The world sucked me in and characters were so interesting and well written that I was anxiously followed their fates. The story starts familiarly. Our main character comes from a small fishing village. His mother was a stranger saved from the sea by his father. Her past is unknown, her fate was cruel — villagers killed her after accusing her of sorcery. It seems Keilan has her power. Actually, it seems he has a lot of power as in the beginning of the book he almost wakes up a sleeping god. The book is told through few POVS and we get almost all the goodies fantasy can offer.
The story is quite complex and immersive. The writing style is flowery in places and rich and I liked that. The writing, unveiling the pot and the world through the eyes of multiple characters kept the story fresh and interesting. I rooted for all characters, even the evil ones who are quite fascinating. The character I somehow relate most to was, unexpectedly, Jan. I really wonder what plans Alec Hutson has for him? In some moments the story felt too rushed, in others possibly interesting times were summed up in few pages Keilan stay at Scholia, students interactions.
Personally, I dislike books that try to be ultra-grim just for the sake of it. I want a sequel. Jun 21, Ryan Mueller rated it it was amazing Shelves: This was a very good beginning to a series and author I'll be watching closely. It's classic fantasy done very well. Fans of The Wheel of Time will find a lot to like here. It isn't a copy by any means, but it gives the same vibe.
The best thing about this book is the sense of mystery throughout. You get the feeling that there is always something more beneath the surface of every interaction, every place in the world, every revelation. That sense of mystery propelled me through the book. The chara This was a very good beginning to a series and author I'll be watching closely. The characters are mix of the likeable Keilan, Nel and Xin , the conflicted Senacus , and the mysterious Jan and Alyanna. This mixture in the characters really worked for me because it provided a lot of variety and had me interested in every point of view.
I'm not sure what to expect from the magic of this world yet. A lot of it still remains a mystery, but that's okay. There are definitely a lot of competing factions, both magical and non-magical, that make things interesting. You have immortal sorcerers, demons, magical assassins, paladins that hunt sorcerers.
It has a lot of the great ingredients that make me love a fantasy book. It also had some good action scenes. There weren't a lot of them, but they were good when they did happen. I won't quite put them up there with my favorite action scenes, though. I also thought at times that Hutson got a bit too descriptive, but that's about my only major complaint with this one. Feb 24, Satya Prateek rated it it was ok. The Crimson Queen I felt, had all the ingredients of a good story but totally faltered in its execution.
The book takes the standard fantasy tropes of paladins, magic hating villagers, sultry witches, bar-wenches, etc and tries to wrap them all in a complex plot with several character points of view. All of this however is bogged down by an extremely exposition heavy writing style. If you asked one of the characters in this novel if they remembered to get milk, instead of a yes or no answer you w The Crimson Queen I felt, had all the ingredients of a good story but totally faltered in its execution.
If you asked one of the characters in this novel if they remembered to get milk, instead of a yes or no answer you would get a long tale about how the aisles in the store reminded them of the great Kalyuni castles and that the milk sweets of Min Ceruth were made of a secret recipe that was passed down through the ages by saints who specialized in a special form of culinary dance that was only taught to the 3rd son of the 3rd sibling. Ok I exaggerated a bit there but this is an actual sentence from the book "He had always been the curious brother, the one most likely to try the sour and spicy camel soup of Kesh, or to let the fluttering hands of a Lyrish courtesan administer the Ceremony of a Hundred Needles" Building an interesting world is crucial for a fantasy novels but just throwing names onto the pages is a terrible way to convey it.
I wouldn't mind this as much if it weren't for the second major problem with this book.
The action felt really anti-climatic. Battles involving magic basically boil down to waves of magic versus waves of magic with no nuance, strategy or any form of understanding of how magic actually works. Sword fights are just "move from the fourth form to the seventh form to the fourth form" and characters 2 in particular are hyped up in the story-line as having mysterious backstories or hidden strengths and then killed off almost immediately.
That said, some of the characters in the book are genuinely cool and the plot really opens up at the end with a lot of tantalizing possibilities. With the world-building responsibilities out of the way I suspect the next book will be quite intriguing. Sep 19, Beth York rated it really liked it. A truly thrilling ride with fantastic characters, addictive plot and a world that opens up and becomes so real to the reader. This is the kind of fantasy that keeps me up reading past my bed time, that I love to read and just can't put down.
Is this a stand alone? Felt like a lot of development, that could easily roll over into many more volumes. There are still many threats left to stand against and deep old magic to develop. I hope there's more to this adventure that's published.. Jan 25, Vanessa rated it it was amazing. I'm so impressed with this book.
I don't know why it hasn't received more attention - I stumbled across it by chance myself - but if it manages to reach enough people I think it will catch on in a major way. I highly recommend this book and hope it gets the recognition it deserves. Can't wait for the sequel! Jan 28, Sylvia Pimentel rated it it was amazing. I am so ready for the next book. This is exactly the kind of fantasy I love. Classic style of sword and sorcery, with some standard tropes, yet not formulaic. Good balance between expected and unexpected, stuff going wrong and stuff going right.
The balance is exceedingly important for fantasy escapism. The reader needs to feel real concerns for the people in the world, yet if characters to whom one becomes deeply attached constantly die off in horrific or hear Wow! The reader needs to feel real concerns for the people in the world, yet if characters to whom one becomes deeply attached constantly die off in horrific or heartbreaking ways, the whole thing is no longer enjoyable, just depressing. I get plenty of awful in the real world and I am grateful to Alec Hutson for providing a realistic and appropriately complex and intriguing fantasy world I thoroughly enjoyed visiting.
Oct 07, David Estes rated it it was amazing. Hutson's prose is lyrical and spellbinding and will whisk you away to a world so vivid you can almost imagine you are living the adventure as it unfolds. A mesmerizing and grandiose tale that readers of epic fantasy will not want to miss! Sep 26, Pavle rated it really liked it Shelves: Sep 15, TheRegisteredNerd rated it really liked it. The types of sorcery, the downfall, just basically the world building was extremely impressive.
I'm a sucker for fantasy with a little mystery, and this hit the spot. It did tend to drag on at times and was a bit jumpy, but I'll most likely read the next book because cliffhangers are my kryptonite! Ok so now that I have time to reflect I have soooo many needs from the next book. Ok so now that I have time to reflect I have soooo many needs from the next book I would LOVE more info on all the warriors Shen, Shadowsingers, kith'ketahn, Fists, etc their training, what they were like, how they looked etc because the way they are portrayed and pictured just makes you want to know more and dive into those characters..
AND on the actual empires Kalyuni, the Towers, etc They sound sooooo intriguing in the book but there wasn't much detail on them. Aug 22, Chyanne rated it it was ok. A bit boring and pretty confusing, lots of elements that didn't make sense. Also, dueling perspectives with no introduction to who was talking?
Could not take it. It confuses you when starting a chapter, like who is talking, this one or that one or the man on the moon, no one knows! I couldn't really get into this and mostly skimmed it, have to many other good books to read without this one putting me in a slump. Yeah, with my semester starting and between homework and all the ot Eh.
Yeah, with my semester starting and between homework and all the other books I have read to read, I think I am not going to continue this series. Maybe I will come back to it later. But given my record of procrastination and laziness, I would say no. Whoops Anyway hope any of you guys who might read this have better luck, but this poorly executed book which seemed like an anecdote was not for me. Feb 10, Erik Hoel rated it it was amazing. I promise that this book will suck you in. The world-building is excellent and the plot is like a riptide pulling you out to sea. Magic is coming back into the world.
A young boy discovers an amazing power. A red queen rises. While there are many standard fantasy tropes, they are handled with humor, combined in new ways, and often used with a wink. If you've read a lot of fantasy, this is the perfect kind of book for you. You'll recognize stuff in it, but also recognize what the author has done I promise that this book will suck you in.
You'll recognize stuff in it, but also recognize what the author has done to subvert it or transform it into something you haven't seen before. At the same time, it hits all the right notes that we always want from good fantasy. In other words, it's like watching an inventive chef remake one of your mom's favorite recipes - and it is delicious.
Feb 26, Dianna rated it liked it. It took a while for me to get into, since the story is told from multiple POVs and I had a hard time adjusting every time we were introduced to a new narrator. There are also a lot of names and kingdoms and explanations of old history thrown around which was hard for me to follow. The author clearly has an impressive vision in his head of this world and how the various kingdoms and other players are intertwined together, b Note: The author clearly has an impressive vision in his head of this world and how the various kingdoms and other players are intertwined together, but it comes out on paper a little bit jumbled.
For much of the book, I struggled to understand where the author was going with the story and what the main conflicts were.
The Crimson Ribbon by Katherine Clements
The key players are: Keilan, the son of of a fisherman and a woman who drifted onto his shores, he turns out to have an impressive magical Talent which hasn't been seen for centuries except for Cein d'Kara, the Crimson Queen and the first Talent born in centuries. Due to lack of masters, she was forced to teach herself magic and has since then come up with her own unique form of magic.
Her goal is to change the world so that magic can be used openly and without fear. Alyanna, an immortal thousand year old sorceress who poses as a concubine in the Menekar emperor's harem. She caused the cataclysm from a thousand years ago in her greedy ploy to use the souls of all those the cataclysm killed to extend her own life and the lives of 6 other sorcerers. She employs some fell creatures such as the Chosen and a shapeshifting demon called a gethyaki to carry out her goals. Jan, another sorcerer made immortal through Alyanna's sacrifice of countless souls through the cataclysm.
He doesn't remember retain much of his memories through a memory block placed on him by Alyanna. When Cein attempts to remove this block, she triggers a trap placed there by Alyanna that causes a huge physical explosion and almost kills Jan. By the end of the book he is locked up in the dungeons as Cein no longer dares to take chances on him.
There are some secondary characters such as Xin, one of the Fist brothers who Keilan befriends and eventually gives his life protecting Nel, Nel, the knife of one of Dymoria's magisters who saves Keilan on multiple occasions, and Senacus, one of the paladins of Menekar called the Pure who starts questioning himself and his order. Overall a solid 3 stars from me. I would have given 2 stars except the last third of the book picked up in terms of the action and I found myself having trouble putting it down.
I'm looking forward to reading how everything plays out after the ending we had here. How does Cein and Keilan move forward past this incident? What will befall Alyanna at the hands of the gethyaki? Sep 16, J. Rich, multicultural world building, intricate plot, and dazzling writing. If you love classic fantasy, read this book!
If you love multiple points of view that weave together a complex tapestry of a plot, read this book! If you love incredible world building and beautiful prose, read this book! Honestly, I had a hard time getting into the story Rich, multicultural world building, intricate plot, and dazzling writing. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
To get the free app, enter your mobile phone number. Would you like to tell us about a lower price? Christopher Sinclair goes out for a walk on a mild Arizona evening and never comes back. He stumbles into a freezing winter under an impossible night sky, where magic is real -- but bought at a terrible price. A misplaced act of decency lands him in a brawl with an arrogant nobleman and puts him under a death sentence. In desperation he agrees to be drafted into an eternal war, serving as a priest of the Bright Lady, Goddess of Healing.
But when Marcius, god of war, offers the only hope of a way home to his wife, Christopher pledges to him instead, plunging the church into turmoil and setting him on a path of violence and notoriety. To win enough power to open a path home, this mild-mannered mechanical engineer must survive duelists, assassins, and the never-ending threat of monsters, with only his makeshift technology to compete with swords and magic. But the gods and demons have other plans.
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Christopher's fate will save the world Read more Read less. Books In This Series 5 Books. Page 1 of 1 Start Over Page 1 of 1. Kindle Cloud Reader Read instantly in your browser. Customers who bought this item also bought. Page 1 of 1 Start over Page 1 of 1. Legend of the Arch Magus: Limitless Lands Book 2: Thrall Daniel Black Book 4. Planck is the author of The Kassa Gambit. After a nearly-transient childhood, he hitchhiked across the country and ran out of money in Arizona. So he stayed there for thirty years, raising dogs, getting a degree in philosophy, and founding a scientific instrument company.
A decade later, with a little help from the Critters online critique group, he was actually ready. He was relieved to find that writing novels is easier than writing software, as a single punctuation error won't cause your audience to explode and die. When he ran out of dogs, he moved to Australia to raise his daughter with kangaroos. Product details File Size: Pyr September 9, Publication Date: September 9, Sold by: Share your thoughts with other customers. Write a customer review.
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I generally enjoyed this quite a bit more than most standard "portal fantasy" and LitRPG-style novels. The protagonist, Christopher, struck me as more realistic than most of the heroes of the genre, and I was pleased that it didn't swiftly devolve into a wish-fulfillment or harem style book.
I love seeing characters jump start an industrial revolution, and I think I can say without spoilers that Christopher seems to share similar ideals. I had a few complaints, most of which are relatively minor. So I wrote Penguin a letter. I don't have a copy of that letter, but it must have had a testy tone. I remember Martin and I showed it to Martin's father before we posted it.
Presciently, he observed, "You should post it if you never want to write for them again.
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But bridge burning was my thing back then, and so I posted the letter and burned that bridge down to the waterline. No doubt that poisoned pen did some damage, but the books were also duds, particularly compared to the other three I had written. Also, I have no doubt that better writers with better ideas had come on board the series by this time. My advantage of being first or nearly first out of the chocks had blown away in the wind along with the smoke from the burning bridge. Thus, indeed, Martin's father's warning came to pass.
I was no longer a Fighting Fantasy writer. On an end note, though I think Clash of the Princes is pretty well the worst idea I have ever had with the possible exception of joining the Australian Public Service I was gratified at least to read this nice review which I discovered as I started thinking about writing on this topic. Sunday, 16 December The Crimson Man. I have released my fantasy epic, The Crimson Man , on the Kindle.
This book is composed of three novels bundled into one large book. These are Thrall , Freeman and Bringer , also available separately. At , words it is a hefty tome and quite the longest story I have ever written. It was my friend Dennis who first raised the idea. We had been playing a game of Ace of Aces, a two-player game of WWII aerial combat, in which each player has a book containing a multitude of pictures showing the view from the cockpit of a fighter biplane.
The idea is that each player attempts to shoot the other down by referencing their individual manoeuvres and passing a coded number to the other player, the game state is updated. Each player turns to the relevant page and sees where their fighter is placed in relation to the other person.
Anyone who gets the other player in their sights, scores a hit. Tuesday, 21 August I have finally released Invaders: Unfortunately I could not arrange enough suitable illustrations in a timely fashion and so have elected instead to go with a non-illustrated version though there are a small number of images in the book's introduction. This series died quickly after the release of its first title. As to what the title of that book was, or indeed who wrote it, I cannot say. Clearly they should have led with Invaders instead ;. Friday, 23 March When All Moons Rise is once again available as a paperback, currently from Amazon, distributed by Ingram.
In due course, the rejection letter arrived: Unfortunately, Penguin Australia is not publishing books of this nature at present, although our UK company has published several very successful manuscripts like yours. If you wish to pursue the matter further, you could send your manuscript to Penguin in England, etc. Well, OK, I'm determined never to be a wage slave again, so I'll send it to England, though of course the postage in those days was horrendous, and return postage for the manuscript even harder to arrange, particularly for someone with no income. But off it went.
In the interim, too ignorant to give up, I started working on my next Fighting Fantasy book: The Rings of Kether.