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The Rise of Kings
"Great fun, reminiscent of Gemmell."
A thousand years since the remaking of the Old World, an assassination becomes the first thread in a steadily unravelling prophecy.
The only clue points to it being the work of the warring Tribes in the west, and a newly self-proclaimed king is determined to show his strength in revenge. But he will not stop there.
The king sends Arkus Galarus, General of the Caldoan Legions and hero of the Incursions, to the inhospitable desert wastes the Tribes call home, and there he discovers the truth.
War is coming to his world; a war far greater than the machinations of the king, and he alone can stop it.
For a darkness waits at the edges of the world, and its coming will herald the end.
A thousand years since the remaking of the Old World, an assassination becomes the first thread in a steadily unravelling prophecy.
The only clue points to it being the work of the warring Tribes in the west, and a newly self-proclaimed king is determined to show his strength in revenge. But he will not stop there.
The king sends Arkus Galarus, General of the Caldoan Legions and hero of the Incursions, to the inhospitable desert wastes the Tribes call home, and there he discovers the truth.
War is coming to his world; a war far greater than the machinations of the king, and he alone can stop it.
For a darkness waits at the edges of the world, and its coming will herald the end.
- GenresFantasy
243 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 4, 2016
24 people are currently reading
105 people want to read
About the author
Ben Emery
2 books6 followersGenius. Astounding. Handsome. These are but a few words Ben Emery is capable of spelling correctly.
Having grown up in rural southwest England, reading, writing, and fabricating fantastical places became as much a means of passing the time as it did a hobby.
Getting lost in the worlds of Tolkien, Pullman and Gemmell, became, and remains to this day, a means of escaping the terrifying and horse-shit day and age we're currently slogging through.
Having neglected to actually go to lectures, University instead became a means by which Ben could write and still have a reasonable excuse for not getting a job. Those were the days. Still, it took years before 'The Rise of Kings' finally gained any semblance of the book it is today. And it's still not all that good.
That said, the highest compliment he has yet, and expects to ever receive, was to describe 'The Rise of Kings' as "reminiscent of Gemmell" himself.
The debut novel, and first in 'The Flameweaver's Prophecy' trilogy is available in e-Book format on Amazon; hopefully followed soon, though probably not as soon as it should be, by the second installment, 'The Hearts of Nations.'
Having grown up in rural southwest England, reading, writing, and fabricating fantastical places became as much a means of passing the time as it did a hobby.
Getting lost in the worlds of Tolkien, Pullman and Gemmell, became, and remains to this day, a means of escaping the terrifying and horse-shit day and age we're currently slogging through.
Having neglected to actually go to lectures, University instead became a means by which Ben could write and still have a reasonable excuse for not getting a job. Those were the days. Still, it took years before 'The Rise of Kings' finally gained any semblance of the book it is today. And it's still not all that good.
That said, the highest compliment he has yet, and expects to ever receive, was to describe 'The Rise of Kings' as "reminiscent of Gemmell" himself.
The debut novel, and first in 'The Flameweaver's Prophecy' trilogy is available in e-Book format on Amazon; hopefully followed soon, though probably not as soon as it should be, by the second installment, 'The Hearts of Nations.'
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
May 29, 2017
A well-deserved 4 Stars as I really liked this debut military fantasy novel which I could not put down. I was engaged from start to finish which, to Ben Emery’s credit, is a feat on its own; I have been known to abandon a lot of books simply because they weren’t good enough for my tastes. I could point to other books with better prose or more complex fantasy worlds, however there have been few books I have ever wanted to stay awake to ungodly hours to finish reading.
Some great dimensional characters here which were fun to read. Others were not handled with so much care and needed better treatment to raise them from the page. The books opening is strong and the mystery held me. I was hoping for more resolution in the ending – but it is a perfect end to lead into book 2 and I will be looking forward to reading the sequel. A great start to the series!
Ps. I found this book via Reddit. When I see other writers on Reddit who have published I like to sticky-beak and look at their Amazon and Goodreads profiles. Initially I saw the awesome cover art and based on that I decided to read the prologue... 3 days later, I finished the book.
Some great dimensional characters here which were fun to read. Others were not handled with so much care and needed better treatment to raise them from the page. The books opening is strong and the mystery held me. I was hoping for more resolution in the ending – but it is a perfect end to lead into book 2 and I will be looking forward to reading the sequel. A great start to the series!
Ps. I found this book via Reddit. When I see other writers on Reddit who have published I like to sticky-beak and look at their Amazon and Goodreads profiles. Initially I saw the awesome cover art and based on that I decided to read the prologue... 3 days later, I finished the book.
April 13, 2016
An exciting fantasy in a beautifully rich world
I read a lot of fantasy and thrillers. My favourite is a combination of the two.
The Rise of Kings is such a book. The world and characters are well thought out and brought to life well. The plot flows well without the author hand-holding and explaining everything.
The only downside is that as it is the author's first novel, and is the first part of a much larger story, I am going to have to wait for the next instalment. I will be buying it on its release.
Well worth a read if you enjoys Fantasy or historical fiction.
I read a lot of fantasy and thrillers. My favourite is a combination of the two.
The Rise of Kings is such a book. The world and characters are well thought out and brought to life well. The plot flows well without the author hand-holding and explaining everything.
The only downside is that as it is the author's first novel, and is the first part of a much larger story, I am going to have to wait for the next instalment. I will be buying it on its release.
Well worth a read if you enjoys Fantasy or historical fiction.
September 5, 2016
An interesting read!
This book had plenty of action and twists that I did not see coming. The main characters were likable, their actions and motives for those actions understandable and inline with their character.
This book had plenty of action and twists that I did not see coming. The main characters were likable, their actions and motives for those actions understandable and inline with their character.
January 9, 2017
The Rise of Kings is the first installment in a military fantasy series called The Flameweaver's Prophecy. One man believes an ancient prophecy foretells the unification of the known world at his hands and seeks to fulfill this vision by any means necessary. Meanwhile, another man was unjustly sent to his death but manages to survive. He sets out on a campaign to oppose this would-be ruler.
If I had to give an accurate rating, I'd be more likely to rate it 2.5 out of 5 rather than a 3, but it was interesting enough to round up. I enjoyed the main protagonist along with his companions, even if there was nothing remarkably unique about their characterization. The story wasn't anything special, but it was just good enough to keep my interest and I thought the author did an excellent job in the description department, especially when it came to worldbuilding and combat scenes.
The downside is that there are a ton of grammatical errors littered throughout the book. It could have used a few more editors or pre-publication readers to clean that mess up, and the writer has an overfondness for semicolons. Also, while I'm no expert on the matter, the author's understanding of human anatomy and military strategy during combat was severely lacking. The number of cleaved or beheaded bodies was unrealistically high, while the tactics of the armies felt extremely rudimentary and unsophisticated, even to my nescient mind.
Overall, if you're looking for a straightforward military fantasy with lots of descriptive action and solid worldbuilding, this book may be for you. If you require strong characterization and creative plots, perhaps this wouldn't be the best choice.
If I had to give an accurate rating, I'd be more likely to rate it 2.5 out of 5 rather than a 3, but it was interesting enough to round up. I enjoyed the main protagonist along with his companions, even if there was nothing remarkably unique about their characterization. The story wasn't anything special, but it was just good enough to keep my interest and I thought the author did an excellent job in the description department, especially when it came to worldbuilding and combat scenes.
The downside is that there are a ton of grammatical errors littered throughout the book. It could have used a few more editors or pre-publication readers to clean that mess up, and the writer has an overfondness for semicolons. Also, while I'm no expert on the matter, the author's understanding of human anatomy and military strategy during combat was severely lacking. The number of cleaved or beheaded bodies was unrealistically high, while the tactics of the armies felt extremely rudimentary and unsophisticated, even to my nescient mind.
Overall, if you're looking for a straightforward military fantasy with lots of descriptive action and solid worldbuilding, this book may be for you. If you require strong characterization and creative plots, perhaps this wouldn't be the best choice.
January 3, 2018
Pretty bad. Didn't manage to finish it. All of the characters seemed pretty one-dimensional.
August 28, 2017
3.5 stars.
I will go into more detail soon and the reasons why it is 3.5 star
I will go into more detail soon and the reasons why it is 3.5 star
July 23, 2016
I picked this up on the kindle store page, based on other purchases, and having read the blurb, thought it’d be right up my street. I have to confess, I was badly disappointed. My initial impression, right from the first scene was that it was poor. As a massive fan of military fantasy, and a military historian, I always enjoy a good opening battle scene, but the open of Rise of Kings was filled with imprecise language and oversimplified battle scenes, with a complete lack of formations and non-sensical strategic and tactical decisions. Having said that, I have never started a book and not finished it, so I decided to give it a chance and continue, in the hope that it improved.
Around about the 25% mark (only about 50 pages in – it’s very short), I thought the plot a little too predictable and derivative, but again decided to persevere in the hope that twists appeared as the plot progressed. As well, I found it hard to keep track of scenes due to mid-action shifts in point of view, something I try to avoid at all costs in my own writing. Overall, I failed to detect much in the way of subtlety of plot, and found the whole thing a little simple, to the extent I wondered whether or not it was intended as YA. Having said that though, there are parts where it is probably too bloody to be considered suitable, so I was left a little confused. In one sense, this book is incredibly frustrating, because the premise and the ideas (not the mention the world-building) are fantastic, but there is just the feeling that not much care has been taken over both editing and research.
I hate writing reviews as negative as this, and I try to be as constructive as possible. Whether that’s been achieved or not, I’m not entirely sure. In short, the premise is great, and Emery’s book has been completed and published (which is more than I can claim of mine), but the execution is a little off.
‘Rise of Kings’, by Ben Emery is the first in The Flameweaver’s Prophecy.
Around about the 25% mark (only about 50 pages in – it’s very short), I thought the plot a little too predictable and derivative, but again decided to persevere in the hope that twists appeared as the plot progressed. As well, I found it hard to keep track of scenes due to mid-action shifts in point of view, something I try to avoid at all costs in my own writing. Overall, I failed to detect much in the way of subtlety of plot, and found the whole thing a little simple, to the extent I wondered whether or not it was intended as YA. Having said that though, there are parts where it is probably too bloody to be considered suitable, so I was left a little confused. In one sense, this book is incredibly frustrating, because the premise and the ideas (not the mention the world-building) are fantastic, but there is just the feeling that not much care has been taken over both editing and research.
I hate writing reviews as negative as this, and I try to be as constructive as possible. Whether that’s been achieved or not, I’m not entirely sure. In short, the premise is great, and Emery’s book has been completed and published (which is more than I can claim of mine), but the execution is a little off.
‘Rise of Kings’, by Ben Emery is the first in The Flameweaver’s Prophecy.
August 17, 2016
A cheesy and bland novel, combining all the cliches of military fantasy. The dialogue is simple and unoriginal and easily anticipated, like reading the script of an Uwe Boll film. The characters are very identical, amazingly stereotypical and I had the feeling I've encountered them countless times in other media (other books, movies etc.). When it comes to the battle scenes, I have the feeling the author doesn't really know how the human body works nor how hard it actually is to dismember people with swords.
Worst of all however, the book lacks character. It read like a cheesy interpretation of a Warhammer 40K novel (come to think of it, I can actually find a parallel for every single character from The Rise of Kings and the first couple of books in the Horus Heresy, only difference is, the Horus Heresy universe was diverse and compelling).
I usually hate writing bad reviews, because I know how much someone criticizing your work can hurt. Especially regarding small, not so popular authors on the Internet. But I couldn't help myself here, I apologize.
Worst of all however, the book lacks character. It read like a cheesy interpretation of a Warhammer 40K novel (come to think of it, I can actually find a parallel for every single character from The Rise of Kings and the first couple of books in the Horus Heresy, only difference is, the Horus Heresy universe was diverse and compelling).
I usually hate writing bad reviews, because I know how much someone criticizing your work can hurt. Especially regarding small, not so popular authors on the Internet. But I couldn't help myself here, I apologize.
May 3, 2016
I just could not get into this book, it is dire need of a good editor and less adjectives and descriptions of every single thing. Why do I need to know everything about a character, about his aging body and unshaven face and every bit of detail in the room if he is just going to be killed off in a few pages.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 7, 2016
Good read
Easy read, kept me turning the pages. Kind of predicable and nothing earth shattering about the plot but I couldn't put it down till I was finished
Easy read, kept me turning the pages. Kind of predicable and nothing earth shattering about the plot but I couldn't put it down till I was finished
April 24, 2017
Average
Pretty average book. Predictable and a little exaggerated. Moves quickly which is nice, but you don't really get to know any of the very cookie-cutter characters. I probably won't read the sequel.
Pretty average book. Predictable and a little exaggerated. Moves quickly which is nice, but you don't really get to know any of the very cookie-cutter characters. I probably won't read the sequel.
May 14, 2018
Excellent read!
This story has me gripped, ive found myself lost in this world and I am desperately Looking forward to more!!
This story has me gripped, ive found myself lost in this world and I am desperately Looking forward to more!!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews