Rend

by Katika Schneider

The best weapons come with a story. This one came with a life. Created to serve as the harbinger of death for a world ignorant to mortality, Rend had obediently culled the aged and ailing for his goddess. For two-hundred and thirty-eight cycles, he questioned neither his duty nor actions. But after the thousands of deaths he'd facilitated, he was tired. Then, a bright-eyed child introduced him to what it meant to dream. To be happy. To live. And Rend discovered that even a divine construct was capable of doubt. Rend had been appointed the harbinger of death to protect the mortals from fear and suffering. But who was there to protect him?

67 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 20, 2020

About the author

Fueled by bedtime stories of The Hobbit and The Last Unicorn and afternoons adventuring in the woods behind her rural Missouri home, the jump from epic fantasy reader to epic fantasy author was a natural transition for Katika. She discovered her love of writing in fourth grade writing workshop, and embraced this art from that point forward. Spending junior high learning the ups and downs of style development via DragonLance fan fiction, she began crafting her own stories in high school, winning local writing competitions. Happiest when wordsmithing, she enrolled in creative writing courses in college and was told fantasy "wasn't creative fiction." This led her to seek alternative writing wisdom and heavily shaped her indie author ideals.

Kat accidentally discovered her world of Abaeloth in 2003 when creating a character for an RPG. This character shared her life story from birth to death and everything in between. With nothing left to game with, the only logical option was to begin writing so Nessix could live outside of Kat's mind. Devotion, the first book of Tale of the Fallen, was published in 2016 and three more series within the encompassing Afflicted Saga are currently drafted.

Today, Katika still considers rural Missouri home and lives on a farm with her supportive husband and their assortment of special needs animals. She forewent veterinary school due to unplanned life circumstances, and now spends her non-writing time playing with her dog, riding her horses, and drowning in garden gnomes.

Katika strives to draw on the brilliance of the fantasy classics to craft and deliver epic tales reminiscent to those told in the genre's golden age. It is among her most sincere hopes that you fall in love with Abaeloth and those who call it home as deeply as she has.

Reviews

[Scott Guthrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An unexpected meeting with Death - the story of a little girl meeting her destiny....or perhaps not.

I found Rend to be a surprising entry into the worlds of the Afflicted Saga. Katila has given us a well crafted and delightfully unexpected character who isn't quite what he was intended to be by his maker. The story is engaging and while short, is worth a read. Katila asks a "What if...." question that leads Rend and his charge in an unexpected direction, with an outcome that none of the protaganists really anticipated.

Enjoyable, and worthy!

[R.J.Presher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome !


I Love to read.
My favorite books are the ones I can get lost in.
I was so into this, finished it in 1hr without setting down my Kindle.

If this is your 1st book by this Author, it's a great intro to her style.
I recommend reading some of her other books.
Never a disappointment and my Kindle tends to quit before I am ready to set it down or take a break.

Thank you Katika for another amazing Book !

[Tracy Cembor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unexpected and refreshing

I wasn't sure what to expect with a modern epic, but this had all of the fantasy and adventure elements I was looking for. I finished the whole story and just one sitting!

[Raymond · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exciting introduction into the worlds of award winning author Katika Schneider.