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The Ninth Avatar
by
Todd Newton (Goodreads Author)
When the slain march, prophecy will be fulfilled. The Ninth Avatar is coming.
Wizards have wondered for generations when a human would ascend to become the Ninth Avatar, and what would happen when they did. Opinions differ, but the Ninth Pillar of Magic—that of Darkness—is feared by many whether they use magic or not.
When Starka, an outcast priestess of the magic loathing C...more
Wizards have wondered for generations when a human would ascend to become the Ninth Avatar, and what would happen when they did. Opinions differ, but the Ninth Pillar of Magic—that of Darkness—is feared by many whether they use magic or not.
When Starka, an outcast priestess of the magic loathing C...more
Hardcover, 374 pages
Published
February 26th 2010
by Trapdoor Books
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Todd Newtons' first published novel is about a young priestess named Starka who receives a prophecy of the ascension of an avatar to one of the Pillars of magic. As her journey progresses, Starka meets several unexpected (and in some cases rather strange) allies to aid in preventing the ascension. For being his first published work, I thought the book was rather well written. The characters were diverse and very in-depth, and the description used in the scenes worked very well. However, there we...more
This book was well written and the characters were well described. I am not normally a scifi-fantasy book reader but since i have been receiving free books from Goodreads I have exoanded my horizons. My boss who does read scifi-fantasy has borrowed the book because it looked interesting to him. Thank you for letting me have it to read and share with other! My boss read this book and he really enjoyed it. His comment was if you were not careful you could loose track of all the people in the book....more
Jun 04, 2010
Cindy
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
epic-fantasy,
read-in-2010
Ninth Avatar is one of those books that the cover purely attracted my attention. The story that it contained was a well thought out, epic battle story that will attract many readers.
Ninth Avatar is Todd Newton's debut epic fantasy and it's a gallant effort.
The most outstanding thing about this novel are very detailed and descriptive. There is nothing left to the imagination as far as what is going on. The novel starts out with a Prologue that contains a very detailed attack on some of the cities...more
Ninth Avatar is Todd Newton's debut epic fantasy and it's a gallant effort.
The most outstanding thing about this novel are very detailed and descriptive. There is nothing left to the imagination as far as what is going on. The novel starts out with a Prologue that contains a very detailed attack on some of the cities...more
I won this in a goodreads giveaway. I was unsure of what to expect from Todd Newton but for the most part I can say I was pleasantly surprised. I've read quite a bit of epic fantasy, and I maintain the belief that world-building is probably the most important element in gauging success in the genre. The question I always ask myself, is whether or not I'd like to revisit this world, or the given author's imagination again ; if not physically, at least in spirit through reading. The answer here is...more
2 likes · like · see review
I got this book as a first-reads giveaway. It is Todd Newton's first book and I hope to read more from him in the future.
Story-wise, the book has a lot going for it. The Carrion soldiers are a pretty original idea, maybe modeled a bit after the Orcs. The characters are interesting and the plot moves along with a sense of urgency. The point of view switches between characters very clearly. I do wish there had been more description of the people, the places they travel to, the individual building...more
Story-wise, the book has a lot going for it. The Carrion soldiers are a pretty original idea, maybe modeled a bit after the Orcs. The characters are interesting and the plot moves along with a sense of urgency. The point of view switches between characters very clearly. I do wish there had been more description of the people, the places they travel to, the individual building...more
I received this book through the Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
The premise of this story is wonderful: Outcast priestess receives prophetic dream of armageddon. She collects companions on her journey to save the world from the encroaching army of darkness. Unfortunately, the execution is lacking.
The world Todd Newton creates is too large, and I never found my way into it. We start off in the midst of battle, and through my skimming, I never found the motivation for such, other than evil must co...more
The premise of this story is wonderful: Outcast priestess receives prophetic dream of armageddon. She collects companions on her journey to save the world from the encroaching army of darkness. Unfortunately, the execution is lacking.
The world Todd Newton creates is too large, and I never found my way into it. We start off in the midst of battle, and through my skimming, I never found the motivation for such, other than evil must co...more
Todd Newton's debut novel is just that - a debut. Not a bad one, but not a good one either. For me, the book was just okay. (I want to note that two stars on GoodReads means: It was ok.)
I think the author has a great talent in writing, but he bit off way too much for his first effort. Each character or group of characters introduced in the book could do with an entire novel all on their own. Starka, who I thought was the main character as she is introduced to us first, goes through an all out wa...more
I think the author has a great talent in writing, but he bit off way too much for his first effort. Each character or group of characters introduced in the book could do with an entire novel all on their own. Starka, who I thought was the main character as she is introduced to us first, goes through an all out wa...more
1 like · like · see review
My review here.
Aug 03, 2012
Jillyn
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
fantasy fans, boys
Shelves:
first-reads
I received this book through Goodreads First Reads.
The Ninth Avatar is a fantasy novel that follows a cast of odd characters in the timeless battle of good versus evil. Carrion soldiers- soldiers of other cities with horns & disfigurements forced to fight- far outnumber the other armies & destroy whatever they pass through. Starka is a priestess who's been outcast, that is until she receives a vision that shows her helping to stop the progression of this dark leader. Magic, dragons, jail...more
The Ninth Avatar is a fantasy novel that follows a cast of odd characters in the timeless battle of good versus evil. Carrion soldiers- soldiers of other cities with horns & disfigurements forced to fight- far outnumber the other armies & destroy whatever they pass through. Starka is a priestess who's been outcast, that is until she receives a vision that shows her helping to stop the progression of this dark leader. Magic, dragons, jail...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This novel is one of those that pulls you in from the beginning. The characters are fleshed out well, even those that remain deliberately mysterious, and he combines them fluidly, playing personalities off one another with skill.
His writing is fluid, and the plot although slightly slow to start, becomes a twist-filled page turner as the story progresses.
Overall a nicely written and very believable fantasy, a refreshing change from the norm.
His writing is fluid, and the plot although slightly slow to start, becomes a twist-filled page turner as the story progresses.
Overall a nicely written and very believable fantasy, a refreshing change from the norm.
I received a free copy of this book through Goodreads First Reads.
I don't normally write reviews on fantasy novels, but I enjoyed it enough that I feel it needs to be shared. I'm not going to mince words, I really enjoyed this book. Even though The narrative was at times halting and inconsistent, almost to the point of confusing (I had to read a few passages 3 and 4 times), when it flowed, it was thoroughly entertaining. The swordplay, magic and short-wit were exciting and amusing, even if they...more
I don't normally write reviews on fantasy novels, but I enjoyed it enough that I feel it needs to be shared. I'm not going to mince words, I really enjoyed this book. Even though The narrative was at times halting and inconsistent, almost to the point of confusing (I had to read a few passages 3 and 4 times), when it flowed, it was thoroughly entertaining. The swordplay, magic and short-wit were exciting and amusing, even if they...more
Jul 18, 2012
Ray Bliss
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
reviewed-first-reads
The Ninth Avatar by Todd Newton
2 Stars: I won’t review the book, because even though I didn’t like it, someone else might. This is usually reserved for books that didn’t hold my interest or which I didn’t finish reading. I did finish it even though my instincts told me to stop about a third of the way in. If you read the other reviews that give it 1-2 Stars, that is pretty much what I thought also.
I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads for a fair and honest review.
2 Stars: I won’t review the book, because even though I didn’t like it, someone else might. This is usually reserved for books that didn’t hold my interest or which I didn’t finish reading. I did finish it even though my instincts told me to stop about a third of the way in. If you read the other reviews that give it 1-2 Stars, that is pretty much what I thought also.
I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads for a fair and honest review.
Maybe it is because I've only begun recently expanding into the science fiction/fantasy genre that I couldn't get into this book. While the descriptions were wonderfully detailed and I felt like I was right inside the pages, I found several characters hard to keep track of and plot lines hard to follow. However I would still be willing to read books by Todd Newton again. I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
I won this as a giveaway. This is the author's debut novel. As with most debut novels, it was a little rough around the edges. It was a good read. The novel had plenty of action scenes and all the elements a person wants in a fantasy novel. My only complaint with the novel was I wish the author provided some background information on the main characters and the events in the story. Sometimes, I felt like I was dropped in a middle of a story and had no idea why certain happenings were important....more
I received this as a First-Reads Giveaway and was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed the storyline and was intrigued by the imaginative characters. It was descriptive and kept me interested throughout the entire story. The one complaint that I have is despite how well Todd Newton described the characters and the story, it wrapped up very quickly. About 50-75 pages from the end of the book, I was wondering if there was going to be a sequel because I did not see how the story could wrap up so quickly...more
This book was well written an extremely descriptive. As a debut novel it filled all the gaps and the reader needed little imagination to understand the story. I would like to read more from this author in the future.
The book was provided to me through the Goodreads program. It's an enjoyable read with interesting characters and lots of action.
Sep 27, 2010
Todd Newton
rated it
5 of 5 stars
· (Review from the author)
·
review of another edition
To quote Peter V. Brett,
"I learned a lot from this book, because I wrote it myself. My rating may be somewhat biased as a result."
"I learned a lot from this book, because I wrote it myself. My rating may be somewhat biased as a result."
First thing, I received a copy of this as part of the Good reads First Reads giveaway program.
For a first novel this one isn't bad at all. My biggest two complaints are that the world seems too small for all the ethnic variation and that the ending seems to be rushed. I found as I read the last 1/4 of the book I was expecting a cliff hanger and a sequel, but every thing was wrapped up in the last few chapters. I did enjoy the characters, some may have been a bit stereotypical, but were written...more
For a first novel this one isn't bad at all. My biggest two complaints are that the world seems too small for all the ethnic variation and that the ending seems to be rushed. I found as I read the last 1/4 of the book I was expecting a cliff hanger and a sequel, but every thing was wrapped up in the last few chapters. I did enjoy the characters, some may have been a bit stereotypical, but were written...more
Liked the book very much. Like even more that I know the author personally. :)
I am really impressed so far...more later.
This book isn't bad when you get into it. It just has no dialog so the story doesn't move quickly. And the ENTIRE page is full of words - even on a new chapter, it starts just lines below the end of the previous one.
I think when I have more time I could sit and push through this. But there are so many other books that capture me right away, and this isn't one of them. So I'm setting this aside for now and hope to come back to it in the future.
I think when I have more time I could sit and push through this. But there are so many other books that capture me right away, and this isn't one of them. So I'm setting this aside for now and hope to come back to it in the future.
I started this a few months ago, but quit after twenty or so pages (or forty, I'm not sure). It was ok, but the pacing was too rapid, and I couldn't clearly picture a lot of things. I had the book as currently-reading for a while, but I've decided to put it as to-read, so that I won't be bugged about it every time I go on goodreads. I probably will pick it up sometime in the future, but I can't say when.
Nice debut effort. Full review here
1 like · like · see review
Jun 25, 2009
J.M.
marked it as wishlist
Saw this on the Goodreads Giveaways and thought it looked neat.
Jan 08, 2013
Jessica
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
first-reads-giveaway,
2013-read
Got it in a GoodReads Giveaway.
Just not for me.
Just not for me.
Not for me.... Simply not for me....
Apr 23, 2013
Tyler
marked it as to-read
Mar 14, 2013
Shinyfox
marked it as to-read
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New cover vs. Old cover? | 5 | 13 | Jul 01, 2010 12:29pm |
Todd Newton was born in 1980. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science but desperately tries to escape the infernal machines by reading Fantasy. He resides in Denver, Colorado, and has been trying to write since long before he was old enough to smoke cigars, his favorite hobby. Todd is a yearly volunteer at the Great American Beer Festival and also attends local cons like COSine and MileHi...more
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Mar 15, 2010 02:07pm
Mar 15, 2010 03:16pm