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Bloodstained Skies: The Vanquisher of Kings I
After a bloody revolution, a royal warrior named Erilaz and his companions are exiled from their kingdom. They subsequently choose to hide on a distant planet, where they risk their lives every day. There are only three things that give him hope to carry his loyal friends, love for his land and the legend of a mysterious warrior and a clever The Chromed Emperor. One day he will return. Meanwhile, the king of his planet makes a single mistake that calls into question all his plans and hopes, leading him to become increasingly paranoid. His concerns are justified; however, there is a much worse danger than a band of local rebels.
193 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 17, 2023
7 people are currently reading
14 people want to read
About the author
Dagmar Rokita
5 books35 followersDagmar Rokita is a Polish writer and an artist. She writes and illustrates dark sci-fi series called "Bloodstained Skies". There are two things that inspire her: imaginary world of geek culture and the deepest corners of human psychology. Huge doses of heavy metal and history documentaries are her creative fuel. She wants to become a famous artist because she needs money to buy sophisticated food for her cat.
New mail:
d.rokita@mailfence.com
dagmar.rokita@skiff.com
New mail:
d.rokita@mailfence.com
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 7, 2023
Well, I wasn't planning to read any books this year. But lo and behold...I read one! And I finished it up to 100%, because it, and its author, Dagmar Rokita, have given me a fresh, new appreciation for indie authors, just like myself! :-)
And as a reward for Dagmar Rokita's willingness to provide me with her own free reading material, I am going to introduce an all-new book review-format, starting with her book, Bloodstained Skies: The Vanquisher of Kings I. This review-format will consist of the following portions...The setting(s), the plot, and last, but not least of all, the characters. Each portion of the review shall provide a score between 1 and 5, but be kept in brief paragraphs, while directly focusing on why the scores were given to each of the 3 portions which make up the book being reviewed by me. After this, a very brief summary will follow, along with a final score of the book in question.
So, after all this has been said, let's get right into the review!
...The Vanquisher of Kings I, like any good sci-fi story, has more than one setting contained within. And for a book which kicks off the start of what author Dagmar Rokita calls "dark sci-fi", this is one book which does **not** disappoint! Her worlds are vast, being full of diversity in terms of intelligent alien :alien: races, technology, settlements, and especially flora and fauna. Each one of these vital points which are essential to a successful world-building skill are described in detail, which does not go overboard. In addition, Dagmar offers a variety of scenic wildernesses, fully-developed alien civilizations, and even of the space beyond the main focus-world :map: of this 140-ish page novel. A definite good start and one deserving of a 5.
...When it comes down to the characters of this novel, The Vanquisher of Kings I is more than able to shine here, too! Each character has a name and a description which is remarkably similar to the ones I've been introducing within my own series! <--- This is *definitely* a good thing, because not only are the characters' names and physical descriptions detailed and believable, but so are their personalities! And as Miss Dagmar is of Polish heritage, this is also reflected in her characters, as well as the world she has created. However, I should actually be referring to the world as a *universe*, because this is what separates a successful sci-fi series from a not-so-successful one. And overall, Miss Dagmar has done an extraordinary job in the development of her characters! The dark sci-fi element shines especially bright here, due to her ability to describe how each of her characters are being physically, mentally, and emotionally affected by the world and its events around them. Certainly deserving of a #5 rating!
...And finally, the plot of The Vanquisher of Kings I ties into Miss Dagmar's characters nearly flawlessly. Its plot is full of many dark and unpredictable twists and turns, which are surely befitting of a dark sci-fi series. Descriptions of the characters thoughts, feelings, and actions include appropriate choices for words like "Whenever she took a breath, her nose and throat seared as if she was swallowing sulphuric acid. A few drops dripped from her nose." <---- This last sentence is especially nice, as it implies this girl is really beginning to **bleed out** sulphuric acid! A truly masterful writing skull er--skill! And especially considering how Miss Dagmar is only in her early 20s! Though there are a number of spelling and grammatical mishaps, those are few and far between enough to avoid being dropped off by a point: 5 goes to the plot, as well!
The only thing I didn't like was what I stumbled on while perusing Miss Dagmar's author-page to track my reading progress of her book better. On her blog is a real threat. A threat made against her by somebody, who seems to think they "control" Goodreads, and which "two pence indie-authors, who come and go" don't belong on Goodreads!! <---- The nerve of this moron and his big fat mouth! He didn't even follow up on the threat he made against Miss Dagmar Rokita! She was right in stating how he was merely trying to force her to abandon Goodreads by way of a pathetic little scare tactic. Well, it didn't work. The odds just weren't in his favor...XD!! And because I, myself am a self-published indie author, I feel as though other such authors, like my newfound friend and ally Dagmar, are well deserving of the same fame and recognition as the more popular mainstream authors are hogging up. And we're going to stay right here on Goodreads for the long run.
Final score of The Vanquisher of Kings: 5 stars ✨ for pure, seldom-heard-of talent, absolutely deserving of a prize! 🏆
And as a reward for Dagmar Rokita's willingness to provide me with her own free reading material, I am going to introduce an all-new book review-format, starting with her book, Bloodstained Skies: The Vanquisher of Kings I. This review-format will consist of the following portions...The setting(s), the plot, and last, but not least of all, the characters. Each portion of the review shall provide a score between 1 and 5, but be kept in brief paragraphs, while directly focusing on why the scores were given to each of the 3 portions which make up the book being reviewed by me. After this, a very brief summary will follow, along with a final score of the book in question.
So, after all this has been said, let's get right into the review!
...The Vanquisher of Kings I, like any good sci-fi story, has more than one setting contained within. And for a book which kicks off the start of what author Dagmar Rokita calls "dark sci-fi", this is one book which does **not** disappoint! Her worlds are vast, being full of diversity in terms of intelligent alien :alien: races, technology, settlements, and especially flora and fauna. Each one of these vital points which are essential to a successful world-building skill are described in detail, which does not go overboard. In addition, Dagmar offers a variety of scenic wildernesses, fully-developed alien civilizations, and even of the space beyond the main focus-world :map: of this 140-ish page novel. A definite good start and one deserving of a 5.
...When it comes down to the characters of this novel, The Vanquisher of Kings I is more than able to shine here, too! Each character has a name and a description which is remarkably similar to the ones I've been introducing within my own series! <--- This is *definitely* a good thing, because not only are the characters' names and physical descriptions detailed and believable, but so are their personalities! And as Miss Dagmar is of Polish heritage, this is also reflected in her characters, as well as the world she has created. However, I should actually be referring to the world as a *universe*, because this is what separates a successful sci-fi series from a not-so-successful one. And overall, Miss Dagmar has done an extraordinary job in the development of her characters! The dark sci-fi element shines especially bright here, due to her ability to describe how each of her characters are being physically, mentally, and emotionally affected by the world and its events around them. Certainly deserving of a #5 rating!
...And finally, the plot of The Vanquisher of Kings I ties into Miss Dagmar's characters nearly flawlessly. Its plot is full of many dark and unpredictable twists and turns, which are surely befitting of a dark sci-fi series. Descriptions of the characters thoughts, feelings, and actions include appropriate choices for words like "Whenever she took a breath, her nose and throat seared as if she was swallowing sulphuric acid. A few drops dripped from her nose." <---- This last sentence is especially nice, as it implies this girl is really beginning to **bleed out** sulphuric acid! A truly masterful writing skull er--skill! And especially considering how Miss Dagmar is only in her early 20s! Though there are a number of spelling and grammatical mishaps, those are few and far between enough to avoid being dropped off by a point: 5 goes to the plot, as well!
The only thing I didn't like was what I stumbled on while perusing Miss Dagmar's author-page to track my reading progress of her book better. On her blog is a real threat. A threat made against her by somebody, who seems to think they "control" Goodreads, and which "two pence indie-authors, who come and go" don't belong on Goodreads!! <---- The nerve of this moron and his big fat mouth! He didn't even follow up on the threat he made against Miss Dagmar Rokita! She was right in stating how he was merely trying to force her to abandon Goodreads by way of a pathetic little scare tactic. Well, it didn't work. The odds just weren't in his favor...XD!! And because I, myself am a self-published indie author, I feel as though other such authors, like my newfound friend and ally Dagmar, are well deserving of the same fame and recognition as the more popular mainstream authors are hogging up. And we're going to stay right here on Goodreads for the long run.
Final score of The Vanquisher of Kings: 5 stars ✨ for pure, seldom-heard-of talent, absolutely deserving of a prize! 🏆
September 7, 2023
Action and intrigue
The story revolves around a handful of warriors and their king. I won’t get into the details here, but there is a bit of political wrangling going on in the story. There was plenty of action but also a few slice-of-life scenes to help establish some of the characters. Unfortunately, the characters were a bit hard to track at times, so it was easy to lose the plot.
Despite feeling lost at times, it wasn’t hard to get back into the plot. Some of the characters were more memorable than others. I won’t give away the ending, but I thought it was well done and had a really focused message that I was not expecting but was delighted to find.
Action seems to be Dagmar’s strong point, but there were more contemplative scenes in this book compared to the previous book, “Core of Rage.” While there was some rather dark themes and scenes, it was nice to have some light imagery sprinkled in.
If you like combat action and palace intrigue, you’ll love this.
The story revolves around a handful of warriors and their king. I won’t get into the details here, but there is a bit of political wrangling going on in the story. There was plenty of action but also a few slice-of-life scenes to help establish some of the characters. Unfortunately, the characters were a bit hard to track at times, so it was easy to lose the plot.
Despite feeling lost at times, it wasn’t hard to get back into the plot. Some of the characters were more memorable than others. I won’t give away the ending, but I thought it was well done and had a really focused message that I was not expecting but was delighted to find.
Action seems to be Dagmar’s strong point, but there were more contemplative scenes in this book compared to the previous book, “Core of Rage.” While there was some rather dark themes and scenes, it was nice to have some light imagery sprinkled in.
If you like combat action and palace intrigue, you’ll love this.
October 8, 2023
Regicide never turns out well. It didn’t for MacBeth and like MacBeth, Invendir who has murdered Helvettian King Brymir, and assumed the throne, is plagued by paranoia. Ivendir correctly suspects Andvari, a Vardir (an elite military commander) of an attempt on his life. He wrongly suspects Vardirs Hefri and Erilaz who are in fact loyal, it is their sworn duty, after all, to protect the king. The mind can play tricks, especially a mind riddled with guilt.
Erilaz, Brymir’s adopted son, loved his father so much that he acquiesced to his father’s wishes to become Vardir when he longed for a career in diplomacy. Receiving his father’s praise was more important. His grief at his father’s death flings him into a Hamlet-like existential crisis. Late in the story, after Ivendir has Andvari, Hefri, and Erilaz arrested, Erilaz discovers Invendir has murdered his father and swears revenge. He finds a purpose in life again.
And Invendir is doing nothing but making himself miserable by suspecting everyone is plotting against him and by making enemies of former allies, the Moryans who, at the final meeting with Ivendir, hint that they could destroy Helvetto without breaking a sweat.
In this richly descriptive novel, Dagmar Rokita has created likeable characters, despicable characters, and flawed characters like Andvari who is a blend of good and bad and who unintentionally causes so much trouble for his friends Erilaz and Hefri that the trio is forced to flee Helvetto altogether.
There is plenty of action. Battles are described in blood-pumping, bone-crunching detail. However, I would have liked more setting. We're too close to the wounds inflicted, to the pain, to blood flowing, limbs bruised, broken and throbbing that it takes up so much of the foreground the background is obscured.
There are problems with the flow of the narrative, with wondering who is speaking at times, and with grammar, but the author is Polish. So, that may be due to faulty translation. I gave 5 stars because Dagmar is in her early twenties, and not only grasps motives, emotions, and the dynamics of power but writes fluidly and convincingly. Each character has a rich inner life and she has drawn identifiably unique characters.
Erilaz, Brymir’s adopted son, loved his father so much that he acquiesced to his father’s wishes to become Vardir when he longed for a career in diplomacy. Receiving his father’s praise was more important. His grief at his father’s death flings him into a Hamlet-like existential crisis. Late in the story, after Ivendir has Andvari, Hefri, and Erilaz arrested, Erilaz discovers Invendir has murdered his father and swears revenge. He finds a purpose in life again.
And Invendir is doing nothing but making himself miserable by suspecting everyone is plotting against him and by making enemies of former allies, the Moryans who, at the final meeting with Ivendir, hint that they could destroy Helvetto without breaking a sweat.
In this richly descriptive novel, Dagmar Rokita has created likeable characters, despicable characters, and flawed characters like Andvari who is a blend of good and bad and who unintentionally causes so much trouble for his friends Erilaz and Hefri that the trio is forced to flee Helvetto altogether.
There is plenty of action. Battles are described in blood-pumping, bone-crunching detail. However, I would have liked more setting. We're too close to the wounds inflicted, to the pain, to blood flowing, limbs bruised, broken and throbbing that it takes up so much of the foreground the background is obscured.
There are problems with the flow of the narrative, with wondering who is speaking at times, and with grammar, but the author is Polish. So, that may be due to faulty translation. I gave 5 stars because Dagmar is in her early twenties, and not only grasps motives, emotions, and the dynamics of power but writes fluidly and convincingly. Each character has a rich inner life and she has drawn identifiably unique characters.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews