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Gedlund

(Tales of the Verin Empire #1)

William Ray (Goodreads Author)

4.25 · Rating details · 59 ratings · 22 reviews

The alternate cover edition of this book can be found here.

To the north sits Thyesten, the ancient Lich King of Gedlund. He has banished death, and for countless centuries ruled a land where ghosts, vampires, and other wicked undead keep men in feudal servitude. Elsewhere in the world, human civilization has flourished, and with rifle and iron rail, the power of the Elves ...more

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Kindle Edition, 638 pages

Published December 5th 2014 by Amazon Digital Services

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May 01, 2018 Richard Nell rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Overall 7.8
A big, flintlock epic with guns and goblins, ancient empires, and cannon blasting the walking dead. In many ways I felt immersed in a world much like the Warhammer universe, with the (British) Empire of man battling vampire counts and greenskins. This is a good thing, and basically I just really enjoyed it.

Setting/World-building
High-fantasy flintlock, with immaculate moustaches, ancient elven empires, and men with guns marching to glorious, imperial victory! Well, hopefully. At least ...more

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Nov 23, 2017 Terence rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arcs-and-galleys

Tammen Gilmot is a young educated man that joined the army as a common soldier. Tam's goal is to see the world and get experience to write a book, but he quickly realizes he likely made a mistake. Tam is heading to dangerous Gedlund, a land where the Lich King rules the living, the dead, and things more frightening than both.

Gedlund truly was not what I was expecting when I first picked up the book. It wasn't until around 33% before anything felt fantasy like. Prior to that there were fights wi Tammen Gilmot is a young educated man that joined the army as a common soldier. Tam's goal is to see the world and get experience to write a book, but he quickly realizes he likely made a mistake. Tam is heading to dangerous Gedlund, a land where the Lich King rules the living, the dead, and things more frightening than both.

Gedlund truly was not what I was expecting when I first picked up the book. It wasn't until around 33% before anything felt fantasy like. Prior to that there were fights with goblins, mentions of Elves, and talk of an undead Lich King, but nearly no real magic to be seen. The storytelling was slow for much of the early going. My biggest complaint about the story is that large portions of it felt needlessly long. I was more than 200 pages into the story before it really caught my interest.

Gedlund did display a level of intricacy that I didn't notice until further into the novel. At the beginning of each chapter there were excerpts of hearings, reports, books, letters, and other bits of information that all took place during or after the Gedlund invasion. Once I finished the book I flipped back to the excerpts as they were telling a story that details the future in an interesting manner.

Nearly the entire story was told from Tam's point of view, but at about 58% of the way into a book a new point of view character was shown. It was slightly jarring to get a new point of view character after so much of the tale being told by Tam. That being said, I'd say that one of the two additional point of view characters seemed warranted.

One thing that surprised me was the utter lack of respect everyone had for common soldiers. If a person who isn't wealthy joins the Queen's Army they are treated like criminals on a work release. People, including the majority of their families, want nothing to do with them. It's truly hard to believe anyone would sign on for so much danger when nearly everyone would hate them for becoming a regular soldier.

The characters in Gedlund were largely average, the type of characters depicted by one or two characteristics and little else. Two characters particularly stood out to me, the affable Captain Valdemar (Val) Hoskaaner and stern Corporal Glynn. Val is an easy to like character as he's largely everything a writer could want in a hero. He's kind, brave, heroic, and uplifting. Despite being the Captain, Val was in the mix of every battle and would not ask anyone to do what he was unwilling to. Glynn is largely Val's opposite, but no less brave and heroic. Tam was ok, but I would have enjoyed Val or Glynn as the main character more.

Gedlund is a solid story that's different and deeper than it's description.

3 out of 5 stars

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ...more

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Jun 19, 2019 Jennifer (bunnyreads) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: tbrinder-request-books, 2019, fantasy-military, bingo-r-fantasy-2019

Tammen Gilmon is a scholarly young man with goals to make a career out of his writings- in particular, travelogues. Unable to afford travelling, he hopes to help jumpstart his career and travel, by joining the army.

Unfortunately, he doesn’t go to some of the more mundane destinations he expects and for his first time out, he is sent into the thick of things holding the line against Goblins. Which is how he ended up under Captain Valdemar Hoskaaner’s command and subsequently on his way to Gedlund ...more

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May 27, 2018 Jason Aycock rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: indie-selfpublished, fantasy

Black powder weapons, railroads, steamships, spear chucking goblins, zombies, vampire lords, lightning giants and magic.

That was a list, not a sentence, but did it get your attention?

In Gedlund, William Ray takes blackpowder fantasy and merges it with sword and sorcery. What he produced is a war story set in a fantasy world that seems almost real. You know, except for the goblins and vampires and whatnot. So let's get to it...

Plot

"Thanks to rifle and iron rail, humanity now flourishes after cent ...more

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Jan 11, 2018 Mike rated it really liked it

I would have liked to see some deeper characterization but this is otherwise an assured start to a series (according to the author's note subsequent novels will deal with two of the supporting characters). The titular Gedlund reminded me a bit of the Ravenloft setting. ...more

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Jun 24, 2018 Kathryn rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: dark-fantasy, fantasy, indie-author, military-fantasy, own-ebook, rfantasy-bingo, rfantasy-bingo-2018, rfantasy-bingo-reviewed, rfantasy-bingo-self-published, rfantasy-bingo-mountain

This was a very enjoyable read overall! Great military/flintlock fantasy with an earnest, likable protagonist and with a few deeper comments to make on history, the military structure, imperialism, sexism, and politics, which I very much enjoyed. Those points were not the central focus of the story, but I think the story was enriched by their presence. I liked that there were a few times I had to pause to look up words (and I consider myself well-read with a broad vocabulary), but this didn't ha This was a very enjoyable read overall! Great military/flintlock fantasy with an earnest, likable protagonist and with a few deeper comments to make on history, the military structure, imperialism, sexism, and politics, which I very much enjoyed. Those points were not the central focus of the story, but I think the story was enriched by their presence. I liked that there were a few times I had to pause to look up words (and I consider myself well-read with a broad vocabulary), but this didn't happen so often as to feel intrusive or as if the author wrote with a thesaurus beside him.

The author chose to start each chapter with a brief quote from various (fictional) sources, some of which are not fully revealed or explained until right near the end of the narrative. They were excellent - I would honestly have been delighted to read a story that focused on the political byplay that the author managed to capture in those intriguing epigraphs.

We start off meeting our protagonist Tammen Gilmot, a somewhat hapless brand new enlisted soldier in the Verin army as he travels to his first posting in Rakhasin, a grassy/hilly area where the Queen's army is going to defend the colonists there from the attacks of the goblin natives. While in Rakhasin, we meet some of the characters that will continue through the storyline - the captain of Tam's new company, Valdemar Hoskaaner (who insists on being called Val and once was a statue), corporal Glynn, who is something of a scowling cipher at the start of the book, and Claude and Gus, the sergeants who provide the soundtrack of the march and some levity.

The portion of the story based in Rakhasin was a great introduction to the rest of the book, but in some ways felt a bit like a prologue or a part one as you transition into the main campaign the story follows. Just after Tammen reached Rakhasin, the news that the crown prince of Verin was assassinated reached the troops stationed there. They are quickly reassigned to a retaliatory campaign against the titular kingdom of Gedlund, ruled by a Lich King named Thyesten. Tammen receives a completely unexpected commission and becomes an officer, Ensign Tammen.

Where Rakhasin is sun-drenched grassland, Gedlund is a colder, haunted land of mists and shadows. It's ruled by its ageless Lich King and his subordinates, the Everlords (read vampires). The Everlords have kept Gedlund's people firmly under their thumbs as nearly medieval peasants, as Gedlund is a land where not much changes since the rulers never die. The army begins their campaign with what seems to be very little information on what they will face and a very direct plan of attack. Things go about as well as you might expect as they encounter a whole host of ghostly, vampiric, golems, zombies, and otherwise magical foes - not all of which guns are an ideal answer to.

This is a chunky book, weighing in at 667 pages. The pacing is steady, but not breakneck, and it does seem to get a bit bogged down in certain spots. Still, I really enjoyed it and I'm not normally a huge military fantasy fan (I could have done with a few less battles).

There were great bits of world-building with various different religious beliefs and the ruins and magic of Elves that disappeared from the world playing a part. I did like that the final climactic battle was solved in a way that was referenced earlier in the narrative - not a big deus ex machina solution. If you like big military battles and the chaos of the front-line experience, this is a fabulous book for you! The closest comparison book I can think of is Django Wexler's The Thousand Names. ...more

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Oct 14, 2018 lostinabookbrb rated it liked it · review of another edition

Gedlund is a novel that is unlike most high fantasy novels I've read. This is, mostly, a great thing. Gedlund has revolvers and other type of guns which was incorporated nicely throughout the novel and battle scenes. The Everlords, which come later in the book, are members of the undead and I thought "Oh, this is going to be so out of place" but the author did a good job of incorporating vampires and other types of undead monsters and making them unique.

Tammen is a new soldier and it was great t Gedlund is a novel that is unlike most high fantasy novels I've read. This is, mostly, a great thing. Gedlund has revolvers and other type of guns which was incorporated nicely throughout the novel and battle scenes. The Everlords, which come later in the book, are members of the undead and I thought "Oh, this is going to be so out of place" but the author did a good job of incorporating vampires and other types of undead monsters and making them unique.

Tammen is a new soldier and it was great to see his growth throughout the story. He and the rest of the main characters had distinct personalities. Even the "twins", Claude and Gus, were fleshed out.

The author does an overall great job of character relationships and interactions. Dialogue was done well.

Now, some people may be wondering "Okay, but why the 3 star rating?" and here are the reasons:

The first hundred pages are set in this place called Rakhasin where the contingent Tammen is placed in fights goblins. After around a hundred pages, Tammen's contingent gets pulled out and told to go to Gedlund. After that, there isn't really a mention of Rakhasin in terms of the plot. It just seemed like the first hundred of pages didn't benefit the plot? At least, not in a way I could see. The pages in themselves were well written and entertaining, I just wish there was a sort of...full circle effect?

Next, there were a couple of times I was taken out of the story due to oddities that popped up which I was confused about. For example, while a character is dodging the undead, he says something along the lines "I always wanted to be a matador!". And it's not that authors can't use words like matador or things in this world in their books but rather, it made me think "Is there a place like Spain in this book? Is there a language like Spanish? Is there Spanish?". It's such a small thing but for me, it's something that stands out enough for me to remember it.

Overall, the book was entertaining and I will be interested to read the next book.

May you get lost in a book,

Chrissy ...more

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Mar 08, 2018 Kristen rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Full review is here, on my blog.

Wow, this book had a really great start. I dunno what I was expecting here, but it certainly wasn’t me reading into the wee hours with sore eyes because I couldn’t put this beast down until I was nearly a quarter of the way through it.

This story follows Tammen, a young, educated, not-quite-noble man who has just joined the army. This is the sort of action that gets you disinherited, as ‘taking the Queen’s Coin’ is seen as below his station. He shows up for duty i Full review is here, on my blog.

Wow, this book had a really great start. I dunno what I was expecting here, but it certainly wasn’t me reading into the wee hours with sore eyes because I couldn’t put this beast down until I was nearly a quarter of the way through it.

This story follows Tammen, a young, educated, not-quite-noble man who has just joined the army. This is the sort of action that gets you disinherited, as ‘taking the Queen’s Coin’ is seen as below his station. He shows up for duty in the frontier only to be singled out by two young sergeants and asked to carry a crate to where their captain, Valdemar Hoskaaner, a very strange man who was cursed by the elves into being a statue for a couple centuries, stands on it and has him guard his back against the horde of primitive goblins hiding in the long grass attacking them while he jumps out into the action. After this kerfuffle, Tam gets pulled into this captain’s unit, and goes on a mighty adventure across the lands. An adventure that is full of ups and downs and twists and turns where you never really know what will actually happen, but there’s probably going to be some shenanigans.

Verin’s beloved prince has been assassinated by Gedlunders! So, they are ordered to invade Gedlund, a land ruled by a Lich King, full of the risen dead, vampires, and all sorts of other undead riffraff. Val Hoskaaner is from Gedlund, originally, and the mystery of his backstory was actually pretty riveting for me, at least in the beginning. This strange man from another time and another land in the Verin army with a giant magical sword where everyone else uses rifles and bayonets. He’s also such a likable character that I couldn’t help myself but latch right on. Val is what kept me reading past my bedtime here. The mystique of him, I suppose. I liked other characters as well, like Gus and Claude, the snarky sergeants who reminded me so much of Fred and George Weasley, and the unflappable, stoic corporal Glynn. I wish we got a little more backstory of how Glynn came to be in Verin’s army in the first place. That, I imagine, would be an interesting story.

This world is not very dissimilar to our own late 19th century, excepting that we don’t have Lichs, Goblins, Elves, Vampires, et cetera. But, this world does have guns and cannons as the primary weaponry of the army, as well as trains, telegraphs, cameras, and things of that nature, that give it a really Victorian vibe sometimes while still also feeling like a really sprawling high fantasy, if that makes sense. It’s maybe not exactly flintlock fantasy, but it’s not steampunk either. Perhaps it’s best to say that it falls somewhere between them. It was also full of zombies, vampires, ghosts, and monsters, so it had the feel of a bit of a horror novel as well at times.

It got a little slow in the middle, about when the POV shifted from one main character to two, as the characters had split from one group into two. I found myself a little less enthralled with it after the halfway mark (despite all the zombie shooting action and so on), and I’m not sure I can put my finger on why exactly…. but I think it’s because in the grand scheme of things, Val becomes a bit more of a background character and less the mysterious hero as the story continues and you get a good feel for his modus operandi. That, and I found myself liking Tammen less and less as the story progressed. There’s nothing inherently unlikable about him, but he just seemed rather… stodgy. Perhaps that’s the point. However, even with all that said, I did really enjoy this book as a whole much more than I think I was expecting. It’s really quite well written with a fantastic vocabulary, and some interesting ideas used in interesting ways. Best of all, it didn’t have any glaring grammatical errors or plot holes. That admittedly doesn’t always happen with self published novels, never mind self-pubbed debuts. Not finding errors seems almost a boon sometimes.

All told, I thought it was quite good. Although the story in this novel is quite self-contained, I do hope to one day read the next book in the series because from what I read of the blurb, it follows the exploits of one of my favorite characters from this one. This is a book that’s not in the SPFBO, but that I think should really be put forward for the next one, because I expect that it would do alright, at the very least. It would hold its own. With bayonets. *stab*

I was given a free copy of this book by the author, and in exchange I have honestly reviewed it. :) ...more

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Jan 15, 2018 Catherine Griffin rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: reviews

This satisfyingly hefty fantasy pits Victorian-style military might against a Dark Lord and his undead legions.

The basic premise here is that the human nation of Verin has abandoned magic in favour of steam trains, constitutional monarchy, Imperialism, and handlebar moustaches. Huzzah!

Young Tam, being poor, over-educated, and naive, joins the army as a foot soldier (in order to see the world) and is posted to the colonies, where the goblins are revolting. But before long, the army’s off to conqu ...more

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Dec 08, 2014 Danica rated it really liked it

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I found it easy to empathize with the main character, Tam, as he struggled to find his place in his ever changing circumstances and surroundings. Overall the world and the characters are very well imagined and the action is non-stop. While the story may take place in a mythical place and the foes are not always human, I felt the battles to be incredibly realistic and imagine they give a good account of a soldier’s point of view in 19th century warfare.
Unfortunate ...more

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Dec 21, 2014 Jo rated it it was amazing

This is a must read for fantasy lovers! With William Ray's masterful writing, you will quickly be immersed in the magical world of Verin. You will identify with Tammen, the main character, and be mystified by the easy going yet powerful Statue Man come to life. Ray's characters have both depth and dimension. He does an amazing job of weaving clues throughout the book that point towards the dramatic finale. Action abounds in the book as human technology is pitted against goblins, magic, ghost and ...more

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Jul 28, 2017 Ramona Marc rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Gedlund is the first tale of the Verin Empire about a journey through the mind of a young soldier who attempts to handle his daily life by defending the Empire’s frontier.

He goes through many stages of struggle and survival with his comrades, which lead him to find himself and identify with his duty.
Tam's narrative voice is very pleasant. He is serious at times and also resourceful in critical situations.

The action is continuous so it keeps your curiosity alive during the whole story. Also, the ...more

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Aug 30, 2017 Adrian Marc rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I really had the pleasure of reading this book.
Besides the rich and fulfilling visuals described by the author, the book is also filled with trilling action and hidden symbolism.
Another nice thing about the book is that we can see the events though the eyes of multiple evolving characters, constructed in a way that emphasis psychological struggles and difficult choices, that left us wonder where is the line between good and bad.
I feel like whatever you like: compelling action, epic storytelli ...more

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Feb 15, 2015 Melisa Graham rated it really liked it

I recommend this book to anyone who loves the fantasy genre. I look forward to more tales from the Verin Empire and to learning more about its mythology and history.

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Jan 03, 2015 Gabrielle rated it it was amazing

This was a fabulous debut novel of fantasy, excitement, intrigue...I was riveted from the first chapter. I would highly recommend this book to anyone, but especially to lovers of this genre.

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Feb 17, 2019 Christopher Dudley rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

A Great Industrial Fantasy Tale

Gedlund, the first novel by William Ray, starts out in the mud, and builds the world for you from there up. We start out following the adventures of Tammen Gilmot, an educated young man who enlists in the army in the war effort, in short, to see the world firsthand. Despite the initial motif we see of a mid-19th-century technological level, we are thrown into the hectic front-line against a faceless horde of hostile goblins, letting us know up front that this is no A Great Industrial Fantasy Tale

Gedlund, the first novel by William Ray, starts out in the mud, and builds the world for you from there up. We start out following the adventures of Tammen Gilmot, an educated young man who enlists in the army in the war effort, in short, to see the world firsthand. Despite the initial motif we see of a mid-19th-century technological level, we are thrown into the hectic front-line against a faceless horde of hostile goblins, letting us know up front that this is not our earth, and that there is magic on both sides of this war, and there are monsters.

What Ray builds from there is a rising-industrial world that resembles the height of the British Empire, built on the remains of what had once been a world like Tolkien’s Middle Earth. There used to be elves in this world, but they have departed in ways unknown to parts unknown. The elves left behind relics, and these come into play in the story. This genre-bending setting takes us from the battlefront of the Verin Empire’s war against the goblins to a new front against an ancient and nearly-forgotten enemy - The Lich King in his fortress in Gedlund.

For the first half of the book we follow Tammen as he learns more about the world and we learn through him as the reader. Tam’s educational background in history lets him explain to the troops around him the context of some of the things they see, and in turn, they teach him much about how the army, and the rest of the world, truly works. He gathers a group of regulars in his personal orbit who accompany him through the story. Among them are Gus and Claude, two very similar sergeants that Tam initially can’t tell apart, but become his most trusted mentors; Glynn, the young soldier with a secret; and Val, the almost inhumanly charismatic captain of their troop, who takes the lead of the army as it ventures into Gedlund.

The second half of the book divides the point of view narration between Tam and Gus, as they split off in different directions to pursue different ends. Although Gus is a good narrative character, this shift is a little unexpected, and the voices are so different that it takes about a full chapter to get used to the difference in perspective.

William Ray shows great skill in crafting this world for the reader and doling out parts chapter by chapter, and only rarely resorts to a character giving anything like an expository info-dump. Each chapter could be a serialized story in a fantasy magazine, nearly complete while contributing to the overall plot of the novel. By these doses we are giving a fuller understanding of the world that builds to a dramatic and epic finish.

The characters are likewise developed in these rich vital moments that show us stage by stage who these people are. Although you don’t feel that any are underdeveloped, I wished for more time to get to know them better. I think a novel could be written about each of the main cast in the story, and some of the minor characters could also support their own tale.

Everything about this novel, each chapter, each arc, and each moment of character development, works together to bring you into this world and carry you into an epic struggle between good and evil, introducing you to people and places that will stay with you for a great while after you finish reading. ...more

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Oct 22, 2020 Phil Parker rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This is more than a fantasy story. Gedlund opens with an army fighting a guerrilla war against goblins but don’t let that deceive you. If you are a history lover, like me, you’ll appreciate the attention to detail that permeates the military world building in this story.
We see events through the eyes of a young man, Tam, who encounters battle and all the horrors that go with it within minutes of arriving at his camp. He’s hopelessly naïve, slow to assimilate what’s happening and stumbles throug This is more than a fantasy story. Gedlund opens with an army fighting a guerrilla war against goblins but don’t let that deceive you. If you are a history lover, like me, you’ll appreciate the attention to detail that permeates the military world building in this story.
We see events through the eyes of a young man, Tam, who encounters battle and all the horrors that go with it within minutes of arriving at his camp. He’s hopelessly naïve, slow to assimilate what’s happening and stumbles through his first encounter with combat while managing to stay alive. It’s a good way to introduce the reader to war. Any war.
The historical component may not be apparent straight away but it’s there. It’s a variation of war fought at the end of the nineteenth century, with rifles, bayonets and cannon. Throughout the story the reality of this type of warfare is regularly revisited, it’s a story of soldiers being sent to places for reasons that are never fully explained, where they’re expected to lay down their lives. They do so in the belief they’re fighting for honour and patriotism whereas the reality is very different, it’s gory, painful and death is always there at your shoulder, waiting. I studied the First World War at length and there were so many times in this story when moments resonated with that conflict for these reasons.
The characters are rich, engaging and vivid. Tam develops as a soldier, his education, intelligence and courage are rewarded with promotions that put him in the centre of the conflicts. Rather than a lowly soldier throughout, his command role allows us to see the ignorance which leads to decisions being taken which cost men their lives. What I love about the best fantasy stories, is when real people are forced to encounter the fantastical. That’s what happens here. Yes, the unit’s captain turns out to possess magical abilities but otherwise these are normal people trying to find victory amidst the invasion of a land where magic rules, where the dead come to life and where the enemy are almost impossible to defeat.
One other clever ingredient which caught my eye; each chapter uses epistolary to inform or further define the story, primarily from the viewpoint of the investigation into the invasion which happened after the story itself ends. It offers a clever way to conclude events.
The writing is fluid, accomplished and literary in its quality. William Ray has the confidence to indulge in describing events in such detail not only are you transported to the location, you marvel at the manner in which he does it. It is enjoyable for this reason alone.
Look out for my next review of his work: The Great Restoration. ...more

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Nov 16, 2017 K rated it liked it · review of another edition

This book was very interesting initially and my first thought was that I was going to love it. As the story moved on though, it seemed to lack some fundamental cohesion that kept you really interested in the characters. I decided that I felt the characters had a lack of depth, there didn't seem to be the normal amount of human emotion you would get from people in these type of situations. I thought the prose and style of writing were good and that the flow of the story kept it interesting on a s ...more

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Oct 22, 2018 Scott Sammons rated it really liked it

Remarkably good!

This is a book worthy of reading more than once. I have read Tom Sawyer around nine times, The Hobbit at least six, The Good Earth, perhaps seven...I will know better after a second reading whether this Steam/Fantasy has risen to the level of perennial review or is just a good book that I was in a great mood to read when I found it. Either way it is very well done and I will heartily recommend it to anyone who enjoys steampunk or middle-earthish fantasy. I am following the autho ...more

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Sep 09, 2018 Victor Salinas rated it it was amazing

Awesome !!!

This beautifully written book with new ideas that work very well with the story line and goes beyond anything I've read in a long time.The attention to detail is a breathtaking experience and the weaving of story lines is impressive !The author is brilliant in the pacing of the story and the world the author wrote around the main characters are interesting and informative that made me not want to put the book down till it was finished .This book is worth the money and time to read but ...more

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Apr 21, 2019 Coralyn Umber rated it really liked it · review of another edition

If you like stories that grab the reader and places you in the thick of things from page 1, this is a good one. At first you ask yourself the question of who is this character but through the interesting headers in each chapter, you develop a much fuller sense of who Tam is. Tam is easy to identify with as his initial choices, which go against his family's wishes in order to pursue his dream, are what puts him in his predicament in the first chapter. However, it doesn't turn out as he expected. ...more

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Mar 07, 2019 Roy rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: did-not-finish

** I stopped reading this book at 55% of the way through so this review is based on the first half of the book only **

This is not a bad book. Not even close to being bad. But it just didn't work for me. I'm a slow reader so I have to be ruthless when it comes to choosing what I read and with this one I decided it wasn't worth the time to finish. If this had been a shorter story, it would have been better. The problem was, it's not a short book, and yet I didn't feel like the story was particular ...more

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About William Ray

William Ray

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William Ray is the author of Gedlund, named to Kirkus Reviews' Best Books of 2016, as well as The Great Restoration and other forthcoming tales within the Verin Empire setting.

Originally from North Carolina, he currently lives in Reston, VA with his wife and dogs. A graduate of Ithaca College, and Wake Forest's School of Law, he has worked in television, retail, patent prosecution, trademark law a ...more