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Outcasts of the Worlds #1
Outcasts of the Worlds
Beyond the remnants of Earth lie many worlds, connected by pathways forgotten and invisible. They were left by the gods and have been found by Flynn.
A confidence man. A liar. A monster. Flynn has seen himself for what he really is and has resolved to pay for everything. Even if it means spending the rest of his days locked in Civilis, a tower prison for society's unwanted - "half-humans" gifted by the fallout of nuclear holocaust centuries past.
Jean, a prisoner in the neighboring cell, has different ideas and despite himself, Flynn finds himself joining her daring escape. After rescuing her friend Mack, the three flee Civilis as Flynn pieces together the hours before his capture and finds himself drawn to an abandoned facility where a rift to another world opens at his nearing.
Together they will venture farther beyond the stars than humanity ever imagined, find others like them that will never belong, and tangle with forces both ancient and immortal. They stand alone, hated and scorned - and the last hope of making things right in a cosmos gone terribly wrong.
A confidence man. A liar. A monster. Flynn has seen himself for what he really is and has resolved to pay for everything. Even if it means spending the rest of his days locked in Civilis, a tower prison for society's unwanted - "half-humans" gifted by the fallout of nuclear holocaust centuries past.
Jean, a prisoner in the neighboring cell, has different ideas and despite himself, Flynn finds himself joining her daring escape. After rescuing her friend Mack, the three flee Civilis as Flynn pieces together the hours before his capture and finds himself drawn to an abandoned facility where a rift to another world opens at his nearing.
Together they will venture farther beyond the stars than humanity ever imagined, find others like them that will never belong, and tangle with forces both ancient and immortal. They stand alone, hated and scorned - and the last hope of making things right in a cosmos gone terribly wrong.
- GenresFantasyScience Fiction
446 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2014
About the author
Lucas Aubrey Paynter
3 books99 followersLucas Aubrey Paynter holds a Creative Writing degree from California State University Northridge—which looks really good when one talks about how they want to write for a living. A fan of engaging storytelling in any medium, he spent years developing the worlds, characters and conflicts that Flynn and his company encounter, before settling at his desk and writing Outcasts of the Worlds, the first part of a much larger tale to come.
Currently residing with his wife in Burbank, California, Lucas enjoys reading in a variety of formats, potentially overanalyzing character motivations and arcs, and the occasional good, stiff drink.
Currently residing with his wife in Burbank, California, Lucas enjoys reading in a variety of formats, potentially overanalyzing character motivations and arcs, and the occasional good, stiff drink.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
November 25, 2014
Book Review originally published here: http://www.iheartreading.net/book-tou...
One of the Amazon reviewers compared this book to Steven Erikson’s “Malazan” books, and I couldn’t agree more. Outcasts of the Worlds holds the promise of something epic, of something extraordinary, providing a great balance between excellent plot and characters.
We followed different characters on different worlds, and based on the premise I thought this would complicate things, but actually it works rather well. Flynn was my favorite character. He’s struggling with so many things at once – coming to terms with his past, daring to face his future, his quest about his inner self to find out the man he chooses to be, all that makes him one of the most intriguing characters I’ve ever come across. The other host of characters we’re introduced to are interesting too, but they don’t reach the level of intrigue Flynn does.
The author does manage to introduce all characters in an unique way, not “seemingly at random”, but instead it all makes sense in the greater plot. The world-building is spot on as well, allowing the author to explore additional worlds in the next book in the series, and yet providing enough background setting to be believable.
The writing was enjoyable overall, and especially during the action scenes, it was top-notch.
I would recommend this book to all fans of science-fiction and fantasy. If you like solid world building and interesting characters, you’ll enjoy this one.
One of the Amazon reviewers compared this book to Steven Erikson’s “Malazan” books, and I couldn’t agree more. Outcasts of the Worlds holds the promise of something epic, of something extraordinary, providing a great balance between excellent plot and characters.
We followed different characters on different worlds, and based on the premise I thought this would complicate things, but actually it works rather well. Flynn was my favorite character. He’s struggling with so many things at once – coming to terms with his past, daring to face his future, his quest about his inner self to find out the man he chooses to be, all that makes him one of the most intriguing characters I’ve ever come across. The other host of characters we’re introduced to are interesting too, but they don’t reach the level of intrigue Flynn does.
The author does manage to introduce all characters in an unique way, not “seemingly at random”, but instead it all makes sense in the greater plot. The world-building is spot on as well, allowing the author to explore additional worlds in the next book in the series, and yet providing enough background setting to be believable.
The writing was enjoyable overall, and especially during the action scenes, it was top-notch.
I would recommend this book to all fans of science-fiction and fantasy. If you like solid world building and interesting characters, you’ll enjoy this one.
October 16, 2014
I received a copy of this book from Goodreads Firstreads. Thank you very much!
This book was really interesting, loved the premise of the story. The writing style was pretty good, few times I found myself a little confused and had to go back and re read a little.
Overall this was an intriguing little gem of a book, and am looking forward to seeing how Mr. Paynter expands on this book.
Thank you for the opportunity to read.
This book was really interesting, loved the premise of the story. The writing style was pretty good, few times I found myself a little confused and had to go back and re read a little.
Overall this was an intriguing little gem of a book, and am looking forward to seeing how Mr. Paynter expands on this book.
Thank you for the opportunity to read.
October 21, 2017
Outcasts review
The book was different. No hero per se. Conflict like real life. Ambiguity about motives. Will read next book. Bless
The book was different. No hero per se. Conflict like real life. Ambiguity about motives. Will read next book. Bless
August 1, 2015
I won this book through the Goodreads First Reads program in exchange for an unbiased review.
Outcasts of the World may not have had the most unique premise (some down and out characters discover they have the ability to travel between worlds) but I must admit I've never read about a stranger group of traveling companions. There's our main character Flynn, a feral looking conman with fur, pointed ears and deadly claws. Jean, a woman who can generate earthquakes by placing her hands upon the ground. Mack, with a power never quite explained and I won't tell you what little we do learn as that would be a spoiler, but for all his innocent exterior, he's one of the sharpest of the bunch. There's Chariska, a priestess who not only lost her faith but maybe never really had it to begin with. And Zaja, a blue skinned-girl who can't handle the cold though she comes from a frozen land.
It was the odd characters that kept me reading because I have to admit I had some trouble getting drawn into the story, I had to fight a little to keep going, though I can't put into words what it was that didn't draw me in. Perhaps it was the initial aimlessness of the characters. When Flynn discovers they can escape a post-apocalyptic Earth by opening portals between other worlds, they take the opportunity to run. They weren't trying to get somewhere or accomplish a goal, they were just trying to run away. At which point the story became a kind of sight-seeing tour of different worlds but without real purpose.
One thing that threw me off was when the author would give names to the places the characters were wandering through, though the characters themselves had not been told. I was sitting there wondering where I missed the part where we'd been told about the regions, or if Flynn et all had been there before, or were they still on Earth and as such they knew the names already...
But I got more drawn in once they got some direction and Poe was involved. A sword-wielding psychopathic albino Guardian, he certainly stirred things up a bit.
And there is more going on behind the scenes than meets the eye, and unravelling what that is, and what place our hapless characters play in the grand scheme of things kept me going to the end and is tempting me to continue with the series to see how things sort themselves out.
So it was a 3.5 stars bumped up to four since it ended with my wanting to know more.
Outcasts of the World may not have had the most unique premise (some down and out characters discover they have the ability to travel between worlds) but I must admit I've never read about a stranger group of traveling companions. There's our main character Flynn, a feral looking conman with fur, pointed ears and deadly claws. Jean, a woman who can generate earthquakes by placing her hands upon the ground. Mack, with a power never quite explained and I won't tell you what little we do learn as that would be a spoiler, but for all his innocent exterior, he's one of the sharpest of the bunch. There's Chariska, a priestess who not only lost her faith but maybe never really had it to begin with. And Zaja, a blue skinned-girl who can't handle the cold though she comes from a frozen land.
It was the odd characters that kept me reading because I have to admit I had some trouble getting drawn into the story, I had to fight a little to keep going, though I can't put into words what it was that didn't draw me in. Perhaps it was the initial aimlessness of the characters. When Flynn discovers they can escape a post-apocalyptic Earth by opening portals between other worlds, they take the opportunity to run. They weren't trying to get somewhere or accomplish a goal, they were just trying to run away. At which point the story became a kind of sight-seeing tour of different worlds but without real purpose.
One thing that threw me off was when the author would give names to the places the characters were wandering through, though the characters themselves had not been told. I was sitting there wondering where I missed the part where we'd been told about the regions, or if Flynn et all had been there before, or were they still on Earth and as such they knew the names already...
But I got more drawn in once they got some direction and Poe was involved. A sword-wielding psychopathic albino Guardian, he certainly stirred things up a bit.
And there is more going on behind the scenes than meets the eye, and unravelling what that is, and what place our hapless characters play in the grand scheme of things kept me going to the end and is tempting me to continue with the series to see how things sort themselves out.
So it was a 3.5 stars bumped up to four since it ended with my wanting to know more.
December 8, 2014
Baseline review -- It was an interesting read. Be aware that this book is an introduction to what looks to be a longer (trilogy?) series of books, and is clearly set up to provide a foundation for future events. I "won" this copy from Goodreads (woot for free stuff) and was a bit unsure if I would enjoy this book as everything about it was new to me. However, it was an easy and enjoyable book to read.
IMHO, the book truly reads as an introduction to the main characters with the main plot or storyline being secondary and not yet fully fleshed out. It is laying the foundation for things to come.There is no back story to the main character as to why things are happening the way they do. Everything just "goes."
Without giving things away (no spoilers here) there are a few things that bothered me: the lack of a backstory or fully developed background foundation for the characters. They just are there and begin to work together and move forward in their"quest." It would have been nice to flesh them out a bit more. Also what was the rationale for their world traveling -- What was really driving the characters to continue to move forward? The ending of this book was abrupt and felt more like the end of a chapter in a much larger story (it is Book #1 -- duh). Thus the strong feeling that this is only the first part of a trilogy or a longer series.
Would I recommend it? Yes I would. It was interesting, and a fun book to read. It was a quick read (that is not a negative) that whetted my interest in finding out, "What happens next." We'll see as Mr. Paynter moves this storyline farther.
IMHO, the book truly reads as an introduction to the main characters with the main plot or storyline being secondary and not yet fully fleshed out. It is laying the foundation for things to come.There is no back story to the main character as to why things are happening the way they do. Everything just "goes."
Without giving things away (no spoilers here) there are a few things that bothered me: the lack of a backstory or fully developed background foundation for the characters. They just are there and begin to work together and move forward in their"quest." It would have been nice to flesh them out a bit more. Also what was the rationale for their world traveling -- What was really driving the characters to continue to move forward? The ending of this book was abrupt and felt more like the end of a chapter in a much larger story (it is Book #1 -- duh). Thus the strong feeling that this is only the first part of a trilogy or a longer series.
Would I recommend it? Yes I would. It was interesting, and a fun book to read. It was a quick read (that is not a negative) that whetted my interest in finding out, "What happens next." We'll see as Mr. Paynter moves this storyline farther.
November 8, 2014
Reviewer for Paranormal Romance and Authors That Rock.
This is a good book, just longgggggggggggggggg!
The characters are well defined, and each has their own distinct personality and abilities. They each bring a little something to the story, not all is immediately obvious though.
And there-in lies my issue with this book. The whole point of their "mission", the point of the story, doesnt fully reveal itself till just over half way. It seems from the beginning that Flynn, Mack and Jean are just wandering aimlessly about the galaxy via thes pathways that only Flynn can open, with no purpose what-so-ever. There were hints given that were never fully explained, or I just missed them and didn't get it.
I also struggled with the following the story a bit, and very nearly didnt finish it.
I've filed it on the sci-fi shelf, as the group travel from world to world meeting different races. Also on the paranormal shelf, as each character has a little something, a gift, as it were, that the others don't have. However, Mack was never fully explained, or again, I just missed it.
Told from all the main charcters POV i the third person, you get a little bit of everyone, and I did like that.
Its been left nicely open for a next book, but whether I'll read it or not, is also left open.
3 fangs
This is a good book, just longgggggggggggggggg!
The characters are well defined, and each has their own distinct personality and abilities. They each bring a little something to the story, not all is immediately obvious though.
And there-in lies my issue with this book. The whole point of their "mission", the point of the story, doesnt fully reveal itself till just over half way. It seems from the beginning that Flynn, Mack and Jean are just wandering aimlessly about the galaxy via thes pathways that only Flynn can open, with no purpose what-so-ever. There were hints given that were never fully explained, or I just missed them and didn't get it.
I also struggled with the following the story a bit, and very nearly didnt finish it.
I've filed it on the sci-fi shelf, as the group travel from world to world meeting different races. Also on the paranormal shelf, as each character has a little something, a gift, as it were, that the others don't have. However, Mack was never fully explained, or again, I just missed it.
Told from all the main charcters POV i the third person, you get a little bit of everyone, and I did like that.
Its been left nicely open for a next book, but whether I'll read it or not, is also left open.
3 fangs
October 14, 2014
I won this book as part of Goodreads Giveaways and First Reads.
This is quite a dense book, filled with interesting characters and well-developed worlds. Each character has a role to play in the narrative, although it's not always clear at first. The worlds they went to were also all vastly different to one another, but each had their own history and culture that we were shown, even briefly.
I did find parts of the story hard to follow, however, particularly the 'point' of their mission. I feel that it was brought in a little too late. Although it was suggested this was their point from the beginning, it didn't really develop in time, and by the end it felt rather rushed. New, important characters were being brought in too late in the game for me to understand and empathise with their mission.
While I enjoyed the writing overall, I do think it needs to be tightened a little bit. Jean and Mack's dialogue started to blend together at points, and it seemed to cross over into the narrative at points. It just needed to be neatened up a little bit and given a bit of a brush over.
The end leaves an opening for a sequel. Although I probably wouldn't read any sequels, the world given in this book certainly leaves enough scope to explore.
This is quite a dense book, filled with interesting characters and well-developed worlds. Each character has a role to play in the narrative, although it's not always clear at first. The worlds they went to were also all vastly different to one another, but each had their own history and culture that we were shown, even briefly.
I did find parts of the story hard to follow, however, particularly the 'point' of their mission. I feel that it was brought in a little too late. Although it was suggested this was their point from the beginning, it didn't really develop in time, and by the end it felt rather rushed. New, important characters were being brought in too late in the game for me to understand and empathise with their mission.
While I enjoyed the writing overall, I do think it needs to be tightened a little bit. Jean and Mack's dialogue started to blend together at points, and it seemed to cross over into the narrative at points. It just needed to be neatened up a little bit and given a bit of a brush over.
The end leaves an opening for a sequel. Although I probably wouldn't read any sequels, the world given in this book certainly leaves enough scope to explore.
November 20, 2014
I bought this without even having a very clear idea of what it was about but figured it might be interesting. The story opens itself up slowly, and for me that wasn't a bad thing. The more I read, the more I wanted to read, and I was well into the book before I started to understand the plot. I don't want to give anything away but the author has created something familiar but completely unique. The universe in which this tale takes place has a ton of storytelling potential and this first book(I hope the first of many) really just scratched the surface. Heroes, villains, gods, maybe "bigger" as-yet unseen gods, adventure, action....this little gem has some of everything. I really hope the author pens some sequels because I'd really like to see where this one goes as a series. On a side note, I assume this to be a self-published type of book but the editing was very good and I only noticed a few minor typographical or wording errors.
November 24, 2014
I received this book via Goodreads giveaway, thanks.
For me, the book tried to be too many things and I felt that the true story got lost.
Some interesting ideas but for some reason, I couldn't engage with any of the characters, who seemed to be all prone to self-analysis.
I did enjoy the build up towards the end but felt let down by the big 'reveal' about Flynn.
If Goodreads allowed half stars, there would have been an extra star.
For me, the book tried to be too many things and I felt that the true story got lost.
Some interesting ideas but for some reason, I couldn't engage with any of the characters, who seemed to be all prone to self-analysis.
I did enjoy the build up towards the end but felt let down by the big 'reveal' about Flynn.
If Goodreads allowed half stars, there would have been an extra star.
October 14, 2014
I won this book as a first read from goodreads. This book soooo good. I want more! The story was so interesting and it just kept you guessing. Paynter is very skilled at introducing characters throughout the story and making it seem natural instead of abrupt. There is so much depth to this story and yes there is no real resolution but it set up more books for the series so well! I cannot wait to read more!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews