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Elf Saga: Doomsday #1-5
Elf Saga: Doomsday
This is not your typical epic fantasy. Five very dangerous elven women from five very different countries are on a quest to save the world, and when they're not kicking ass, they're driving each other crazy. Explore an epic fantasy world that's as classic as it is bizarre with JENAVELLE, a knight who's sick and tired of fantasy cliches, AMINA, a princess with a fondness for pirates, NIYA, a hard-drinking mercenary in search of a her next ex-girlfriend, TOMOE, a shaman who is coping well with her recent resurrection, and LOZEN, a hunter whose hobbies include fine cuisine, high fashion, and excessive violence. Discover the world of Vaenos, where dragons are weapons of mass destruction, faeries are pests, mermaids are monsters, and everyone has long pointy ears! With five heroines inspired by historical warriors and leaders, this modern twist on old-school fantasy mashes up classics like Lord of the Rings with the funny, sexy, self-aware style of Supernatural, Buffy, Archer, and Rat Queens."
455 pages, ebook
First published December 17, 2014
3 people are currently reading
35 people want to read
About the author
Joseph Robert Lewis
68 books97 followersJoseph R. Lewis enjoys creating worlds in which history, mythology, and fantasy collide in unpredictable ways. He also likes writing about heroines that his daughters can respect and admire. Joe was born in Annapolis and went to the University of Maryland to study ancient novels, morality plays, and Viking poetry.
www.josephrlewis.com
www.josephrlewis.com
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 25, 2015
I have read some of the Joseph Lewis' other books as a beta reader, and I have received an ARC of this one in exchange of an honest review.
I like the author's stories, because he puts so many interesting ideas in them. Doomsday was another fine piece when his imagination went wild.
The first thing that made the book interesting is that the protagonists are five elven ladies. Yep, the ones with the pointy ears. They were funny and original and intriguing. I think the author nailed the characterisation quite well. Just to give an example: Lozen, the elf woman warrior had a boyfriend, Wolfram, who took care of her by cooking, carrying her things and occasionally fighting for her.
Besides the elves, there were dragons and witches, even unicorns in the story, so prepare yourself for a non-traditional fantasy.
I could go on, mentioning the amazing artefacts and the talking animals - but instead I say: go and read it yourself. It's worth it.
I like the author's stories, because he puts so many interesting ideas in them. Doomsday was another fine piece when his imagination went wild.
The first thing that made the book interesting is that the protagonists are five elven ladies. Yep, the ones with the pointy ears. They were funny and original and intriguing. I think the author nailed the characterisation quite well. Just to give an example: Lozen, the elf woman warrior had a boyfriend, Wolfram, who took care of her by cooking, carrying her things and occasionally fighting for her.
Besides the elves, there were dragons and witches, even unicorns in the story, so prepare yourself for a non-traditional fantasy.
I could go on, mentioning the amazing artefacts and the talking animals - but instead I say: go and read it yourself. It's worth it.
March 30, 2015
Great Fantasy Read
A wonderful modern fantasy tale. Enjoyable characters and fun action. My favorite scene was when Tomoe uses the samurai woman to kill the octopus monster. Any fan of fantasy will love this book. Give it a try!
A wonderful modern fantasy tale. Enjoyable characters and fun action. My favorite scene was when Tomoe uses the samurai woman to kill the octopus monster. Any fan of fantasy will love this book. Give it a try!
November 30, 2016
This book is a delight. Quick paced fantasy adventure in which our heroines try to save the world. Every success requires sacrifice. No overwrought angst or romance. And, even better, the character default is female. The gender rarely matters, but when a new character is introduced, they're more likely to be a woman than not. It is extremely refreshing to read an enjoyable fantasy in which that is the case and in which the characters are a diverse group of viewpoints and philosophies and none of them are an obvious mouthpiece for the author's politics (I might have had a bad experience or two in the past...). Anyway. If you want something to fun to read. If you're tired of everything being primarily men, but you don't want a book that makes women domineering brutes or men a joke. If you want an engaging cast, a bit of humor, and some difficult decisions, this is your book.
Now, for the negatives--the solutions came to them too easily. The characters still paid dearly for the solutions, but they also found them a bit conveniently. They didn't really have to work to figure out their next steps. The plot came to them or someone appeared to not only tell them exactly where to go, but guide them there. And each stop included a bit of background, a battle, and the next step in the ultimate quest. Revelations received little foreshadowing, save for a chapter or two before the actual reveal. I was reminded several times of a tabletop game.
The costs weren't always well-explored. Jena's payment, the first made, is really the only one that is shown to have a profound effect on a character. However, since the subsequent books are from other character points-of-view, her thoughts and nature are only observed, rather than felt or described. Niya's payment is shown to be a great sacrifice and has been built up over the course of the book so that the reader feels and knows how much it costs her. Afterward, though, she shows little need for adjustment. The others barely register. I realize that the rotating (book by book; there are five total) first person perspective complicates showing the internal life of other characters, but I'd have liked more in each person's book then before the next task is identified and the book ends.
Finally, while the fantasy world does have a nice mythology surrounding the dragons, fairies, and unicorns, the rest of it just 'our earth but not.' Tomoe is from not!Japan. Wolfram is from not!Russia. Niya really wants to go to not!Australia. Etc etc etc. Not necessarily a bad thing, but something to note.
But, like I said, this is a book to read for fun. And I did have fun reading it.
Now, for the negatives--the solutions came to them too easily. The characters still paid dearly for the solutions, but they also found them a bit conveniently. They didn't really have to work to figure out their next steps. The plot came to them or someone appeared to not only tell them exactly where to go, but guide them there. And each stop included a bit of background, a battle, and the next step in the ultimate quest. Revelations received little foreshadowing, save for a chapter or two before the actual reveal. I was reminded several times of a tabletop game.
The costs weren't always well-explored. Jena's payment, the first made, is really the only one that is shown to have a profound effect on a character. However, since the subsequent books are from other character points-of-view, her thoughts and nature are only observed, rather than felt or described. Niya's payment is shown to be a great sacrifice and has been built up over the course of the book so that the reader feels and knows how much it costs her. Afterward, though, she shows little need for adjustment. The others barely register. I realize that the rotating (book by book; there are five total) first person perspective complicates showing the internal life of other characters, but I'd have liked more in each person's book then before the next task is identified and the book ends.
Finally, while the fantasy world does have a nice mythology surrounding the dragons, fairies, and unicorns, the rest of it just 'our earth but not.' Tomoe is from not!Japan. Wolfram is from not!Russia. Niya really wants to go to not!Australia. Etc etc etc. Not necessarily a bad thing, but something to note.
But, like I said, this is a book to read for fun. And I did have fun reading it.
February 16, 2017
Fast-paced episodes of an adventure to save the world, which will remind you of any quest where the heroes must go through a bunch of steps to save the world. Pokes fun at itself and fantasy tropes, but its sense of humor results in repetition of gags, like the transformation of the hero, or a convenient magical "undo" button. Plenty of strong female characters, flawed and individual, and laughs to help balance the repetition out some.
February 3, 2017
Elf Saga is an adventure romp filled with dragons, unicorns, faeries, and a whole host of other monsters. All of which are the kind that'll rip off your face and drink your innards.
It's a lot of fun with some very tense moments and a hefty bit of humour thrown in.
The main cast all have strong personalities that often conflict. Each "Part" of the story has a different POV character. But, none of the characters get a second POV, and so we lose out on seeing inside their heads and learning how they're dealing with the new circumstances and conflicts. This is particularly noticeable with Jena, who is the silent stoic type. This works well when we see from her POV, but otherwise she just becomes a background character who says a few words here and there and cuts stuff up.
The world is bizarre, but in a good way. Around every corner there's an evil witch, an ancient curse, or bloodthirsty beasts.
I really enjoyed Elf Saga.
If you're looking for awesome action adventure with badass no-nonsense ladies, then you should definitely check this out.
It's a lot of fun with some very tense moments and a hefty bit of humour thrown in.
The main cast all have strong personalities that often conflict. Each "Part" of the story has a different POV character. But, none of the characters get a second POV, and so we lose out on seeing inside their heads and learning how they're dealing with the new circumstances and conflicts. This is particularly noticeable with Jena, who is the silent stoic type. This works well when we see from her POV, but otherwise she just becomes a background character who says a few words here and there and cuts stuff up.
The world is bizarre, but in a good way. Around every corner there's an evil witch, an ancient curse, or bloodthirsty beasts.
I really enjoyed Elf Saga.
If you're looking for awesome action adventure with badass no-nonsense ladies, then you should definitely check this out.
January 2, 2017
Really fun, solid book with an awareness of fantasy cliches. I liked how each of the main women were interesting and realized characters who could cooperate while still having conflicts with one another. Not all heroes are politicians, not all wizards are warriors, etc. Things happen a little fast sometimes, but the quick pace isn't entirely unwelcome. My one actual gripe (which I now understand was likely due to how the series was first released) is that the focus on one character per part came at the cost of excluding the others.
November 2, 2015
I liked this story and will be looking into the next ones. I don't usually read this type of story, but it caught my attention and drew me in. I liked the characters and want to see what happens next.
March 16, 2015
This is AWESOME. I couldn't help but laugh and get into the weirdness.
June 22, 2015
One of my favorite authors. Keep em coming please! Want more!
April 6, 2017
I am a huge fan of Joseph Robert Lewis. I've reviewed quite a few of his books, and read a whole lot more. I've been fortunate enough to have him here for an author spotlight. So I was very excited to be able to read the first book in his Elf Saga series for this years challenge. I was not disappointed.
Doomsday comes in 5 parts. Each one is told from the first person POV of one of the MCs. I really like how this switching up of voices helped to flesh out the character who was speaking. You also got to see how the other characters saw their fellow adventurers. I think it helped to give an more rounded view of each character. Since you not only see how they feel about each other, but how they view themselves as well.
Each part explores a new part of the world that Lewis has worked to build. The new land being explored corresponds to which character is speaking. I think this really adds to the story as a whole. Each MC has certain skills, ideas, personality traits, strengths, beliefs, etc. that are in huge part shaped by the land they grew up in. I think the only one this doesn't completely apply to is Jenavelle. We start off in her homeland, but as the blurb says, she's adopted. Yes, a lot of her beliefs are based on how she was raised. But through the rest of the novel you can see from the perspectives of her friends that she seems to be fighting who she was raised to be versus who she was born to be. After the first part you don't get a chance to see into Jena's head anymore so saying this is exactly what is going on inside it isn't possible. But I really think it is based on her actions and how she changes throughout the book.
I love the worlds that Lewis builds, this new one is no exception. There is so much detail. Both in the land itself as well as the different cultures he creates. Also the extra characters that walk in and out of the his main characters lives. I would love to read their stories. Not only to find out more about them, but also their world as well. In a perfect world a reader could thoroughly explore each and every nook and cranny of a world like the one the author has created without having to wait for another book. Sorta like how you can click on a word and Kindle pops up the definition. Maybe something along the lines of just clicking on a character and finding out more about them. lol. Yeah, I know. I know. Not going to happen anytime soon and how much more work would that be for the author..., But it really would be an awesome new way to interact with the characters in a book. Fortunately there are 3 more books in the Elf Saga series. So I can get at least my fix for exploring the world more filled sooner rather than later.
The only thing I that wasn't my favorite about Doomsday was the fact that it was told in present tense. Not my favorite tense. I tend to zone out when I'm reading. Especially if the book is really good. With the present tense sometimes it's a bit harder to do that. When a book is well written, like this one, that doesn't happen as much. So it's more a personal preference than a reason not to read a book.
On a side note that applies to his other novels as well as this one. I love how Lewis always has strong female characters in his books. He doesn't just take a male character and change the pronouns. They are well thought out and have their own personalities. I think in Doomsday he has really shown his ability to not only make a strong female heroine, but also the very different varieties of strong females that can be chosen from. The MCs in Doomsday really run the full spectrum. It's not just their outfits that make them stand apart from each other. He has given them each a very different voice and I think that in telling each part from a different MC he really shows that.
I once read that he writes his female characters to be ones that his own girls can look up to and admire, or something along those lines. I think he has definitely achieved that in all his books, but especially this one. Not only are there female heroes but that there are so many to choose from.
I recommend Doomsday to readers of all sexes. if not all ages, there are sex scenes so I wouldn't just hand it to a younger reader. However if you're an adult who likes fantasy and adventure Doomsday is well written and a great read. Definitely a 5 star book. I can't wait to dive into the rest of the series.
Doomsday comes in 5 parts. Each one is told from the first person POV of one of the MCs. I really like how this switching up of voices helped to flesh out the character who was speaking. You also got to see how the other characters saw their fellow adventurers. I think it helped to give an more rounded view of each character. Since you not only see how they feel about each other, but how they view themselves as well.
Each part explores a new part of the world that Lewis has worked to build. The new land being explored corresponds to which character is speaking. I think this really adds to the story as a whole. Each MC has certain skills, ideas, personality traits, strengths, beliefs, etc. that are in huge part shaped by the land they grew up in. I think the only one this doesn't completely apply to is Jenavelle. We start off in her homeland, but as the blurb says, she's adopted. Yes, a lot of her beliefs are based on how she was raised. But through the rest of the novel you can see from the perspectives of her friends that she seems to be fighting who she was raised to be versus who she was born to be. After the first part you don't get a chance to see into Jena's head anymore so saying this is exactly what is going on inside it isn't possible. But I really think it is based on her actions and how she changes throughout the book.
I love the worlds that Lewis builds, this new one is no exception. There is so much detail. Both in the land itself as well as the different cultures he creates. Also the extra characters that walk in and out of the his main characters lives. I would love to read their stories. Not only to find out more about them, but also their world as well. In a perfect world a reader could thoroughly explore each and every nook and cranny of a world like the one the author has created without having to wait for another book. Sorta like how you can click on a word and Kindle pops up the definition. Maybe something along the lines of just clicking on a character and finding out more about them. lol. Yeah, I know. I know. Not going to happen anytime soon and how much more work would that be for the author..., But it really would be an awesome new way to interact with the characters in a book. Fortunately there are 3 more books in the Elf Saga series. So I can get at least my fix for exploring the world more filled sooner rather than later.
The only thing I that wasn't my favorite about Doomsday was the fact that it was told in present tense. Not my favorite tense. I tend to zone out when I'm reading. Especially if the book is really good. With the present tense sometimes it's a bit harder to do that. When a book is well written, like this one, that doesn't happen as much. So it's more a personal preference than a reason not to read a book.
On a side note that applies to his other novels as well as this one. I love how Lewis always has strong female characters in his books. He doesn't just take a male character and change the pronouns. They are well thought out and have their own personalities. I think in Doomsday he has really shown his ability to not only make a strong female heroine, but also the very different varieties of strong females that can be chosen from. The MCs in Doomsday really run the full spectrum. It's not just their outfits that make them stand apart from each other. He has given them each a very different voice and I think that in telling each part from a different MC he really shows that.
I once read that he writes his female characters to be ones that his own girls can look up to and admire, or something along those lines. I think he has definitely achieved that in all his books, but especially this one. Not only are there female heroes but that there are so many to choose from.
I recommend Doomsday to readers of all sexes. if not all ages, there are sex scenes so I wouldn't just hand it to a younger reader. However if you're an adult who likes fantasy and adventure Doomsday is well written and a great read. Definitely a 5 star book. I can't wait to dive into the rest of the series.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews