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The Godsfall Chronicles #1
The Wastelander: Book 1 of the Godsfall Chronicles
In a desperate, twisted mutant landscape, where nobody can be trusted... Can one scavenger make a difference?
Cloudhawk learned early on that to survive, one had to be cautious. Resources were scarce in the wastelands, and a scav's life was literally worth less than dirt. Battles to the death over food were fought every day in this post-apocalyptic nuclear desert. Somehow, he survived to age fourteen, driven by a dream told to him long ago by a crazy old man.
Could the Elysian lands be real? A land of pure water and limitless bounty, as blessed by the gods as the wastes were accursed? But if they were, then what of the darker tales - the tales of the demons who shattered the wastes, and the demon hunters who sought them out? To find out, Cloudhawk must traverse a hellscape of metahumans, mutants and beasts.
You'll love this dystopian, post-apocalyptic grimdark tale, because as Cloudhawk loses his innocence, he gains something much more valuable.
Cloudhawk learned early on that to survive, one had to be cautious. Resources were scarce in the wastelands, and a scav's life was literally worth less than dirt. Battles to the death over food were fought every day in this post-apocalyptic nuclear desert. Somehow, he survived to age fourteen, driven by a dream told to him long ago by a crazy old man.
Could the Elysian lands be real? A land of pure water and limitless bounty, as blessed by the gods as the wastes were accursed? But if they were, then what of the darker tales - the tales of the demons who shattered the wastes, and the demon hunters who sought them out? To find out, Cloudhawk must traverse a hellscape of metahumans, mutants and beasts.
You'll love this dystopian, post-apocalyptic grimdark tale, because as Cloudhawk loses his innocence, he gains something much more valuable.
881 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 22, 2020
103 people are currently reading
76 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 25, 2020
The 8 books that comprise this series will take time to read. There are good points in-between but overall I wouldn't say the time spent is worth it. Mainly because the ending leaves some important things open.
The story was set in a Mad Max sort of dystopia and follows our protagonist cloudhawk as he aspires for a better life.
Unlike other Chinese novels here you can avoid the harem trope, rape scenes, and blatant misogyny. The romance is very small part of the novel but is tastefully done.
There is decent world building done, but I got the feel the author tried to be too ambitious and went for breath over depth. I'd have enjoyed more time spent fleshing out some of the arcs in these unique cultures. Right now expect to only fleetingly sample the rich world.
There is foreshadowing and a proper main storyline but the reveal at the end is rushed and the plot twists are not delivered with the right gravitas. Pacing isn't that good but usually isn't slow so you won't easily drop it.
You have a wide array of characters who are well developed. You get to identify with them and they usually last through large parts of the book. The characters are real with flaws and feel human. You'd find yourself conflicted on who to support many times and that is nice. The dilemmas show how there is no good answer most of the time.
The story doesn't move forward naturally, it feels like a lot of fortuitous developments just happen when needed for the mc. In a way that's explained and there are failures too but it would have been nice to see him get things he can't use.
They use string theory in a hand wavy way to borrow the authority of science. That was a bit irritating. I'd have liked a deeper borrowing.
The protagonist's kept naive and good for way too long without sufficient reason. The kind of environment he grows up in and experiences seem to go against what he is. This is not an intelligent protagonist but an emotional friendship trusting one. This world setup would have worked better with the cynical smart kind of protagonist I think.
The fight scenes are well written. They have unique powers which are quite interesting.
So in action and fantasy terms this book does well. The translation quality is also top notch. The protagonist slowly rises in power so it's nice to have accompanied him through the journey.
It's a long way to pass time if you want a different type of chinese novel thats not like the usual stuff.
The story was set in a Mad Max sort of dystopia and follows our protagonist cloudhawk as he aspires for a better life.
Unlike other Chinese novels here you can avoid the harem trope, rape scenes, and blatant misogyny. The romance is very small part of the novel but is tastefully done.
There is decent world building done, but I got the feel the author tried to be too ambitious and went for breath over depth. I'd have enjoyed more time spent fleshing out some of the arcs in these unique cultures. Right now expect to only fleetingly sample the rich world.
There is foreshadowing and a proper main storyline but the reveal at the end is rushed and the plot twists are not delivered with the right gravitas. Pacing isn't that good but usually isn't slow so you won't easily drop it.
You have a wide array of characters who are well developed. You get to identify with them and they usually last through large parts of the book. The characters are real with flaws and feel human. You'd find yourself conflicted on who to support many times and that is nice. The dilemmas show how there is no good answer most of the time.
The story doesn't move forward naturally, it feels like a lot of fortuitous developments just happen when needed for the mc. In a way that's explained and there are failures too but it would have been nice to see him get things he can't use.
They use string theory in a hand wavy way to borrow the authority of science. That was a bit irritating. I'd have liked a deeper borrowing.
The protagonist's kept naive and good for way too long without sufficient reason. The kind of environment he grows up in and experiences seem to go against what he is. This is not an intelligent protagonist but an emotional friendship trusting one. This world setup would have worked better with the cynical smart kind of protagonist I think.
The fight scenes are well written. They have unique powers which are quite interesting.
So in action and fantasy terms this book does well. The translation quality is also top notch. The protagonist slowly rises in power so it's nice to have accompanied him through the journey.
It's a long way to pass time if you want a different type of chinese novel thats not like the usual stuff.
December 19, 2021
This is an exciting book, the main character is a bit naive but not stupid and doesn't follow any standard wuxia character tropes I can think of. The story is easy to picture in your head, partially because of the setting, and the story is somewhat unpredictable in a good way. This is also a far off future story which allows its self to literally use anything to its advantage without anything seeming unusual.
i rate 19.5/21 good read
i rate 19.5/21 good read
August 13, 2020
The world is a desert with occasional oasis, inhabited by mutants and occasional less-mutated scavenger, living on edge of starvation in the ruins of old world. Or so it seems at the beginning.
MC is a scavenger that survives being thrown into an underground lair and gets a lucky break.
Story shows the growth of the MC from young scav to a warrior, from naive to realistic.
MC is a scavenger that survives being thrown into an underground lair and gets a lucky break.
Story shows the growth of the MC from young scav to a warrior, from naive to realistic.
March 16, 2021
Great start!
I have loved Wuxia for a long time and while this follows a lot of the same tropes (both good and bad), it is done very well.
The beginning is slow as usually been when it ramps up the pace is relentless and doesn’t let Cloudhawk breathe for a second.
Still don’t like how most Wuxia treats it’s women which is my big problem with the book.
I have loved Wuxia for a long time and while this follows a lot of the same tropes (both good and bad), it is done very well.
The beginning is slow as usually been when it ramps up the pace is relentless and doesn’t let Cloudhawk breathe for a second.
Still don’t like how most Wuxia treats it’s women which is my big problem with the book.
January 29, 2025
Such a really unique plot, the way the author twists your perception of the demons and gods and good and evil throughout the story is really something. The writing style also felt like a great mix of eastern and western styles, and the post apocalyptic world the characters live in is very well written and interesting.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 27, 2021
Fun read
It's good, a nice unique twist to a cultivation series, it's nice seeing such a unique beginning to a series combining a post apocalyptic world with almost supernatural creatures created by science.
It's good, a nice unique twist to a cultivation series, it's nice seeing such a unique beginning to a series combining a post apocalyptic world with almost supernatural creatures created by science.
Read
June 18, 2021very dark for dark's sake at times
every mildly important character has a backstory, which is cool
every mildly important character has a backstory, which is cool
October 8, 2021
Good
The grammar is okay. It’s a fast paced action packed series and a good lengthy read. I would’ve liked to have more story and less death scenarios, but for a light novel it is good.
The grammar is okay. It’s a fast paced action packed series and a good lengthy read. I would’ve liked to have more story and less death scenarios, but for a light novel it is good.
March 11, 2023
It was moderately interesting book, although the number of exclamation marks used by the author is confusing.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews