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The Soul Sphere #1
The Shattered Sphere
Evil has been unleashed in Arkania. The mage Solek, hungry for power, has smashed the Soul Sphere, an ancient device created to contain the Dark One, the very embodiment of evil. The shards of the Sphere have been scattered, and fearsome guardians stand watch over them. The free lands are now battered by attacks from armies of resurrected dead—The Dead Legion—and demons and other foul creatures roam the world.
The last hope for Arkania’s salvation falls on an unlikely band: Demetrius and Corson, long-time friends from Corindor; Rowan, a paladin from Delving; Tala, an elf from the Eastern Forest; the goblin Lucien; and Alexis, a warrior from the northern land of Lorgras. Together they must gather the shards and reform the Soul Sphere, thereby imprisoning the Dark One and restoring hope to their world.
The last hope for Arkania’s salvation falls on an unlikely band: Demetrius and Corson, long-time friends from Corindor; Rowan, a paladin from Delving; Tala, an elf from the Eastern Forest; the goblin Lucien; and Alexis, a warrior from the northern land of Lorgras. Together they must gather the shards and reform the Soul Sphere, thereby imprisoning the Dark One and restoring hope to their world.
- GenresFantasy
317 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 20, 2011
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108 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 13, 2014
Entertaining traditional quest fantasy with shades of Tolkien, Indiana Jones, and Inu-Yasha. An evil Dark One and his undead legions are on the move, and they can only be stopped if the shattered sphere meant to contain the dark one's soul is reassembled. The novel follows a party of fighters and an elf sorceress as they search for the pieces of the sphere.
The book is pretty well-written and easy to follow. The plot seems kind of static; the events of the plot don't build on each other as they unfold. You could cut the book apart into its separate episodes and rearrange them and, except for a few minor details of personnel, setting, and how much of the sphere has been reassembled, it wouldn't change the story. For this reason, as well, in spite of the difficulties the characters face in their quest, it all seems a little too easy; none of their adventures have any lasting effects on them, except another piece is added to the Soul Sphere. The prose itself is very clear and readable.
The book is also pretty thin on character development; none of the characters experience any noticeable growth or change, and the only one with any real distinguishing characteristics (besides the religiously devout paladin Rowan) is Lucien the goblin, taller than any of the others, green, muscular, and with an entertainingly dry wit. Lucien is far and away my favorite character, though the others are pleasant enough.
But the main point of the story is the world the characters travel through and the cool magical traps and puzzles they have to solve while trying to retrieve the pieces of the Sphere (hidden by the Dark One's minion Solek), and these are very entertaining and well-done, and I found myself eagerly tied to each chapter to find out how they get out of whatever trap or danger they're in. A few of the resolutions are a little deus ex machina, but a lot of them also rely on the characters' skill and cleverness, and they're fun to read.
There isn't a shred of romance in the story, which I personally found disappointing but I know other fantasy fans prefer their epic quests to be romance-free.
The book ends with the company about to embark on the most dangerous search of all. Apparently this was the author's first book, and the issues I mentioned, of thin character development and weak plot escalation, are common ones found in authors' earlier works, and they usually improve with time and practice. I will definitely read the sequel to The shattered Sphere to find out how it all turns out.
The book is pretty well-written and easy to follow. The plot seems kind of static; the events of the plot don't build on each other as they unfold. You could cut the book apart into its separate episodes and rearrange them and, except for a few minor details of personnel, setting, and how much of the sphere has been reassembled, it wouldn't change the story. For this reason, as well, in spite of the difficulties the characters face in their quest, it all seems a little too easy; none of their adventures have any lasting effects on them, except another piece is added to the Soul Sphere. The prose itself is very clear and readable.
The book is also pretty thin on character development; none of the characters experience any noticeable growth or change, and the only one with any real distinguishing characteristics (besides the religiously devout paladin Rowan) is Lucien the goblin, taller than any of the others, green, muscular, and with an entertainingly dry wit. Lucien is far and away my favorite character, though the others are pleasant enough.
But the main point of the story is the world the characters travel through and the cool magical traps and puzzles they have to solve while trying to retrieve the pieces of the Sphere (hidden by the Dark One's minion Solek), and these are very entertaining and well-done, and I found myself eagerly tied to each chapter to find out how they get out of whatever trap or danger they're in. A few of the resolutions are a little deus ex machina, but a lot of them also rely on the characters' skill and cleverness, and they're fun to read.
There isn't a shred of romance in the story, which I personally found disappointing but I know other fantasy fans prefer their epic quests to be romance-free.
The book ends with the company about to embark on the most dangerous search of all. Apparently this was the author's first book, and the issues I mentioned, of thin character development and weak plot escalation, are common ones found in authors' earlier works, and they usually improve with time and practice. I will definitely read the sequel to The shattered Sphere to find out how it all turns out.
February 11, 2017
An amazing and tense read with a bit of humor thrown in.
The Soul Sphere had me spellbound throughout the whole book. The questers were of different races, each one with a very different personality in many ways. I was drawn to the group and felt as though I followed them through all their trials, fights and fears. I would recommend this book to anyone, even those who do not read fantasy. Because I truly feel that once they start reading, they will be caught up as I was.
The Soul Sphere had me spellbound throughout the whole book. The questers were of different races, each one with a very different personality in many ways. I was drawn to the group and felt as though I followed them through all their trials, fights and fears. I would recommend this book to anyone, even those who do not read fantasy. Because I truly feel that once they start reading, they will be caught up as I was.
April 27, 2012
I mostly liked this.. enough to, yes, buy the next book.. so first and foremost I say that I placed the second in my wish list and will purchase it soon.. when I can justify the three dollars.
Pros:
This is just like the fantasy that got me sucked in reading the genre for just about all my life. I enjoy the journeys that are created. The friendships that journey can create - the hardships overcome.. and even the prejudice.
The prejudice was one of the things I liked the best, besides the next thing I will go over. The characters had very good attitudes and worked well together no matter the qualms between races - though check cons for why I did not think this was 'very' well done.
My favorite thing are the references to God.. they are very few, but the Paladin in the story really does have some sort of mystery about him and God. look at the bottom of this to see my 'Christian perspective' of the book.
Cons:
The characters do not really seem to 'grow' much. There are a few instances that take this into account(the account of possible prejudice and jealously), but nothing so big that character creation seemed to be too big. Certainly not very much was learned about each character, much like the author wanted to keep them all pretty much a mystery. I hope for more on that in the second.
If there had been a tiny bit more problems between the companions that they worked to overcome I think I would have a better like for that part of the tale. Although, to be honest it was refreshing to see a tale that brought such a group together so well and with so many differences between them. (i guess that would really a pro)
Christian Perspective:
I found the few references to God to be very well written and just enough mystery to keep a reader guessing, but I have my thoughts being the God that Rowan follows is one much like ours.. Savior and all..
"The Demon spit at the sight of the Savior's symbol. "I will pay you personal attention, human. .... Rowan held his sward before him, the white flame alive in the presence of the hellish creature. "My soul is not yours to torment. It belongs to one far more powerful."
Cool mention of 'belonging' and fears .. How he can put what fears he could have in this situation .. but instead rely on the faith of God.
"There was no thought in Rowan's mind, no anger or malice. There was only power and right ... he was in tune with both the natural and spiritual worlds."
This was probably on of my favorite parts in the book.. show righteous justice.. in the right way.. this can be done!
"My soul belongs to one greater than you."
"Oh. Him. Where is he, by the way?"
This was an argument very often brought up of God, I am interested to see if this comes up in the second..
"We must remember our struggle is to give them a future. Don't recall their despair unless it motivates you to press on. Hopelessness can be a disease - contagious and fatal. We must guard against falling prey to it."
and I just found this to be some really great advice on the thoughts of those that may have been hurt or killed .. or maybe just wounded by something you did verbally.. or an action.. not just hurt physically.. A great way to have a positive outlook on what you do.. to press on for the glory of God.
Pros:
This is just like the fantasy that got me sucked in reading the genre for just about all my life. I enjoy the journeys that are created. The friendships that journey can create - the hardships overcome.. and even the prejudice.
The prejudice was one of the things I liked the best, besides the next thing I will go over. The characters had very good attitudes and worked well together no matter the qualms between races - though check cons for why I did not think this was 'very' well done.
My favorite thing are the references to God.. they are very few, but the Paladin in the story really does have some sort of mystery about him and God. look at the bottom of this to see my 'Christian perspective' of the book.
Cons:
The characters do not really seem to 'grow' much. There are a few instances that take this into account(the account of possible prejudice and jealously), but nothing so big that character creation seemed to be too big. Certainly not very much was learned about each character, much like the author wanted to keep them all pretty much a mystery. I hope for more on that in the second.
If there had been a tiny bit more problems between the companions that they worked to overcome I think I would have a better like for that part of the tale. Although, to be honest it was refreshing to see a tale that brought such a group together so well and with so many differences between them. (i guess that would really a pro)
Christian Perspective:
I found the few references to God to be very well written and just enough mystery to keep a reader guessing, but I have my thoughts being the God that Rowan follows is one much like ours.. Savior and all..
"The Demon spit at the sight of the Savior's symbol. "I will pay you personal attention, human. .... Rowan held his sward before him, the white flame alive in the presence of the hellish creature. "My soul is not yours to torment. It belongs to one far more powerful."
Cool mention of 'belonging' and fears .. How he can put what fears he could have in this situation .. but instead rely on the faith of God.
"There was no thought in Rowan's mind, no anger or malice. There was only power and right ... he was in tune with both the natural and spiritual worlds."
This was probably on of my favorite parts in the book.. show righteous justice.. in the right way.. this can be done!
"My soul belongs to one greater than you."
"Oh. Him. Where is he, by the way?"
This was an argument very often brought up of God, I am interested to see if this comes up in the second..
"We must remember our struggle is to give them a future. Don't recall their despair unless it motivates you to press on. Hopelessness can be a disease - contagious and fatal. We must guard against falling prey to it."
and I just found this to be some really great advice on the thoughts of those that may have been hurt or killed .. or maybe just wounded by something you did verbally.. or an action.. not just hurt physically.. A great way to have a positive outlook on what you do.. to press on for the glory of God.
August 5, 2013
(2.5 - 3 stars) Overall an interesting story that kept me reading after I got through the first 40ish pages. unfortunately there is not aot of character growth. what you get at the begining is what you pretty much have at the end. any group conflicts get solved by an "agree to disagree" concept that really is what stunts the growth that is building for each character because personalities are never truly developed.
September 11, 2012
Most of the book was good: it kept me turning pages. Pretty original concept... a bit reminiscent of Eragon because the feel of the story and characters. Some of the same kinds of characters although the characters seem a little less interesting. It was interesting and original enough to keep me interested. I was disappointed with the ending was abrupt. This book is worth the read...
April 13, 2013
Incredible story! Has Indiana Jones type of adventures, likeable group of characters (elves, goblins, dragons,humans) - good vs evil - fast paced, well written. The author had me at the beginning and kept my interest page after page. Will be starting Book 2, can't wait!
August 14, 2015
Super easy to get into fantasy adventure. Evil man with access to evil powers is running over all the lands and everyone must unite to defeat him (in this case, put the Soul Sphere back together). Downloaded the sequel immediately after I finished this
July 13, 2014
Great read.
this book is a great read. I can't wait to see what happens next. would make a good movie .
this book is a great read. I can't wait to see what happens next. would make a good movie .
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March 17, 2019Apparently I disliked this author, I deleted all his books from my "cloud" account.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews