What do you think?
Rate this book
The Citadel of the Last Gathering #1
A Count of Five
One for the gods of our people
Two for the plants they seeded into the earth
Three for the animals they gave gifts of magic
Four for the men who serve the gods
Five for the spirit that sustains everything
Five numbers. Five gods. Five spells for men and five for women. Five ages before the end.
Since history began, this knowledge has defined the world for Alaji’s people, who live along the shores of five holy lakes. But now an army has ridden out of the north led by a powerful and cunning warlord. This, Alaji is told, could mark the end of the last age. The end of men and of time itself.
Alaji has more to fear than invaders. She has learned the five spells of women. But she knows one more: a spell beyond those given to mortals. A spell that that gives her power over time.
To learn a spell of the gods is to challenge them. If discovered, the penalty is death. But harnessing such power may allow Alaji to save her family, or may start her on a journey ranging farther than they could have ever imagined.
A Count of Five is the first novel in a new series, The Citadel of the Last Gathering, exploring a fantasy world on a massive scale.
Two for the plants they seeded into the earth
Three for the animals they gave gifts of magic
Four for the men who serve the gods
Five for the spirit that sustains everything
Five numbers. Five gods. Five spells for men and five for women. Five ages before the end.
Since history began, this knowledge has defined the world for Alaji’s people, who live along the shores of five holy lakes. But now an army has ridden out of the north led by a powerful and cunning warlord. This, Alaji is told, could mark the end of the last age. The end of men and of time itself.
Alaji has more to fear than invaders. She has learned the five spells of women. But she knows one more: a spell beyond those given to mortals. A spell that that gives her power over time.
To learn a spell of the gods is to challenge them. If discovered, the penalty is death. But harnessing such power may allow Alaji to save her family, or may start her on a journey ranging farther than they could have ever imagined.
A Count of Five is the first novel in a new series, The Citadel of the Last Gathering, exploring a fantasy world on a massive scale.
- GenresFantasy
ebook
First published June 18, 2015
21 people are currently reading
314 people want to read
About the author
Erin L. Snyder
14 books18 followersFor as long as I can remember, fantasy and science fiction were part of my life. I was practically raised on Lord of the Rings and Star Trek. Growing up, even Santa Claus had a wizardly connotation.
When I was about twelve, I was introduced to Dungeons & Dragons. The game's setting felt natural to me; a hell of lot more so than middle or high school. As the years went by, I gravitated towards narrative-heavy games and complex characters. It's not the only thing that pointed me towards writing, but RPG's were certainly an influence.
In 1998, I went to Hampshire College, where I concentrated in philosophy and creative writing. It was a fantastic experience: I took numerous classes in mythology, religion, and cognitive science. Altogether, it was as great a primer for writing genre fiction as I can imagine. As if that wasn't enough, I also met my wife, Lindsay Stares, while I was there.
After we graduated, we spent two years in DC, seven in New York, and finally moved to Seattle in 2012. Before you ask: no, it doesn't always rain. The climate's mild year round, at least compared to New England, and the Pacific Northwest is easily the most beautiful place I've ever lived.
Since writing doesn't pay the bills, I work as an analyst, which I also find sharpens my critical thinking skills. Would I like to write full-time? Sure, but not many people make it into that club. If this remains a side-venture, I've got nothing to complain about.
Almost everything I write is genre, but there's quite a bit of room within those boundaries. I've written everything from grounded science-fiction to space opera, magical realism to epic fantasy... and everything in between, around, and crossing over those categories. I like fiction that's about something meaningful, but I hate feeling like I'm being preached to, even if I agree with the message. That's a tough balance to strike sometimes, but my goal is always to create something that's entertaining and substantial, without hitting the reader over the head with morals or messages.
When I was about twelve, I was introduced to Dungeons & Dragons. The game's setting felt natural to me; a hell of lot more so than middle or high school. As the years went by, I gravitated towards narrative-heavy games and complex characters. It's not the only thing that pointed me towards writing, but RPG's were certainly an influence.
In 1998, I went to Hampshire College, where I concentrated in philosophy and creative writing. It was a fantastic experience: I took numerous classes in mythology, religion, and cognitive science. Altogether, it was as great a primer for writing genre fiction as I can imagine. As if that wasn't enough, I also met my wife, Lindsay Stares, while I was there.
After we graduated, we spent two years in DC, seven in New York, and finally moved to Seattle in 2012. Before you ask: no, it doesn't always rain. The climate's mild year round, at least compared to New England, and the Pacific Northwest is easily the most beautiful place I've ever lived.
Since writing doesn't pay the bills, I work as an analyst, which I also find sharpens my critical thinking skills. Would I like to write full-time? Sure, but not many people make it into that club. If this remains a side-venture, I've got nothing to complain about.
Almost everything I write is genre, but there's quite a bit of room within those boundaries. I've written everything from grounded science-fiction to space opera, magical realism to epic fantasy... and everything in between, around, and crossing over those categories. I like fiction that's about something meaningful, but I hate feeling like I'm being preached to, even if I agree with the message. That's a tough balance to strike sometimes, but my goal is always to create something that's entertaining and substantial, without hitting the reader over the head with morals or messages.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 8, 2017
+I received this book via NetGalley in an exchange for an honest review.
I saw this book on NetGalley and the summary caught my attention. Spells, Gods, Adventures...!
THE WORLD: The story takes us to an ancient time, in a land with five lakes where a tribe (well, a village) has settled in. I wish I had a map to show because I cannot even imagine this land myself... further in the book the main character also travels to the Hathari Empire, try to contact Citadel... it is a very complex world.
CHARACTERS:The main character is Alaji (Ah-la-gee?). She lives in the land of the Five Lakes with her parents and her brother. The book starts with Alaji and her brother spying on a group of Northern men guided by the leader, Hollik, whose intentions are conquering the territory. Thus, Alaji's village is at risk of being destroyed and her people murdered. The interesting thing is that these people have learn to count by fives (not tenths) and they posses the knowledge of spells. Women learn 5 spells that have to do with women's jobs like sewing, taking care of animals, fire, etc and men learn another set of 5 dealing with hunting like silence spell, speed, endurance, etc.
After an event that changes everything, Alaji's village is attacked by Hollik's men and Alaji escapes from safety to go into battle to kill Hollik by using a "God's" spell of time travelling, meaning a spell that is not part of the women's and men's set and it is supposed to be used only by the Gods. The penalty for using it is death but she uses it anyway to try to kill Hollik... she is interrupted by a man called Yemerik. After that everything gets super tangled. New information is revealed: people can time travel both to the past and to the future. Alaji is very confused and she ends up doing stupid things that messes up with the time line. I'll stop here now but just be aware that it is a very complex story.
By the way, there are many more characters introduced but they were not so important maybe only the last one, Imn Orith, I have the feeling he will be important in the next book.
LOVE: No love. Yay!
PLUS: I liked all the history parts. The history of the Five Lakes and how the land will change in the next centuries. I also liked the spells although I still haven't figured out why counting to five is so important, it has to do with the pattern but well... I hope it is better explained in the next book.
Alaji was a good character. She makes stupid choices sometimes but I can understand why since nobody tells her anything ever and Alaji has to solve every single problem by herself. Yemerik helped a bit though but still...
The woman! I want to know the mystery! Who is she? What does she want?
MINUS: The world is so confusing! The time lines are so confusing! Now I go to this place on year 600 then I move to another place on year 1389 argh my head hurt after thinking about it. Me confused!
OVERALL: 3.5 stars. This is one of those books with a world so complex that people need to read it twice to understand it. I had to read The Name of the Wind twice as well because the first time just wasn't enough to understand it. This being said I give it 3.5 stars but I am pretty sure if I read it again after some time it could go up to 4 stars.
—P.S. I Love That Book!
I saw this book on NetGalley and the summary caught my attention. Spells, Gods, Adventures...!
THE WORLD: The story takes us to an ancient time, in a land with five lakes where a tribe (well, a village) has settled in. I wish I had a map to show because I cannot even imagine this land myself... further in the book the main character also travels to the Hathari Empire, try to contact Citadel... it is a very complex world.
CHARACTERS:The main character is Alaji (Ah-la-gee?). She lives in the land of the Five Lakes with her parents and her brother. The book starts with Alaji and her brother spying on a group of Northern men guided by the leader, Hollik, whose intentions are conquering the territory. Thus, Alaji's village is at risk of being destroyed and her people murdered. The interesting thing is that these people have learn to count by fives (not tenths) and they posses the knowledge of spells. Women learn 5 spells that have to do with women's jobs like sewing, taking care of animals, fire, etc and men learn another set of 5 dealing with hunting like silence spell, speed, endurance, etc.
After an event that changes everything, Alaji's village is attacked by Hollik's men and Alaji escapes from safety to go into battle to kill Hollik by using a "God's" spell of time travelling, meaning a spell that is not part of the women's and men's set and it is supposed to be used only by the Gods. The penalty for using it is death but she uses it anyway to try to kill Hollik... she is interrupted by a man called Yemerik. After that everything gets super tangled. New information is revealed: people can time travel both to the past and to the future. Alaji is very confused and she ends up doing stupid things that messes up with the time line. I'll stop here now but just be aware that it is a very complex story.
By the way, there are many more characters introduced but they were not so important maybe only the last one, Imn Orith, I have the feeling he will be important in the next book.
LOVE: No love. Yay!
PLUS: I liked all the history parts. The history of the Five Lakes and how the land will change in the next centuries. I also liked the spells although I still haven't figured out why counting to five is so important, it has to do with the pattern but well... I hope it is better explained in the next book.
Alaji was a good character. She makes stupid choices sometimes but I can understand why since nobody tells her anything ever and Alaji has to solve every single problem by herself. Yemerik helped a bit though but still...
The woman! I want to know the mystery! Who is she? What does she want?
MINUS: The world is so confusing! The time lines are so confusing! Now I go to this place on year 600 then I move to another place on year 1389 argh my head hurt after thinking about it. Me confused!
OVERALL: 3.5 stars. This is one of those books with a world so complex that people need to read it twice to understand it. I had to read The Name of the Wind twice as well because the first time just wasn't enough to understand it. This being said I give it 3.5 stars but I am pretty sure if I read it again after some time it could go up to 4 stars.
—P.S. I Love That Book!
December 8, 2016
A Count of Five (The Citadel of the Last Gathering, #1) by Erin L. Snyder
Alaji lives near the Holy Lakes. An army arrives with a very powerful warlord, she is told this will cause the end of her people and land. Soon she learns the five spells of women and a special one given to her, the spell over time. For her to learn this spell of the Gods could cause her death. But learning this may be her only hope of saving her family And herself.
A fun fantasy with a lot of action and likable characters. I really liked Alaji, she does what she must in order to save her family, no matter what the outcome may be. The plot is original, with attention to detail, bringing you into the story. I recommend A Count of Five to those who enjoy fantasy.
Alaji lives near the Holy Lakes. An army arrives with a very powerful warlord, she is told this will cause the end of her people and land. Soon she learns the five spells of women and a special one given to her, the spell over time. For her to learn this spell of the Gods could cause her death. But learning this may be her only hope of saving her family And herself.
A fun fantasy with a lot of action and likable characters. I really liked Alaji, she does what she must in order to save her family, no matter what the outcome may be. The plot is original, with attention to detail, bringing you into the story. I recommend A Count of Five to those who enjoy fantasy.
Read
January 21, 2016~I received this book via NetGalley in an exchange for my honest review~
Five numbers. Five gods. Five spells for men and five for women. Five ages before the end.
When I first read the synopsis of this book, it immediately grabbed my attention. I mean, time travel + magic + fantasy-setting: how could I ask for more?
And, in a way [first bad omen], it was exactly what I got.
I won’t add anything more because I don’t wanna indulge in spoilers. Just say that the story is fairly complex, intertwining many temporal plans, and surprisingly full of twists.
However… [yeah, that “however” is always a bad omen]
Despite the idea is very good, I found the pace too slow and I never felt connected with the main character: I was a mere spectator of Alaji’s adventures, but I didn't really get involved in what was happening.
Furthermore, more than once I felt lost. And not only because the time-line was a bit confusing, but because I didn’t understand exactly where the book was getting at. I mean, I knew that, after being catapulted into the vortex of time travel, Alaji’s goal was just to go back “home”, but I still cannot see how all the ages she visited, all the people she met contributed to develop her character or affect the plot. At times her adventures seemed more “fillers” rather than meaningful pieces interconnected with the overall puzzle.
Maybe this feeling will dissipate reading the second instalment, maybe I will find more answers there.
But "maybe" is not such a great omen, too. So I can’t rate this book more than 2.5 stars.
Five numbers. Five gods. Five spells for men and five for women. Five ages before the end.
When I first read the synopsis of this book, it immediately grabbed my attention. I mean, time travel + magic + fantasy-setting: how could I ask for more?
And, in a way [first bad omen], it was exactly what I got.
The story follows Alaji, a girl who live by the Five Lakes in a sort of pre-historic era permeated with magic. In this world everyone is gifted with some kind of magic: men master five spells, women are given another set of five spells. Other spells are forbidden to humankind and are destined exclusively to the Gods.
But if you managed to learn one of those spells and you knew that using it is the last hope of your family and your village, wouldn’t you dare to use it?
That’s how Alaji’s journey through time starts; a journey that leads her farther than she could have ever imagined.
I won’t add anything more because I don’t wanna indulge in spoilers. Just say that the story is fairly complex, intertwining many temporal plans, and surprisingly full of twists.
However… [yeah, that “however” is always a bad omen]
Despite the idea is very good, I found the pace too slow and I never felt connected with the main character: I was a mere spectator of Alaji’s adventures, but I didn't really get involved in what was happening.
Furthermore, more than once I felt lost. And not only because the time-line was a bit confusing, but because I didn’t understand exactly where the book was getting at. I mean, I knew that, after being catapulted into the vortex of time travel, Alaji’s goal was just to go back “home”, but I still cannot see how all the ages she visited, all the people she met contributed to develop her character or affect the plot. At times her adventures seemed more “fillers” rather than meaningful pieces interconnected with the overall puzzle.
Maybe this feeling will dissipate reading the second instalment, maybe I will find more answers there.
But "maybe" is not such a great omen, too. So I can’t rate this book more than 2.5 stars.
September 18, 2015
Talking about what's so good about A Count of Five is difficult without giving spoilers. The book revolves around a plot device that will be familiar to you, but where A Count of Five shines is in how fully and thoughtfully said plot device in integrated into the world and the stories. Snyder's writing constantly made me think, "Yeah, that's what would happen if this really existed." At the same time, the writing isn't so in love with this plot device that it focuses solely on it -- the characters are strong and believable, and the plotting is well-paced, with surprises that keep pulling you through the chapters without being overwrought.
November 22, 2015
**I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.**
I had no idea what to expect from this book, but I was immediately engrossed in it. It revolves around the character Alaji, who knows the basic spells of her people, somewhat accidentally discovers rudimentary time travel. It's hard to explain more without giving spoilers, but what follows is a journey that is never predictable or obvious, filled with the complications of time travel. There's a lot of thought that's put into the theory of time travel that is also really interesting and unique. Definitely put this book on your read list.
I had no idea what to expect from this book, but I was immediately engrossed in it. It revolves around the character Alaji, who knows the basic spells of her people, somewhat accidentally discovers rudimentary time travel. It's hard to explain more without giving spoilers, but what follows is a journey that is never predictable or obvious, filled with the complications of time travel. There's a lot of thought that's put into the theory of time travel that is also really interesting and unique. Definitely put this book on your read list.
October 19, 2016
Not a great book but not horrible either. Too confusing at times which made it hard to keep reading. Had no idea about the system of counting and wasn't invested enough in the book to even care.
Want to read
September 7, 2015Thank you Goodreads for introducing us to all of these good books.
I have won 2 books from Goodreads, the latest one being A Count Of Five.
This is book one and I have a feeling this book is setting us up for book 2. This book had elements in it that I like but even with that it was an okay read for me. I am looking forward to the next book and I am hoping for more adventure and intrigue.
I have won 2 books from Goodreads, the latest one being A Count Of Five.
This is book one and I have a feeling this book is setting us up for book 2. This book had elements in it that I like but even with that it was an okay read for me. I am looking forward to the next book and I am hoping for more adventure and intrigue.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews