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The Written (Emaneska #1)

by Ben Galley (Goodreads Author)

3.81 of 5 stars 3.81 · rating details · 278 ratings · 66 reviews

His name is Farden. They whisper that he 's dangerous. Dangerous is only the half of it. Something has gone missing from the libraries of Arfell. Something very old, and something very powerful. Five scholars are now dead, a country is once again on the brink of war, and the magick council is running out of time and options. Entangled in a web of lies and politics and drag...more

Hardcover, Second Edition, 464 pages

Published February 2nd 2011 by BenGalley.com (first published October 25th 2010)

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Jan 25, 2012 Chelsea rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, kindle, reviewed, wizards-and-mages

Unfortunately, I was not overly impressed with this. The cover art is great, which is why I picked it up. I think it has more cons than pros, alas.

So let's start at the good points:

- The idea of tattoos giving someone power, and different tattoos giving different powers, was really neat.

- I liked the bond shared between dragon and rider, which altered the rider's appearance. Though, this is not the first story I've read where dragon and rider become inexorably linked.

- The theme of addiction, wh...more

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Jan 18, 2012 Ken rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

The Written is the debut novel from British author Ben Galley. It's a typical fantasy story with the usually expected characters that go with the genre. The book is a little rough in places with some silly typos and grammatical mistakes that should be caught with tighter editing. However it does get progressively better as Galley grows more confident in his writing.

Farden is a member of the Written, a group of elite mages with special words of power tattooed on their backs. He is charged with th...more The Written is the debut novel from British author Ben Galley. It's a typical fantasy story with the usually expected characters that go with the genre. The book is a little rough in places with some silly typos and grammatical mistakes that should be caught with tighter editing. However it does get progressively better as Galley grows more confident in his writing.

Farden is a member of the Written, a group of elite mages with special words of power tattooed on their backs. He is charged with the investigation into a stolen book of great power that has him travelling across Emaneska. Along the way Farden discovers the true nature of the book and must put an end to the culprit before he uses it to complete a summoning ritual that brings about the destruction of the world.

There are a few things that I didn't like so much. The beginning conversation between Farden and Durnus feels like a scene in an RPG where the mage would ask a simple question and his mentor would proceed to describe in detail what the mission is and what he must do. Maybe the reason for this is because Galley wrote this scene early on and hasn't quite found his voice yet. When compared to the dialogues in the latter parts of the book, you can tell that they flow much better and fit better into the story.

Another thing that bothered me is that in the book Farden is described as a man in his thirties but sometimes his actions and speeches make him appear more like an angry teenager rather than a hardened fighter. I understand that Farden is supposed to be edgy but some of the things he says just don't sit well with me. Even the use of profanity feels out of place to me.

Although The Written is a fairly straight forward story, Galley has given enough of the big picture to keep me interested in the fight for Emaneska's survival. There are also some good action scenes and the idea of tattoos that enhance the different powers of a mage is pretty neat.

In the future books, I would like to see Galley going further with his ideas and moving away from the established materials to create something more unique to his world. At the moment it feels a little too generic and that's a shame because there's so much more story to tell.

(Repost from http://www.paperlessreading.com/2012/...)(less)

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Nov 10, 2012 Colleen rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, indie-author

I read the first three chapters of this book, and couldn't go further. There's some real potential here, it looks like there could be some good world building, and it seems like the book will deal with some interesting themes, like drug use, which is almost never dealt with in fantasy writing. But two things bugged me enough to put the book down:

1. the writing. Word choices were repetitive and uninspired. If the main character was referred to as "the mage" in basic prose one more time, I would h...more

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Mar 07, 2013 Maja Majdak rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

THE WRITTEN by BEN GALLEY

(EMANESKA SERIES #1)

When Ben sent me this book to read and share my review with you the first thing I noticed was THE MOST AMAZING AND EPIC cover ever! I absolutely loved it, and if I was about to buy a book merely based on its cover I would definitely buy this one.

His name is Farden and he lives in icy cold Emaneska. They call him dangerous, but that is only half of the truth. Then one day something goes missing from the libraries of Arfell, and five scholar kids are fo...more THE WRITTEN by BEN GALLEY

(EMANESKA SERIES #1)

When Ben sent me this book to read and share my review with you the first thing I noticed was THE MOST AMAZING AND EPIC cover ever! I absolutely loved it, and if I was about to buy a book merely based on its cover I would definitely buy this one.

His name is Farden and he lives in icy cold Emaneska. They call him dangerous, but that is only half of the truth. Then one day something goes missing from the libraries of Arfell, and five scholar kids are found dead. He has to uncover the secret which will eventually change his whole world, and do all of this while dealing with lies and politics. There is one more thing. Farden is not even sure if he wants to know what the secret is. This epic and intriguing fantasy written by self-publishing young British author had its characters brilliantly developed and an unique and fascinating plot. I always find it really interesting when a writer is capable of creating a whole new world. And Ben did a great job there.

I found his characters extremely interesting and the book had some amazing and unexpected twists which literally came at me out of nowhere. You don’t have to remind yourself who is who since each and every one of the characters stands out in it’s own way, and after the first few chapters you are hooked. And there are dragons. Who doesn’t love dragons? Oh, a werewolf and a vampire, too. Ever since I was a little kid I loved to run away and hide in some new and imaginary book world. The problem was, whenever I found something incredible, I could not put the book down. This was exactly what happened to me while reading The written. A world so intriguing and diverting sucked me in and I could not escape it. And thanks to Ben I now want a tattoo even more.

I have only one complaint, and that is the editing. There were many typos, wrong spellings and even verb tense errors. Even though English is not my first language I found it extremely distracting, and I can only imagine how it feels when someone with bigger vocabulary and better understanding of English grammar reads it. Such an amazing and epic fantasy with a huge potential slightly ruined by poor editing. I only hope it gets better as the series progress as I can’t wait to read the rest of it. (less)

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Feb 03, 2013 Sam Leeves rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As a fantasy author, I often find the genre slightly difficult to read. I've read so much of by now that a few works seem to merge together and anything that stands out is an instant favourite. 'The Written', Ben Galley's debut novel, is a novel that stood out from the first page.

Firstly, Emaneska is a richly imagined and highly original world. From the many different races to the exposition of the world itself I struggled to find anything derivative. Okay, so elves are one of the older races th...more As a fantasy author, I often find the genre slightly difficult to read. I've read so much of by now that a few works seem to merge together and anything that stands out is an instant favourite. 'The Written', Ben Galley's debut novel, is a novel that stood out from the first page.

Firstly, Emaneska is a richly imagined and highly original world. From the many different races to the exposition of the world itself I struggled to find anything derivative. Okay, so elves are one of the older races that have disappeared but show a fantasy series that doesn't have some slight crossovers with the genre. 'Lord of the Rings' meets 'Sin City' isn't entirely wrong; the town where the hero lives is a city of vice that adds to the comparison. Equally though, 'The Written' doesn't owe anything to these other works of fiction. Although they have clearly influenced the world of Emaneska there is nothing you could say entirely came from either franchise.

One of my favourite things about this book was the hero. Farden is a classic example of a Byronic Hero. He takes drugs, he has a troubled past and is a sociopath who cares only about a select few people. Add to this his roaring temper and violent streak and you have a hero who can, at times, be quite hard to like. But aren't they the best kind of heroes?

The only reason I didn't give this 5 stars was the plot twist. Not to give anything away, I did see it coming. Then again, that didn't ruin my enjoyment of the book after the twist happened, it was more a niggling thought for last hundred pages. Still, Galley is a good enough story teller that it didn't matter so much and he kept me interested with the vibrancy of the world and Farden.

In short, I think 'The Written' is a fantastic debut novel. Frankly, Ben Galley has the potential to be as good as Brandon Sanderson and, stylistically, if I had to liken Galley to someone I think Sanderson is who I would go with. The
second book in the Emaneska series 'Pale Kings' is already available and I will be getting it shortly. I'd be very surprised if that didn't qualify for a 5 star review!(less)

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Jul 10, 2012 Jamie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, own-ebook

I have to agree with other reviewers - the book has both strong and weak points.

Aside from the various grammatical errors throughout the book, at the beginning the story itself was too much like a straight up D&D campaign. Thankfully, as the story progresses, the author does start to move the story in a more original direction.

The use of tattoos as the source of power was done very well. There were a lot of typical fantasy elements thrown in here, but they work well. The dream sequences we...more

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May 26, 2012 Mihir rated it 3 of 5 stars

Overall Rating = 3 & 1/2 Stars

Review originally at Fantasy Book Critic

ANALYSIS: The Written is a debut book that I had no clue about but thanks to Mark Lawrence, I was clued to its existence. Usually it’s said never judge a book by its cover but in this case, I was ready to make an exception. The understated cover really drew my eye with its stark color usage, so in this case I was ready to make an exception. The book blurb didn’t really do justice or give any idea about the plot content....more
Overall Rating = 3 & 1/2 Stars

Review originally at Fantasy Book Critic

ANALYSIS: The Written is a debut book that I had no clue about but thanks to Mark Lawrence, I was clued to its existence. Usually it’s said never judge a book by its cover but in this case, I was ready to make an exception. The understated cover really drew my eye with its stark color usage, so in this case I was ready to make an exception. The book blurb didn’t really do justice or give any idea about the plot content. But I was truly curious about what this book would be about.

The book is set in the world of Emaneska, a land of old magic and dragons and in this world are the mages called the Written. The curious thing about them is the presence of certain written words on their back that is supposed to be unique to each individual. One such individual is the protagonist Farden who is said to be one of the strongest crafters of their type of magic as well as one of the scariest people around. He’s also a bit aloof and shares his weird skills with a vampyre who loves history and older legends. His idle life is restructured due to events happening in the city of Arfell wherein a precious book containing several dark legends is stolen and no knows exactly who did it. Fingers are pointed at the dragons with which a current shaky stalemate has been achieved but all is at stake as the book needs to be reclaimed to save the world from ultimate chaos.

The author has a very distinct style of writing about his world, it is a world cloaked in mystery and one whose legends are not exactly the whole truth but there’s no one to confirm or deny it. The world’s layers are slowly peeled and the reader is as confused as the main protagonist as he’s faced with mysteries at every step. The pace of the story is another plus point as things are constantly happening that will propel reader onward, the pace never lets up and this also mirrors the rising tensions in the plot. Going on to the main protagonist, Farden as a character is supposed to be this big, bad and scary mage who has every one spooked. However the reader never gets the feeling entirely based on his actions as through out the story he often stumbles and falters in his path. Perhaps the author’s efforts to present him as a dark, badass warrior mage haven’t quite come out as envisioned by the author. I as a reader felt that he lacked that special factor that is so thoroughly advertized in the blurb and through out character conversations.

One good thing about the book is that there are certain twists that will surprise the reader by genuinely coming out of the left field, the story however doesn’t quite live up as it often takes a predictable route. A good example of this would be how the story unfolds towards the discovery of the villain however what happens in the end is what really makes the reader excited for the next book. The characterization is definitely a plus but the author has work cut out for him in the forthcoming books as there are some characters that are interesting however don’t get much page time and therefore they only enchant the reader for a little time.

I was thoroughly intrigued by the revelations about the world’s magic system and back history however it wasn’t thoroughly explored in this book and this could be done purposefully by the author since this is his debut and the start of the series. Lastly the book also has some good action sequences that show the twisted imagination of the author and the final sequence involving dragons is probably the highlight of the climax besides the end twist. Overall this book does have its shortcomings but it also has some silver points to it that make it stand out and fill me with hope for the sequels, I’ll be looking forward to the Pale Kings, as it promises to one up its predecessor and also provide a through background about the world’ s history. As a reader I can’t ask for more…

CONCLUSION: Ben Galley’s The Written shows a spark that is admirable, the talent might not match the execution entirely but it's there and it will be heartening to see how this young author manages to learn and hone his craft with the upcoming books, I’ll definitely be taking an interest in them to follow through and see how he develops his skills.(less)

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Nov 08, 2012 Taztic rated it 3 of 5 stars

Ben Galley's The Written was my first experience of a self-published Fantasy title. And it was quite a ride!

I've got to open with the most obvious comment, the cover art for this title (and indeed the for next in the series) is Stunning. It completely sold the book to me, which I know is awful on my part. My Shallow is showing. Not only that, but the quality of the book itself, it's genuinely a thing of beauty. I've been reading this one at work quite a bit, and the number of colleagues who aske...more Ben Galley's The Written was my first experience of a self-published Fantasy title. And it was quite a ride!

I've got to open with the most obvious comment, the cover art for this title (and indeed the for next in the series) is Stunning. It completely sold the book to me, which I know is awful on my part. My Shallow is showing. Not only that, but the quality of the book itself, it's genuinely a thing of beauty. I've been reading this one at work quite a bit, and the number of colleagues who asked me what I was reading was up by about 75% compared to normal. When I mentioned it was self-pub they were, to a man, incredulous. The downside to the sheer beauty of it, is of course, the price. £9.99 is a lot to lay out for an author you're unfamiliar with.

So..was it worth it? I have to say, in complete honesty, I should have hated this book. It does all the things that wind me up within the genre. First of all, there are k's in Magick, and there are y's in Vampyre. I'll be the first to admit I'm a picky devil, and both of these are examples of the random little things that make my eye twitch violently A pet peeve. It's like when people put a y in the signs for their "Summer Fayre". It doesn't make it any more authentic, and it doesn't make me want to go. It just makes me want to grab a pen and correct it. My OCD tendancies aside, the plot here is very simplistic, and the characters and setting are standard, there was really nothing new or out of the ordinary to grab my attention. And there are dragons that talk, now, to my mind only Tolkien can get away with that. But see above, I'm picky!

So, this absolutely should not have been my cup of tea. But somehow, and I can't quite put my finger on how, Galley grabbed me right from the opening of this and dragged me through it, against my will at times, and against my better judgement I had a lot of fun. He's a born storyteller, and there's just that "something" to his writing that had me curled and cosied up with this one, like a kid being read stories by the fire. It's driving me mad that I can't even describe to you what that something is. But if there was an X-Factor for authors I'd be ringing in for Galley every Saturday night.

The permanent winter backdrop brought to mind images of Narnia, and Winterfell, and the dragons and their riders are pure Paolini. And talking of Paolini, I've got to mention editing. If you've read the Inheritance cycle you'll know right where I'm going with this. Editing...it could use some! Just like Paolini's second and third novels, The Written is crying out for a really ruthless editor in a really bad mood. Whislt I did, on the whole, enjoy a lot of Galley's massively indulgent descriptions, there were just pages upon pages that didn't move the plot along a whisker. I think with some severe editing the novel could genuinely be transformed into a pacey beast, which would, IMHO, really crank up the appeal for most readers. Galley's language is poetic in places, and hugely enjoyable, but really there's a huge amount of filler here that could be disposed of to better display the muscle of the story underneath. To come back to an earlier comment, part of me wonders if this is a form of compensation for the relative weakness of the plot itself.

Galley's big 'twist' didn't work at all for me, I'm trying to stay spoiler free, so will just vaguely say that there was too much included in the initial description of one of the characters, it instantly linked him to something that we're seemingly not supposed to connect him to.

Overall, Galley's turn of phrase, and Farden's personality won through, and this was one I genuinely enjoyed. I'm massively curious to see how things go in the second book, and how Galley's writing progresses. I hesitate though to recommend it fervently because I'm very aware of a lot of elements that could put people off. I'd hazard the advice that if you enjoyed Paolini, you'll most likely enjoy Galley.

This is genuinely the most bizarre review to try and write. On the face of it I'm doing nothing but make negative comments, but let me re-iterate that I really did enjoy this novel. There's a spark there, a promise of better things to come, and I will happily go on to the second novel in the series at some point (I bought it at the same time. Because it has an awesome cover). It's Farden, I think, who holds things together and gets me past my pet hates here. He's a lot of fun as a character. I like his abilities, and his temper. I have one, and I'm envious of the other ;) I felt enough of a connection with him to enjoy myself with him. He's almost like a sulky, snarky teenager in many places, and although that kind of doesn't fit with someone of his age and his power, I like it.

The Written is, on the whole, a pleasantly told tale, with a few plot weaknesses, some gaping holes to the magic system and some over tired fantasy stereotypes. There are a lot of faults, but there are also some lovely touches too (the storm giants, for example, were beautiful!) It was a real war between those two factors for me. Overall, Galley's turn of phrase, and Farden's personality won through, and this was one I genuinely enjoyed.

http://fantasticallyepic.blogspot.co....(less)

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Jul 13, 2012 Elisa Nuckle rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 3-stars

So I'm not going to explain what I disliked about this book (see other reviews below who sum it up in better detail), but what I will tell you that the most frustrating part about this book was the ending. It has no resolution whatsoever. If you want to find out who the villain really is and what his aim is (other than the typical world domination stuff), you have to read the sequel. I'm a big fan of series books having resolved endings of some sort on their own, and a large over-arching plot be...more

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Oct 10, 2012 Bobby newman rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: epic-fantasy

If you like the elder scrolls series, then you will love the Emaneska series. This book follows a battle mage named Farden. Farden is struggling with his dark thoughts the magic in blood is causing him.

I was instantly entranced when I started reading it. I found myself wanting more the more I read. A must have for anyone who enjoys Skyrim.

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Jul 27, 2012 JC Duarte rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Like many of the other readers below, I primarily chose this book because of the cool cover art. It was also the first e-book I've read as I have just entered the Nook-world. But, I digress...
The Written was a pretty decent read. The story flows along smoothly enough, the characters are decently defined and the experience was a relatively positive one on the whole.
The part that was a let down was the ending... as several people have mentioned previously. I don't mind book series. I am a huge fan...more

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Oct 07, 2012 Daniel Alburger added it

When I got this book for my Nook, it was free (because generally, I am cheap). The free Nook books are generally hit or miss, either the work is horribly short and acting as a teaser for a paid book, or the work is longish and terrible. When I opened "The Written," I was surprised by the size (424 pages), and was more surprised when I discovered that the book was actually good.

The story is about a mage named Farden who lives in a world populated by humans, Sirens, and dragons (amongst other thin...more

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Aug 25, 2012 YA Reading Guru rated it 3 of 5 stars

I didn't quite find this novel specifically targeted to a YA audience (by YA I mean young, young), but any reader who is interested in fantasy fiction should not go past this book.

Ben Galley does have a way with words, and is definitely descriptive in his writing - possibly a little too much, at times. His characters are admirable, and are very true to the text. The plot develops appropriately, but I found the novel to be missing something, particularly towards the end. I don't know exactly why...more

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Feb 10, 2013 Elondel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own

Don’t judge a book by its cover. It’s something I’ve been taught and I try to apply that to my book buying as well – and judging from the monstrous covers that flourish on my shelves, I seem to do a pretty good job at that. However, when it came to the Emaneska Series, I let the cover seduce me into buying. I first came across Mr. Galley’s novels on a blog and the beautiful simplicity of these covers for both The Written and Pale Kings stood out to me. The blurb seemed alright, so I just had to...more Don’t judge a book by its cover. It’s something I’ve been taught and I try to apply that to my book buying as well – and judging from the monstrous covers that flourish on my shelves, I seem to do a pretty good job at that. However, when it came to the Emaneska Series, I let the cover seduce me into buying. I first came across Mr. Galley’s novels on a blog and the beautiful simplicity of these covers for both The Written and Pale Kings stood out to me. The blurb seemed alright, so I just had to have those covers. The cherry on top, was that there was a great story hidden between those covers.

The land of Emaneska has a history of war, but knows a hard-fought peace at last. When an ancient book of magic is stolen and that theft is accompanied by the murder of five scholars, the land is on the brink of war once again. It’s up to Farden, mage and Written, to keep the fragile peace in order by travelling the land and seeking out the missing book and stopping whatever malicious thing’s going on.
This might sound like your average cookie cutter fantasy plot, and as a whole is does resemble that in some ways, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, I very much enjoy novels like these and it doesn’t always have to be new and ground-breaking to be enjoyable. In fact, while staying true to the classical epic fantasy novel plotwise, The Written incorporates some elements from the gritty fantasy that populates the bookshops in recent years. This gritty aspects returns in the character of Farden, as well as in the language used and certain scenes – which makes me wonder why anyone would consider this to be directed towards a younger audience; sure, teens can and will enjoy this, but The Written is far from what’s generally marketed as YA. On top of that, Ben Galley came up with some very nice little things to spice up the novel, such as the concept of the Written – which I found very intriguing – and things like a Tearbook and the Storm Giants. It’s things like these that take it a level above the Cookie cutterishness of other novels. The book managed to keep my attention throughout the whole story and even when my suspicions got confirmed towards the end, I still kept reading and rightly so, cause it held some surprises still.
The main character, Farden, is quite a bitter man and tends to act like an ass. However, compared to other characters with the same personality, I didn’t find Farden to be annoying or tiring whatsoever. I don’t really like him as a person, but I do like him as main character, if that makes any sense. Apart from Farden, I really took a liking to the dragons and I found the bonds between them and the Siren very fascinating. While I’m hot nor cold regarding Durnus and Elessi, I do favour the former and I hope that they get some more time on page the next time around, for I do think they have potential to become quite interesting sidekicks to Farden. This is perhaps the ‘major’ issue I had with this book. The side characters just fell a bit flat, with the exception of Farfallen and Svarta. I would have liked some more in depth info on or interaction with the others. Speaking of the side characters, I liked how the world of Emaneska was richly populated by different species, but never felt overcrowded to me. Also a certain plus is the history of the world, which gave it all some depth. Hopefully the history of the land will be unveiled some more in the books to come.
Seeing as this is a debut novel, I was pleasantly surprised with the writing, cause despite the odd typo I found this to be a very pleasant and fluent read. The book starts with the theft and accompanying murders, after which there is a nice balance between action and the slower parts. As I mentioned earlier, I bought this book on a whim and only read some reviews after finishing, so I was quite surprised when I saw the critiques on the writing. Perhaps it’s due to me not being a native English speaker, but the writing never felt unhinged or forced to me, nor did the use of ‘all of a sudden’ and ‘suddenly’ bother me – and I have not the slightest clue about why it should bother anyone, to be completely honest. Aside from that, I’m not one to make issues out of spelling, so as far as I’m concerned, Mr. Galley can spell Vampyre any which way he wants. Seeing as this is a debut and he will grow in his writing, The Written only bodes well for the future.

So while I may have bought this purely based on the cover, I was pleasantly surprised by the actual novel. Seduces by the looks and charmed by the content, The Written was a very pleasing experience and if he keeps it up, Ben Galley might as well turn out to be the major discovery of 2013. Nice making your acquaintance, Ben and Farden. See you next time around.(less)

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Jun 23, 2012 Bruce Hodge rated it 5 of 5 stars

I always enjoy books which respect genre lore without being confined by it. The Written is a refreshing take on the fantasy genres surrounding magic and dragons, a mystery with suspense and plenty of action. Leading character Farden is a dark hero with a quest driven by mysterious motives, all of the characters in the story are well written and easy to accept, particularly enjoyed the rendering of the dragon's personalities.
I also enjoy books where the author's skills as a writer allow the story...more

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Nov 30, 2011 Katie rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads, started-but-never-finished

I won this book through Goodreads First reads.

I have just finished the first chapter and I have decided that I will not read any more because:

1. The first chapter reminds me of my college freshman creative writing workshop class...and that is NOT a good thing.
2. Actions taken by the characters were summarized rather than described while the setting or inanimate objects are overly described.
3. There are cliches - "He smiled like a wolf..."
4. The word(s) "Suddenly.." or "All of a sudden..." were u...more

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Apr 16, 2013 Martin Belcher rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2013

I have to say I haven't enjoyed a fantasy book as much as this one in absolutely ages! This is one hell of a stomping read, I guess you get the idea I loved it, hell, I bloody loved it and would give it six stars if I could. I'm so thankful that I walked into Waterstones bookshop in West Quay, Southampton and this book stared me in the face and something made me pick it up and I thought "I like the look of this book" I'm so glad I did!
This is not your usual hum drum usual template fantasy (you...more

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Nov 19, 2012 Jennifer Lee marked it as to-read

Just bought the epub of this today. I won the giveaway on goodreads and didn't realize it was a series, deeerp. So I figured I better read this now before it arrives! =]

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Apr 05, 2013 Sue rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I think I downloaded this as a freebie a while back, and decided to read it while I was between other books. I was pleasantly surprised to find an excellent story, a rich universe, and very interesting characters. While definitely a fantasy novel, it had a very different feel than many other fantasy series I've read. I enjoyed the first book so much that I purchased the sequel, and I look forward to later books in this series.

The two books (Written and Pale Kings) stand together as a single stor...more

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Nov 11, 2012 Abbe rated it 4 of 5 stars

I truely enjoyed this book. The way that the author leads you along and allows the story to unfold slowly but not in too many words. I have read books that are 3 times as long and use that many words to get you to the same place, and this made it much more interesting.
I finished the book feeling like there is something about Farden that we don't know yet, and since this is the first book, I trust Ben Galley plans to fill us in. More than reluctant hero, not just a wanderer at heart and unable t...more

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Jul 11, 2012 Steven rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle

This was a slower read than I had anticipated, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Chock full of action, adventure, and suspense, I was left hanging on every word. While the plot was a bit slow at times, I felt the author did a fantastic job of making the characters believable, especially Farden, who has constantly been unsure of himself and his abilities.

I found myself so angry at the end to find out that he had simply been a pawn in the hands of those he called his friends, even the woman he loved. B...more

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Jul 10, 2012 gilmae added it

I was already getting that old 2 star feeling when Dark Elves were mentioned, and then on page 13:

'Haha, and without you, old fools, I would have nothing.' The smile was instantly gone, replaced by thin lips and a narrowed gaze. With a sudden burst of immense speed the mage drew his sword in a silver blur and furiously slammed the blade into Innel's chest."

I expect this is the single worst book I will read this year. No stars, and my Cino help the soul of Ben Galley.

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Apr 18, 2012 James rated it 1 of 5 stars

I don't feel like spending a long time tearing this book apart, so I'll just say it briefly. The writing is just very poor.

"All of a sudden" and its like are overused. The drama is summarized and told rather than shown. The characters are flat and seem to be the author's favorite D&D personas, not real people. Descriptions are filled with mad-lib-esque adjectives of a poor, and often repetitive, nature. Nothing pops.

I'll be honest. I picked it up because of the cover art, and it just wasn't

...more

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May 06, 2013 Millie Burns rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really enjoyed my time submerged in the world of Emaneska. The story is unique and I felt like the characters were fully fleshed. The plot convoluted and action packed. The only drawback were editing errors that on occasion would bring me out of the story. With a more thorough job of editing it surely would deserve five stars. When my reading list clears a bit, I'll head back to Emaneska to find out where the story is headed! Nice first piece of writing Ben, I'm sure your future works will be...more

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Jan 04, 2013 Mieneke rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, fantasy

I normally don't accept self-published novels for review for all the usual reasons given, but the most important one is time. With work, the girls, and Wiebe, my reading and blogging time is limited and if I'm going to read and review something do I want to risk reading a lot of not so good books to find that one gem or stick with non-self-published work and run less of a risk that at least the writing is up to scratch? I chose to go with the latter even though I realise I might miss out on some...more I normally don't accept self-published novels for review for all the usual reasons given, but the most important one is time. With work, the girls, and Wiebe, my reading and blogging time is limited and if I'm going to read and review something do I want to risk reading a lot of not so good books to find that one gem or stick with non-self-published work and run less of a risk that at least the writing is up to scratch? I chose to go with the latter even though I realise I might miss out on some really good books that way. So you might be surprised to find me reviewing The Written by Ben Galley, which is a self-published book. However, I'd seen some good reviews of his work though and read an interesting interview with him on Mark Lawrence's blog, so when Ben approached me to review his work, I decided to take a leap and say yes. And on the whole I'm glad I did. The Written being Galley's debut novel there are some first novel mistakes, I had some issues with the writing that are completely an issue of taste, and there is one problem with his female characters that really bothered me, but in essence The Written is a good story and one I mostly enjoyed.

So what were those first novel mistakes? First of all, there is a lot of head-hopping going on, sometimes within the same paragraph, which often forced me to go back and reread the last few lines to figure where exactly the switch took place. There's a similar problem with dialogue, which made it unclear who was speaking. Secondly, at times his prose felt a little purple, though I'd say it was more lavender than purple actually. Galley often employed quantifiers or descriptors where to me they seemed unnecessary, which when eliminated would have made for a tighter narrative. Of course the latter might also be seen as one of the stylistic choices Galley made and whose success or failure is due to the reader's personal tastes. For me there were several choices Galley made that sat uneasily with me. For example, given that the identity of the villain is meant to be a secret for much of the novel, Galley took a lot of trouble to write his scenes without giving his identity away. Unfortunately, he also started several of the hero's sections that way, which was again confusing and after the first few times annoyed me as they shook me out of the narrative. He also tended to refer to his characters by their function or profession, instead of by their names, which I found didn't suit my tastes. So instead of saying "Farden woke up with a pounding headache." he'd say "The mage woke up with a pounding headache." – I made these sentences up, by the way, these aren't literal quotes from the book – and while there is nothing wrong with that, it just didn't work for me. I also had a hard time getting into the novel, as in the first seventy or so pages none of the characters seemed really sympathetic and I couldn't figure out which set of characters the reader was supposed to root for, though to be fair, if I'd gone back to check the cover copy, this might not have been as unclear.

The one thing that I really had a problem with that can't be put down to first-novel-itis or personal taste is Galley's treatment of his female characters. To start off with, there aren't that many, at least not named ones. I can think of five, two of whom were dragons. The other three are, in order of appearance, Farden's maid, his ladylove, and the Siren Queen. Elessi, Farden's maid, is his faithful, loving servant, who loves her master, but who he won't let get too close and she doesn't really have any agency. Cheska, Farden's lover, does have agency, but is she's seemingly Gwen Stacy'd, to give Farden one more reason to fight. Svarta, the Siren Queen, is a powerful woman, but is portrayed throughout the book as an angry, sour, and hard woman and generally considered by Farden to be an unpleasant bitch. Of the three, only Cheska is developed further and Galley subverts her trope nicely, but on the whole I missed having a sympathetic female character with agency of her own.

Despite all these criticism, there was a lot to like about the book; otherwise I wouldn't have finished it, no? Galley creates an interesting world inhabited by humans, dragons, vampyres, and hints at more mythical creatures. I especially enjoyed the time spent with the dragons in Nelska. Their society was very interesting and Galley's descriptions of their home, the various dragons and their characterisations were quite compelling. After the rocky start, Farden becomes quite a likeable sort and I got invested in his story and wanted to find out what happened. It'll be interesting to see how he develops after the revelations in this book and the experiences he's had. Similarly, once the villain is revealed and his true motivations are laid bare, the struggle in The Written takes on a truly epic scope and it'll be quite interesting to see where Galley goes with this conflict in the next two books. The plot of The Written is quite engaging, with part conspiracy, part mystery, and part diplomatic mission and some really well-written fight scenes.

In the end, reading my first self-published novel was a mixed experience. Yes, I did have issues with the book, but by the last third of the book, the story had taken over and I did rather enjoy myself. I'll be reading and reviewing the follow up to The Written in the next few weeks and I'm hoping that some of the debut novel flaws will be absent from The Pale Kings and that the female characters will have more of a positive role to play. But I definitely don't regret breaking my own review policy and if you like epic fantasy, The Written is worth a look in.

This book was provided for review by the author.(less)

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Dec 22, 2012 S.A.Isaacson rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

I am somewhat of a fantasy snob, I gravitate to big names, well known authors or anything with a bit of murder and strong female characters...I know I need to broaden my reading pool.

So by chance I came across the self published star Ben Galley on twitter, and in all honesty I was impressed by his online presence and open manner, and hence I downloaded The Written.

Let's get straight to it, the plot really starts 60% into this book. ( I say 60% as we all know kindles suck and its all it would tel...more

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Nov 19, 2012 Tess rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: my-reviews, fantasy, tough-read, amazing-cover-art

If you are a fan of indie high fantasy and a plethora of adjectives, then this is the book for you!

I first came across this book at the beginning of the year when Ben Galley ambushed a friend of mine in Waterstones begging her to buy his book. She was terrified, but I was amused and yes, intrigued. The book seemed to tick all of my boxes and the cover art is really amazing. I kind of hate the matte-type feeling, but I let that one slide. Needless to say, it has taken me a long time to finish it,...more

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Oct 10, 2012 Kevin Richard rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: epic-fantasy

I only stumbled across Ben Galley and this, his first book by chance and to be honest this is the first 'fantasy genre' book I have read. I have always been a reader of detective and crime novels and also of classics by Thomas Hardy, Elizabeth Gaskell and so on. Fantasy books had never really appealed to me, however after reading a small sample of Ben's work (just a few pages) I decided to take a chance, try something different and so purchased a copy ofThe Written.

Ben's passion for his work,...more

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Dec 14, 2012 Paul Nelson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-books-read

Sometimes your initial expectations of a book can leap twofold simply by its cover, this is one of those books, a mage walking away or into battle, sword in one hand and a fireball in the palm of his other hand. Thankfully the book didn't disappoint in the slightest.

This novel is set in a world called Emaneska, the Arka are ruled from their capital city Krauslung by the magick council & the Arkmages. To become a mage one must first go through the intense school of training and finally undert...more Sometimes your initial expectations of a book can leap twofold simply by its cover, this is one of those books, a mage walking away or into battle, sword in one hand and a fireball in the palm of his other hand. Thankfully the book didn't disappoint in the slightest.

This novel is set in a world called Emaneska, the Arka are ruled from their capital city Krauslung by the magick council & the Arkmages. To become a mage one must first go through the intense school of training and finally undertake the ritual, where words of power are tattooed across the shoulders and back. A dangerous undertaking as not all pass the trials.

The majority of the story is told from the viewpoint of the protagonist Farden, a quick tempered, formidable and powerful mage, with complex tattoo's. The tattoo's can eventually drive a mage to madness and Farden was the last to have the words of four of the key elements written on his body. Even reading a mage's tattoo's can bring on the madness.

The scholars have discovered an old book of magic at the libraries of Arfell from the time of the Elves, a spell prevents the book from being opened, a dangerous book of summoning magic that can release daemons and an entity that if released could destroy the world. The book is stolen and five scholars are dead, the magick council enlist Farden to track down the stolen book. Entangled in a web of lies, Farden must travel far and enlist the help of the old enemies, the dragons and together they must search for an old well of magick needed by the unknown enemy for the summoning spells to work.

The interaction with the dragons and the Siren race are well described and a pivotal part of the story, Farden brings an uneasy peace to the two races and returns a tear book to the dragons on which is stored many years of memories.
This is a debut novel and there are flaws, introductions of Fardens close friend a vampyre and also a lycan follow well worn threads. Also the use of a banned drug used by Farden which deadens his talent is a little hard to digest but overall this is a well written story, fast paced with plenty of action, encouraging a quick read.

The plot twists and turns very well, friends and lovers are not all they seem and the final battle against an unstoppable assailant is an excellent climax.
I enjoyed this enough to continue straight away with the second novel.

(less)

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Nov 07, 2012 Sandra O'Grady rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was my first experience with Ben Galley's work and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The story drew me in and held my attention, but it was the wonderfully rich imagery that helped me really visualise the landscape and characters. I didn't have any trouble remembering the many characters, which means they were sufficiently imprinted in my mind with both description and association. Ben's style is easy to read and I look forward to the next book, with some tighter editing.

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About Ben Galley

As far as BEN GALLEY is concerned, business cards are far too small. If they ever summoned the fortitude to be big enough, his would read something like: "Ben Galley - Professional Liar, Imagination Jockey, Daydream Merchant, and Teller of Tales so tall they make skyscrapers blush.” At the moment Ben’s simply says "Author". That does the job just fine.

At 25, Ben is a young author from sunny Englan...more As far as BEN GALLEY is concerned, business cards are far too small. If they ever summoned the fortitude to be big enough, his would read something like: "Ben Galley - Professional Liar, Imagination Jockey, Daydream Merchant, and Teller of Tales so tall they make skyscrapers blush.” At the moment Ben’s simply says "Author". That does the job just fine.

At 25, Ben is a young author from sunny England, and has been writing since he was old enough to be trusted with a pencil. He is the author of the dark and epic fantasy trilogy - THE EMANESKA SERIES. He has released two books to date and there is soon to be two more in 2013.

His debut The Written was unleashed on a snowy January in 2011. It was written mostly on Ben’s mobile phone whilst he worked behind a succession of bars and pasty vendors, each as depressing, and yet somehow inspiring, as the next. Its sequel - Pale Kings, was released to an eager audience in February 2012. Grittier and colder, it leaves The Written somewhat aquiver in its shadow.

As an indie or self-publisher, Ben does everything by himself. He writes, edits, sketches the maps, manages tours, does the marketing... even this website was crafted by his very hands. Ben regularly tours the country doing signings and workshops, allowing him to meet a great many interesting people on his journeys. He is a frequent guest speaker and lecturer on the subject of self-publishing, and is eager to share his knowledge with everyone and anyone. He also writes self-help blogs and offers consultancy services on the subject too, which can be found at the brand new SHELF-HELP section of his website www.bengalley.com. Ben is incredibly zealous about inspiring other authors and writers. He recently released a clothing and merchandise line inspired by the Emaneska Series and his ethos. He wants to encourage others to turn their passion into their profession and follow their wildest dreams.

Aside from writing and lecturing, Ben still dabbles in music, surfing, and apparently owns an acre on the moon. Ben can be found being loquacious and attempting to be witty on Twitter @BenGalley, or hiding in your garden shed. Enjoy.(less)

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The Written (Emaneska #1)

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