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Century of Sand

(Century of Sand #1)

Christopher Ruz (Goodreads Author)

3.84 · Rating details · 121 ratings · 45 reviews

Richard and Ana are on the run.

As a young soldier, Richard led a rebellion that installed the King's sociopathic Magician as the new regent. Now, after forty years of watching his comrades vanish into the dungeons of Stonebridge Castle, Richard has fled the kingdom with his mute daughter in tow, escaping into the desert wastes where magic still boils in the clouds and demo ...more

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Kindle Edition, 338 pages

Published March 21st 2012 by Amazon Digital Services

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Apr 23, 2019 Nigel rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley, fantasy, arc, best-recent-ones, best-2019-books

In brief - High quality fantasy and largely unputdownable. I want the next book NOW!! :-)

In full
Richard, who has been a loyal fighter and executioner for years, starts to realise that his master, the Magician, is more evil than people he has been killing on his behalf. After the death of his wife some years ago he gave his baby daughter into the care of the Magician. He rescues her and escapes. They are both in grave danger as Richard has also taken a precious artefact which the Magician treasu In brief - High quality fantasy and largely unputdownable. I want the next book NOW!! :-)

In full
Richard, who has been a loyal fighter and executioner for years, starts to realise that his master, the Magician, is more evil than people he has been killing on his behalf. After the death of his wife some years ago he gave his baby daughter into the care of the Magician. He rescues her and escapes. They are both in grave danger as Richard has also taken a precious artefact which the Magician treasures. So begins a journey that has the makings of classic fantasy writing. The two of them journey in wild places to avoid the Magician and seek help to defeat him.
The pace from the start of this is very good. He and Ana's journey is fraught with danger. However there are times when Richard is reflective. He is also trying to get Ana to speak - what has the Magician done to her? This allows him to tell a substantial amount of back story in a way that satisfied this reader's curiosity very well. It is always hard to introduce new worlds, beliefs, magic etc in a convincing way. For me it worked here. By the time I was 10% in I had a fair idea of the general setting and was hooked!
The writing is vivid as is the landscapes the book is set in. In the main Richard and Ana travel through desert areas which create their own problems. There were times when I was walking through strange landscape with them. It is fair to say that, as well as writing very well, this author has a dark and powerful imagination. Some of the creatures he invents are vividly scary. Meeting some of these in the settings he creates might make this a book not to read at bedtime for those of a sensitive nature.
I really liked the characters here. Beyond Richard and Ana are others who are well worked. Are they simply passing by or will we see them again. Will those who seem to be enemies at the start still be that later and vice versa? Be prepared for some very interesting people/beings to wander in the pages of this book. Even minor characters are worthwhile.
Religion plays a real part in this world and its stories. In practice the item Richard stole from the Magician belongs to a demon. Richard hopes the demon will help defeat the Magician if this treasure is returned. However what are the demons in this world and who are the gods? Will they talk to anyone? For a fantasy book magic plays quite a small part in this story. The emphasis is more of basic alchemy which Richard is able to use. Be prepared for swords and the like rather than spells maybe.
I found this an enormously satisfying read. It was one of those books which took over Any spare minute or two and the decision was what shall I do - the answer was obvious... I am a fairly selective fantasy reader and can be quite fussy. However this was right up my street. While the style and ideas are not similar this book was in the same league as some from writers such as Hobb and Canavan. I would suggest that a lot of fantasy readers would enjoy this book and hopefully the whole series. I for one cannot wait for the next book.

Note - I received an advance digital copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair review
https://viewson.org.uk/fantasy/the-ra... ...more

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Jul 15, 2019 Jennifer (bunnyreads) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019, netgalley-gr-giveaways-and-winners, bingo-r-fantasy-2019

This one was an assorted bag of fabulous, and some odd, not quite sure how I feel about it stuff. It’s a slow building world that relies on the mc Richard, to tell the story through a combination of flashbacks- partly through sharing stories with his daughter Ana (who is mute for the most part), combined with present day events. Because I had mixed feelings towards Richard- he’s rather odd at times in his abruptness; it took me a good quarter of the book to warm to him and his story.

Richard hope ...more

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Jan 26, 2019 Ryan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Got to read an advanced copy. The best thing I can say about a book is that in its quietest and smallest moments, it still feels tense and rich and exciting. The Ragged Blade does this impressively, thanks in no small part to the author's gorgeous use of language--sentences that feel carved from marble. It is a quiet father-daughter story of survival set against the weight of a sprawling and epic magical and barren and dystopian medieval world closing in as a backdrop. The characters are believa ...more

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Jul 19, 2020 C.T. Phipps rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: grimdark, fantasy

4/5

THE RAGGED BLADE by Christopher Ruz is a dark fantasy novel that covers hundreds of miles of travel across a desert in search of a demon to kill the protagonist's former lover. If that intrigues you then you should probably pick this one up. The central protagonist is an obsessive antihero willing to kill, maim, lie, cheat, and blaspheme in order to protect his traumatized daughter. It's not quite grimdark but the main character's madness makes him darker than your typical protective father.

R 4/5

THE RAGGED BLADE by Christopher Ruz is a dark fantasy novel that covers hundreds of miles of travel across a desert in search of a demon to kill the protagonist's former lover. If that intrigues you then you should probably pick this one up. The central protagonist is an obsessive antihero willing to kill, maim, lie, cheat, and blaspheme in order to protect his traumatized daughter. It's not quite grimdark but the main character's madness makes him darker than your typical protective father.

Richard and his daughter Ana are on the run from the Magician who rules the kingdom they're fleeing. Richard helped the Magician, his lover, take over and is already a former assassin as well as traitor. He betrayed his king, his kingdom, his god, and comrades in order to place the Magician on the throne. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on who you ask, Richard was changed by fatherhood. Moved by a love for his daughter and guilt regarding his dead wife (Richard is a rare male bisexual protagonist), Richard kidnaps her and steals a sacred jewel that is the source of the Magician's power.

He then heads across a desert in search of a powerful demon that he believes will help him destroy the Magician. Along the way, he'll leave a trail of destruction and betrayal in his wake because the Magician is hunting him with his horrific magical construct called "The Culling." Richard doesn't care who is caught in the wake, though, because the only thing that matters is the safety of his daughter.

Richard's obsessiveness is both the strength and weakness of the book. He's clearly not playing with a full deck and justifies virtually every decision he makes on the basis of whether it will help him get closer to his goal or protect his daughter. Nothing else matters to him and he's fully willing to abandon entire cities to their destruction if it means success. Flashbacks show that he's already broken virtually every moral code imaginable so he has very little left to lose.

This makes him a nice contrast to the majority of fantasy heroes who are motivated by morality or naked greed. Unfortunately, it also hurts him because Richard is a bit static as a character. He's dedicated himself 100% to his goal and his monomania means that he doesn't really ever change. It also limits his ability to bond with other character since they're pretty much either friends or foes based on how they impact his quest.

I really enjoyed the side characters of the Kabbah and Priest of the Daughter actually. The Kabbah is a warlord who was living an enjoyable life until Richard effectively doomed him along with everyone he loved for simply passing through. The Priest of the Daughter is a scientist turned holy man who may have seen more hell than heaven. Nevertheless, I actually tend to side with him against Richard when the latter tries to project all manner of atrocities onto him.

I think fantasy readers looking for an epic road trip will be pleased by this book. The world that Christopher Ruz weaves around him is an interesting one that grows more expansive with each location they visit. This is the first book in a series and I should warn readers that it ends on a cliffhanger. ...more

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Jul 05, 2012 Will rated it it was amazing

As Century of Sand opens, we are presented with a chilling scene: a man, clutching the limp body of a young girl, escapes a castle by cover of night. Nothing is said about who he is or where he is going, but through the language of well-chosen details we sense the seriousness of his crime and the precious nature of his cargo. A glance back over his shoulder makes us feel his anxiety; we are in his shoes now, facing the guards ahead with feigned assurance, knowing that any break in our resolve wi As Century of Sand opens, we are presented with a chilling scene: a man, clutching the limp body of a young girl, escapes a castle by cover of night. Nothing is said about who he is or where he is going, but through the language of well-chosen details we sense the seriousness of his crime and the precious nature of his cargo. A glance back over his shoulder makes us feel his anxiety; we are in his shoes now, facing the guards ahead with feigned assurance, knowing that any break in our resolve will spell certain disaster.

And that’s just the first two paragraphs.

Century of Sand is nothing less than a triumph of well-crafted storytelling. It succeeds on several levels, boasting elegant prose, entertaining adventure, well-drawn characters and a consummately developed fantasy world.

The story follows a soldier named Richard, who has betrayed his regent, the Magician, and stolen two items of immeasurable value: a magical stone which may or may not contain the secret of eternal life, and his own daughter, a mute girl named Ana who was being raised in the Magician’s “care.” His goal is to return the stone to its place of origination: the Ant Tower, a colossal, demonically possessed termite mound deep in the desolate Meritran desert. Even in the best of times the journey would be impossibly perilous, but Richard has many additional complications to deal with: the Magician’s deadly forces on his tail, his daughter’s mysteriously distant nature, and his own flaws and foibles, some of which were responsible for leading him to such a desperate situation in the first place.

While all the major characters in Century are fleshed out and interesting, the real star of the show is the relationship between Richard and Ana. A major theme of the book is Richard’s failing as a parent, and Ana’s innocence (which works in contrast to the darker aspects of her nature) as a possible redemptive agent. Their relationship is subtle and touching, and develops nicely as the story progresses. I will avoid discussing some of my favorite scenes to prevent spoilers, but suffice to say Ruz does an excellent job communicating some of the horrible paradoxes of love and frustration that come with having a child.

According to Ruz’s website, Century of Sand took four years to write, and it shows. The prose is polished and honed, with barely an extraneous sentence or word to be found in its 400+ pages. If Ruz puts the same amount of shine on the next two books of his proposed trilogy, then readers will be in for a treat, once more of them discover this diamond in the desert wastes.

Rating: Five burnouse-covered demon hearts out of five. ...more

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Feb 19, 2014 Rick Cook rated it really liked it

It started out slow, but it just kept getting better and more involved the further it went. Slow burn, excellent delivery in the long run. Looking forward to the next in the series.

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May 19, 2020 Kirk rated it liked it · review of another edition

Good writer but very dark at times

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Mar 24, 2015 J.R. rated it really liked it

One look at the unique art styling of Century of Sand's cover was enough to intrigue me, by the first chapter of prose I was sold entirely.

It has become more commonplace of late for authors to unashamedly wear their influences on their sleeve, and Christopher Ruz is no exception, citing China Mieville and Gene Wolfe in the author's word after his tale is told. For those unfamiliar with either author, that means that you're not going to get a straightforward fantasy plot with a conventional narra ...more

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Aug 20, 2015 Nicole Field rated it really liked it

This book had me hooked from its first pages with Richard's charisma and his silent daughter Ana. Although it became clear very quickly that Richard was doing something he shouldn't be, and was shortly thereafter on the run, I found him an incredibly likeable character, for at least the first half of the movie.

When the story went on to give me a story within a story that involved a gay character named Parkin, I couldn't have been more happy. Stories within stories are one of my favourite tropes, ...more

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Aug 28, 2019 Jordan Puckridge rated it really liked it · review of another edition

A heartwarming story of fatherly love and sacrifice that shines brighter than the scorching sun of its fantasy setting.

At the core of The Ragged Blade's story is a question, "How far will a father go to save his daughter?" This question permeates the journey of Richard, the lead character and his daughter as they race to keep ahead of a vengeful ex-lover bent on bringing them back. Their journey takes them into the heart of an unforgiving desert in a world that is often as harsh as the rolling ...more

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May 26, 2019 Munch rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I was sent a arc of this book via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

3.5

Warnings: Violence and gore

I have opposing feelings about this book, it is part journey and part flashback of a journey. While I did enjoy it for the writing and characters I thought the plot was a bit slow in places. I liked the relationship between Richard and his daughter. His protectiveness but also not really knowing how to be a father to a small traumatised girl who he hasn't seen since she was a baby was a inte ...more

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Apr 16, 2012 Charlie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, adventure, 2012-favourites

This is not the type of fantasy novel I would normally read. Generally I prefer my fantasy to be set in forests, with plenty of pre-established back-story and characters who are determined to do `good', no matter the cost. Century of Sand is not that kind of fantasy. In some ways it is much, much better.

Like the desert in which it is set, this novel is dark, gritty and dangerous. The history of the characters and the world are slowly revealed in a spectacular way that keeps you wanting more, and ...more

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Oct 22, 2014 Hope rated it really liked it

Century of Sand is a remarkable journey. I was engrossed from the very start, but as I neared the end I hesitated. Even knowing that this is the first part of a trilogy, I was fearful for the characters. The closer I drew to the end of the book the more often I put it down and stepped away, fearful of what might befall Richard and Ana.

Ruz manages to create characters who are engaging and infuriating. He communicates the length of the journey without ever dragging the us through tedium. He also t ...more

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Aug 11, 2015 Stephanie Embry rated it liked it

The setting on this was fantastic. Definitely a nice step away from the ever present pseudo-Celtic fantasy. Richard and Ana were awesome, and the father-daughter dynamic was interesting.

Ruz kinda throws you into the action right away, with pretty much no explanation about what's happening. There's enough to keep the pages turning, but just a little more wouldn't hurt. The back stories start showing up a little later and more is revealed with time, but it was done in a way I found backwards--when ...more

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Jun 06, 2019 Juliet Kemp rated it really liked it · review of another edition

The worldbuilding of this epic fantasy novel is excellent -- the landscape, political setup, people, customs, all felt really believable and well-established. The characters and their struggles are also believable.

I found myself wincing at some of Richard's interactions with his daughter Ana, but it felt very believable that he might be struggling with how to be a father and how to accept his daughter as she is, given their circumstances and his history and guilt. It was portrayed very well, as ...more

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Jun 05, 2019 Rekka rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Darkness versus hope, a tension that keeps the pages turning.
Ruz has crafted a heartfelt story about a man with enough regrets to fill several lives, trying to do right by the one person he has left in a world overrun with threats in equal parts mundane and fantastic.

At every step toward what Richard hopes will be safety for himself and his daughter Ana, the environment, the peoples, even a pantheon of demons and gods seems to rise up to slow their escape from the possessive Magician who diverts ...more

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Aug 08, 2019 L rated it really liked it · review of another edition

A slow, but satisfying burn.

Ruz has created an intriguing world replete with supernatural oddities, and then populated this world with fully fleshed, real people; each with their own wants, desires, and fears.

The interspersion of the main character's backstory within the main plot provides readers with a holistic story free from tedious info-dumps, yet, I feel there is more backstory to tell in later books.

I will admit that the narrative was, at times, a little too slowly burning for my tastes, ...more

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Jun 17, 2019 Darryn rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: approved-netgalley

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley for an honest review.

This is a hard book to review because there were certain aspects that I really liked and others I didn't. The storytelling itself was good and kept me interested but there were a few times I felt it really lagged. Richard's character really annoyed me. I can't say I bonded with him. I wish the story would have gone into more details on Richards and the magicians relationship because I felt that was the most interesting part. The ...more

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May 25, 2015 Michael Pritchett rated it really liked it

A book about being chased across an forbidden and unfamiliar landscape. What was most interesting was the stories told within the story. The back story was interspersed throughout the book and I am was reading the main story mostly to uncover the back story.

As this is the start of a trilogy, it leave plenty of questions left unanswered to draw one into the next in the series, but it didn't end on a cliff. ...more

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Mar 30, 2020 Jac rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I really liked this. It was fascinating to travel with Richard and his daughter as they navigated a desert landscape riddled with danger and old memories. Nothing is certain and Richard, an ageing warrior steeped in sin, can trust no one as he struggles towards his goal—restoring a demon’s treasure and saving his daughter from the Magician who pursues them. It was brutal, heart-breaking, and vivid, and I’m looking forward to the next one.

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Oct 28, 2013 Mia Searles (The Muses Circle) rated it really liked it

3.5 out of 5 stars

REVIEW COMING SOON

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May 06, 2015 Ed rated it it was ok

It was hard to get into and care about the characters but towards the end, it started to pull me in.

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Jun 30, 2019 Jennifer Knechtmann rated it liked it · review of another edition

The main character bothered me. I get he had lots of regret, but he was willing to sacrifice everyone to make himself feel better. I found him and his daughter the least sympathetic characters.

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Oct 30, 2019 Nathan Dorey rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Review

The Ragged Blade is one of only a few fantasy stories that I have truly loved. I’m not normally a fan of second world fantasy - they never feel “real” enough for me, as if the worlds are only lightly sketched, and the characters a little too archetypal - but that was emphatically *not* the case with Christopher Ruz’s first traditionally-published title. I was honestly hooked from the first few pages, and now - a couple of days after finishing - it’s still sitting with me.

I won’t delve into Review

The Ragged Blade is one of only a few fantasy stories that I have truly loved. I’m not normally a fan of second world fantasy - they never feel “real” enough for me, as if the worlds are only lightly sketched, and the characters a little too archetypal - but that was emphatically *not* the case with Christopher Ruz’s first traditionally-published title. I was honestly hooked from the first few pages, and now - a couple of days after finishing - it’s still sitting with me.

I won’t delve into the story too much, as well-plotted and written as it is, but I’ll tell you how it made me feel - enthralled. The characters are complex and multifaceted, and inhabit a world as well-rounded as they are. The complexity isn’t front-loaded, though; it comes out as the tale unfolds, in flashback, story and almost-throwaway line, and for every resolved issue and answered question, the author introduces something even more intriguing. The world of The Ragged Blade is one I desperately want to know more about, from its ancient gods to its current politics.

The plot can feel a little bit... episodic, you could say, but it is a good thing; it’s a road trip, after all, and Ruz drives the protagonist ever onward - through creepy towns, nightmarish wastelands, and endless, trackless desert. For something I earlier labelled “slow burn”, it’s pretty damn fast! The author is as committed to the story as the protagonist is, and he doesn’t waste words. Every time the action slows, it’s to answer (or raise) another lingering question.

Finally, I want to end by returning to where is started - how this book made me feel. I can’t tell you how much I appreciated a character who *isn’t* a Conan or an Aragorn - Richard is a soldier, yes, but he’s going to seed. He’s full of regret for a life spent following an evil man. He’s got a daughter he doesn’t know how to parent, but his genuine tenderness with her melts your heart. He’s bisexual, but he’s not sex-crazed or promiscuous. He’s all shades of grey, in a world of greys, but this is no intentionally-edgy tale. It’s a story that feels *real* to me, and relatable, even if it’s in a world of alchemy and demons. I can not wait to return this world again, and see where Ruz takes us next. ...more

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Sep 03, 2019 E M rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

An epic low fantasy tale that explores the grey morality of its cast. Richard, the protagonist, is wonderfully fleshed out, with a history as complex and sordid as any living human being. Much of his past is laid bare throughout the book, contrasting against the antagonist—simply known as the Magician—who is shrouded in mystery. Knife-sharp, intelligent, and ruthless, he is just as interesting as Richard, if not more at times, as any scrap of information about him is given sparingly.

This is a sl ...more

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May 27, 2019 Jo Ladzinski rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: net-galley, friends

Read an eARC from NetGalley

If anyone is familiar with my reading/media tastes, then you know that Berserk is one of my favorite things. And if that tickles your fancy, definitely check this book out.

Richard and his daughter, Ana, are roaming the desert on the run from The Magician, Richard's ex-boyfriend who really wants a demon's heart for reasons. The way Ruz captures the loneliness of the desert is truly outstanding, even though Richard has the company of his daughter and his regrets. The int ...more

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Dec 12, 2019 Lynelle Williams rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Richard escapes a prison and flees through the desert with only his daughter and a head full of stories, pursued by his lover and a monster, searching for a demon.

Memories of loves lost, friends long gone, the people he fought for and feared and followed are constantly on Richard's mind, joined by new and uncertain allies along the way. These relationships form the backbone of the story, allowing themes of family, loss, and betrayal to emerge and develop. The story is told in part by Richard's r ...more

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Jul 05, 2019 Joscelyn Smith rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

One book in and I can already tell that I'm going to love this entire series. I was drawn in from the first chapter. The author really made these characters come alive, when Richard touches Ana's foot through the bars of his cell I could feel his pain. I'm already looking forward to reading more in this series. ...more

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Jun 19, 2019 Dawn rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I received this from the publisher via netgalley. I have to say I couldn’t put it down. You can’t help but empathise with the well portrayed main character .Richard is a hardened soldier trying to reclaim his connection with his estranged daughter . After the death of his wife he left her with someone he thought would be a better choice than himself but it turns out he was so wrong.
Steeped in a fantasy world which seems violent, barren and unforgiving we gradually find out more of Richard’s past ...more

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Jul 03, 2019 Chels marked it as considering · review of another edition

SFF 180 Mail Bag June 10

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About Christopher Ruz

Christopher Ruz

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Christopher "Ruz" Hayes-Kossmann was born in Hong Kong, raised in Vienna, and is now settled in Melbourne, Australia. Although he graduated in 2010 with a Bachelor of Industrial Design, his first love has always been writing.

He's been published by Weaponizer, Labyrinth Inhabitant's Magazine and Birdville Magazine, and has won both the first Ergofiction Search Term Challenge and the first Birdville ...more