in this book. I’m not going to give out any spoilers, but the ending...wow...I did not see that coming. If you’ve read the other books, you have to read this one. I will most definitely read the next one and I hope we don’t have to wait long. I heartily recommend this book.
Profile Image for Jordan.
667 reviews13 followers
November 25, 2019
I always enjoy this series, and if you've reached book 5 well then you already know its going to be good.

2 new characters get introduced in this volume, quite different from the usual I would say. I would have liked some more time to develop them, but as characters themselves they are interesting.

The ending to this volume could lead to some very interesting developments that i'm excited to see going forward.
12 reviews
November 29, 2019
Awesome

Awesome story just like the previous ones. Terry continue to develop as a character which is awesome to see. It's also nice to see how the relationships develop, not always in the expected direction which is good.

The ending left a bittersweet feeling with what I wanted to see the most combined with a frustrating element that makes me hope that the ones affected manage to change it in the next book.
Profile Image for Christopher Winslow.
2 reviews1 follower
October 24, 2019
Just... Wow!

I never really considered why I come back to certain books... until I reach the end and realize I just went on a hugely articulate, emotional roller coaster ride. This book in particular of the series sets the precedent for quality and I can't recommend a series more (if you aren't squeemish towards violence and sex).
Profile Image for Kevin.
105 reviews1 follower
October 24, 2019
A story about a family being born and forged.

This author has won me over since the first book, and has shown sense in every step of the way with how he uses legends, forms and manages plot lines, and wraps it all together in an epic that will keep you up a night turning pages. After this fifth book, I now know for sure I need to start recommending this series to friends.
62 reviews
October 25, 2019
Another fantastic book!

Reading one of Cebelius' works is like falling asleep in front of warm fire, drifting along in your favorite dream. There are easily identified heroes and villains that allow you to see a bit of yourself in both and yet, with a sympathetic distance that let's you peer in, safely. Truly, one of my favorite authors.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews

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