Cristo & The Eldritch Uprising

by Angus Bessai

A hero? That’s the dream of a fool, and Cristo has long since passed such foolish notions. Now the only time Cristo saves a person is when there is a clear reward, preferably in cold, hard gold. But when a simple bounty on a robber leads Cristo to become entangled with cultists, he gets far more than he bargained for, but at least the reward is good.

A wicked story of wit and ironic twists in this darkly humorous, RPG inspired novella.

214 pages, Paperback

Published September 5, 2023

Reviews

[Vic]

Besides a few typos, this is a fun book. Some people may not like when magic and adventuring is normalized to the point of there being laws, guilds, and fees for adventurers and such but if you're a fan of rpgs noticing those things is part of the fun.

[Fernando]

Cristo is not your run-of-the-mill dwarf. He smokes cigars instead of pipes and is not too fond of mining or living in caves. He is a bounty hunter, and a pretty tenacious one at that. When he teams up with Gale the elf to take down a ring of cultists and claim the reward, it’s the start of a bumpy ride full of hilarious moments, action, and a journey that ends with an unexpected prize.

I really enjoyed this book. It has great world-building and utilizes familiar tropes in new and amusing ways. Cristo’s personality as an always-angry hero with a good heart (it is somewhere in there, trust me) is a riot and feels very real and well crafted. Gale the elf, his sidekick for this adventure, has the right amount of being the voice of reason for the story, but it also feels very much alive and pursuing his own goals.

I felt this book could set up something much larger. The end is fulfilling and self-contained, yet it leaves enough space for a series that, hopefully for those of us that enjoyed the book, the author is already working on.

[Anna VanDem]

Angus Bessai's "Cristo & The Eldritch Uprising" combines dark humor, magic, and non-stop action right from the first page. The world is rich and sometimes surreal, yet not as dense as most fantasy novels, which I consider a plus because it accelerates the pace of the action. After all, it's inspired by an RPG and at times feels like a game.
Cristo, the cigar-smoking dwarf/bounty hunter, is the highlight of the story. His wit and humor, heavily laced with cursing, are not commonly found in many fantasy novels, which might be a downside for some. I don't mind it much, but even for me, it was a bit excessive. However, it does make Cristo's interactions complementary, especially with the elf Gale.
Overall, I really enjoyed "Cristo & The Eldritch Uprising" and am looking forward to more of Cristo's adventures.

[Aaron V]

Loved this novella! Diving deeper in RPGLit had me pick up this book, and this has some really nice subtle nods to the traditional fantasy elements, but gives a good gritty comedic twist to it. The story was well paced and the characters fit seamlessly into a world that is obviously well built. The relationships is where this book real shines. Each character is carefully made and their relationships are clear, driving the story forward.

If you like the concept of a gruff dwarf kicking arse pick uo this book

[Natasha]

Action Packed

The action in this book starts right away and doesn't stop. There is a lot of cursing which I don't mind, but other readers might. I did like Cristo, the main character, but would have liked more of his back story. All the building blocks of a really good tale are present, but I would have liked the whole thing to be more fleshed out. I liked the city, docks, boats, and Island setting. Overall it was a good book.

[Sasha V]

A balance of getting into the nitty gritty of things and having a ball! A lovable and gruff character that wins you over so easily (and earning that fair and square in the first chapter alone). Bessai has a style that is so easy to read without sacrificing details or connection: fans of fantasy, give this a whirl.

[Rebecca Fung]

I beta-read this story for the author. It is a well-paced story that will appeal to traditional fantasy lovers with a bawdy sense of humour who love action. It is very much a character-driven story and about friendship. The story is about enjoying the journey two, while sometimes a bit dirty, on the whole very likable, characters, make.

[Jordan]

Picked this up as a part of an ARC ad on twitter. Was a good easy read that I was able to polish of in one afternoon. Loved the characters and nods to traditional fantasy elements in their. Highly recommend.

[Jordan Leger]

This wasn't a bad book at all. A paid hired assassin, magical world of wonder, and else too boot. I thought it would have been darker. That's my type of read-dark, but this was very entertaining and it kept my mind off of the hustle of the holidays too.

[Grant Sellars]

Was lucky enough to get this as an ARC and loved it. A solid fantasy world that has a lot of depth and amazing characters. Cristo is an awesome character and would love to see more of this character.