What do you think?
Rate this book
The Fractured Tapestry #2
The Nameless and the Fallen
A pall of madness has descended upon the men and monsters of Verragos, fraying the peace of nations and embroiling disparate travellers into the threat of all-out war.
Wren, exiled from his home in the icy north, believes that an insidious influence is behind the recent slew of psychotic events. To uncover the source of the threat, he must enlist the help of an old acquaintance who is the only living entity that knows of Wren's bitter and brutal past.
Oriken, a sellsword haunted by the loss of a dear friend, escapes death thanks to the arrival of a mysterious woman. Together, they venture into a dangerous land on the trail of an incessant urge that could unlock the woman's lost memory, but Oriken soon suspects that a deadly identity may lurk beneath the trauma of the stranger at his side.
Wren, exiled from his home in the icy north, believes that an insidious influence is behind the recent slew of psychotic events. To uncover the source of the threat, he must enlist the help of an old acquaintance who is the only living entity that knows of Wren's bitter and brutal past.
Oriken, a sellsword haunted by the loss of a dear friend, escapes death thanks to the arrival of a mysterious woman. Together, they venture into a dangerous land on the trail of an incessant urge that could unlock the woman's lost memory, but Oriken soon suspects that a deadly identity may lurk beneath the trauma of the stranger at his side.
- GenresFantasy
482 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 29, 2021
3 people are currently reading
32 people want to read
About the author
Scott Kaelen
15 books77 followersScott Kaelen writes primarily in the genre of epic fantasy. His debut novel, The Blighted City, achieved semi-finalist in the SPFBO4 contest and finalist in the IAA2020 contest. His second book in the Fractured Tapestry series, The Nameless And The Fallen, reached the quarter finals in SPFBO7. Scott’s interests include etymology, prehistoric Earth, the universe, science fiction, fantasy and horror.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 29, 2021
I don't really give out star rating's anymore, this is easily one of the best books I have read this year! I would happily give this as many stars as I could, it's a wonderfully intricate novel that any fan of epic fantasy will love! Filled with some memorable and brilliant characters, a meticulously crafted world, awesome weapons and a great story! A full review will be on my blog soon!
April 29, 2021
A compelling sequel to Kaelen's fantastic The Blighted City!
The Nameless and the Fallen is a great sword and sorcery adventure, with a few scifi tweaks. There's a strong Robert Howard vibe to the book, although I've had a hard time trying to articulate exactly how they feel similar. There's a classical machismo to it; not in any toxic way that I noticed, but something more in the swagger of the heroes and the bluntness of the villains. The bad guys aren't given platform to explain themselves, but it also doesn't feel like anything is lost from their absence of articulation -- the most important part of an adventure story is heroism in the face of struggle, and Kaelan's characters demonstrate that in spades. It also has a sort of alternately bold then shy dance around the sexual and romantic themes that feels comfortingly old fashioned.
I don't think reading the earlier book is totally necessary to understanding this one, but unfortunately this ends with a lot more unfinished threads to tie into the third. The action resolves on a satisfying finale, but a lot of questions remain -- I feel like it could have used a little more falling action, but feel a little silly saying so, since my only criticism of Blighted City is that it had too much of that!
Bold heroes, a dungeon crawl, ancient magics, ancient science, exciting action and an epic battle! This book has it all.
The Nameless and the Fallen is a great sword and sorcery adventure, with a few scifi tweaks. There's a strong Robert Howard vibe to the book, although I've had a hard time trying to articulate exactly how they feel similar. There's a classical machismo to it; not in any toxic way that I noticed, but something more in the swagger of the heroes and the bluntness of the villains. The bad guys aren't given platform to explain themselves, but it also doesn't feel like anything is lost from their absence of articulation -- the most important part of an adventure story is heroism in the face of struggle, and Kaelan's characters demonstrate that in spades. It also has a sort of alternately bold then shy dance around the sexual and romantic themes that feels comfortingly old fashioned.
I don't think reading the earlier book is totally necessary to understanding this one, but unfortunately this ends with a lot more unfinished threads to tie into the third. The action resolves on a satisfying finale, but a lot of questions remain -- I feel like it could have used a little more falling action, but feel a little silly saying so, since my only criticism of Blighted City is that it had too much of that!
Bold heroes, a dungeon crawl, ancient magics, ancient science, exciting action and an epic battle! This book has it all.
September 30, 2021
3.5
Thank you to the author Scott Kaelen, for the ARC, apologies for the delay in reviewing.
This went in a whole direction that I wasn’t expecting and it has taken me awhile to gather my thoughts about it. I really enjoyed the first book in this series, The Blighted City, it was a slow-build world and hugely atmospheric, with a bittersweet story at its core. And I did wonder if my love for that story hampered my views on this one.
Nameless and the Fallen reads more like classic d&d fantasy to me, with the travelling and creatures but then twists things just a tad, adding more depth and complexity to the world outside f Lachyla, than we saw in the first book. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I don’t like classic d&d or bending the expected- I do love when a book surprises me. I think what it is with this story is that The Nameless and the Fallen is a second book, that despite a few reoccurring characters just feels a little more like a series starter to me and it threw me off for awhile.
Anyway, second book expectations aside, one thing that doesn’t change is the slow build of clues. We gain knowledge of the world and understanding as the story unfolds, painting us a picture we don’t see or understand in its entirety, until near the end and I loved that.
A bit of patience and trust is required that your answers will come but, In the meantime, there is no shortage of fun battles and interesting peoples to meet on the journey to those answers.
There are a few retuning faces, and plenty of new ones but our two main windows into the world are through Oriken and Wren.
Oriken- a returning character I enjoyed a lot in the first book. The events from Blighted City have stayed with him here- especially the loss of his childhood friend. He gains a travelling companion in Nova who is searching for clues about her identity, and a man, with whom she believes has all the answers.
Wren- expelled from his village after a trip into the forbidden grounds causes a chain of events that endangers the village killing some of the locals. He later gains a travelling companion Licelle, an assassin, who has been wrongly accused of the death of an important figure.
Oriken and Wren, have both started to notice that things are not quite right in their corners of the world. Animals and people are behaving oddly, and the magic of the land (called Umbramancy) is fizzling and becoming unreliable. They wonder how far these abnormalities extend across the landscape and start to look for answers.
There are a lot of fun things in this world beginning with the creatures. This is where the story had the most d&d feel for me with a monster battle in every new area they travelled, and lots of dangerous and mythical feeling corporeal and non-corporeal monsters to worry about. I loved the mystical fantasy feeling creatures the most; like the Stone Dancers. (I hope that was the right name because my notes are a mess)
All these creatures led to some great fight scenes, and settings etc. and I loved there was cause and effect to these battles, and sometimes bad stuff happens- like people break a foot when they miss jumping from a building.
The Nameless and the Fallen is quite different in tone, from the Blighted City (which almost feels like a stand alone in this world) and the story here is gearing up for some big things, if the end reveal is anything to judge by. If you like that classic fantasy feel but with some very surprising reveals along the way you will want to check this one out.
Thank you to the author Scott Kaelen, for the ARC, apologies for the delay in reviewing.
This went in a whole direction that I wasn’t expecting and it has taken me awhile to gather my thoughts about it. I really enjoyed the first book in this series, The Blighted City, it was a slow-build world and hugely atmospheric, with a bittersweet story at its core. And I did wonder if my love for that story hampered my views on this one.
Nameless and the Fallen reads more like classic d&d fantasy to me, with the travelling and creatures but then twists things just a tad, adding more depth and complexity to the world outside f Lachyla, than we saw in the first book. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I don’t like classic d&d or bending the expected- I do love when a book surprises me. I think what it is with this story is that The Nameless and the Fallen is a second book, that despite a few reoccurring characters just feels a little more like a series starter to me and it threw me off for awhile.
Anyway, second book expectations aside, one thing that doesn’t change is the slow build of clues. We gain knowledge of the world and understanding as the story unfolds, painting us a picture we don’t see or understand in its entirety, until near the end and I loved that.
A bit of patience and trust is required that your answers will come but, In the meantime, there is no shortage of fun battles and interesting peoples to meet on the journey to those answers.
There are a few retuning faces, and plenty of new ones but our two main windows into the world are through Oriken and Wren.
Oriken- a returning character I enjoyed a lot in the first book. The events from Blighted City have stayed with him here- especially the loss of his childhood friend. He gains a travelling companion in Nova who is searching for clues about her identity, and a man, with whom she believes has all the answers.
Wren- expelled from his village after a trip into the forbidden grounds causes a chain of events that endangers the village killing some of the locals. He later gains a travelling companion Licelle, an assassin, who has been wrongly accused of the death of an important figure.
Oriken and Wren, have both started to notice that things are not quite right in their corners of the world. Animals and people are behaving oddly, and the magic of the land (called Umbramancy) is fizzling and becoming unreliable. They wonder how far these abnormalities extend across the landscape and start to look for answers.
There are a lot of fun things in this world beginning with the creatures. This is where the story had the most d&d feel for me with a monster battle in every new area they travelled, and lots of dangerous and mythical feeling corporeal and non-corporeal monsters to worry about. I loved the mystical fantasy feeling creatures the most; like the Stone Dancers. (I hope that was the right name because my notes are a mess)
All these creatures led to some great fight scenes, and settings etc. and I loved there was cause and effect to these battles, and sometimes bad stuff happens- like people break a foot when they miss jumping from a building.
The Nameless and the Fallen is quite different in tone, from the Blighted City (which almost feels like a stand alone in this world) and the story here is gearing up for some big things, if the end reveal is anything to judge by. If you like that classic fantasy feel but with some very surprising reveals along the way you will want to check this one out.
April 25, 2021
When I reviewed Scott Kaelen’s The Blighted City, I compared his work to people like Joe Abercrombie, in that, for all of his epic ideas and plotting, Kaelen is focused on his characters – and those characters are far from the most polished, typically heroic fantasy types. Instead, Kaelen gives us thieves, soldiers, assassins – in short, those on the outside of a typical society, but with their own codes of honor and ethics driving it all. It’s pure “low fantasy,” in many ways, with characters who don’t fit into your traditional heroic mold, and yet are on the side of the angels, even in their own odd way.
But as Kaelen said, The Blighted City was a book he ended up writing in an effort to clear his head for the story he wanted to tell: The Fractured Tapestry, whose first volume – The Nameless and the Fallen – finds Kaelen both doing something very different and yet playing to his strengths at the same time. Far more epic in scope and ambition despite being actually shorter than The Blighted City, The Nameless and the Fallen finds Kaelen diving into the complicated history of his world, straddling two different genres, and tying together entirely disparate plotlines in unexpected ways.
At its core, The Nameless and the Fallen is about two main characters. The first is Oriken, who readers of The Blighted City already know. (Reading The Blighted City is entirely unnecessary to understand this one, but it’s a good book, so why miss out?) A traveling mercenary, Oriken is making his way back from the events of that book, settling some old scores along the way as he tries to come back to the world he knows. But things are…odd, right now. People are more tense. Acts of violence can break out unexpectedly. A war is brewing in a way that feels more catastrophic than normal. And in the midst of all of that, he finds himself beholden to an amnesiac woman driven to find someone – someone who might just be the key to the rising tensions of the world.
Meanwhile, Kaelen also introduces us to Wren, an outcast living largely on the fringes of society. Cast out from the community that had tolerated him for so long after a horrific massacre, Wren, too, is noticing the changes in the world – but he suspects he knows what’s going on. That leads him to start making his way towards a confrontation with his past, even if, along the way, he finds himself partnered up with an assassin who’s not quite sure what to make of him, all while he’s trying to get in touch with a very old friend…
…who seems to be a robot.
Here’s where I tell you that, for all of its fantasy trappings (and this is undeniably a fantasy novel), The Nameless and the Fallen blurs the line between fantasy and science-fiction, using elements of the latter to season the former, but never letting the fantastic world fade from the foreground. Without giving too much away (this is a book with secrets that should be enjoyed), Kaelen clearly has mapped out a complicated history of this world, one that belies the fantasy elements and speaks to something more unexpected and complicated. He’s only giving us a first taste of it here – this is undeniably the first book of a series, for all the good and bad that implies – but from what he’s showing us, we’re getting something quite different and unique here.
But even with all of that more epic scope and history, The Nameless and the Fallen never steers away from the things that Kaelen did so well in The Blighted City that made me a fan in the first place. For one, Kaelen’s gift for action remains evident throughout this one; whether it’s a nightmarish sequence of events in a small village or an all-out war, Kaelen describes it all clearly, vividly, and with intensity, making every sequence work without feeling confusing or unclear. More importantly, though, his character work remains strong, giving us people who aren’t always heroic, who don’t always take the high road, but who are always understandable; even if they take actions that surprise us, they feel right, giving us a sense that Kaelen understands all of them, even the villains. That humanity is the key to the book, taking epic events but viewing them always through the perspective of human beings, driving home the stakes and making them clear and personal.
There’s so much to enjoy about The Nameless and the Fallen: the craft of the writing, which is solid throughout and polished; the surprising plotting; the rich and varied characters throughout; the intense action; Kaelen’s ability to bring in horror, drama, and even comedy into his world; the complex and compelling lore. I won’t lie to you: the book gets into some intense and violent places, with some deeply disturbing moments that speak to the weirdness and anxiety of this world. These aren’t always heroes that we’re dealing with; what’s more, the actions in war are sometimes ones that aren’t pretty. But through it all, Kaelen stays true to his characters and his world, telling a story that feels rich and imaginative and explores ideas like guilt, regret, legacies, and the impact of history, all while making it feel like a tale driven by its characters rather than authorial intention. For those up for it’s dark places and violence, it’s a great piece of low fantasy, and one that left me very curious about what’s to come next in the saga.
But as Kaelen said, The Blighted City was a book he ended up writing in an effort to clear his head for the story he wanted to tell: The Fractured Tapestry, whose first volume – The Nameless and the Fallen – finds Kaelen both doing something very different and yet playing to his strengths at the same time. Far more epic in scope and ambition despite being actually shorter than The Blighted City, The Nameless and the Fallen finds Kaelen diving into the complicated history of his world, straddling two different genres, and tying together entirely disparate plotlines in unexpected ways.
At its core, The Nameless and the Fallen is about two main characters. The first is Oriken, who readers of The Blighted City already know. (Reading The Blighted City is entirely unnecessary to understand this one, but it’s a good book, so why miss out?) A traveling mercenary, Oriken is making his way back from the events of that book, settling some old scores along the way as he tries to come back to the world he knows. But things are…odd, right now. People are more tense. Acts of violence can break out unexpectedly. A war is brewing in a way that feels more catastrophic than normal. And in the midst of all of that, he finds himself beholden to an amnesiac woman driven to find someone – someone who might just be the key to the rising tensions of the world.
Meanwhile, Kaelen also introduces us to Wren, an outcast living largely on the fringes of society. Cast out from the community that had tolerated him for so long after a horrific massacre, Wren, too, is noticing the changes in the world – but he suspects he knows what’s going on. That leads him to start making his way towards a confrontation with his past, even if, along the way, he finds himself partnered up with an assassin who’s not quite sure what to make of him, all while he’s trying to get in touch with a very old friend…
…who seems to be a robot.
Here’s where I tell you that, for all of its fantasy trappings (and this is undeniably a fantasy novel), The Nameless and the Fallen blurs the line between fantasy and science-fiction, using elements of the latter to season the former, but never letting the fantastic world fade from the foreground. Without giving too much away (this is a book with secrets that should be enjoyed), Kaelen clearly has mapped out a complicated history of this world, one that belies the fantasy elements and speaks to something more unexpected and complicated. He’s only giving us a first taste of it here – this is undeniably the first book of a series, for all the good and bad that implies – but from what he’s showing us, we’re getting something quite different and unique here.
But even with all of that more epic scope and history, The Nameless and the Fallen never steers away from the things that Kaelen did so well in The Blighted City that made me a fan in the first place. For one, Kaelen’s gift for action remains evident throughout this one; whether it’s a nightmarish sequence of events in a small village or an all-out war, Kaelen describes it all clearly, vividly, and with intensity, making every sequence work without feeling confusing or unclear. More importantly, though, his character work remains strong, giving us people who aren’t always heroic, who don’t always take the high road, but who are always understandable; even if they take actions that surprise us, they feel right, giving us a sense that Kaelen understands all of them, even the villains. That humanity is the key to the book, taking epic events but viewing them always through the perspective of human beings, driving home the stakes and making them clear and personal.
There’s so much to enjoy about The Nameless and the Fallen: the craft of the writing, which is solid throughout and polished; the surprising plotting; the rich and varied characters throughout; the intense action; Kaelen’s ability to bring in horror, drama, and even comedy into his world; the complex and compelling lore. I won’t lie to you: the book gets into some intense and violent places, with some deeply disturbing moments that speak to the weirdness and anxiety of this world. These aren’t always heroes that we’re dealing with; what’s more, the actions in war are sometimes ones that aren’t pretty. But through it all, Kaelen stays true to his characters and his world, telling a story that feels rich and imaginative and explores ideas like guilt, regret, legacies, and the impact of history, all while making it feel like a tale driven by its characters rather than authorial intention. For those up for it’s dark places and violence, it’s a great piece of low fantasy, and one that left me very curious about what’s to come next in the saga.
May 8, 2021
The Nameless and the Fallen by Scott Kaelen
I started to the read the Nameless and the Fallen with trepidation. I had thoroughly enjoyed the Blighted City and wanted to keep that memory. I had nothing to worry about. The Nameless and the Fallen, surpassed my expectation and yet again I am left wanting more. I feel reluctant to give anything away, as it will risk the enjoyment and journey for other readers. You can view my review of the Blighted City on Amazon and good read.
Although I knew the blighted city, the new information that intricately unraveled before me made this an unknown new story. The characters are matured and the camaraderie draws you into their fold and their quest becomes your adventure.
Although this would be readable by many young adults, it is equally an adult fiction book with relatable characters who have realistic personalities, strong female lead characters that don’t constantly need rescuing, on the contrary, they stand alone as heroines in their own right.
The story builds, up and down taking the readers emotions with it. The fight scenes steal the readers control over their reading speed, as you become caught it it’s slipstream.
Scott is an excellent world builder, weaving a most excellent and gripping tale; as such, I am now a fan and can’t wait for the next book.
I started to the read the Nameless and the Fallen with trepidation. I had thoroughly enjoyed the Blighted City and wanted to keep that memory. I had nothing to worry about. The Nameless and the Fallen, surpassed my expectation and yet again I am left wanting more. I feel reluctant to give anything away, as it will risk the enjoyment and journey for other readers. You can view my review of the Blighted City on Amazon and good read.
Although I knew the blighted city, the new information that intricately unraveled before me made this an unknown new story. The characters are matured and the camaraderie draws you into their fold and their quest becomes your adventure.
Although this would be readable by many young adults, it is equally an adult fiction book with relatable characters who have realistic personalities, strong female lead characters that don’t constantly need rescuing, on the contrary, they stand alone as heroines in their own right.
The story builds, up and down taking the readers emotions with it. The fight scenes steal the readers control over their reading speed, as you become caught it it’s slipstream.
Scott is an excellent world builder, weaving a most excellent and gripping tale; as such, I am now a fan and can’t wait for the next book.
June 18, 2021
This book was a vast improvement on the first book - Blighted City. It kind of made book 1 seem like a scene setter despite the action that unfolded within it. I enjoyed continuing Oriken’s story and also the characters that popped up throughout this book that we have met previously. Great follow-up and it’s left wide open for book 3!
March 29, 2021
The darkness is coming! In Scott Kaelen's book the Nameless and the Fallen we are drawn into a world where madness has taken hold. Battles are raging across many countries as a few are trying to find a solution to the chaos. This is an epic tale of horror and one of battles raging across a land. I found it to be an awe-inspiring experience.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews