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Into The Abyss
(Demons of Astlan #1)
by
Turns out: "The Demon Weed" really is a Gateway Drug!
Who knew?
Tom Perkinje certainly didn't. He had never smoked anything in his life, but as the new kid in town trying to make friends, he'd gone to a party and had foolishly let his new buddy Reggie talk him into trying a joint that he'd picked up from a new dealer.
Before he knew it, Tom was having a seriously bad trip; ...more
Who knew?
Tom Perkinje certainly didn't. He had never smoked anything in his life, but as the new kid in town trying to make friends, he'd gone to a party and had foolishly let his new buddy Reggie talk him into trying a joint that he'd picked up from a new dealer.
Before he knew it, Tom was having a seriously bad trip; ...more
Kindle Edition, 522 pages
Published
March 29th 2014
by Council of Wizardry
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J.L. Langland
Sorry, missed this completely. Audio for I and II are out now. Book III audio coming end of summer.
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Start your review of Into The Abyss (Demons of Astlan, #1)

This was an enjoyable coming of age fantasy that lived up to the promise of its super fun sounding blurb. This was set in a fun fantasy world and was a character driven story packed with action, humor, and great characters.
The story was fun. In a attempt to seem cool and fit in with the crowd 16 year old Tom Perkinje decides to try a joint offered to him by his new friend Reggie. Big mistake as it turns out the new weed really is a gateway drug. A gateway straight to the Abyss! The new drug cau ...more
The story was fun. In a attempt to seem cool and fit in with the crowd 16 year old Tom Perkinje decides to try a joint offered to him by his new friend Reggie. Big mistake as it turns out the new weed really is a gateway drug. A gateway straight to the Abyss! The new drug cau ...more

Great Story
Despite the many typos this is one of the best books I've read for some time now in terms of story and characters. It would be good to see some romance in the next book, but this was thoroughly entertaining and very fast paced. There was a good combination of humour and more serious elements. The characters were interesting and well thought through.
All in all I would definitely recommend reading this book and I am eagerly awaiting the next book. ...more
Despite the many typos this is one of the best books I've read for some time now in terms of story and characters. It would be good to see some romance in the next book, but this was thoroughly entertaining and very fast paced. There was a good combination of humour and more serious elements. The characters were interesting and well thought through.
All in all I would definitely recommend reading this book and I am eagerly awaiting the next book. ...more

I have to admit, there was a point at which I was considering dropping the book. It was one specific part where I felt like the protagonist had just chosen to make a huge mistake about something (no spoilers here so don't bother) and he absolutely knew it would come back to bite him. It came at a bad time, I prefer a bit of a romantic interest in books I read and this book has very little in that regard (nearly non-existent).
But then I sort of pushed through it, I dislike leaving a book behind, ...more
But then I sort of pushed through it, I dislike leaving a book behind, ...more

Into the Abyss by J.L. Langland
I pulled this book from a recommendation thread on r/Fantasy, and the premise was entertaining. Tom, a normal boy in our world, goes to a party and gets summoned into another world–as a powerful demon. Tom’s soul is effectively ripped from him, he dies, and he’s bound as a demon slave in Astlan. Being a powerful demon yet a slave is a contradiction, and this story is riddled with uncomfortable moments for Tom while he comes to terms with not being human (yet still ...more
I pulled this book from a recommendation thread on r/Fantasy, and the premise was entertaining. Tom, a normal boy in our world, goes to a party and gets summoned into another world–as a powerful demon. Tom’s soul is effectively ripped from him, he dies, and he’s bound as a demon slave in Astlan. Being a powerful demon yet a slave is a contradiction, and this story is riddled with uncomfortable moments for Tom while he comes to terms with not being human (yet still ...more

Wow this book was amazing. Definitely one of the best purchases I've made.
Note: MC is 16 yo. and while YA can read it, it really seemed set up for an adult/new adult demographic (which I think allowed the author to write a better story). ...more
Note: MC is 16 yo. and while YA can read it, it really seemed set up for an adult/new adult demographic (which I think allowed the author to write a better story). ...more

The positives in this story are almost as frequent as the negatives. The story has a few plot holes, a few two-dimensional characters, and a tonne of useless exposition that does nothing other than make you read mountains of boring information that is completely useless to the reader. The story has an absolutely terrible beginning that will scare away most readers at the first chapter. Finally, the protagonist is probably one of the worst parts of the whole story.
There's one plot hole at the st ...more
There's one plot hole at the st ...more

Not awful, just boring.
Issues;
Our protagonist is a little too caught up in emotional turmoil for me. He's also strangely uninterested in females which is a bit weird for a 16 year old male.
The other characters all seem quite one dimensional and some are incredibly dim. a good example is the female support. she seems incapable of thinking past her prejudice despite consistent exposure to opposing evidence. this is especially strange as she is a wizard which involves some fairly complex theoretica ...more
Issues;
Our protagonist is a little too caught up in emotional turmoil for me. He's also strangely uninterested in females which is a bit weird for a 16 year old male.
The other characters all seem quite one dimensional and some are incredibly dim. a good example is the female support. she seems incapable of thinking past her prejudice despite consistent exposure to opposing evidence. this is especially strange as she is a wizard which involves some fairly complex theoretica ...more

This book hits my fancy in many ways. A really fun read with lots of humor and silly things but still have those serious weighty and memorable stuff. The characters especially our protagonist, Tom, are solid and you could sympathize. I had read it almost non-stop.
The premise is quite unusual (and what attracts me in the first place) and we are given a story that is just as unusual. From the beginning we have a disparity of Tom being an ordinary boy and Tom being a powerful demon. This disparity ...more
The premise is quite unusual (and what attracts me in the first place) and we are given a story that is just as unusual. From the beginning we have a disparity of Tom being an ordinary boy and Tom being a powerful demon. This disparity ...more

This book is pretty damn good. The whole start to finish was on point. It's on of those taken to another world type stories, but it's told from the viewpoint of the unwilling demon. It's interesting to see how they think and the way things play out. The "REAL" reason demons are so evil and etc. That and the story has plenty of colorful characters all throughout the book. Nobody is really evil, but there are set biases that need to be overcome. The end of book one sets up one hell of a whopper fo
...more

A very fresh and well thought out approach with a very interesting world. I love the comedy, but it was also a very exciting story and I can't wait for the next book. Of course that's partly because it ends on a huge cliff hanger.
...more

Rating 4.0 stars
This is a hard review to write because I have conflicting emotions. There are aspects of this book that I thought were awesome. There are other aspects of the story that I absolutely hated. Most books are either good or bad, I am having a hard time reconciling one book being both great and terrible at the same time.
The story mainly follows Tom, a 16 year old who just moved to a different town. In order to make friends he went to a party and tried a joint for the first time. So ...more
This is a hard review to write because I have conflicting emotions. There are aspects of this book that I thought were awesome. There are other aspects of the story that I absolutely hated. Most books are either good or bad, I am having a hard time reconciling one book being both great and terrible at the same time.
The story mainly follows Tom, a 16 year old who just moved to a different town. In order to make friends he went to a party and tried a joint for the first time. So ...more

I just blew through the first three books of this series so I'm giving them all the same review.
These books are worth reading, but they have one big flaw. They don't tell stories. When I finished book one I was a bit confused- the book was long enough that it was time for the book to end. Then I realized the author didn't resolve any story lines. It felt a little like there was some resolution because the book ended after a big fight but a moment's reflection reveals that the outcome of that fi ...more
These books are worth reading, but they have one big flaw. They don't tell stories. When I finished book one I was a bit confused- the book was long enough that it was time for the book to end. Then I realized the author didn't resolve any story lines. It felt a little like there was some resolution because the book ended after a big fight but a moment's reflection reveals that the outcome of that fi ...more

This book could have been terrific. It had a good concept, the author had a good start, he could have made a good fantasy seller. But he screwed up on the editing.
The problem with this book is it's length. I don't see how people can keep stuffing up the simple fact that just because you stuff a lot of pages together they think it makes for a more enjoyable book. It does not work that way Langland.
One main problem is that Langland is constantly repeating the same scene multiple times from several ...more
The problem with this book is it's length. I don't see how people can keep stuffing up the simple fact that just because you stuff a lot of pages together they think it makes for a more enjoyable book. It does not work that way Langland.
One main problem is that Langland is constantly repeating the same scene multiple times from several ...more

Love it! I can't tell you how many times I have read and reared these trees books, waiting for next instalment!
...more

Full disclaimer I only read half-way through before I lost intrest. I wanted to finish it, if only so I could add it to my reading challenge, but sunk cost only goes so far. This book suffers from death by a thousand cuts with a lot of little things that add up for me. Also, mild spoilers ahoy.
My biggest little problem with this book, which maybe it gets explained in the later half, is that nobody in Astlan is aware of where demons come from, or atleast aware of the story they tell. You'd think ...more
My biggest little problem with this book, which maybe it gets explained in the later half, is that nobody in Astlan is aware of where demons come from, or atleast aware of the story they tell. You'd think ...more

A demon named Tom
This one has an interesting twist on an old idea, what if Demons were actually people just ones from a different plane. their souls got twist not by evil or torture in hell but by what they thought demons should look and act like and had this conformed by the thoughts of those around them.
One such case is our MC who is a 16 year old kid that got high on a bad patch of weed and died.
The book is action filled with an interesting perspective on things, is it the demon that is bad ...more
This one has an interesting twist on an old idea, what if Demons were actually people just ones from a different plane. their souls got twist not by evil or torture in hell but by what they thought demons should look and act like and had this conformed by the thoughts of those around them.
One such case is our MC who is a 16 year old kid that got high on a bad patch of weed and died.
The book is action filled with an interesting perspective on things, is it the demon that is bad ...more

Amazing just amazing standing ovation!!! This is a solid 5 star book it was a great first installment. This book had it all. A lot of world building while simultaneously, being packed with action without sacrificing any of the plot development.
I cannot remember the last time I saw book this good with these elements in it. It has demons, it has angels, it has pipe smoking crazy demons. It has several Laughing out loud moments where you can't help yourself. It has such an amazing narrative and pl ...more
I cannot remember the last time I saw book this good with these elements in it. It has demons, it has angels, it has pipe smoking crazy demons. It has several Laughing out loud moments where you can't help yourself. It has such an amazing narrative and pl ...more

I was surprised... This was actually quite good fantasy.
The premise seemed cheesy, and the start of the story a bit boring, but after a while I was smiling and enjoying it a lot. The turning point for me was when the protagonist is summoned by the priest, I was laughing out loud. Action and mystery also started to really become interesting.
There are a lot of clues (Heward ?!) hinting at what will happen in the following sequels, a bit too obvious to me but I will gladly buy the second in the ser ...more
The premise seemed cheesy, and the start of the story a bit boring, but after a while I was smiling and enjoying it a lot. The turning point for me was when the protagonist is summoned by the priest, I was laughing out loud. Action and mystery also started to really become interesting.
There are a lot of clues (Heward ?!) hinting at what will happen in the following sequels, a bit too obvious to me but I will gladly buy the second in the ser ...more

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Amazing book -- I can't wait for the next one!
The author has created a wonderfully detailed universe here. it was too much detail to take in on the first read. The characters were well fleshed out, the different magical elements well described. I was on pins and needles reading the final scene! All and all, I highly recommend this.
...more
The author has created a wonderfully detailed universe here. it was too much detail to take in on the first read. The characters were well fleshed out, the different magical elements well described. I was on pins and needles reading the final scene! All and all, I highly recommend this.
...more

Well written and quite enjoyable. Some of the characters were a bit too stereotypical for my own preferences, and the ending left me feeling a bit disappointed - I want some closure, but I'm not willing to read another book in the series just to get it. As much as I liked the book, it wasn't a perfect fit for me and I don't plan to continue the series despite it being quite promising :)
...more

Great book, loved the protagonist, and even more the world thats its builded in it, a lot of interesting characters and a dynamic adventure. Is great how the author is preparing our protagonist for big things in the future. The best thing on this book is how complete the world feels, the diferent species their dinamics and relationships even the celestials and Gods.

This definitely did not disappoint. When I see that a book has such a crazy/funny/unique sounding premise the execution isn't always as great as I would hope. My second worry was that it would get whiny, but it certainly did not. It was funny, and seemed to move quickly. There were enough twists to keep things interesting and characters were likable.
...more

Really enjoyable and fresh approach aimed at adults despite the lack of romance. Perhaps we'll see some romance in the next book. Comedy moments were great and often achieveded through misunderstandings. Looking forward to the next book. Hope it is soon!
...more

I really enjoyed this book. A very funny and interesting read

500 pages is a great sacrifice to give .the story it self can't be taken seriously with shallow and weak writing .it becomes impossible to continue
stopped at page 100 ...more
stopped at page 100 ...more

Utter trash.
Full of "Deus ex machina" moments, characters whose description constantly conflicts with their actions" and incredible stupid actions from these characters. ...more
Full of "Deus ex machina" moments, characters whose description constantly conflicts with their actions" and incredible stupid actions from these characters. ...more
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J. L. Langland has been obsessed with science fiction and fantasy since Junior High. Upon hearing the job description "High Energy Astrophysicist" in 8th Grade Physical Science, he set out to become one. His express goal to develop trans-warp capability, patent it, license patent rights, make money, build spaceship, go to the stars.
OK, well, he got a B.S. in Astrophysics, then his M.S. and Ph.D. i ...more
OK, well, he got a B.S. in Astrophysics, then his M.S. and Ph.D. i ...more
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Demons of Astlan
(4 books)
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