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Catalyst #4
The Defiance of Vim
Free from the clutches of the kingdom, yet slaves to fate.
Ryl, the phrenics, and their meager army make for the security of the Erlyn Woods. As the cost of freedom continues to mount, their hold remains tenuous at best. New additions to their army present unexpected complications and danger. Choices that will define the future of Damaris hang in the balance.
The army from Cadsae Proper marches in their wake. Control, coveted for ages will not be ceded willingly. Or without a fight. Outnumbered by thousands, Ryl is forced to choose between defending the tributes or reclaiming a friend, stolen from their midst.
Will his quest end in rescue or revenge?
Whispers of darkness taint the light of change. For better or worse, the kingdom is changing by the moment.
So, too, is Ryl.
The incredible 4th installment in C.J. Aaron's debut Epic Fantasy Series is here. Grab your copy today!
Ryl, the phrenics, and their meager army make for the security of the Erlyn Woods. As the cost of freedom continues to mount, their hold remains tenuous at best. New additions to their army present unexpected complications and danger. Choices that will define the future of Damaris hang in the balance.
The army from Cadsae Proper marches in their wake. Control, coveted for ages will not be ceded willingly. Or without a fight. Outnumbered by thousands, Ryl is forced to choose between defending the tributes or reclaiming a friend, stolen from their midst.
Will his quest end in rescue or revenge?
Whispers of darkness taint the light of change. For better or worse, the kingdom is changing by the moment.
So, too, is Ryl.
The incredible 4th installment in C.J. Aaron's debut Epic Fantasy Series is here. Grab your copy today!
- GenresFantasy
479 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 22, 2020
233 people are currently reading
94 people want to read
About the author
C.J. Aaron
10 books37 followers** Want to be the first to know about new releases and have access to free content? Sign up for the newsletter today!
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Now on to the Bio:
CJ Aaron is a Fantasy Author who relocated from the four seasons of the Northeast to the nearly perpetual sauna of the third coast.
Holding a Communications degree from Susquehanna University, when he isn't writing fantasy, you can find him working on the road in an outside sales position. At home he shares his time with his wife, two children, dog, cats and an ever changing menagerie of rescue animals.
Raised on a steady diet of fantasy and science fiction, he is still an avid reader, lover of video games, movies and pretending to be a musician.
NEWSLETTER SIGN UP
Now on to the Bio:
CJ Aaron is a Fantasy Author who relocated from the four seasons of the Northeast to the nearly perpetual sauna of the third coast.
Holding a Communications degree from Susquehanna University, when he isn't writing fantasy, you can find him working on the road in an outside sales position. At home he shares his time with his wife, two children, dog, cats and an ever changing menagerie of rescue animals.
Raised on a steady diet of fantasy and science fiction, he is still an avid reader, lover of video games, movies and pretending to be a musician.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
September 26, 2023
I think I lost some brain cells with this one.... They just up and committed suicide. Can the author please, please, please, write one more time how much the MC hates killing. I don't think I understood it the first 50 times. This overwhelming need of good guys not wanting to kill their ONCE UPON A FRIEND who is turncoat, or worst ZOMBIFIED is fucking moronic on authors part, especially when that friend has killed NUMEROUS good people. Oh and their HUMANITY magically wakes up at the RIGHT moment to turn the tide of war. Ohhh the fucking cliché. Yeah I am not going to bother reading the next two books. Felt like an 5th grader wrote this book.
January 20, 2021
WOW! I am just blown away by the superb story line of this saga.
I usually mark any errors in grammar or word usage, and yet there wasn't one within this book, so the editor has also done a very fine job.
Of the story itself, I really don't want to exploit further than what the blurb on the title relates.
It was awesome, and the four books that I have consumed over the past five days, have left enthralled and filled with hope.
I usually mark any errors in grammar or word usage, and yet there wasn't one within this book, so the editor has also done a very fine job.
Of the story itself, I really don't want to exploit further than what the blurb on the title relates.
It was awesome, and the four books that I have consumed over the past five days, have left enthralled and filled with hope.
January 8, 2021
What's to come???
Ryl with the help of his friends has pushed back the darkness . The Hord is running away but for how long who can say. A time of change an history to be wrote a new. Ryl is the light an the dark. Even with Kaep no longer there in person she is always with Ryl. What's in store for all who knows. But tomorrow will be better then today.
Well done Mr. Aaron you really out did yourself in book#4.
Ryl with the help of his friends has pushed back the darkness . The Hord is running away but for how long who can say. A time of change an history to be wrote a new. Ryl is the light an the dark. Even with Kaep no longer there in person she is always with Ryl. What's in store for all who knows. But tomorrow will be better then today.
Well done Mr. Aaron you really out did yourself in book#4.
January 14, 2021
Great read!
What a really good series of books these are! I have read a lot of fantasy books over the years and this has to be definitely among my top ten. Well written and thought out story line. The characters are amazing especially the main one Ryl.Who leads us on a wild ride from humble beginnings to one hell of an adventure! Kept me up til the small hours of the mornings reading it. I hope it's not quite the end of this series,would love to see another one. Suitable for adults only as has rather gruesome scenes.
What a really good series of books these are! I have read a lot of fantasy books over the years and this has to be definitely among my top ten. Well written and thought out story line. The characters are amazing especially the main one Ryl.Who leads us on a wild ride from humble beginnings to one hell of an adventure! Kept me up til the small hours of the mornings reading it. I hope it's not quite the end of this series,would love to see another one. Suitable for adults only as has rather gruesome scenes.
January 14, 2021
This book is the first miss-step for me in this series.
So far I have really enjoyed these books. They’re easy reading fantasy novels that play with familiar fantasy tropes but do so really well. I breezed through all 3 of the previous novels, but I really struggled to get into this one. After giving it some thought, I think there are 3 main reasons for this:
1 - Treading water for most of the novel - The earlier books in the series were really well paced. A lot happened in each book and I never felt like the story was dragging. Ironically in a book that featured a lot more action and had the potential to do so much more, this book had the opposite effect. The reason for this is that action is not the same as story progression. Countless fights mean nothing if it doesn’t progress the plot, and the first half or maybe two thirds of this novel especially saw very little plot progression.
2 - Catalyst - One of the strengths of this series for me is that the protagonist is a catalyst (something that provokes and inspires change) in equal measure to being the protagonist. By this I mean that yes he had awesome moments to shine, but the bigger role he played in the story was promoting others to action. That was lost a little in this book as Ryl takes everything on his own two shoulders and becomes not a catalyst, but someone who is trying to do everything by himself. It lost that hope inspiring element that I have come to love about the main character and as a result Ryl felt like a weaker character for it.
3 - God Mode- I hesitate to admit to this reason because my favourite type of fiction are stories with really over-powered main characters. I don’t buy into the ‘Superman Problem’ that says that overpowered characters have to become boring because there is no longer any conflict. To me that’s just an excuse made by lazy people not willing to find conflict in other places to make their stories enjoyable. Unfortunately though, this book is one of those that proves their argument a little in that this is how an over powered protagonist should not be written. Ryl is written in this book like nothing could ever be a problem to him and as a result the action scenes lose all meaning. Everything Ryl does is so ‘awesome’ that nothing becomes awesome. The way to sell this would have been to have the action scenes mean more to the progression of the plot, and to create tension by creating other means of conflicts in Ryl and the outcome of the battle. The author touched on this with Ryl battling his growing darker nature, but I felt like the author never really sold that concept well enough to make it stick as I was never in any doubt that Ryl would do anything other than the right, heroic thing.
It’s a shame because this series was going so well until this point. I will probably pick up the next book in the hope that things get back on track and I still recommend this series. I am cautiously optimistic for the rest of this series, and fingers crossed that this was a speed bump and not the start of a bigger problem.
So far I have really enjoyed these books. They’re easy reading fantasy novels that play with familiar fantasy tropes but do so really well. I breezed through all 3 of the previous novels, but I really struggled to get into this one. After giving it some thought, I think there are 3 main reasons for this:
1 - Treading water for most of the novel - The earlier books in the series were really well paced. A lot happened in each book and I never felt like the story was dragging. Ironically in a book that featured a lot more action and had the potential to do so much more, this book had the opposite effect. The reason for this is that action is not the same as story progression. Countless fights mean nothing if it doesn’t progress the plot, and the first half or maybe two thirds of this novel especially saw very little plot progression.
2 - Catalyst - One of the strengths of this series for me is that the protagonist is a catalyst (something that provokes and inspires change) in equal measure to being the protagonist. By this I mean that yes he had awesome moments to shine, but the bigger role he played in the story was promoting others to action. That was lost a little in this book as Ryl takes everything on his own two shoulders and becomes not a catalyst, but someone who is trying to do everything by himself. It lost that hope inspiring element that I have come to love about the main character and as a result Ryl felt like a weaker character for it.
3 - God Mode- I hesitate to admit to this reason because my favourite type of fiction are stories with really over-powered main characters. I don’t buy into the ‘Superman Problem’ that says that overpowered characters have to become boring because there is no longer any conflict. To me that’s just an excuse made by lazy people not willing to find conflict in other places to make their stories enjoyable. Unfortunately though, this book is one of those that proves their argument a little in that this is how an over powered protagonist should not be written. Ryl is written in this book like nothing could ever be a problem to him and as a result the action scenes lose all meaning. Everything Ryl does is so ‘awesome’ that nothing becomes awesome. The way to sell this would have been to have the action scenes mean more to the progression of the plot, and to create tension by creating other means of conflicts in Ryl and the outcome of the battle. The author touched on this with Ryl battling his growing darker nature, but I felt like the author never really sold that concept well enough to make it stick as I was never in any doubt that Ryl would do anything other than the right, heroic thing.
It’s a shame because this series was going so well until this point. I will probably pick up the next book in the hope that things get back on track and I still recommend this series. I am cautiously optimistic for the rest of this series, and fingers crossed that this was a speed bump and not the start of a bigger problem.
January 16, 2023
I really gave this series an honest effort. I am shocked at the average reviews. I kept pushing through but the payoff is not worth it. Nothing that happens is believable. I don’t mean the fantasy aspects, I mean just basic human behavior.
I am not exaggerating when I say the exodus group is ambushed AT LEAST 5 times between this book and the last, with no discernible change in behavior from the group after each. They just keep stationing the same watch over and over.
During their big exodus, the literally make it 99% of the way to safety, then decide to camp in hostile territory literal feet from the all-magical forest capable of protecting them, where they are once again ambushed.
We listen to the internal monologue of the MC mulch over the exact same thoughts worded in the exact same ways, and reaching the exact same conclusions. The MC is directly responsible for several deaths, by murdering packs of humans then “having mercy” on the leader. He keeps his friend turned bad guy barely restrained in his camp and then is shocked when it goes off the rails?
He claims he is one the magical forest, can sense everything within, but a literal 9 year old recovering from poison tracks him while he traveling at full speed and catches up? He’s capable of slowing time to such an extent arrows move at a crawl, but he doesn’t like his odds when the enemy he let live two separate times holds a hostage at knifepoint? Just some regular person?
I know this comes off as a ill-organized rant, but I am hesitant to dedicate any further time to this series by organizing my thoughts.
I am not exaggerating when I say the exodus group is ambushed AT LEAST 5 times between this book and the last, with no discernible change in behavior from the group after each. They just keep stationing the same watch over and over.
During their big exodus, the literally make it 99% of the way to safety, then decide to camp in hostile territory literal feet from the all-magical forest capable of protecting them, where they are once again ambushed.
We listen to the internal monologue of the MC mulch over the exact same thoughts worded in the exact same ways, and reaching the exact same conclusions. The MC is directly responsible for several deaths, by murdering packs of humans then “having mercy” on the leader. He keeps his friend turned bad guy barely restrained in his camp and then is shocked when it goes off the rails?
He claims he is one the magical forest, can sense everything within, but a literal 9 year old recovering from poison tracks him while he traveling at full speed and catches up? He’s capable of slowing time to such an extent arrows move at a crawl, but he doesn’t like his odds when the enemy he let live two separate times holds a hostage at knifepoint? Just some regular person?
I know this comes off as a ill-organized rant, but I am hesitant to dedicate any further time to this series by organizing my thoughts.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 9, 2021
A Good read
I chose this extinguisher the enjoyment of it was marred by some proofreading errors and what appeared to be autocorrect errors also. It is a pity that the proofreaders missed so many glaring mistakes.
I enjoyed this book ,and the series.
I recommend them as they are well written and interesting.
I chose this extinguisher the enjoyment of it was marred by some proofreading errors and what appeared to be autocorrect errors also. It is a pity that the proofreaders missed so many glaring mistakes.
I enjoyed this book ,and the series.
I recommend them as they are well written and interesting.
August 8, 2021
Tension and surprise
A great deal of tension, as the main character and others are put in very dangerous situations. There are also surprises and twists along the way. The ending is explosive!
A great deal of tension, as the main character and others are put in very dangerous situations. There are also surprises and twists along the way. The ending is explosive!
January 13, 2022
I had trouble getting into this book. I gave the first three books five stars each. While I still liked the action sequences, I found myself bored by most of the rest of the book and kept wanting to rush through it so I could start a different book.
April 15, 2022
The story is intriguing.
The book is full of repetition. Having read the first 3 books , I felt as if many sections of the book were copied from the earlier books. I skimmed the book more than read it.
The book is full of repetition. Having read the first 3 books , I felt as if many sections of the book were copied from the earlier books. I skimmed the book more than read it.
May 10, 2022
Really enjoyed the latest instalment
Another enjoyable book in the interesting story.
Good characters and intriguing storyline for the price of a cup of tea. Well worth a read . Now on to book 5
Another enjoyable book in the interesting story.
Good characters and intriguing storyline for the price of a cup of tea. Well worth a read . Now on to book 5
January 8, 2021
A really good fantasy saga
Good character building, excellent series and adult. I recommend this to all fantasy fans. Written with depth of imagination and thrilling
Good character building, excellent series and adult. I recommend this to all fantasy fans. Written with depth of imagination and thrilling
January 10, 2021
An epic ending
An epic ending to great adventure. As the saga unfurled it just kept getting better. I enjoyed every moment of it. Terrific!
An epic ending to great adventure. As the saga unfurled it just kept getting better. I enjoyed every moment of it. Terrific!
January 11, 2021
Keeps growing
The series took a great turn with this book. Love the take this author brings on good and evil. Tying this all up will be interesting
The series took a great turn with this book. Love the take this author brings on good and evil. Tying this all up will be interesting
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January 19, 2021A Fitting Conclusion
A good series if you enjoy fantasy. Best to read the whole series though
Not sure whether I'll reread it.
A good series if you enjoy fantasy. Best to read the whole series though
Not sure whether I'll reread it.
February 9, 2021
I had trouble getting into this one. It seemed to not be moving very quickly at all, then we slammed into the end very suddenly. That said, I still love the series.
April 6, 2021
A great ending too a amazing story
Love the characters, twists and storyline. One of the best I’ve read this year, one series I highly recommend reading.
Love the characters, twists and storyline. One of the best I’ve read this year, one series I highly recommend reading.
May 10, 2021
Great reading!
Anyone interested in good fantasy, both the great story and the EXCELLENT writing of it, will really enjoy these 4 books. I certainly did!
Anyone interested in good fantasy, both the great story and the EXCELLENT writing of it, will really enjoy these 4 books. I certainly did!
May 11, 2021
Hope
I loved the storyline even though it was tragic at times. The underlying message of hope is something that we all need even when things look hopeless.
I loved the storyline even though it was tragic at times. The underlying message of hope is something that we all need even when things look hopeless.
July 7, 2021
Repetitive
It would be better if the writer did not repeat the character motive over and over. It makes for a boring read.
It would be better if the writer did not repeat the character motive over and over. It makes for a boring read.
August 19, 2021
Good story needs editing
It’s a good story and it’s well executed but the scenes go on for very long time. The book could’ve been shorter and much better edited.
It’s a good story and it’s well executed but the scenes go on for very long time. The book could’ve been shorter and much better edited.
September 18, 2021
A good windup
Light and dark.Good and evil. A balance struck. All's well that ends well. All tied up nearly. A good read.
Light and dark.Good and evil. A balance struck. All's well that ends well. All tied up nearly. A good read.
November 25, 2021
Another good read
December 13, 2022
Enthralling
An epic journey of hope triumph and friendship. Superbly written and well conceived characters . Creating hero's of ordinary people alongside demi gods
An epic journey of hope triumph and friendship. Superbly written and well conceived characters . Creating hero's of ordinary people alongside demi gods
May 17, 2021
Great story
A very unique idea with great characters. A very unique idea with great characters. A very unique idea with great characters.
A very unique idea with great characters. A very unique idea with great characters. A very unique idea with great characters.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews