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The Tempered Steel of Antiquity Grey #0.5
The Undone Life of Jak Dreadth
In this novella prequel to The Tempered Steel of Antiquity Grey, a young man searches for his place in a world far more dangerous than he knows. Jak Dreadth lives a life of privilege and comfort in a far-future city of Erth, the son of a powerful house vying for political leverage and a stronger future against ruling House Angelus. But when a conquering force from the stars returns to subjugate the planet’s people, Jak is thrust into the pilot box of Viridian—a massive battle mech built to keep the peace. Unknown to him though, machinations within House Dreadth sabotage his efforts as war scorches the sky, leaving him for dead in a desert wilderness rife with hardship. There, Jak meets Agnez al-Kol, a goatherd who could be a Will Master of an ancient religion or just an eccentric old woman. Together, they travel the sands of the Splinter and, as they navigate the harshest of elements, they will discover their lives are intertwined in ways neither could have imagined—for the past is rarely contained in the past, and the future is dependent upon courage discovered in the present. Grappling with family intrigue, bounty hunters, and dragons, Jak will learn that living a life of consequence is the only life worth living. Or he will die trying.
- GenresFantasyScience Fiction
139 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 7, 2021
11 people are currently reading
86 people want to read
About the author
Shawn Speakman
33 books729 followersShawn Speakman grew up in the beautiful wilds of Washington State near a volcano and surrounded by old-growth forests filled with magic. After moving to Seattle to attend the University of Washington, he befriended New York Times best-selling fantasy author Terry Brooks and became his webmaster, leading to an enchanted life surrounded by words.
He was a manager at one of the largest Barnes & Noble Booksellers in the country for many years and now owns the online bookstore The Signed Page, manages the websites for several authors, and is a freelance writer for Random House.
He also contributed the annotations for The Annotated Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks, published in 2012.
Shawn is a cancer survivor, knows angel fire east, and lives in Seattle, Washington.
He was a manager at one of the largest Barnes & Noble Booksellers in the country for many years and now owns the online bookstore The Signed Page, manages the websites for several authors, and is a freelance writer for Random House.
He also contributed the annotations for The Annotated Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks, published in 2012.
Shawn is a cancer survivor, knows angel fire east, and lives in Seattle, Washington.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
April 15, 2021
I love novellas and I love genre mash-ups - and this is the best of both. SciFi & Fantasy at their best. The author does a terrific job of world building and deals deftly with characters and issues. Looking forward to more from this world and Shawn Speakman! I highly recommend this.
April 15, 2021
I don't even know where to begin with the praise for this novella. It beautifully blends technology and fantasy into a tale that leaves you desperately wanting more. While being a prequel for the upcoming novel The Tempered Steel of Antiquity Grey it still can be enjoyed on its own or in conjunction with the upcoming novel. I hope that Shawn Speakman will revisit the characters for many more adventures to come.
August 8, 2021
Short read that is a nice prequel to "The Tempered Steel of Antiquity Grey".
Tells the story of fighter Jak Dreadth, and the deception within his family. A little of everything in
here, from giant mechs to dragons.
Tells the story of fighter Jak Dreadth, and the deception within his family. A little of everything in
here, from giant mechs to dragons.
May 23, 2021
Wow, talk about not being able to put it down! I devoured this book it was such a good read. The only thing wrong with it, is that I loved the story so much that I didn't want it to end.
This novella is a prequel to The Tempered Steel of Antiquity Grey, and this whole universe that the author has created really draws you in and really reminds me of Pierce Brown's Red Rising Series, so if you loved the Red Rising Series you will absolutely love the Antiquity Grey Universe and all that comes with it.
This novella is a prequel to The Tempered Steel of Antiquity Grey, and this whole universe that the author has created really draws you in and really reminds me of Pierce Brown's Red Rising Series, so if you loved the Red Rising Series you will absolutely love the Antiquity Grey Universe and all that comes with it.
May 4, 2021
A short story about growth into a hero
Tale has mechs and pseudo-magic "Will" and even dragons with invasions from interstellar posthumans.
Quick and clean read. There is a preview of another tale at the end too. If you like SF&F with a far future melange of tech and special abilities you will probably like this.
Tale has mechs and pseudo-magic "Will" and even dragons with invasions from interstellar posthumans.
Quick and clean read. There is a preview of another tale at the end too. If you like SF&F with a far future melange of tech and special abilities you will probably like this.
January 1, 2022
What a great read! I really enjoyed Antiquity Grey, but this was a fast enjoyable read. Love the back story and hoping there will be more in this line!
April 6, 2022
Left me wanting more. Hooked me from the very start. I am really looking forward to the next one.
June 1, 2021
Shawn Speakman reached out to me, and offered me this novella since I had enjoyed the first book of (what I hope to be) the Antiquity Gray series. I am gladly giving my review.... Many thanks!!
This tale starts at the time of the mech war between those on Erth and the Celestials. We are introduced to a young Jak Dreadth, who has just crash-landed one of the mech was machines, and is in the middle of the desert. With little in the way of provisions, he plans to set out on foot to return to Solomon Frye, his family home, to return to the war - somehow. He is surprised by Agnez al-Kol, who is a Will Master, who decided to lead him across the desert. This starts a traveling together, the twines their futures.
*** Spoiler Alert ***
So Agnez ends up dying from a wound caused by another soldier, who was trying to rob the two of them. Her staff and pet lizard are left with Jak, as well as her herd of goats. He feels drawn to return them all to Agnez's family of nomad dwellers, the arabi. Once he finds them , Jak discovers that he is not able to relinquish the staff, and the lizard has some sort of bondedness with him as well. The Will, as it is called, requires Jak to be tested, and he begins a journey into the mountains. Events happen that that he meets a dragon-rider, the persei, who has a male dragon egg (to start a new aerie) that gets stolen by Celestials. This requires them to travel back to Solomon Frye to face the Celestials and his Father. Long story short, the egg is recovered, a Celestial bounty hunter is killed, and the tale ends with Jak and the persei supposedly returning to her family's new aerie.
So, what is there to NOT like in this tale? Well, it was too short. I also feel it was long enough to make me draw my own conclusions as to what truly happens in the time frame between the two stories. It is clear Jak eventually becomes the Head of his Family, who is politically (if not more) against the Grays (Angelus). And he is a Will Master? How does that affect he decisions that are made leading up to Antiquity Gray, and the hidden machinations of her grandmother? I don't recall anything about a staff in the later story, so is there something that happens to it prior to him returning the lead the family? Too much thinking....
This is a great novella and was completely easy to read and understand from a YA reader level. The author has helped expand a bit more on some the cultures in his story, and their "religious" idealisms in such a way that it is easy to understand, and not 'pushy' to the reader. There is only a short area of world travelling, and not much speculation on times/distance traveling when (I am guessing) on foot, and the map at the beginning makes me think there were weeks of walking from point to point. All of this is just some side speculation and doesn't detract from the story. I definitely recommend this series for readers of pretty much any level.
This tale starts at the time of the mech war between those on Erth and the Celestials. We are introduced to a young Jak Dreadth, who has just crash-landed one of the mech was machines, and is in the middle of the desert. With little in the way of provisions, he plans to set out on foot to return to Solomon Frye, his family home, to return to the war - somehow. He is surprised by Agnez al-Kol, who is a Will Master, who decided to lead him across the desert. This starts a traveling together, the twines their futures.
*** Spoiler Alert ***
So Agnez ends up dying from a wound caused by another soldier, who was trying to rob the two of them. Her staff and pet lizard are left with Jak, as well as her herd of goats. He feels drawn to return them all to Agnez's family of nomad dwellers, the arabi. Once he finds them , Jak discovers that he is not able to relinquish the staff, and the lizard has some sort of bondedness with him as well. The Will, as it is called, requires Jak to be tested, and he begins a journey into the mountains. Events happen that that he meets a dragon-rider, the persei, who has a male dragon egg (to start a new aerie) that gets stolen by Celestials. This requires them to travel back to Solomon Frye to face the Celestials and his Father. Long story short, the egg is recovered, a Celestial bounty hunter is killed, and the tale ends with Jak and the persei supposedly returning to her family's new aerie.
So, what is there to NOT like in this tale? Well, it was too short. I also feel it was long enough to make me draw my own conclusions as to what truly happens in the time frame between the two stories. It is clear Jak eventually becomes the Head of his Family, who is politically (if not more) against the Grays (Angelus). And he is a Will Master? How does that affect he decisions that are made leading up to Antiquity Gray, and the hidden machinations of her grandmother? I don't recall anything about a staff in the later story, so is there something that happens to it prior to him returning the lead the family? Too much thinking....
This is a great novella and was completely easy to read and understand from a YA reader level. The author has helped expand a bit more on some the cultures in his story, and their "religious" idealisms in such a way that it is easy to understand, and not 'pushy' to the reader. There is only a short area of world travelling, and not much speculation on times/distance traveling when (I am guessing) on foot, and the map at the beginning makes me think there were weeks of walking from point to point. All of this is just some side speculation and doesn't detract from the story. I definitely recommend this series for readers of pretty much any level.
March 3, 2022
This novella jam packs so much greatness. Jak is a character that you will relate with, empathize with, and cheer on during his travels, tribulations and encounters that return him to Solomon Frye. As someone who rarely reads Sci-fi but loves technology, this was a very enjoyable read. It has all of the elements I’ve come to love from the masters of fantasy- interesting locations/landscapes (that are easily imagined by an accompanying map), strong willed highly developed characters, interesting technologies, a dose of magic, and even a dragon! The ending really leaves you wanting more so I’m very excited for the forthcoming follow-up novella that continues Jak’s story. In the meantime, I’m moving on to the full featured Antiquity Grey with high expectations!
May 3, 2021
This is a prequel to Tempered Steel of Antiquity Grey but it can also be read on its own. If you are new to the world, it reminds me of a Star Wars story in which there is a blending of sci-fi and fantasy. There’s mechs, dragons, magic, and laser guns. A little post-apocalyptic feel is thrown in as well. I had a lot of fun with it and it served as a good palate cleanser after reading a very heavy book such as Malazan.
^^^^The text below is reportedly true^^^^
***Reportedly, the author is planning on selling this world to a major studio for cash money and then abandoning it...reportedly****
^^^^This blurb is actually untrue and I completely made it up.^^^^
^^^^The text below is reportedly true^^^^
***Reportedly, the author is planning on selling this world to a major studio for cash money and then abandoning it...reportedly****
^^^^This blurb is actually untrue and I completely made it up.^^^^
July 11, 2022
A highly recommended read. A prequel of sorts to The Tempered Steel of Antiquity Grey, this short novella follows Jak Dreadth on his adventures. We get a deeper dive into the Dreadths, the persai, the dragons, the arabi, the mysterious religion of the All-Father, and the intriguing life and powers of the Will Masters. Loved it! Filled out more of this beautiful world. And so happy the author is planning on writing a sequel to the novella to follow Jak Dreadth around more. I can’t wait to see what is in store! Another standing ovation Mr Speakman!
February 6, 2023
The story is fantastic.
I’m not sure that I’m totally on board with the author’s writing style. There were more than a few things that I would have worded differently (and ultimately did because it made for better imagining while reading.) also there were some parts that felt like there were cuts made for the purpose of keeping it short. Those left noticeable holes. But I cannot deny that I love almost everything about the world and the events that play out. I definitely want to read more.
I’m not sure that I’m totally on board with the author’s writing style. There were more than a few things that I would have worded differently (and ultimately did because it made for better imagining while reading.) also there were some parts that felt like there were cuts made for the purpose of keeping it short. Those left noticeable holes. But I cannot deny that I love almost everything about the world and the events that play out. I definitely want to read more.
February 27, 2022
This is a book that left me wanting more when I closed the last page. So we’ll written and so immersive. Another world that I was able to get lost in with the new friends that I had made. It seems like Shawn Speakman is really hitting a groove. Can’t wait to see whatever comes next!
June 6, 2021
Fabulous read. I could read a whole series of this. Interesting characters and amazing world building. Absolutely worth 5 stars 🌟
April 18, 2021
I enjoyed Tempered Steel and this as a building block. The only drawback I found was the stilted speech which never quite rang true. Good story overall though
December 18, 2023
A Kickstarter bonus that came with The Tempered Steel of Antiquity Grey and set in the same world, a pilot of a high-tech war machine's life is turned upside down after he is stranded.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews