What do you think?
Rate this book
Chaos Awakens #1
Servant of Steel
Having two of his fingers cut off at an early age hadn't done much to make Xandrith an agreeable fellow. Besides marking him as a pariah and having him shunned by even his own family, it had also hurt. A lot. Being stripped of a few of his fingers and cast out of the Order of Mages had left him bitter and angry, but if there was any consolation to be had it was that he was doing rather well in his new line of work. While perforating people for money might not have been the most noble of callings, it was quite lucrative. Well, it had been quite lucrative.
In a conspiracy of fate seemingly beyond his control, Xan soon finds himself facing a dilemma of conscience, and that isn't something he's familiar with. One dilemma leads to another, and before long the mage-turned-assassin finds himself performing more and more honorable deeds. Worse yet, without even attempting to do so he manages to acquire friends and to develop a sense of compassion.
As Xan struggles with his burgeoning humanity, a terrible darkness begins to wake in the world. The Order of Mages, once an overbearing power of control, seems to be losing its grip as a terrifying doom of their own creation rises in the north. As if that wasn't enough, the horror brought upon the world by the folly of the mages may only be the precursor to something far more sinister.
In a conspiracy of fate seemingly beyond his control, Xan soon finds himself facing a dilemma of conscience, and that isn't something he's familiar with. One dilemma leads to another, and before long the mage-turned-assassin finds himself performing more and more honorable deeds. Worse yet, without even attempting to do so he manages to acquire friends and to develop a sense of compassion.
As Xan struggles with his burgeoning humanity, a terrible darkness begins to wake in the world. The Order of Mages, once an overbearing power of control, seems to be losing its grip as a terrifying doom of their own creation rises in the north. As if that wasn't enough, the horror brought upon the world by the folly of the mages may only be the precursor to something far more sinister.
424 pages, ebook
First published April 23, 2013
12 people are currently reading
189 people want to read
About the author
Heath Pfaff
14 books63 followersHeath Pfaff is an author who lives in rural, western New York. He was born in a small town, and spent a good potion of his life growing up all over the world as part of a military family. He is married, and has armloads of cats and a dog named Eris.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
July 20, 2023
A promising, if confused, mishmash of fantasy plot elements and set-pieces with no resolution.
Pfaff's 2013 "Servant of Steel" FEELS very much like a first novel. It's not, but it definitely FEELS like it. Characters (and their backstories) are introduced with lightning speed leaving no room for interpretation or growth/development, dialogue is anachronistic as all get-out, and the main plot of the book remains unclear even at the end (having suffered from several bait-and-switches throughout).
We start with Xandrith reminding us of his exile from the Order of Mages as a young boy and having to become an assassin to survive. He is then offered a contract to kill his only friend from his time with the Order and....he does it (?) Not only does he kill her, he shows barely an ounce of remorse or thought about it. This happens in the first 20 or so pages. That would be fine if we knew about this character or had a reason to care -- but we don't. So Xan does some killing, but not before his friend/target gives him some brief exposition and a Maguffin to track down who wants to bring down the Order of Mages too.
Xan is eventually captured by said Order, but is broken out by a female City Guard Officer that also wants to bring down the Order. Ok fine. I'm ok with that. But Xan inexplicably forms a VERY tight brother/sister type relationship with her with nary a hint of development. But hey, let's make it a road-trip buddy fantasy quest story. I'm game.
So it's baffling when she becomes seriously injured and in his attempt to revive her, he turns her into some shambling zombie type creature who never speaks -- essentially deleted as a character. So THEN Xan finds ANOTHER female sidekick, this time a 14 year old orphaned girl, now THEY start in on their quest.
What is the quest you might ask? Hard to say. Xan has a "bonesteel" knife that is sentient (and likely evil) and talks to him and tries to corrupt him. There's talk of a race of banished beings that might be coming back, and are pissed. And there's also the weird incorporation of "mechana" -- i.e. steam-punky body horror elements.
There are random fight scenes and disjointed exposition dumps and the book....ends. I can't say I hated the book, because I still am not sure what I just read. There are lots of interesting elements that never get developed so it's a bit spastic. Let's see what volume 2 brings.
Pfaff's 2013 "Servant of Steel" FEELS very much like a first novel. It's not, but it definitely FEELS like it. Characters (and their backstories) are introduced with lightning speed leaving no room for interpretation or growth/development, dialogue is anachronistic as all get-out, and the main plot of the book remains unclear even at the end (having suffered from several bait-and-switches throughout).
We start with Xandrith reminding us of his exile from the Order of Mages as a young boy and having to become an assassin to survive. He is then offered a contract to kill his only friend from his time with the Order and....he does it (?) Not only does he kill her, he shows barely an ounce of remorse or thought about it. This happens in the first 20 or so pages. That would be fine if we knew about this character or had a reason to care -- but we don't. So Xan does some killing, but not before his friend/target gives him some brief exposition and a Maguffin to track down who wants to bring down the Order of Mages too.
Xan is eventually captured by said Order, but is broken out by a female City Guard Officer that also wants to bring down the Order. Ok fine. I'm ok with that. But Xan inexplicably forms a VERY tight brother/sister type relationship with her with nary a hint of development. But hey, let's make it a road-trip buddy fantasy quest story. I'm game.
So it's baffling when she becomes seriously injured and in his attempt to revive her, he turns her into some shambling zombie type creature who never speaks -- essentially deleted as a character. So THEN Xan finds ANOTHER female sidekick, this time a 14 year old orphaned girl, now THEY start in on their quest.
What is the quest you might ask? Hard to say. Xan has a "bonesteel" knife that is sentient (and likely evil) and talks to him and tries to corrupt him. There's talk of a race of banished beings that might be coming back, and are pissed. And there's also the weird incorporation of "mechana" -- i.e. steam-punky body horror elements.
There are random fight scenes and disjointed exposition dumps and the book....ends. I can't say I hated the book, because I still am not sure what I just read. There are lots of interesting elements that never get developed so it's a bit spastic. Let's see what volume 2 brings.
July 23, 2019
Will leave review at end of series, which is great, by the way!
October 27, 2019
Decent fantasy adventure that kept me more or less entertained but didn't really grab me. Some interesting concepts, but plot and characters felt kind of all over the place.
August 5, 2015
4.5 stars well deserved.
I admit it, I have a little weakness for those kind of main characters, but usually the majority of stories (99%) will find a way to repulse me through out the telling with the turn of event or the development or the interaction between the cast.
In this book, we discover Xan a professional assassin who's about to accomplish his last jobs before retirement, having amassed a good fortune and weary from his profession, Xan is a person with an etiquette, a sense of duty toward his line of work, he's also someone who doesn't open to anyone easily and even then he still remain half closed, envious and fascinated by bonds of friendship that eluded him his entire life,, until he meet someone that make him discover that particular warmth.
He is an interesting main, as an assassin with some remnant of humanity that still lingers in a pool of professional detachment, continuously questioning his own decisions, knowing well that they were never right but serve the purpose of his own survival.
I find this tormented personnage really to my liking, he exulde an experienced mind with a will that goes againt what tries to control him,
his past and present blend to make him rather hard to relate to but his attempt at turning the beast into a man and his kindness toward his friends make it possible.
Do you compare pain with pain ?
Even though our death bringer set out on a journey to deliver the world from its imminent end, as unoriginal as that may be, its still pleasant to read because it serve the greater purpose of developing interactions between half broken persons who has suffered and still starve for life harder than anyone else.
I recommend reading it of course.
I admit it, I have a little weakness for those kind of main characters, but usually the majority of stories (99%) will find a way to repulse me through out the telling with the turn of event or the development or the interaction between the cast.
In this book, we discover Xan a professional assassin who's about to accomplish his last jobs before retirement, having amassed a good fortune and weary from his profession, Xan is a person with an etiquette, a sense of duty toward his line of work, he's also someone who doesn't open to anyone easily and even then he still remain half closed, envious and fascinated by bonds of friendship that eluded him his entire life,, until he meet someone that make him discover that particular warmth.
He is an interesting main, as an assassin with some remnant of humanity that still lingers in a pool of professional detachment, continuously questioning his own decisions, knowing well that they were never right but serve the purpose of his own survival.
I find this tormented personnage really to my liking, he exulde an experienced mind with a will that goes againt what tries to control him,
his past and present blend to make him rather hard to relate to but his attempt at turning the beast into a man and his kindness toward his friends make it possible.
Do you compare pain with pain ?
Even though our death bringer set out on a journey to deliver the world from its imminent end, as unoriginal as that may be, its still pleasant to read because it serve the greater purpose of developing interactions between half broken persons who has suffered and still starve for life harder than anyone else.
I recommend reading it of course.
May 3, 2015
3.5
This is one of those books that is difficult to review, because I ended it thinking, 'what a great book,' but then thought way back to the beginning and realised how much terrane had been traversed between the beginning and the end. Suddenly the book felt gangly and somewhat unfocused.
It has some great characters. Xan has a dry, fatalistic (though he doesn't believe in fate) sense of humour that I really appreciated. In fact, it carried the book for me. The world-building is fairly rich and other than editing (which is honestly in need of a little more attention) the writing is pretty good. But the whole book is a series of tasks, set one on top of the other and, in the end, any attempted climax just felt like one more hill on a long journey. It tends to sap the tension out of a story.
Also, there are a couple questionable coincidences that, unless later explained to have been arranged, are beyond believable. So much, in fact, that even the book comments on how lucky one in particular is.
My final say is that the book is worth reading, though, and I'll be looking for the sequels.
This is one of those books that is difficult to review, because I ended it thinking, 'what a great book,' but then thought way back to the beginning and realised how much terrane had been traversed between the beginning and the end. Suddenly the book felt gangly and somewhat unfocused.
It has some great characters. Xan has a dry, fatalistic (though he doesn't believe in fate) sense of humour that I really appreciated. In fact, it carried the book for me. The world-building is fairly rich and other than editing (which is honestly in need of a little more attention) the writing is pretty good. But the whole book is a series of tasks, set one on top of the other and, in the end, any attempted climax just felt like one more hill on a long journey. It tends to sap the tension out of a story.
Also, there are a couple questionable coincidences that, unless later explained to have been arranged, are beyond believable. So much, in fact, that even the book comments on how lucky one in particular is.
My final say is that the book is worth reading, though, and I'll be looking for the sequels.
June 17, 2013
Servant of Steel is the first in a series, and it's a very promising start. The story follows Xandrith, an assassin and outcast mage, as he becomes entwined in the dark secrets that are quickly unravelling the world as he knows it. The author builds up a memorable world, well-fleshed out characters, and a really epic storyline.
I am not normally a fantasy fan, but Pfaff's books manage to avoid the horrible cliches of the genre and stand out as something refreshingly different. Servant of Steel is a dark fantasy, definitely, and if you prefer something lighter, it may not be your cup of tea. Adult themes are handled in the book and it is violent, but not tastelessly or gratuitously so. The book is well-paced, once of Pfaff's strengths, and will keep you page-turning.
The ending of the book sets up the excitement for the follow-up tremendously. I look forward to reading it!
I am not normally a fantasy fan, but Pfaff's books manage to avoid the horrible cliches of the genre and stand out as something refreshingly different. Servant of Steel is a dark fantasy, definitely, and if you prefer something lighter, it may not be your cup of tea. Adult themes are handled in the book and it is violent, but not tastelessly or gratuitously so. The book is well-paced, once of Pfaff's strengths, and will keep you page-turning.
The ending of the book sets up the excitement for the follow-up tremendously. I look forward to reading it!
December 8, 2015
Ok where to start?!? I can't as this book has left me in a tizzy, I need the next one.. Need as in now... Heath Pfaff has just wrote a master piece! A story that is a must read, set in a world that is believable. A tale that is intriguing and well thought out, you are left with an ending that is a beginning. The hero is real and dark but you love him and need him to win, along the way you are fed bread crumbs that must be followed. All in all a book I found hard to put down and even harder to finish as I didn't want it to end!!
March 31, 2016
Cast out of the Mage Guild at age 9 without being told why, Xand does what he must to survive--which leads him to becoming an assassin. Twenty years later a job pulls him back into their world where nothing is what it seems.
The writing is smooth and the characters believable. The plot is more creative than I expected. It's definitely a dark story, with violence and language appropriate for an assassin, but not lewd or gratuitous otherwise. Curious where this story will go in the next book.
The writing is smooth and the characters believable. The plot is more creative than I expected. It's definitely a dark story, with violence and language appropriate for an assassin, but not lewd or gratuitous otherwise. Curious where this story will go in the next book.
May 11, 2014
Wow! It's been a while since I've been so thoroughly gripped and engrossed by a book. The humor and wry philosophy were and engaging balance to the action and drama.
I enjoyed the pace of the tale and the character development was awesome. World building was excellent and well executed.
I hand out 5 star ratings rather sparingly but this one is unquestionably well deserved.
I enjoyed the pace of the tale and the character development was awesome. World building was excellent and well executed.
I hand out 5 star ratings rather sparingly but this one is unquestionably well deserved.
April 9, 2016
Picked two three vol. Audible sets by same author "Servant of Steel" being the first I've listened to. The main character Xandrith is not an agreeable fellow. Marking him as a pariah and shunned by even his own family, hurt. A lot. Being stripped of a few of his fingers and cast out of the Order of Mages now known as an Eight. Xan is now an assassin and goes on a world changing adventure.
July 14, 2014
WOW This was a great read. love the character hes so messed up and isn't the happy go lucky MC. nothing is given to him he has to work for it all. the story flows with out much over the top lengthy details of everything to add more pages to the book.
Heath keep up the great work
Heath keep up the great work
Want to read
January 19, 201519 January 2015: $0.00 FREE on Kindle
July 21, 2015
A really great book that is similar to The Hungering Saga. If you liked The Hungering Saga, read this book.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews