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The Far Wild
An expedition gone awry.
Suni Koudounas is enamored with the wonders — and dangers — of the Far Wild. As a naturalist’s apprentice, she’s studied every book and expedition report about the miraculous wilderness. But when her mentor goes missing on expedition, Suni sets aside the Far Wild of ink and paper to venture after him into the primordial jungle.
A missing skyship.
As the empire’s most beloved adventurer — or most successful raconteur — Senesio Suleiman Nicolaou doesn’t want much. Wealth beyond measure, fame beyond reason, and a small kingdom somewhere warm should be about enough. When news of the rescue mission reaches him, Senesio knows there’s no better opportunity to add to his living legend.
The most dangerous wilderness known to man.
With unexpected enemies above and monstrous predators in the jungles below, it’s up to Suni, Senesio, and their companions to uncover the truth of what’s happening in the Far Wild. It’s a revelation that will shake the empire to its core and reshape the lives of all involved — assuming, of course, they don’t all get eaten first.
This thrilling start to Alex Knight’s new fantasy series is perfect for fans of Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park and Nicholas Eames's Kings of the Wyld.
Suni Koudounas is enamored with the wonders — and dangers — of the Far Wild. As a naturalist’s apprentice, she’s studied every book and expedition report about the miraculous wilderness. But when her mentor goes missing on expedition, Suni sets aside the Far Wild of ink and paper to venture after him into the primordial jungle.
A missing skyship.
As the empire’s most beloved adventurer — or most successful raconteur — Senesio Suleiman Nicolaou doesn’t want much. Wealth beyond measure, fame beyond reason, and a small kingdom somewhere warm should be about enough. When news of the rescue mission reaches him, Senesio knows there’s no better opportunity to add to his living legend.
The most dangerous wilderness known to man.
With unexpected enemies above and monstrous predators in the jungles below, it’s up to Suni, Senesio, and their companions to uncover the truth of what’s happening in the Far Wild. It’s a revelation that will shake the empire to its core and reshape the lives of all involved — assuming, of course, they don’t all get eaten first.
This thrilling start to Alex Knight’s new fantasy series is perfect for fans of Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park and Nicholas Eames's Kings of the Wyld.
414 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 29, 2022
9 people are currently reading
59 people want to read
About the author
Alex Knight
12 books100 followersAlex Knight is filling good books with bad jokes one sentence at a time.
As an author his work includes The Far Wild🦖, Servant of Rage🔥, the Nova Online Trilogy👾, and more.
As an aspiring twin he’s not making much progress, but remains determined.
Alex grew up a sunbaked Floridian. In the veritable far wild that was Florida, he spent his days in the prairies, swamps, and springs of the state’s interior.
Since those simple, sweaty days Alex has lived in many places around the world, including many of the on’s—London, Boston, and (currently) Houston.
In the past Alex has worked as everything from a dishwasher to a communications coordinator. After deciding he didn’t like stability or predictable paychecks he made the jump to become a freelance writer. That soon turned into ghostwriting romance novellas, then ghostwriting science fiction novels. After some time, he was able to excise the ghost from ghostwriting and write his own books.
When Alex isn’t writing, he’s likely lost in a wetland, falling down in his novice hockey league, or playing competitive pinball. Oh, and gaming. Lots of gaming.
As an author his work includes The Far Wild🦖, Servant of Rage🔥, the Nova Online Trilogy👾, and more.
As an aspiring twin he’s not making much progress, but remains determined.
Alex grew up a sunbaked Floridian. In the veritable far wild that was Florida, he spent his days in the prairies, swamps, and springs of the state’s interior.
Since those simple, sweaty days Alex has lived in many places around the world, including many of the on’s—London, Boston, and (currently) Houston.
In the past Alex has worked as everything from a dishwasher to a communications coordinator. After deciding he didn’t like stability or predictable paychecks he made the jump to become a freelance writer. That soon turned into ghostwriting romance novellas, then ghostwriting science fiction novels. After some time, he was able to excise the ghost from ghostwriting and write his own books.
When Alex isn’t writing, he’s likely lost in a wetland, falling down in his novice hockey league, or playing competitive pinball. Oh, and gaming. Lots of gaming.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
March 18, 2022
“Warm, heavy rain that fell in steady torrents and was so fierce it drowned out anything but the
loudest of sounds. It was the kind of rain the Far Wild was infamous for. The kind that turned even the best-drained paths to ankle-deep mud and the fiercest fires to smoky pools of ash. It was the kind of rain that brought low even the boldest of adventurers’ spirits.”
The Far Wild, a place full of mystery, wonder and the most deadliest creatures one can hope to never encounter. On the edge lies the Cyphite colony of Lekarsos where many have made their home. Suni Koudounas, a naturalist’s apprentice at the Lekarsos campus of the Imperial College, is enamoured by the wilderness the Far Wild has to offer. She’s studied countless books, drawn many illustrations of the known animals, and is eager to go on her first expedition into this cryptic jungle. When the opportunity finally arises, it is however under dire circumstances as Kamil, Suni’s fond mentor, is thought to be in danger and Suni insists on being part of the rescue mission.
The Far Wild is known as the place you go to die, yet for Sensesio Suleiman Nicolaou, it’s the place he goes to live. Naturally when he hears of the rescue mission, he sees a potential opportunity to gain fame, glory, and wealth—you know the important things in life—so he too insists on joining the crew. Whether anyone wants him there or not. Sensesio has one fear though and it’s not the predators of the Wild, oh no, it’s because he hasn’t got a biographer to record and immortalise his heroic adventure.
As Suni, Sensesio and a motley crew head out into the depths of the jungle, a simple rescue mission turns into a deadly game of survival. The Far Wild by Alex Knight is an addictive action packed, fun filled adventure which kept me grinning from ear to ear and also teetering on the edge of my seat.
Knight boldly uses three first person POV’s for his characters, which I feel worked really well as he nuances their voices enough to make them distinct from one another. Most notably he does this through tone. Where Suni’s tone is intellectual, sophisticated and filled with a bookish air, Sensesio is boastful, overly confident with plenty of sarcasm. Then there’s Theo who is more commanding, her thoughts are more practical and cautious. Each of our main characters bring humour to the narrative in various ways, Sensesio with his daring and outrageous antics, Suni with her growing boldness and reckless plans, and Corporal Theo who later on in the novel made it clear she was pretty much tired of all this shit.
Sensesio is that type of character one instantly likes and not just because at first glance he comes across as a little unhinged. From the moment Sensesio puts his own life at risk to save the crew, I knew this was a character with a hidden heart and a wealth of loyalty. Time and time again Sensesio instantly jumped head first to protect the crew, especially their guidemaster Elpida and Suni. Even though he may deny it, under the surface he truly does care and this made him a delightfully charming character. Shockingly he is actually really good at dealing with the creatures of Far Wild too, although whether that’s by skill or sheer luck, I couldn’t quite tell. Let’s be realistic though, he cares a great deal about his fame and about owning a small kingdom of his own somewhere warm too, but it doesn’t negate the fact that he is the first to put himself in danger.
“When they looked at this place all they saw was the bad. The things they feared. But most of the
time, fear was just a lack of understanding. People feared the unknown, but students of the college were taught to plunge into it. Through fear, enlightenment. That was the motto.”
Suni, on the other hand, is a character who grows and changes throughout the course of the novel. To begin with, the Far Wild overwhelms her, when faced with her first creature, a giant Komodo on the rampage to kill them all, she becomes frozen with fear, understandably so. I mean no amount of books can prepare you to come face to face with such a ferocious animal. Yet over time Suni becomes determined to show just how capable she is, she will not be the only member of the crew who has no worth. My concern for her character grew as her plans to help her friends grew more and more ridiculous. As highly entertaining as that was, it was somewhat nerve wracking too.
As for the side characters my two favourites were our fiery guidemaster Elpida, and slightly crazy Oz. They all worked to show how the Far Wild affects each character in different ways, where Elpida was visibly scarred from her previous ordeals there, Oz had clearly found adventure in the jungle and knew the terrain well. They were both also more equipped to deal with the threat from the soldiers from the Bospur empire, who haunted their journey at every step.
“That was just how nature went. Nature was a frightening, powerful, ancient thing. It'd been here before us and would persist after us. But today, in this moment, nature had lost. Mankind and machinery would take the day.
The komodo seemed to disagree.”
An important theme within the novel was that the Far Wild belonged to the animals and not the humans. Knight delivered many incredible action scenes, I particularly enjoyed the battle with the Wendiguars when our band of characters travelled through the perilous Thick. There were also the Terror Birds who showed just how intelligent they were by knowing a rues was being played on them. Even the scenes with Komodo, showing it to be the true king of the jungle, reflected that these are creatures working on instinct, defending their territory and ensuring their survival. The humans were in their domain and they were not welcome. Knight’s narrative is as entertaining and action packed as monster movies such as Jurassic Park and Godzilla but his message is much more mindful towards nature.
High stakes adventure, unlikely heroes and animals which are equal parts terrifying and majestic, The Far Wild is undoubtedly one compelling ride. Knight blends fantasy with a pinch of horror and a big dollop of humour and serves up an immensely thrilling read.
“Never roll over and die. Never accept defeat, or limitations. That was the motto I'd lived by and
one day it'd be the motto I died by. But that day wasn't today. Wasn't going to be tomorrow, either.”
ARC provided by Alex Knight, in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for the copy!
The Far Wild is out now in audiobook and will be released in ebook and paperback on 29th March.
February 16, 2021
My video review of The Far Wild can now be found here: https://youtu.be/ldKXxStp3rE
Now, this review is in five points! The trouble is, I never wrote it down...so whatever am I to do?
Summary, perhaps? It will soon appear here!
The review itself follows five points:
1. The Far Wild is a fantasy thriller, meaning that it borrows from the conventions of both genres. The worldbuilding, with its empires and kingdoms and airships, brings a number of delightfully fantastic elements to the table–a secondary world it was a joy to get lost in! The generic thriller elements, meanwhile, are evident in the struggle the novel’s characters face–first against the Far Wild itself, a world fill with dangers that make the very prospect of survival unlikely; and then against the agents of an enemy government, intent on exploiting the resources of this unknowable continent for their gain and the loss of the Empire–of which our protagonists are subjects of.
2.It’s an Audible Original, performed by a trio of flawless narrators: Peter Kenny, Stephanioe Lane, and Carlys Peer. They are, every one of them, a joy to listen to.
3. Its characters are a delight, and also bring to the fore a discussion of flat and round characters. The tendency nowadays is to think of flat characters as badly written, but Alex’s novel serves as an excellent counterpoint to that. Let’s take a quick look at the two main protagonists in The Far Wild: Senesio Suleiman Nikolau doesn’t go through a character arc the same way as the naturalist Suni does; his character does not really change or develop; yet he is a fantastic character, a heroic braggart through and through.
4. The monsters in this novel are a blast. Some of them, such as the giant komodo dragon and the terror birds, are inspired by Jurassic Park‘s T-rex and Velociraptors, respectively. Others are more original, and equally prone to eating your face off.
5. The humour is on point: though The Far Wild is a love letter to Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park, it forges its own identity through the deployment of humour and a somewhat more lighthearted overall tone. Hats off to Alex for striking a balance between the tension and humour that both pervade The Far Wild.
Should you get it? That’s a resounding yes from me!
Now, this review is in five points! The trouble is, I never wrote it down...so whatever am I to do?
Summary, perhaps? It will soon appear here!
The review itself follows five points:
1. The Far Wild is a fantasy thriller, meaning that it borrows from the conventions of both genres. The worldbuilding, with its empires and kingdoms and airships, brings a number of delightfully fantastic elements to the table–a secondary world it was a joy to get lost in! The generic thriller elements, meanwhile, are evident in the struggle the novel’s characters face–first against the Far Wild itself, a world fill with dangers that make the very prospect of survival unlikely; and then against the agents of an enemy government, intent on exploiting the resources of this unknowable continent for their gain and the loss of the Empire–of which our protagonists are subjects of.
2.It’s an Audible Original, performed by a trio of flawless narrators: Peter Kenny, Stephanioe Lane, and Carlys Peer. They are, every one of them, a joy to listen to.
3. Its characters are a delight, and also bring to the fore a discussion of flat and round characters. The tendency nowadays is to think of flat characters as badly written, but Alex’s novel serves as an excellent counterpoint to that. Let’s take a quick look at the two main protagonists in The Far Wild: Senesio Suleiman Nikolau doesn’t go through a character arc the same way as the naturalist Suni does; his character does not really change or develop; yet he is a fantastic character, a heroic braggart through and through.
4. The monsters in this novel are a blast. Some of them, such as the giant komodo dragon and the terror birds, are inspired by Jurassic Park‘s T-rex and Velociraptors, respectively. Others are more original, and equally prone to eating your face off.
5. The humour is on point: though The Far Wild is a love letter to Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park, it forges its own identity through the deployment of humour and a somewhat more lighthearted overall tone. Hats off to Alex for striking a balance between the tension and humour that both pervade The Far Wild.
Should you get it? That’s a resounding yes from me!
December 9, 2020
Review to come but omg this book. My first ever audiobook was quite the experience 😍
March 29, 2022
I’m a big believer that if the first sentence doesn’t stick with you, the rest of the book probably won’t either. “People say The Far Wild is where you go to die.” is definitely the beginning of a very intriguing story and Alex Knight truly delivers with this piece. By all accounts this story seems like a standard ‘happy go lucky’ adventure. But under all the big guns and monsters and adventure, the mystery of The Far Wild and what’s beyond it opens up the story to multiple different genres and keeps you wanting more. The story never feels like it’s lacking in its world building or character development and any questions I have about the mainland outside of The Far Wild will seemingly be answered and explored in the following book! Alex has also made sure the story continues over his Instagram mini stories and it has really kept me going while we wait for the next installment.
March 29, 2022
I was provided with an Advanced Review Copy of this book in exchange for a true and honest spoiler free review.
I don't normally write reviews, I normally just settle with the star ratings at the end of the book so this won't be the best written review but here we go......I went into this book expecting a modern day Jurassic Park. What I got was a swashbuckling adventure in what I picture is a steampunk-esq setting set in the past with swordsmen (and women) and mechanical skyships.
Set in a dangerous tropical jungle location with characters ticking all the boxes for adventures into the unknown.
All the characters are so well written that each of them can easily be pictured particularly with actors or other fictional characters. I especially couldn't stop picturing Sensio as Starlord or at least Chris Pratt playing Sensio!
Loads of fun, really well written, can't wait for more!! 4 stars!!!!
August 17, 2022
I bloody loved this!!! I wanted more!! But unfortunately that was it. But still so so good!!!
4.5 stars 🌟
4.5 stars 🌟
December 22, 2020
As this is audiobook original, it was written especially for audio and performed as such. At times, the narration is almost reminiscent of an audio play rather than just a book read aloud. It has a full cast of narrators, being read by Stephanie Lane, Carlyss Peer and Peter Kenny for the different perspectives. Sadly I found Peter Kenny’s voice grating, and the narration in general to be too dramatic, which lead to me tuning out at times. I am quite particular when it comes to narrators, and found that this style and especially the male voice did not work for me. If you are intrigued by the synopsis, do make sure to listen to a sample first to ensure that it does work for you!
In terms of the content of The Far Wild, I loved the world. Reminiscent of a fantasy version of Jurassic Park, the Far Wild is a remote and dangerous region, with huge beasts threatening anyone who dares explore there. That, combined with the university framing of the story made me enjoy the world-building a lot even if I struggled with the narration. Led by two main characters, Suni, an apprentice naturalist, and Senesio, an explorer who is very assured of his own worth, The Far Wild tells a compelling story of betrayal, discovery and personal growth. The story is fast paced and interesting, though I didn’t connect to the characters as much as I would have liked. Senesio, as an arrogant male, was rather annoying to me, reminding me of issues in the current world, leading my thoughts to wander. However, he did provide a great counterpoint to the naive and enthusiastic Suni.
If you are looking for a thrilling adventure I do recommend you check out a sample of The Far Wild. While the narration might not be everyone’s cup of tea, the story is fun and entertaining.
In terms of the content of The Far Wild, I loved the world. Reminiscent of a fantasy version of Jurassic Park, the Far Wild is a remote and dangerous region, with huge beasts threatening anyone who dares explore there. That, combined with the university framing of the story made me enjoy the world-building a lot even if I struggled with the narration. Led by two main characters, Suni, an apprentice naturalist, and Senesio, an explorer who is very assured of his own worth, The Far Wild tells a compelling story of betrayal, discovery and personal growth. The story is fast paced and interesting, though I didn’t connect to the characters as much as I would have liked. Senesio, as an arrogant male, was rather annoying to me, reminding me of issues in the current world, leading my thoughts to wander. However, he did provide a great counterpoint to the naive and enthusiastic Suni.
If you are looking for a thrilling adventure I do recommend you check out a sample of The Far Wild. While the narration might not be everyone’s cup of tea, the story is fun and entertaining.
December 24, 2020
I gave this a go on the basis that it was targetted to fans of Jurassic Park. True, there is a jungle containing some large beasties, but that's about as far as the comparison goes. The mood and tone feels much more like a Terry Pratchett novel, with a few degrees of humour traded for higher stakes and grittier action. I enjoyed the story, but it wasn't was I expected and at times the languaged used made it feel like more of a young adult novel. Also, there is WAY too much introspection that slows the action and is frankly repetitive.
It's a good fun story with interesting characters, but it's not at all the kind of book I meant to pick up and I won't be proceeding with any more in the series.
It's a good fun story with interesting characters, but it's not at all the kind of book I meant to pick up and I won't be proceeding with any more in the series.
October 26, 2021
An enjoyable throw back to the old pulp adventure books mixed with classic stories like The Lost World and The Land that Time Forgot.
Fun characters and gripping action scenes are what make this book fun to read and there is such a wide variety of action scenes
Fun characters and gripping action scenes are what make this book fun to read and there is such a wide variety of action scenes
December 16, 2020
Thrilling story of an adventure through the Far Wild. Thought Suni and Senesio were brilliant characters, and the narration was fantastic.
February 11, 2023
This was a wild ride! A fun and rather rowdy adventure through a land that almost feels like the primordial Everglades. The world building drew me in, but the charcters, while it took a bit to become invested in them, had much broader depths than initially revealed, and I stayed for them. I hope to see more about how the Far Wild changes those in its care should there be a next book. I will say my one critique was how one character kept using his entire name to talk about himself throughout the book. His narcissism was evident and I felt that was overdone. Because of that I would say this was not quite a four rating but definitely better than a three and worth the read!
March 29, 2022
I approached this book expecting the usual wilderness adventure of man against nature.
What I discovered was an exceptional story that had great character development, and plot intrigues that were, to say the least, unexpected. Not to Mention Senesio, he was a larger than life character for sure. He seems to be all bluster and boast, but in the end, lives up to that bluster.
The setting sounds a lot like the Everglades of Florida, where I have hiked many times. All I can say is that I am glad that I never encountered any of the creatures that are to be found in The Far Wild!
What I discovered was an exceptional story that had great character development, and plot intrigues that were, to say the least, unexpected. Not to Mention Senesio, he was a larger than life character for sure. He seems to be all bluster and boast, but in the end, lives up to that bluster.
The setting sounds a lot like the Everglades of Florida, where I have hiked many times. All I can say is that I am glad that I never encountered any of the creatures that are to be found in The Far Wild!
December 9, 2020
So good! As someone who works is the STEM fields, I absolutely love Suni's character. Having a naturalist at the center of an action story was so fun. It definitely gave me fantasy Jurassic Park vibes.
March 30, 2022
I read all the time but have never read any books in the fantasy genre. Wow, I have been missing out. I absolutely loved this book. It was exciting and the characters are ones that I can’t wait to meet again. Great book!
June 20, 2024
This book had good characters and world building but I found it lacking a bit in story. 3 and half a half stars
March 28, 2021
My full review is here https://www.britishfantasysociety.org...
My main issue is I did not get on with the voice actors. Had I read the book instead of listening, I may have enjoyed it more and I’ve taken that into consideration when I gave it 3 stars instead of 2.
My main issue is I did not get on with the voice actors. Had I read the book instead of listening, I may have enjoyed it more and I’ve taken that into consideration when I gave it 3 stars instead of 2.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews