Journeys Through Faladon: The Titan Divide

by The Ruinsong Order, ForgeFiction

“Elves, dwarves, humans… Jödmun; you mortal races are all the same, little more than ants crawling on a round table, oblivious to those sitting around it.”

It has been centuries since the Mountain Birth, a magical calamity that turned the Jödmun from men into… something else.
Part curse, part blessing, the Jödmun need neither food nor shelter, living as veritable stone men. One among them, Ürbon the Wanderer, will emerge from his people’s centuries-long isolation.

A chance encounter with an unusually violent elvish people leaves Ürbon without a ship, without his men, and without direction, changing the course of his life forever. In a journey across the vast world of Faladon; from the sandy Savarrah desert to the lush Forgotten Isles, the Human Kingdom of Ravenburg to the bustling port-city of Venova, Ürbon will gather to him unlikely friends and dangerous enemies, each seeking a weakness in his stony flesh. This is his tale.

A new fantasy adventure unfolds with it’s first installment - Journeys Through Faladon: The Titan Divide. Faladon is the first Epic Fantasy Universe created by around 40 co-authors – pushing the limits of collaborative writing and the fantasy genre.

Genres: Fantasy

450 pages, ebook

Published July 29, 2020

Reviews

[Chiara | wordsbychiara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was gifted an e-arc copy of this book by The Forge Fiction in exchange for an honest review.

When Forge Fiction contacted me to review Journeys Through Faladon, I was very curious to see how well a book co-written by 40 people would flow. On that regard, I encourage you to visit Forge Fiction and Faladon websites for more insights on their community writing programs and bonus content on the world.

Journeys Through Faladon had the feeling of a classic fantasy adventure book. In some ways, it reminded me of the easy narrative and mood of Tolkien’s The Hobbit, which gave me a very nostalgic feeling. The writing was seamless, and had I not known in advance it was co-written by so many authors, I never would have guessed from the read itself. I appreciated the work put into the world-building and its vastness. The world of Faladon was rich with many different creatures and locations, something I enjoy in an epic fantasy.

While I did enjoy the book overall, there were some issues that stopped me from giving a higher rating. The plot struggled to prevail over many fight scenes and chance encounters. I couldn’t feel the tension of Urbon’s mission, nor the attachment to his crew. The characters were overall enjoyable, but felt a little one-dimensional. Each of them has a predominant personality trait they rarely veer away from, and though some events hint at deeper layers in future installments, they didn’t shine through in this arc. The relationships between the characters also felt somewhat shallow, and I found Urbon to be overall too trusting of these chance encounters. These flaws were highlighted by a tone discrepancy. The writing and tone would have been better suited to a children’s book, but the long fighting sequences and sometimes gruesome content were better fit for a mature audience, which makes it hard to properly categorize this read in either category.

Even so, I generally enjoyed the book. It’s not very long, which made for a quick read, and the copy I received was an e-arc, so my issues may be resolved in the finished product, which will be released on Amazon on July 29, 2020. I definitely recommend this to fans of epic adventures and classic fantasy novels!

[Irma *Irma The Book Whisperer* · Rating 3 out of 5]

Journeys Through Faladon starts with a yourney to the Shattered Islands. But on a way there, the ship gets intercepted by pirates. And the adventures begins. Pirates, dragons, dwarfs, elves, hidden caverns,...

Now, the writing was amazing. You have to understand that this book was co-written by 40+ authors! Yes. And the words flow so freely, so beautifully. But that 40+ probably (that's how I see it) delivered (too) many fight scenes and chance encounters.

All in all, I really did enjoy it.

[Anne Gregor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Consider the global community of writers involved in creating Journeys Through Faladon your personal Pied Piper of Hamelin fantasy guide. Their story enthralls as the hauntingly beautiful landscape unfurls with addictive charm.

Admittedly, I have read about books written by multiple (40+ 😵) authors, but I haven't found myself intrigued enough to give it a whirl. When the opportunity arose to receive a prerelease for Journeys Through Faladon, I decided to throw my old school caution to the wind and check it out. There is no hesitation in plugging this title to my subscribers. Where I believed I would find cracks and fits, I found seamlessness. Where I expected rambling, I found a meticulous storyline with characters that hold an abyss of depth. Where I expected a newfangled, ultra-modern style, I found, what I can only describe as, Tolkienesque. For any reader of High Fantasy, for any fan of the glorious days of classical fantasy, I cannot, absolutely cannot, recommend this book enough.

For those who dream of elves, hidden caverns, creatures of lore, stone golems, pirates, dragons, dwarves, volcanoes, magical weapons, sailing the high seas, quests of destiny, and prophesied paths... Journeys Through Faladon will pick you up in its taloned claws then drop you into an extraordinary adventure.

*Note - I strongly suggest checking out the mechanics behind ForgeFiction's community writing at the following link https://forgefiction.com/ and Journeys Through Faladon has its own website with all sorts of info on the books creation, creators, and you can even sign up to receive the latest news on The Titan Divide's upcoming releases! http://faladon.com/

Thank you so much for stopping in, and an extra thank you to ForgeFiction for sending me the Journeys Through Faladon ARC (title releases on Amazon July 29, 2020)! Mark your calendars - as soon as I have an Amazon link I will add it below for your convenience!

Kris
Whiskey & Wit Book Reviews

[S. Jeyran Main · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Titan Divide is a fantasy novel written by 40 authors. The story begins in Mountain Birth, a magical calamity that curses the Jodmun men. The curse, which somehow can also be perceived as a blessing, creates a chance for Urbon, a wanderer, who gets attacked by Elves causing him to lose his crew. Urbon then travels to Faladon, and on the way, he makes friends, encounters dangerous enemies, and his destiny is revealed.

For a story written by 40 people, I thought I would be reading something very complicated and confusing. I was expecting the content to pan out in a different pen and pace of coherence. However, I delightfully found the book to be consistent with a nice flow and filled with fantasy literature.

Faladon was a fascinating world. The Savarrah desert, forgotten Isles and many other added features created a vibrant and enchanting notion of a story. The main characters were likable, and his personality grew on me as I read deeper into the story.

I would recommend this story to fantasy readers and people who enjoy reading novel stories.

[Michelle (Chelle's Book Ramblings) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 Stars

I was given a free e-arc copy of this book for an honest review, and that is exactly what I'm giving. Thank you to Forge Fiction for their consideration.

When I was approached to review this book I was intrigued by the premise of it, I'm a sucker for epic fantasies. But once I dug a little more information on the book itself and discovered that it was a 40 people collaboration and that it was inspired by a game... I was hooked. I needed to know how that would work (since just organizing my own thoughts is a struggle, can you imagine what co writing with other 39 people would be like?)
Let me just say that it worked pretty well in my opinion, the story is cohesive, the world building is amazing and leaves you just wanting to know more about the different creatures. There's this Tolkien vibe to the story that I just adored.. and the fight and action sequences were awesome (even the gruesome ones), although I must say that there are a lot of them.
Where I think that the book lost me a little, was with character and relationships. They needed a bit more depth, a little more emotional connection for my taste. They were a bit simplistic and one dimensional but I think there's room for improvement in the future books.
I would recommend that you pick up this book if you are an epic fantasy fan like myself and it just so happens that the book is available today. You won't regret it.

[Pallavi Sareen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first thing that amazed me about this book was the fact that it was written by 40 co-authors which probably makes it the first coherent novel to ever be written by so many people. I may be wrong, but it surely is the first one I am reading. I had an initial hesitation in reading this book but the curiosity definitely overpowered the hesitation. I was not expecting this book to be as complex, descriptive and yet without loopholes as it was. But with 40 co-authors comes 40 minds working through every plot hole, I guess. 

The premise of the book is really interesting with elves, hidden caverns, creatures of lore, pirates, dragons, magical weapons, and extraordinary adventures. I did have trouble connecting with the characters but that was more a fault of the non-stop action rather than that of the writing. It felt like there was never a dull moment in the book. Some scenes did feel forced but other than that the entire story flowed quite smoothly. Someone who is new to fantasy novels might not get as interested in Journey through Faladon but avid fantasy readers will surely see the charm in the magical worlds and the constant action. One major drawback this book has is the lack of inner monologue of the protagonist which often gives the reader a deeper insight into the character and also plenty of memorable quotes to associate the book with.

But apart from that, it was sure as hell an entertaining read. 

[Lexa · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at 53%
Full review to come.
You can check out this review and my other reviews at Writing the Universe

[undertherowantree · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 - A quest novel like no other, which brings together a wonderous blend of creatures, both familiar and strikingly fresh. Action-packed!

In this fantastical, action-centric first instalment, the collaborative force of ForgeFiction brings us ‘Journeys Through Faladon: The Titan Divide’. A quest novel like no other, which brings together a wonderous blend of creatures, both familiar and strikingly fresh. The golem-esque, stone giant named Ürbon begins his journey attempting to free his kin from elvish capture, ending up entangled within an ancient prophecy and a quest that will traverse continents and put both him (and the rag-tag group of comrades collected along the way) to the ultimate test. If you love epic fantasy battles, magic, fearsome rivals and gory bloodshed, you have come to the right place!



This is primarily an action-adventure novel set in a fantastical domain with a plot that is extremely quick to get going and fast-paced throughout. From the first page you become immersed in this beautifully diverse array of characters and locations, keeping you entertained consistently. (Perfect for reading within a single sitting.) The world building was impressive. I loved how varied each culture and dwelling was, helping to maintain the reader’s interest and making the novel hard to put down. I also adored the portrayal of female characters within the novel. They were strong, possessed some depth and were not explicitly sexualised or simply used as “the love interest” with no further role in the plot. This is surprisingly rare in epic fantasy, so I commend the authors on this! (However, I must note that the book does not pass the Bechdel Test.) I loved the female characters so much that I actually wanted MORE from them! I wanted them to hold greater presence within the story and perhaps even take command of a few chapters! I also wanted more information and background on the main characters, I felt they significantly lacked character development and wish their backstories were fleshed out further. Furthermore, I would have liked the socio-political and cultural elements developed further as well, as the snippets we received were really well done.



The main drawback, apart from the general issue with concision, lengthy sentences and a sprinkling of typographical errors, was the lack of character development, as mentioned above. This affected the reader’s emotive ties to characters and impacted the ability to care about what happened to them. Additionally, I think it may have provided a nice buffer between action-sequences. On the other hand, we seemed to get in-depth background on less significant places and characters, as well as the inclusion of sections focusing on the point of view of one of the minor characters. This felt a little futile and I think the space could have been used to further develop our main characters. At times, sections did feel a little disjointed and the influence of multiple writers was clear. The chapters felt quite distinct and the novel tried to cover too many ideas. I think the scope could have been narrowed, which may have aided the issue with development. Finally, the plot line seemed to go off on a tangent and I found it unbelievable that the protagonist would be swept up in these other adventures, almost forgetting his own priorities and mission. Although, I understand that some of this may be intended as material for exploration in subsequent novels and provides a more entertaining plot line.



To summarise, I simply think I wanted more novel! I would not say that this is, wholeheartedly, a bad conclusion to make, hence my rating. I enjoyed what I had read so much that I wanted even more and was excited to see the hints already in place for the sequels! Moreover, I appreciate the challenge of collaborative fiction, especially when dealing with multiple co-authors and believe this contributed to many of the novel's strengths. Overall, as first instalments go, I think this was really fun, action-packed and original.


3.5/5 stars. Trigger Warnings; Gore, Violence, Murder, Threat of Violence & Threat of Murder.

Original review posted here: https://reedsy.com/discovery/book/jou...

[Jenny Maloney · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 Stars with an additional Star for so-many-authors-keeping-it-coherent.

I was provided an e-ARC of ForgeFiction's newest release Journeys Through Faladon: The Titan Divide in return for an honest review.

But first I must excuse my tardiness in discussing this title. In the course of a week or so, I lost my computer (kablooey!) and then, as I was working on getting that replaced, I was doing all of my work via iPhone (not recommended) and then that piece of technology got, um, waterlogged. It was one catastrophe after another.

(Which means that I related to the main character of Ürbon the Jödmun -- given the fact that this poor guy gets hit with catastrophe after catastrophe -- probably a little too well.)

Before jumping into the story line, I think it is necessary to discuss how this novel came about. ForgeFiction -- with whom I have no association -- is a community-based writing platform connecting writers from across the globe. Basically, you can jump in and start your own story or you can look around and write a chapter in a story someone else has started. Each chapter is essentially a competition. The community votes "yea" or "nay" on whether a chapter is included. My understanding is that Journeys Through Faladon has 40 authors.

40. Authors.

You'd think that maybe the result would be in-cohesive. You'd think that maybe the story would be hard to follow. You'd think it might read like a D&D game where the DungeonMaster lost control of the characters and chaos ensues.

Instead of chaos, all 40 authors have managed to hold on to the thread of action and adventure. I imagine it must've worked like television shows -- it's the only example I can think of where multiple creators manage to hold onto the thread.

Centering on U, a raider, Journeys Through Faladon starts with piracy, follows up with prophecies of doom and wonder, and proceeds through some epic battles.

Perhaps due to the "40 authors" thing, the novel is very episodic. One adventure leading into the next.

Considering my own series of catastrophes, I was definitely willing to sympathize with U. First, he's attacked by an Elven ship which he wasn't even going to raid. Then he is separated from his captured crew. Then he finds himself lost beneath a mountain when he manages to escape his prison. Then, of all places, he winds up in a dragon's lair, face to face with an actual dragon. Then a magical axe, Bjarl, decides he's the chosen one:

"What was now in his hands was an axe of ice and steel, the haft wrapped in soft leather. He recognized the steel of the axe's pole. It was a metal used by Jödmun craftsmen, a formula of steel and rock substrate, creating a virtually indestructible material. What was more impressive, however, was the ice sculpted atop the pole, a visage of a wyrm, whereas the wyrm's fiery breath of of steel, forming the blade.

Ürbon knew this axe but could not believe it to be in his hands. There was only one such weapon in existence. Bjarl, the rune axe of legend, crafted by the greatest blacksmith of the Jödmun, Volstagg the Mad Smith himself."

You know you want to find out more about Volstagg the Mad Smith.

One of the most interesting elements in the story for me is actually the race of the Jödmun. In the midst of classic fantasy "races" like elves and humans and dwarves, the Jödmun come in fully realized and very, very superhuman:

"Very little could withstand a hit from the tall and fearsome Jödmun. They were a people with flesh quite literally made of stone, a condition arising from a calamity known as the Mountain Birth. But that was a long time ago."

Oh yeah, then a whole race of cave dwelling reptiles decide that Ürbon must free them. You know, if he can escape these caves himself....

It's a fun ride to watch Ürbon, his companions, and the enemies they meet along the way. If you're looking for a story with some adventure and a whole lotta action, this is a good choice. The authors have brought a ton of creativity into the fantasy mix, which was no easy feat.

[Jacqui · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ürbon is a Jödmun – a race whose body is of stone, needs no sustenance and is immortal. While on a journey to capture a prize he has been told would be greater than all others, Ürbon’s ship is attacked by elves. After quickly defeating the elves, he tries to take them back to their island but he and his crew are imprisoned. He manages to escape and on his way off the island, finds Bjarl in a volcano – a legendary axe with magnificent powers. Ürbon also stumbles on the Geck’tek who are a race of lizardmen and await the one who will free them. Thinking that Ürbon is the one, a Geck’tek called Tlupic is chosen to accompany Ürbon and they set off to find the rest of his crew. Their journey takes them from a ship called The Swift Eel to a desert where they meet Askia – a Sonasian with a magic staff. In this land they come across the Sentriel Hydrulian – a god left over from years gone by who has seemingly multiple personalities and likes to play tricks when he is bored. Which is very often. Cue reanimated skeletons, vampires, night demons, dwarves, and a number of other races, battles and magic, and you have the makings of an all-you-can-eat fantasy buffet.

I struggled to follow the main thread of the story as the plot ran into a number of tangents – some of which were never finished off. Each scene they seemed to find themselves in had a fight or altercation and it was as though the different authors had been given a part to write so decided to add a fight scene into each one. Because of the number of action scenes, there was never really time to get to know the characters properly and I found it rather jarring when characters giggled. Here you have a giant man of stone or deadly skeletal wights in an ancient chamber and there was giggling. I found it strange too that there was no swearing in the book and then halfway in, some hectic language was uttered by Maka the warrior princess! Aside from the lack of character development, I felt that there were just too many sidelines. As I started reading the book I got pulled in and thought it laid a great foundation for a fantasy novel. Then it just branched off in too many different directions and, in doing so, plot points were just touched on instead of explored.

What really let this book down, unfortunately, was the lack of fine-tuning from a proofreader for the book as a whole. The mistakes completely interrupted the flow of reading and ranged from formatting problems where sentences were cut off in the middle to start again on another line or chapters either started on the middle of a page or two pages after the last chapter, to punctuation missing to things being spelt differently between sections in the book (even the geck’tek changed spelling in places). There were words mixed up like using decent instead of descent or who’s instead of whose which made for some very confusing sentences. I think that having this many authors contributed to not only that, but the differing styles of writing that came across. There were also obviously different writing programs used which led to things like curly and straight quotation marks being alternated. The POV jumps were sometimes rather jarring too.

The book had great potential with an interesting premise and characters which, had they been fleshed out properly, could have driven this book to a more cohesive story. I do commend the authors on how they worked together but a more holistic look at the book is needed.

[Slick Dungeon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Urbon is a stone giant who is on a quest to find his friends and an ancient artifact. As his ship is sailing, it is attacked by elves. This kicks off a series of events that finds him making new friends, exploring unknown places, and making vicious enemies.

Journeys Through Faladon: The Titan Divide is filled with a metric ton of action. It's non-stop throughout the entire book. There are bloody battles, magical and insane gods who can cast magic spells and hordes of vampires that challenge Urbon and his little party. The battle scenes are fun and exciting and a great joy to read.

This book was created by more than forty co-authors. With that you would think that too many chefs are in the kitchen and sometimes the bouncing back and forth between characters is a little dizzying but overall it works. At times it would have been nice if the action slowed down a little bit so that we could get more character development. Urbon and his lizard man side kick are great fun to read about and it would have been nice to have a little bit more in there about them. The world seems full and lived in and there is some world building done but it would have been nice to have it a little more fleshed out so the reader knew about the world.

While the plot might not be the most complex plot and the characters are mostly engaged in battles the whole time, this is still a great read. This is like a summer blockbuster movie, you come for the action and it's highly enjoyable, even if it's not the most intricate movie you have seen.

With so many co-authors one would think it would be easy to lose the plot but the authors keep it together and move the story along at a breakneck pace and it comes to an overall satisfying conclusion which will make the reader look forward to the next volume.

If you are a fan of fantasy adventure full of action and humor, such as the Discworld series this book should be a welcome addition to your shelf.

[David North · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a pretty-release draft of this book for an honest review.

Journeys Through Faladon: The Titan Divide is a classic Myth & Magic fantasy novel.

Magic, giants, elves and a vast supporting character cast drive this straight up swords and magic take.

Filled with interesting character concepts what’s most intriguing about the book is it is authored a chapter at a time by 40 different authors.

This is the biggest challenge the book has to deal with but it comes with mixed results.

There are some fascinating figures in the novel but the continuity of their characters’ stories is often broken as a new chapter comes up.

Each writer strives to write a dynamic scene in their own debut but with only a chapter to work with it often rushes, abbreviated or interupts specific sections of the story.

The basic editing is professional and if you’re a shameless fan of right-at-you fantasy you’ll most likely enjoy this book.

On a personal level, I loved the cover art and the debut character concept of a transformed population of humans who have become immortal giants.

Though mighty in strength they are able to be killed and are unable to birth children. Each loss of life brings to mind that it brings them one step closer to extinction.

If you’re a fantasy fan with writing ambitions, reading through and dissecting the structure of the writing is educational.

Overall a decent read, the multiple writers concept will need future editorial refinement on a deeper level to really show it’s potential. Still, this is a fascinating first step.

[Goth Gone Grey · Rating 2 out of 5]

A series of unfortunate encounters

As a D&D'er, many fantasy novels read like a solid game night between friends, to the point of nearly visualizing character sheets and dice rolls as the scenes play out.

This book is an incredibly strong example of the above. Each segment has the feel of the DM setting the tale, leaving the reader to determine if the new character is a new PC or NPC. The new setting is described, initiative rolled, action plays out, and fade to black. Repeat as needed. New characters of a variety of known and unknown races populate the world, with frequent reminders of the physical differences between them.

I didn't get a strong sense of character building, just abrupt jumps between side quests linked together by the main mission. This made it difficult to truly care about any of the characters; I see no reason to continue the series.

The writing has highs and lows, an occasional turn of phrase amusing. An example:

"To those who knew its actual name, it was The Pyramid of a Thousand Damned Souls, but to Hydrulian, it was called the pretty black light. He told himself to shut up, declaring that was a stupid name for a pyramid. He chastised himself by replying that pyramids shouldn't have names in the first place. After a short mental debate with himself, he turned back to the group."

I was given a copy for review purposes.

[Satabdi · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this book was not really for me, I can see how it would appeal to fans of epic fantasy with its huge cast of diverse creatures, each with certain powers and characteristics.

The story seems to move from fight to fight and the fight sequences are detailed and often gory.

I felt the plot meanders quite a bit as Urbon meets so many creatures and gets involved with their agendas.

I struggled to keep up with the main storyline where Urbon escapes the elfin island to get reinforcement and rescue his crew mates.

I found the world-building impressive. Every race, creature, and location has been precisely described with detailed back stories.

If you don't mind a mix of violence and sorcery, this book is for you.

[Astx · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has something for everyone. Whether you like detailed descriptions, fast paced action scenes, unexpected plot twists or some greatly worked out comedy scenes, this book has something for everyone. I really enjoyed reading it and this is a book I would recommend to everyone even if you're not into fantasy.