Starfall

by Jackson Simiana

Book I of The Fables of Chaos

Alyria is a land in turmoil. Corrupt kings and cutthroat courtiers in the south, disease in the middle kingdoms, and a violent invasion along the Broken Coast. Peasant superstitions blame the chaos on the return of the bleeding star, but the ramblings of the lower classes are of little concern to the ruling families of Alyria and their political agendas.

Traumas in her youth keep disgraced princess Katryna Bower away from home for years until a plot to assassinate her parents comes to fruition. Peasant boy Tomas confronts the true horrors of war when he and his best friend are conscripted by a dangerous captain to fight against savage invaders from across the sea. King Emery Blacktree will do anything to avoid civil war, but will his sickly wife be able to accept marrying off their only daughter to a descpicable prince, all in the name of peace?


Reviews-
"A solid opening book to a promising series." - Steven Bruce, author of WHITE KNUCKLE.
"Five stars... emotional, engrossing and gripping." - Lauren Rigby, author of THE SANCTUARY.
"A captivating journey through a meticulously crafted world." - Raymond G. Bruderman Jr., author of A Grey Beginning.
"...struggled to put it down." - Goodreads review.
"Absolutely loved this book!" - Goodreads review.

Content warning-
This book contains descriptions and depictions of mental illness, war, violence, blood and gore, child abuse and sexual abuse.

694 pages, ebook

Published December 1, 2022

About the author

Jackson Simiana is an Australian self-published grimdark fantasy author and poet, with a visceral and character-driven writing style akin to Abercrombie, Martin, and Sanderson.

Reviewers have called him "a master at crafting realistic and revolting violence of such brutality that we are taken aback and start questioning if fighting is ever worth it," with stories that are "emotional, engrossing, gripping" and "filled with gut-wrenching moments, betrayals and twists that leave you gasping."

Reviews

[AJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pros: a pretty thrilling read if you like high fantasy. I am a fair weather fantasy reader myself, and it was nice to dive into something like this that I haven’t read in a long time. Especially towards the last few hundred pages, I couldn’t put it down. Some nice little twists and turns here and there to keep you on your feet. Compelling characters, especially a lot of the side interludes. I can’t wait to see if and when story lines come together. Very impressive world building, on the whole. Like, a massive project that has been undertaken, and I can tell it’s a labour of love. Massive props.

Cons: clunky language was my biggest issue with the book; I say, if you’re going to get real fantastical with the world, go all the way when it comes to language and names. Make up a new language, new names, new curse words, new gods. Don’t just take regular old English names and words and whatever and change a couple letters to make them into fantasy names. Like, it’s weird to me that this land is populated by people who are SO far removed from anything we’d describe as “Earth”, but they still say “fuck”. That’s just my pet peeve tho, and I’m just one dude who has never written a book. So. I just found it took me out of the world that the author has clearly been hard at work constructing.

Also, a lot of sexual violence in the book that kind of comes out of left field. Sometimes bordering on fetishistic. It’s a gory, bloody, violent read for sure….but there’s something about the rape/rape adjacent scenes that feels out of place to me. I don’t want to say that fantasy worlds aren’t subject to sexual violence, I just found them almost….tacked into scenes as an afterthought, like “how can I HAMMER home that this person is a bad person? Oh by the way, they’re also a rapist”. So I suppose a trigger warning is a good idea, for anyone reading this review.

[James H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Starfall is a relativley long book at 575 pages, but once I started reading it I really struggled to put it down. The writing was fast paced and I did not feel it get too bogged down with action sequences and cliffhanger reveals occuring regularly.

The characters have been developed really well and while most of them have already had impactful arcs, I am keen to read the future books to see what becomes of some of the lesser developed characters.

The only criticism I would have is there may have been too much filler in between Acts in the novel, however I believe this is more to do with world building and it does allow for a deeper level of immersion as you do read the novel.

Really looking forward to future books because while there was a lot that was resolved at the end of this one, there is still so much more out there that I need answers to!

[Lauren Rigby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fantasy book is three different stories intertwined together. All intrinsically linked, but never directly in contact. Like a lot of fantasy books this one is on the longer side at 575 pages, but, it honestly didn’t feel that long. I was totally submerged into this world, which is totally all encompassing.

Simiana has intensely great world building skills and I felt everything.
Its not an easy read by any means, its gory, and war ridden and there’s quite a bit of abuse in here but, it was needed to really depict the torment of the time. Its emotional, engrossing and gripping. A rival for any of the big fantasy authors out there for sure! Very well written and engaging read.

[Michael Darrow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mixed genre confusion.

Not a bad story, or stories, a lot of them. But, not a good story either. Somewhere in between. A bit too long winded for me with a lot of filler. What I had the hardest time with was mixing genres. It reads like a fantasy set in the dark ages on earth. Earth creatures like horses, wild boar, deer...etc., with earth terms and profanity, yet it's on another planet? Sure, this is an easy way to not pick an era to conform to. But it just didn't work for me. There was no payoff and I won't be reading the next book to find out what happens.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Starfall (The Fables of Chaos Book 1) by Jackson Simiana is a solid opening book to a promising series! I found the premise really interesting and how the stories intertwine. The author has done a great job with the world building. Who wouldn’t want to pop into a place called the Pickled Kraken! The writing moves at a quick pace so it doesn’t feel like a slog to get through. I can’t wait to read the next one. So if you’re looking to dive into a dark fantasy series, get stuck into this one!

Five stars.

[Elma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved the book! Watching the protagonists overcome such major barriers and watching them grow has been inspiring. The action really has you on the edge of your seat as this book does not spare anyone, making it all the more thrilling. Despite the science fiction genre there are plenty of morals/lessons to be taken away from this book. I loved this book and will be waiting for the second book!

[Bookworm · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating: C+

Oof.

Alyria is a land divided and ruled by multiple kingdoms. Amongst the political turmoil and intricacies of the kingdom, a catastrophic event is occurring as a comet seems to be passing the planet. Several characters have a perspective in this book:
- Katryna, an exiled princess returning home
- Tomas, a villager conscripted as a soldier
- Wesley, the next in line for the throne of another kingdom
And multiple other side characters who sort of supplement the main three.

I was expecting a grimdark fantasy with epic propotions but it sort of stays low-level on the ground with really simplistic writing contrasted poorly with suddenly graphic and violent scenes like battles, corpses, plague and illness and sexual violence. I was kind of surprised that a queer author and survivor would actually write sexual violence into their own book but that was their choice, horrid as it was. Grimdark doesn't have to mean rape but babby's first grimdark must. The book is also divided into 4 acts, but nothing really is moved that far along to tell me why it even needed to be split since we return to the exact same timeline when the next act begins, with the exact same amount of monsters and fucked-uped-ness.

There are also "Interlude" chapters which I thought were quite good but I didn't think they were very subtle when it came to dropping worldbuilding hints. Plus none of them played into the story at all. We never saw anyone who was in a side story become relevant in any of the main story and nothing they did had any impact on the characters in the main storyline at all. It could have just been a side novella or even the interlude chapters could have been used to move the plot along from a different perspective or to drop backstory of our protagonists.

As I got further into the book, I kept wondering when it was going to get good, but I just realised it was just going to keep doing the same thing it did from the start - switch POVs moving the story forward but never really making me care for anyone in the book. Especially towards the end, there were spelling and punctuation errors, repeated words and seemingly character-breaking dialogue. Everyone in this book was suddenly superbly unhinged and psychotic and it didn't seem to make sense except the author wanted to drive home his grimdark story tag. To be honest, there are still good people in dark stories, and I really struggled to see who that was. I did think Katryna's story was the most compelling and I liked her backstory as well. I was interested by Tomas but I found his chapters really clunky especially towards the middle end of the book.

I was honestly quite disappointed with this one and wish it had met my expectations.

[Robotgirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nearly finished reading and have enjoyed it a lot. The characters are interesting and the pacing is spot on. I like the interludes that introduce the different cultures a little more. But I’d like to know whether this planet is a post-apocalyptic Earth that has reverted to feudalism or why there are humans as well as other races.

[Raymond Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Starfall" is an engrossing and vividly imagined novel set in the land of Alyria, a realm beset by corruption, disease, and invasion. The author has skillfully crafted a rich and intricate world populated by a diverse cast of characters, each with their own unique stories and motivations.

I was particularly impressed by the depth of character development and the way in which the narrative unfolded through various perspectives. This allowed the reader to gain a thorough understanding of the world and its inhabitants, as well as the complex political machinations at play. The dialogue between characters felt natural and engaging, further immersing the reader in the story.

The battle scenes in "Starfall" were exceptionally well-written, with vivid and descriptive prose that painted a clear picture of the action unfolding on the page. The author's attention to detail in these sequences was commendable, making for an exciting and visceral reading experience.

One thing to note is that "Starfall" is a novel best enjoyed at a leisurely pace. Attempting to speed-read through the book may result in confusion, as the narrative is dense and layered with intricate details. Taking the time to savor the story and appreciate the world-building will undoubtedly enhance the reader's enjoyment.

Additionally, the novel's structure allows for readers to choose whether they wish to delve deeper into the world through supplementary scenes or simply continue with the main storyline. This offers a unique level of control to the reader, allowing them to tailor their experience according to their preferences.

At its core, "Starfall" is a story about responsibility, self-awareness, and the choices one makes in the face of adversity. The novel is indeed lengthy, but it is a captivating journey through a meticulously crafted world that leaves the reader eager for more. I look forward to future installments in this series and seeing how the characters continue to navigate the turbulent world of Alyria.

[J.M. Arlen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Rape and gore porn fantasy.

I tried to give this book a chance, I made it all the way to the end, but there is nothing in this story, not one shred of plot development or character progression that would ever give me a reason to read one single word more. It is honestly a bit disturbing how closely this narrative focuses on the details of sexual exploitation on women, to the point where a friend of mine said the descriptions made her "literally sick to my stomach." and not in a good way. I wouldn't be surprised if later versons of this book get rewritten to hide the sadistic snuff reenactments, it's just that disturbing. and when the book isn't hyper-focused on rape and humiliation of the women characters, it takes breaks to describe overly gory and outright ridiculous action scenes that many times left me scratching my head thinking, "What was he trying to write here?"
The editing is nonexistent in the later half of the book, almost like even the author expected we wouldn't make it that far. And the way it ends leaves me asking the question, "Why was this book written?" My only answer is that it satisfies some sort of sadistic itch that could only be satisfied by creating this tale. If you like reading about women getting raped multiple times for no reason other than shock value, this is the book for you.

[Hillary · Rating 3 out of 5]

🩶 Starfall Review 🩶

Thank you so much to Jackson Simiana for the opportunity to read and review this book!

Starfall is a high fantasy sci-fi story and book one in the Fables of Chaos series. This book follows multiple characters throughout their storylines and how they impact the overall world. Katryna, Tomas and Wesley, along with other side characters, are all part of a much bigger picture within the story of this kingdom

This was an interesting read. Initially I thought this would be more of a sci-fi read, but it actually ended up feeling more like a high fantasy novel. While I enjoyed the individual characters, I struggled a bit with the multiple PoVs. Instead of keeping me engaged, it unfortunately felt a little tedious to me. This book was super heavy on the world building and details, so there were some parts that felt a little long

Overall this was a solid three star read for me. Overall an interesting read with lots of world building and setup. This book does have some heavy topics, so check triggers if you’re sensitive.

If you’re a fan of high fantasy with multiple PoVs, intricate world building and detailed storylines, then absolutely pick this one up.

[Eric Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an expansive story told across many locations from many different POVs. The world is typically hard and cruel and the wetting will feel familiar to GoT fans. The battle scenes are particularly well done, with smooth blending of the overall tides of battle and the personal experiences of the combatants. The scenes are vividly described and the well-developed, complex characters have dialogue that crackles at times.