What do you think?
Rate this book
The Orb of Chaos #1
No Rest for the Wicked
Soliere Forrester has a plan, and that plan is to get rich. However, the details of that plan are still a bit fuzzy. His latest scheme involves him and his best friend, Oather, venturing down into the dangerous ruins of Tyric Nor; where it is said there are riches beyond your dreams and death around every corner. His plan gets derailed when he bumps into an old friend, Serieve, who gets them swept away to another land. Suddenly, they are caught up in the middle of plot by the evil King Nicholas to assemble an ancient unholy artifact, The Orb of Chaos, that will enable him to destroy every living thing in the world.
Now, they must work with the other unfortunate souls who have been stranded there --an eccentric old wizard, an elf, a priest and a particularly irritating assassin named Andrea-- and stop Nicholas before he destroys everything they hold dear.
Sol knew he should have stayed in bed that morning, but alas, there’s just No Rest for the Wicked.
____________________________________________________________
No Rest for the Wicked is a light-hearted adventure that allows readers to quickly jump into a fast paced story and escape the real world (at least for a little while). It is aimed at teens and young adults but has been enjoyed by virtually all ages of those with a curious and adventurous spirit.
Now, they must work with the other unfortunate souls who have been stranded there --an eccentric old wizard, an elf, a priest and a particularly irritating assassin named Andrea-- and stop Nicholas before he destroys everything they hold dear.
Sol knew he should have stayed in bed that morning, but alas, there’s just No Rest for the Wicked.
____________________________________________________________
No Rest for the Wicked is a light-hearted adventure that allows readers to quickly jump into a fast paced story and escape the real world (at least for a little while). It is aimed at teens and young adults but has been enjoyed by virtually all ages of those with a curious and adventurous spirit.
- GenresScience Fiction
466 pages, Paperback
First published September 3, 2013
12 people are currently reading
480 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
November 9, 2014
Originally reviewed on LauraofLurking
Strong language: Some
Drugs: None
Violence: Yes
Sexual content: None
I received a copy of this novel in return for an unbiased review.
Set in a world that knows of magic, elves, wizards and monsters, this is a fun romping adventure with a group of eclectic characters who begin the story alone, but slowly work their way into one group to fight the greater evil before them. You have young men on their latest madcap scheme to get rich – or die trying; a wizard; an elf; a knight in training; a priest; and an assassin.
The book is split into short, pithy chapters, each one through a different point of view as these characters are introduced to us, seemingly going about their own business. Slowly the reader discovers the connections between these characters as they join forces, sometimes planned, sometimes by necessity. At first I found the repeated switching a bit disorienting, but there were soon fewer groups to keep track of and it ceased to be a problem.
Out of all the characters I feel the young man, Sol, is the leader of any group he is in. between him and his friend and shadow, Oather, they often take charge of people with more experience, making use of the natural chemistry Sol spreads. Oather feels like Sol's right hand, always there to agree, and do whatever Sol suggests, even if he internally disagrees, despite his much larger body-frame. He could almost be considered an extension of Sol in some scenes, just adding a backing vote to the latest madcap proposal. Nevertheless I liked the young man.
Then, of course, there are the bad side to consider. Nicolas, a demonic king who's mad to the bone has the adventurers trapped in a realm with him where the Gods have made it impossible for anybody to leave. Downtrodden and wary villagers meet the free, soon chasing them off after a slight misunderstanding causes the deaths of several. Nothing to worry about!
At first Nicolas has some of the characters held hostage for one reason or another. One character who really stood out was a young priest, Halistan, who is lucky enough to have a fabled healing article with him at the time of his kidnap. This really shows his emotional and moral stand as he heals other prisoners he can't even see for no discernable gain of his own.
Nicolas himself is a fascinating character, I was never sure how much of what he said was the truth, how much a lie, or how much he'd just convinced himself of over the years. I've read a vast amount of fantasy, science fiction and folklore, yet every time I thought I had him pinned for what he was and what he could do he'd surprise me yet again. He's many generations old, as are his few staff, adding a sense of time and more reason for his madness and desperation.
Despite all the differences, as Nicolas plays his trump card the group manage to pull together for one cause, even if they decided to do it in vastly different ways. You have minds from the realms of "I must do the lords work" and "it is my duty to protect one and all even when they are trying to kill me" to "well, as he's dead he won't mind me taking his jewellery and any other titbits"! some hold their cards close to their chests until the very end, leaving me surprised at where they stood.
Stylistically felt the writing would have benefitted from more tagging of speech so we knew who'd said what, and use of active voice during explanations to make them more engaging. On the other hand, I particularly liked the way humour and sarcasm were used to break up complex explanations and longer fight scenes.
I think this could be considered a light epic fantasy, it had the wide world and social hierarchy of the Hobbit without designating half a tree worth of paper to telling the history of a race we only meet briefly, or making my fingers itch for a dictionary of the places and characters in the world every couple of pages.
This book has a solid ending, I felt all the major plot points were covered with no urgent cliff hangers making me feel I have to rush out to buy another book to see how it ends. However, there were several parts that left the story open for continuation, not to mention the massive changes in the lives of several of the characters. I shall look forward to reading the sequel when it is out and returning to this world.
The 411
This was a great easy to read fantasy to get away from the world with. The eclectic groups of characters left me plenty to love and a few to love to hate! The writing moved at a good pace and was imaginative.
The ending left me satisfied, but room for more adventures in the world.
I give this novel a 4.5 adjusted to a 4 for reviewing sites.
Strong language: Some
Drugs: None
Violence: Yes
Sexual content: None
I received a copy of this novel in return for an unbiased review.
Set in a world that knows of magic, elves, wizards and monsters, this is a fun romping adventure with a group of eclectic characters who begin the story alone, but slowly work their way into one group to fight the greater evil before them. You have young men on their latest madcap scheme to get rich – or die trying; a wizard; an elf; a knight in training; a priest; and an assassin.
The book is split into short, pithy chapters, each one through a different point of view as these characters are introduced to us, seemingly going about their own business. Slowly the reader discovers the connections between these characters as they join forces, sometimes planned, sometimes by necessity. At first I found the repeated switching a bit disorienting, but there were soon fewer groups to keep track of and it ceased to be a problem.
Out of all the characters I feel the young man, Sol, is the leader of any group he is in. between him and his friend and shadow, Oather, they often take charge of people with more experience, making use of the natural chemistry Sol spreads. Oather feels like Sol's right hand, always there to agree, and do whatever Sol suggests, even if he internally disagrees, despite his much larger body-frame. He could almost be considered an extension of Sol in some scenes, just adding a backing vote to the latest madcap proposal. Nevertheless I liked the young man.
Then, of course, there are the bad side to consider. Nicolas, a demonic king who's mad to the bone has the adventurers trapped in a realm with him where the Gods have made it impossible for anybody to leave. Downtrodden and wary villagers meet the free, soon chasing them off after a slight misunderstanding causes the deaths of several. Nothing to worry about!
At first Nicolas has some of the characters held hostage for one reason or another. One character who really stood out was a young priest, Halistan, who is lucky enough to have a fabled healing article with him at the time of his kidnap. This really shows his emotional and moral stand as he heals other prisoners he can't even see for no discernable gain of his own.
Nicolas himself is a fascinating character, I was never sure how much of what he said was the truth, how much a lie, or how much he'd just convinced himself of over the years. I've read a vast amount of fantasy, science fiction and folklore, yet every time I thought I had him pinned for what he was and what he could do he'd surprise me yet again. He's many generations old, as are his few staff, adding a sense of time and more reason for his madness and desperation.
Despite all the differences, as Nicolas plays his trump card the group manage to pull together for one cause, even if they decided to do it in vastly different ways. You have minds from the realms of "I must do the lords work" and "it is my duty to protect one and all even when they are trying to kill me" to "well, as he's dead he won't mind me taking his jewellery and any other titbits"! some hold their cards close to their chests until the very end, leaving me surprised at where they stood.
Stylistically felt the writing would have benefitted from more tagging of speech so we knew who'd said what, and use of active voice during explanations to make them more engaging. On the other hand, I particularly liked the way humour and sarcasm were used to break up complex explanations and longer fight scenes.
I think this could be considered a light epic fantasy, it had the wide world and social hierarchy of the Hobbit without designating half a tree worth of paper to telling the history of a race we only meet briefly, or making my fingers itch for a dictionary of the places and characters in the world every couple of pages.
This book has a solid ending, I felt all the major plot points were covered with no urgent cliff hangers making me feel I have to rush out to buy another book to see how it ends. However, there were several parts that left the story open for continuation, not to mention the massive changes in the lives of several of the characters. I shall look forward to reading the sequel when it is out and returning to this world.
The 411
This was a great easy to read fantasy to get away from the world with. The eclectic groups of characters left me plenty to love and a few to love to hate! The writing moved at a good pace and was imaginative.
The ending left me satisfied, but room for more adventures in the world.
I give this novel a 4.5 adjusted to a 4 for reviewing sites.
March 9, 2014
The Orb of Chaos: No Rest for the Wicked is a fantasy-adventure novel written by M. Ray Allen published in late 2013. The first volume launches the character of Sol and six more unfortunate others whom struggle to find their way out of a cursed land ruled by an evil king turned demon, Nicholas. With the race of time between life and death, they all must work with each other and figure out how to destroy the orb before this totally gives the king an absolute power that defeats even that of the Gods’.
This book has totally kept its readers on the edge on every turn of its pages. Every elements of the story is well-written and unexpected twists of events never fade to come on the way. The development of the characters was brought out fantastically as well as the interconnections of their fates without even confusing the readers’ minds nor rambling the sequence of events. Humor, adventure, supernatural powers, and suspense were balanced all over the whole plot of the story. This novel’s undoubtfully deserving to be rated 10 out of 10, a really must-read, and suitable for any ages. Mind-bugging and definitely one of the best books to read this 2014!
This book has totally kept its readers on the edge on every turn of its pages. Every elements of the story is well-written and unexpected twists of events never fade to come on the way. The development of the characters was brought out fantastically as well as the interconnections of their fates without even confusing the readers’ minds nor rambling the sequence of events. Humor, adventure, supernatural powers, and suspense were balanced all over the whole plot of the story. This novel’s undoubtfully deserving to be rated 10 out of 10, a really must-read, and suitable for any ages. Mind-bugging and definitely one of the best books to read this 2014!
November 4, 2013
Amazing! Absolutely action-packed! I completely love this book! M Ray Allen's imagination is out-of-this-world stunning! I can't wait to get my hands on the next book in this series! I won an AUTOGRAPHED copy for free on Goodreads, and will cherish this book forever, reading it over and over!
September 21, 2015
A high fantasy novel that centers around several extremely interesting and unique characters on their quest to defeat an evil king and return to their homeland rated at FIVE STARS by the Schwartz Reviews.
Schwartz Synopsis
Sol loves ‘get rich quick’ schemes and drags his close friend Oather along on many of his dirty plans. His newest idea, to adventure into the ruins under Tyric that are abundant in riches, begins off according to plan. Until an old friend of Sol’s is determined to join their adventure. The selfish Sol reluctantly agrees and the three begin their journey. Though nothing is as it seems, and they are eventually met with an abundance of unique characters, who are all trapped in an unknown enchanted land. The evil king is their greatest threat and they must all work together if they are to see their homes again. Who will survive this battle for good against evil?
“Seriously, think about it,” Sol said again. He turned and grabbed Oather by the shoulders and looked him in his eyes. “If we did help these fools get back into the castle, they could attempt to stop the king, and that would at least create enough of a diversion to grab another chest or two of gold and head out.”
Schwartz Thoughts
Fantasy is one of my favourite genres. It is also one of the most difficult genres to write well. This was such a well-done book and when I learned of more books within this series, I was excited to grab them as well. The author did an amazing job writing this novel, the descriptions were well done, and the characters were very well developed.
One of the first character’s you meet within the pages is Sol. A young man, who is extremely selfish, but who is also hilarious. He had me laughing throughout the entire read with his selfish and devious plots. He was not the only character to play a role in this story, there were actually several others. As a reader, it felt somewhat overwhelming at first to have to learn of all these characters, but it was, eventually, very much worth the effort as they all play such important roles to the main storyline.
I am one of those readers who enjoy envisioning the story my own way. Which worked well with this novel as the author described the scenes perfectly, leaving just enough out that the reader can decide how to picture it. I also enjoyed that the pages were filled, that there did not appear to be any gaps in the storyline. Everything that was written played an integral part in the major conflict that was developed. Another great part was that no character went unused. Every character, even if they were mentioned only slightly, came back to play a larger role. It makes the reader feel as though the author planned the entire story thoroughly.
This novel played on several of my emotions. Obviously, as mentioned earlier, Sol had me laughing throughout the whole book. I have to admit that he was my favourite character. That being said, I fell for all of the main characters, they each were unique and brought something to the table and they were entertaining to read. When things went south, as they often did, the book had me worried for my beloved characters. When things went well, I was happily reading faster, enjoying each scene.
The novel starts at a steady pace, but it does pick up halfway through the read. In fact, it picks up so much that it becomes one of those ‘can’t put the book down’ books. I raced through the back half eager to find out what would happen next. The chapters were a little shorter than I would have liked but other than that, I found it to be an outstanding read with a very satisfying ending with great closure.
Halistan couldn’t help but wonder what Zaroth meant by that.
“The few unlucky individuals I’ve ever seen burned with hellfire died instantly. You’re very fortunate.”
“I don’t know if I’d see it that way,” Halistan replied.
“Well, if it makes you feel any better, eventually it will consume you and you’ll die.”
That definitely didn’t make Halistan feel any better.
Recommendation
Who wouldn’t I recommend this book to? It was such a great read! I would say that if you are looking for a high fantasy read, action packed, and steady-fast paced adventure… Then this is definitely a book for you. Check it out, I am sure it will not disappoint.
Schwartz Synopsis
Sol loves ‘get rich quick’ schemes and drags his close friend Oather along on many of his dirty plans. His newest idea, to adventure into the ruins under Tyric that are abundant in riches, begins off according to plan. Until an old friend of Sol’s is determined to join their adventure. The selfish Sol reluctantly agrees and the three begin their journey. Though nothing is as it seems, and they are eventually met with an abundance of unique characters, who are all trapped in an unknown enchanted land. The evil king is their greatest threat and they must all work together if they are to see their homes again. Who will survive this battle for good against evil?
“Seriously, think about it,” Sol said again. He turned and grabbed Oather by the shoulders and looked him in his eyes. “If we did help these fools get back into the castle, they could attempt to stop the king, and that would at least create enough of a diversion to grab another chest or two of gold and head out.”
Schwartz Thoughts
Fantasy is one of my favourite genres. It is also one of the most difficult genres to write well. This was such a well-done book and when I learned of more books within this series, I was excited to grab them as well. The author did an amazing job writing this novel, the descriptions were well done, and the characters were very well developed.
One of the first character’s you meet within the pages is Sol. A young man, who is extremely selfish, but who is also hilarious. He had me laughing throughout the entire read with his selfish and devious plots. He was not the only character to play a role in this story, there were actually several others. As a reader, it felt somewhat overwhelming at first to have to learn of all these characters, but it was, eventually, very much worth the effort as they all play such important roles to the main storyline.
I am one of those readers who enjoy envisioning the story my own way. Which worked well with this novel as the author described the scenes perfectly, leaving just enough out that the reader can decide how to picture it. I also enjoyed that the pages were filled, that there did not appear to be any gaps in the storyline. Everything that was written played an integral part in the major conflict that was developed. Another great part was that no character went unused. Every character, even if they were mentioned only slightly, came back to play a larger role. It makes the reader feel as though the author planned the entire story thoroughly.
This novel played on several of my emotions. Obviously, as mentioned earlier, Sol had me laughing throughout the whole book. I have to admit that he was my favourite character. That being said, I fell for all of the main characters, they each were unique and brought something to the table and they were entertaining to read. When things went south, as they often did, the book had me worried for my beloved characters. When things went well, I was happily reading faster, enjoying each scene.
The novel starts at a steady pace, but it does pick up halfway through the read. In fact, it picks up so much that it becomes one of those ‘can’t put the book down’ books. I raced through the back half eager to find out what would happen next. The chapters were a little shorter than I would have liked but other than that, I found it to be an outstanding read with a very satisfying ending with great closure.
Halistan couldn’t help but wonder what Zaroth meant by that.
“The few unlucky individuals I’ve ever seen burned with hellfire died instantly. You’re very fortunate.”
“I don’t know if I’d see it that way,” Halistan replied.
“Well, if it makes you feel any better, eventually it will consume you and you’ll die.”
That definitely didn’t make Halistan feel any better.
Recommendation
Who wouldn’t I recommend this book to? It was such a great read! I would say that if you are looking for a high fantasy read, action packed, and steady-fast paced adventure… Then this is definitely a book for you. Check it out, I am sure it will not disappoint.
November 20, 2014
I first read the Lord of the Rings in the original "unauthorized" US Ace editions ( the ones that really annoyed J.R.R. Tolkien and inspired him to write his famous note about courtesy to living authors in the early, authorized Ballantine versions of TLOR). It is ironic that the whole kerfuffle was sparked by Tolkien's belief that his epic fantasy would be harmed by appearing in:
“ ‘degenerate a form’ as the paperback book.'”
Ace's book were not pirated edition of the series BTW, as the interpretations of US law at the time seemed to support the position that Tolkien had mishandled his copyrights. (I'm not going to go into this as trying to explain copyright laws and IP licensing gives me the hives. I do have a friend whose legal specialty is IP and I notice that he seems to scratch himself a lot.)
While I don't think he ever appreciated it, those degenerate Ace editions spread Tolkien's fame far and wide among the beatniks, hipsters and flower people of the 50s, 60s and 70s. From there, the series moved up and out and eventually filled his and his family's coffers with enough loot to fill up a reasonably sized room in Smaug's Ereborian pied a terre.
Now, I know I'm going to catch a great deal of heat for this observation, but I think Tolkien overrated himself (I know, I know. I have a lot of nerve. How many mega-best seller have I written? But give me time). I don't think TLOR is great literature. I think it's a very good yarn and a stunning achievement in popular culture as is Dracula and The Wizard of Oz, two other books that don't quite scale the literary peaks high enough to reach that ultimate summit we call "literature."
Perhaps the problem lies in the character of Sauron. We never learn much about him or his personal motivations for wanting to conquer Middle-Earth. When we first “meet” him, he’s faceless and remains so for the length of the trilogy. I’ve always wondered why TLOR didn’t provide Sauron with a richer backstory. Tolkien was, after all, a master of creating detailed, three dimensional imaginary worlds. Perhaps something like the below would have helped:
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Mirkwood,
I’m writing you per our agreement to update you on Little Sauron’s progress at Middle-Earth Elementary School. While everyone is sure your son is a bright and inquisitive child, the current state of his peer interactions remains a concern (though, in his defence, many of the senior staff find Little Sauron enchanting and predict he has a bright future. Still, I must report on what I see).
For instance, today at Lunch Recess, your son attempted to transform several members of the First Grade into Uruk-hai, frightening several of his classmates terribly and even causing one little Elvish girl to wet herself. Little Sauron has also volunteered to take care of the class bunny, something that I initially thought was a hopeful sign, but now I am not so sure. When I went over to Bombadil to check on his well-being, I noticed his incisors were abnormally sharp and he nipped at me. Also, I do not believe bunnies normally salivate much.
Another issue has arisen that must be discussed. As you know, Middle-Earth Elementary School serves a diverse educational audience that includes Humans, Hobbits, Elves, Ents, etc. Recently, your son has taken to shouting out “Hey, Get Shorty” anytime he spies a Dwarvish child, behavior that does not contribute to the atmosphere of tolerance and community we constantly seek to build at this establishment.
On a more positive note, Little Sauron continues to show a positive flair for penmanship, though his practice note pads do have an unfortunate tendency to burst into flames when he has finished with them.
Sincerely,
Miss Fenmarch, Kindergarten Second Class, Middle-Earth Elementary School
I feel this adds a bit of depth and perspective to the story. Or maybe not.
Rest of post up at: http://www.rule-set.com/ricks-blog/to...
“ ‘degenerate a form’ as the paperback book.'”
Ace's book were not pirated edition of the series BTW, as the interpretations of US law at the time seemed to support the position that Tolkien had mishandled his copyrights. (I'm not going to go into this as trying to explain copyright laws and IP licensing gives me the hives. I do have a friend whose legal specialty is IP and I notice that he seems to scratch himself a lot.)
While I don't think he ever appreciated it, those degenerate Ace editions spread Tolkien's fame far and wide among the beatniks, hipsters and flower people of the 50s, 60s and 70s. From there, the series moved up and out and eventually filled his and his family's coffers with enough loot to fill up a reasonably sized room in Smaug's Ereborian pied a terre.
Now, I know I'm going to catch a great deal of heat for this observation, but I think Tolkien overrated himself (I know, I know. I have a lot of nerve. How many mega-best seller have I written? But give me time). I don't think TLOR is great literature. I think it's a very good yarn and a stunning achievement in popular culture as is Dracula and The Wizard of Oz, two other books that don't quite scale the literary peaks high enough to reach that ultimate summit we call "literature."
Perhaps the problem lies in the character of Sauron. We never learn much about him or his personal motivations for wanting to conquer Middle-Earth. When we first “meet” him, he’s faceless and remains so for the length of the trilogy. I’ve always wondered why TLOR didn’t provide Sauron with a richer backstory. Tolkien was, after all, a master of creating detailed, three dimensional imaginary worlds. Perhaps something like the below would have helped:
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Mirkwood,
I’m writing you per our agreement to update you on Little Sauron’s progress at Middle-Earth Elementary School. While everyone is sure your son is a bright and inquisitive child, the current state of his peer interactions remains a concern (though, in his defence, many of the senior staff find Little Sauron enchanting and predict he has a bright future. Still, I must report on what I see).
For instance, today at Lunch Recess, your son attempted to transform several members of the First Grade into Uruk-hai, frightening several of his classmates terribly and even causing one little Elvish girl to wet herself. Little Sauron has also volunteered to take care of the class bunny, something that I initially thought was a hopeful sign, but now I am not so sure. When I went over to Bombadil to check on his well-being, I noticed his incisors were abnormally sharp and he nipped at me. Also, I do not believe bunnies normally salivate much.
Another issue has arisen that must be discussed. As you know, Middle-Earth Elementary School serves a diverse educational audience that includes Humans, Hobbits, Elves, Ents, etc. Recently, your son has taken to shouting out “Hey, Get Shorty” anytime he spies a Dwarvish child, behavior that does not contribute to the atmosphere of tolerance and community we constantly seek to build at this establishment.
On a more positive note, Little Sauron continues to show a positive flair for penmanship, though his practice note pads do have an unfortunate tendency to burst into flames when he has finished with them.
Sincerely,
Miss Fenmarch, Kindergarten Second Class, Middle-Earth Elementary School
I feel this adds a bit of depth and perspective to the story. Or maybe not.
Rest of post up at: http://www.rule-set.com/ricks-blog/to...
July 12, 2015
Sol and Oather have plans to get rich exploring the ruins under their city. Everyone knows there is treasure to be found there, if you survive the monsters. They are joined by a noble friend of Sol's. In their explorations they rescue a wizard and an elf, but are trapped in a faraway land ruled by a cursed man named Nicholas. A young acolytes and a lady assassin are also trapped. The only way to escape is to kill Nicholas, only the curse he is under makes him unkillable.
I enjoyed reading this adventure, the characters are the usual motley group of quest books, but they have enough quirks to make them more than just the standard crew. I would like to see Sol's character get a little more depth, but as this is the first in a series, there is time for that.
The book is complete on its own, which is a bonus in this age of cliffhanger endings, but the foundations of future books are well laid. I like to see an author demonstrating their ability to write a solid ending before asking the reader to invest themselves in a long series.
This is a well crafted and fun read. I would recommend it to readers of adventure fantasy.
You can buy the book here.
I enjoyed reading this adventure, the characters are the usual motley group of quest books, but they have enough quirks to make them more than just the standard crew. I would like to see Sol's character get a little more depth, but as this is the first in a series, there is time for that.
The book is complete on its own, which is a bonus in this age of cliffhanger endings, but the foundations of future books are well laid. I like to see an author demonstrating their ability to write a solid ending before asking the reader to invest themselves in a long series.
This is a well crafted and fun read. I would recommend it to readers of adventure fantasy.
You can buy the book here.
November 17, 2014
If you're looking for great adventure, fantasy novel, thats filled with action and excitement then THIS IS IT!!!. Once your start reading it, it's hard to put it down. The plots in the story are well written and don't leave you hanging. The author writing makes it easy to imagine the scenes and relate to the characters. There story is filled with humor, sarcasm , bravery, revenge, respect, duty and lots more. I'd highly recommend this to Fantasy/ fiction novel readers. This book can turn heads to even non-fanstasy readers...Believe Me!
May 13, 2018
For one thing, the character of Sol was too obnoxious for words. Too much padding, also.
January 22, 2023
Sol and his friend Oather make plans to get rich quick, and Sol plans for them to enter the ruins of Tyric-Nor however before departure Sol meets an old friend Serieve, who decides he wants to join them on their quest as he too was out to make some money. The ruins are a labyrinth of dangerous tunnels full of monsters but Serieve said he'd bought a map to show them where there were traps, and he ends up taking the trio into another land. This land is ruled by the evil king Nicholas who was under a curse by the gods and who was trying to re-build the orb of chaos to get vengeance on the whole world. Whilst in this cursed world from which no one could ever leave our friends meet up with an elf, a wizard, a priest and an assassin and together they do their best to defeat Nicholas and try to break the curse. This massive adventure story is full of sword and sorcery, demons and monsters, betrayals, heroism, as well as friendship, humour and a really grimdark feel to the tale. I simply loved it and would love to continue reading more of the adventures of Sol and Oather.
December 9, 2021
Great interplay between characters
I thought the story was great but the best thing is how the characters all interact amongst one another. Its so real and well done.
I thought the story was great but the best thing is how the characters all interact amongst one another. Its so real and well done.
September 17, 2013
I must admit that fantasy is not my typical genre of choice. Upon the recommendation of a friend, I decided to give this book a chance. I quickly became so enraptured by this fast-moving adventure book that I found myself carrying the book around the house as I tried to accomplish everyday tasks while continuing to read.
As a female, I identified with the character Andrea and her strength, but the most enjoyable aspect of the book was the interplay between the diverse characters working together to defeat Nicholas. The banter among the characters reminded me of my own diverse friends and our ability to simultaneously respect and tease one another.
My only disappointment is that it had to end and I must wait for the author to release book two in the series. I highly recommend this book for adults, even though the description says the target audience is teen readers. Anyone can appreciate the struggle to overcome adversity and the power of friendship and courage in facing challenges in life. Thanks to M. Ray Allen, I have been introduced to a new genre which I previously ignored.
As a female, I identified with the character Andrea and her strength, but the most enjoyable aspect of the book was the interplay between the diverse characters working together to defeat Nicholas. The banter among the characters reminded me of my own diverse friends and our ability to simultaneously respect and tease one another.
My only disappointment is that it had to end and I must wait for the author to release book two in the series. I highly recommend this book for adults, even though the description says the target audience is teen readers. Anyone can appreciate the struggle to overcome adversity and the power of friendship and courage in facing challenges in life. Thanks to M. Ray Allen, I have been introduced to a new genre which I previously ignored.
April 12, 2016
I received a promotional copy of this book through Goodreads Giveaways.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews