Empyrean's Rise

The Grand Game, Elana #1

by Tom Elliot, Rohan M. Vider

For centuries, the new Powers have controlled the Game.
But the Game was eons old before their rise.
And now, something new—and old, too—is stirring.
The Empyrean.

In the unlikeliest of places, in the depths of a Power’s sector, and in the heart of a young woman, an ancient bloodline stirs.
Elana is an orphan. Long bereaved of both her parents, she hates the Game and everything it represents. But now, fate threatens to steal one of the few remaining people Elana holds dear: her brother Soren. How far will she go to save him? And will she become the very thing she hates in doing so?

Can Elana survive long enough to realize her own destiny? Read her tale and find out!
This is a standalone novella set in the world of the Grand Game. To enjoy this tale, it is not necessary to have read the main series.

Join Elana in her adventures, brave reader—and may fortune always favor your Game!

Genres: Fantasy, Litrpg, Magic

137 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2022

About the author

"Tom Elliot's writing is like his hero: it never quits." - Ilona Andrews, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Kate Daniels series.

Wander through epic worlds of dungeons, dragons, and magic created by fantasy author, Tom Elliot.

Reader. Gamer. Writer. That’s me :).

I enjoy creating worlds for readers to explore, and of course, amazing magic for my characters to wield!

In June 2021, I released my debut novel, The Grand Game. It follows the adventures of Michael, an assassin with a ‘wolven’ heritage and is told from the first-person perspective. Step by step, we watch as Michael grows from a lowly level 1 noob to… well, you’ll see soon enough.

Between my day job and family, I indulge in my passion for writing, reading and gaming. I favour CRPGs and turn-based strategy games, and epic fantasy novels.

You can support my writing on: PATREON, and follow me on social media through: Goodreads, Facebook, or Twitter.

Still writing,

Tom.

Reviews

[XR]

An exciting Novella about the protaganist Elana Shanis, along with her friend Alon who risk life and limb to save her dying brother Soren, and a few other surprises close at hand. Game lit at it's finest, and now I can't wait to read the main series of The Grand Game.

[Christopher]

I am left with many, many questions. Top most is, do most Players forsake their old lives when they are chosen? One would think there would be a way to entice and integrate new Players. Of course people would not forget about their friends/gangs and the power dynamics of the slums would be in constant flux. Why is she left to figure this out on her own when the cure would be a simple boon from almost any sect?

Also, I get that The Powers That Be are always the bad guys, but greed is such a tired reason. Can we get at least a 2-D antagonist?

[Kat]

4.25 stars. This novella was a promising start to another storyline set in the Grand Game's world. I will read on.

[William]

okay

An okay short story. Decent litrpg elements, characters and story. Simple and straightforward. If food, it would be fast food.

[Tristan]

This is a short GameLit novella. It’s okay, but just a froth of tropes.

One nice thing is that the game mechanics are integral to a secondary world rather than the whole story being a portal fantasy or an isekai with a real life character sucked into a game world.

I find the game mechanics irritating even when they are light touch as here, and they slow down and confuse the story rather than adding any kind of additional excitement. GameLit really isn’t for me. I just don’t see the interest in these stats. I’m not a gamer. It just doesn’t do anything for me.

I also find the first person narration irritating: it’s an omniscient movie-style voiceover commenting and embroidering on the action as it unfurls, rather than the perceptually limited personal account of lived experience that it ought to be. It’s cinemascope rather than a handheld camera. This voiceover mode becomes telling rather than showing (however hoary that old chestnut might be) and it slows down the story pace rather than upping the excitement. It acts contrary to purpose, distancing the reader rather than involving the reader.

There needs to be a *reason* for first person narration rather than mere fashion or convenience. Making first person narration into an impersonal commentary is just annoying. Please choose either a commentary-free, in-the-instant, frantic experience (i.e. handheld camera, found footage style) or an after-the-fact account / report / confession with all the story relevant commentary and dissemblance you want to include.

And enough with the losing consciousness trope … it really sucks in a first person narrative.

[Jon Svenson]

This is my first book by Tom Elliot and Rohan Vider.

First, this is a short novella at only 119 pages. The story moves along at a fast clip, and there are no secondary stories and even that many characters. The plot is generic but still enjoyable: Elana's brother has fallen sick and needs to be cured. Her dead parents left some things behind that just happen to turn her into a player, and now she needs to find the cure for her brother.

That's it, more or less. I haven't read any of the full length novels yet but I might check them out now that I've read this.

4/5* (-1 for being so short)

[Clint Young]

KU Review

Fun story and a good intro. Hopefully it blossoms in to something bigger. A bit too short. Leaves me eager for more.

As the title says this is a review for Kindle Unlimited and as such is a reflection of my enjoyment of the book and in no way reflects cost to value analysis.

[H.M.]

Good

I enjoyed this story, but I didn’t feel like the main character was as well-developed as in The Grand Game series. I felt like it was too short; it felt shorter than a novella. I wish it had more of what happened after Elana cured her brother. Were there any repercussions? What did her brother think about Elana becoming a player?

[Aleksandra Janusz]

Either I'm too old to be a target or this is really weak. There's nothing to like here. The protagonist gets cool powers, proceeds to whack some gang members dead while leveling up, quest done, book ends. No layers, no sense of excitement due to leveling up, no interesting characters, sick brother and tortured friend described in off-handed comments. Reading feels like work.

[Emmanuel Obi]

Interesting Take

This will officially be the 2rd series of Tom Elliot that I've read. First The God's Game, The Grand Game, now Empyreans Rise (a subset of Grand Game). I'm thinking of reading book 2 and maybe jumping over to Dragon Mage series. Tom Elliot or Rohan M. Vider whatever he chooses to go by writes great LitRPG.

Please finish the originals. Lol.

[William Howe]

a little taste

Barely enough to whet the appetite. The MC has only the barest of classes and scant skills, plus no real understanding of the game. I am curious how this will fit into the larger series.

Now to wait for the next book.

[Jonathon H]

Quick read and the introduction to a cool world concept.

I enjoyed the book, but it ended to quickly. A bit simple, but still fun. Though I get the feeling the world is far from simple. A fun quick read for litrpg folks.

[Pedro Garcia]

A nice interlude to the main story. We got to see a different class, a different part of the world and a protagonist in a different circumstance. I wouldn't mind checking up on Elana every once in a while, at least until se meets up with Michael (which is 100% going to happen).

[Jose Tieman]

Great little story

The story kept me engaged and was exciting and entertaining. I'm looking forward to the next installment. I did like the explanation of game mechanics from the familiar that kind of guided the MC. Would like to see more of that in the next books.

[Jim Shanahan]

A concise story, that introduces the heroine to us. Its shortness only allows for a small amount of development, but within that time the story is well told. It is probably better to read the other books within this world first, like The Grand Game, but this could be read first. I enjoyed it.

[Patrick Rourke]

Why?

I gave 4 stars for the simple fact that this was not a book, not a novelette, but barely a short story! I'm not even sure if barely is adequate because It left you hanging. At best, this is the first couple of chapters of a story..

[Nicholas Garrett]

Great story

Not much to really say other than it was a great story and the only real disappointment is how short it was. Can't wait for the next book.

[Mark Steele]

Fun

Was a good evening book and I liked the characters. Hope to see more in the future Of their journey into the game.

[Ray Ritchey]

fun read

I hope the authors write more of these characters. Story was a fun read, and characters were more down to earth than the grand game main line novels.

[Sean Franco-Norris]

I wanted more! I hope to see more of the trio's story in the near future. The author's writing is so easy for me to read through the novels, including this novella. Amazing!

[Anthony Mueller]

Great addition to a Great series

Tom never misses the mark. This read was just as good as the original Grand Games. Can’t wait to continue the series

[Michael Barselow]

This one was a bit short, but I enjoy having more content in this world. This intro was fun and I enjoyed the peak into one of the Light Power's sector.

[Ibri]

It's alright, their plan is dumb and the outcome is predictable, might be because it is a novella.But it is written in an entertaining way.

[Sören]

Very cliche, nothing New. If this was food it would be fast food.

[Alice]

As much as I loved the world, this story seemed to follow an immature teenager. While I enjoyed the short novella for the action alone, I'm skeptical if I'll continue to like following this protagonist.
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Ratings - abandoned series:
#1 Empyrean's Rise (this book): ★★★★☆
#2 Empyrean's Flight: ★★★☆☆