What do you think?
Rate this book
Digitesque #1
Zeroth Law
An alternate cover edition can be found here.
Autonomous machines polish the bones of a civilization slowly being swallowed by wilderness. Creatures not born of Earth inhabit the remote corners of the world. Humans live with legacies they don’t understand - old ruins, strange technological artifacts, incredible powers in their blood. There are other worlds alongside this one, and death is not what it once was.
Isavel is ripped from a simple life into the heat of a conflict she doesn’t understand, and saddled with powers and expectations she doesn’t know how to handle. Lost in a storm, she hopes that by following the will of her gods, she might find purpose - and ultimately, peace.
Ada took her own peaceful life and threw it out the window. Outcast for heresy against the scholarly dogma of her people, she decides the world needs to change, and she thinks she’s the one to do it. To her surprise, she happens to be living at a time of more wondrous and terrible change than she can imagine.
These two young women must navigate a world that is is barely holding together, each only slowly becoming aware of the other’s existence and power. Each of them will have the chance to light a fire to change the world - but first, they must become the people they will need to be.
Autonomous machines polish the bones of a civilization slowly being swallowed by wilderness. Creatures not born of Earth inhabit the remote corners of the world. Humans live with legacies they don’t understand - old ruins, strange technological artifacts, incredible powers in their blood. There are other worlds alongside this one, and death is not what it once was.
Isavel is ripped from a simple life into the heat of a conflict she doesn’t understand, and saddled with powers and expectations she doesn’t know how to handle. Lost in a storm, she hopes that by following the will of her gods, she might find purpose - and ultimately, peace.
Ada took her own peaceful life and threw it out the window. Outcast for heresy against the scholarly dogma of her people, she decides the world needs to change, and she thinks she’s the one to do it. To her surprise, she happens to be living at a time of more wondrous and terrible change than she can imagine.
These two young women must navigate a world that is is barely holding together, each only slowly becoming aware of the other’s existence and power. Each of them will have the chance to light a fire to change the world - but first, they must become the people they will need to be.
261 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 8, 2016
31 people are currently reading
347 people want to read
About the author
Guerric Haché
8 books38 followersGuerric would really rather not be on an Amazon-owned platform. They would highly recommend you check out alternatives like BookWyrm, Storygraph, or Open Library.
For-profit, publicly-traded corporations should not be in charge of mediating trade or communication between creators and audiences, or between producers and consumers. When they do, the result is pure parasitism.
For-profit, publicly-traded corporations should not be in charge of mediating trade or communication between creators and audiences, or between producers and consumers. When they do, the result is pure parasitism.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
August 22, 2017
Fellow author alert. I'm acquainted with Guerric Haché on social media, so my rating may be a bit biased. On the other hand, he is a direct competitor of mine in Mark Lawrence's SPFBO 3. Hmmm...let's just call it even, then.
In all seriousness, this was a very interesting read, told from the POV of two women, Isavel and Ada. It's a blend between science fiction and fantasy, with each POV focusing more on one (Isavel for fantasy) and the other (Ada for science fiction). It was pretty neat to see Haché's techniques in combining the two genres, including how it comes together near the end.
The writing is fast-paced, clear, and more on the action side of things--which helps narrow the narrative down as the focus is definitely on the adventure and discovery, especially with the amount of world-building in this novel. If the premise sounds interesting, and you like the idea of exploring the science fantasy world Haché has created, then by all means give this book a shot.
In all seriousness, this was a very interesting read, told from the POV of two women, Isavel and Ada. It's a blend between science fiction and fantasy, with each POV focusing more on one (Isavel for fantasy) and the other (Ada for science fiction). It was pretty neat to see Haché's techniques in combining the two genres, including how it comes together near the end.
The writing is fast-paced, clear, and more on the action side of things--which helps narrow the narrative down as the focus is definitely on the adventure and discovery, especially with the amount of world-building in this novel. If the premise sounds interesting, and you like the idea of exploring the science fantasy world Haché has created, then by all means give this book a shot.
October 13, 2017
This book is part of Fantasy Factions grouping and it hasn’t had any feedback yet. It was a really interesting book with a sci fi twist to it.
Bingo: Self Published, dragons, debut
Plot:
Isavel wakes up after being murdered and finds that she has been reborn with new gifts, with her entire town slaughtered including her family she has to find a new place to go. Soon she ends up being Gifted twice, and then a third time which is unheard of and considered a perversion. A mentor figure she ran into while trying to find a place to go thinks she has been dabbling in dark magic, and that she’s perverted the Gifts. She doesn’t understand what’s going on and she’s searching for answers and acceptance from her new group.
Isavel becomes friends with a group of scouts searching to stop the raiders who have been pillaging small towns and killing everyone in the villages. They’ve noticed a big increase in the amount and intensity of raider attacks, an amount of which hasn’t been seen in decades.
Ada has been exiled, and is trying to find where she can go, she has a serious sense of self worth and is pretty arrogant. She thinks that most people are idiots and that she’s smarter than everyone around her. She’s been recruited by someone to try and open an old ruin that other Coders haven’t been able to figure out yet – she makes discovery after discovery about the ancient world and why the ancients died off. Super interesting twist with something called the Technophage.
Characters:
Isavel – an innocent sounding girl who was previously ungifted before her death. She seems like a nice person who’s gone through some terrible things, and just trying to find her way. She gets tasked with some enormous responsibility by the end.
Ada – I’m not sure if I like this character, or if you’re supposed to. She has an interesting plot/character arc but she’s not the most enjoyable person. Thinking herself superior to almost everyone she meets reading her inner thoughts can be grating at times but her thoughts of superiority got fewer as the book went along and she grew a bit and grew on me.
World Building:
Some people in this world are Gifted and have certain ‘magic’ abilities, there are different types of Gifts that allow you to do different things, but before Isavel it was unheard of for someone to have multiple gifts.
Hunting Gift allows you to pool bright blue hexagons and hurl them from your finger tips burning anything you target.
Pathfinder Gift allows you to camouflage in with your surroundings.
There are multiple gods which are believed to reside on the rings of this alternate Earth, (which have a neat backstory) there’s also familiar “ancient technology” that gives the world a post apocalyptic feel to it.
“Coding” seems to be a mix of ‘magic’ and tech, whenever someone refers to Ada’s coding as magic she gets irritated and calls people ignorant, referring to it more as a science.
Through Ada’s POV we get a ton of really interesting world building on the ‘ancient’ culture that has immensely complex coding that people haven’t been able to decipher. She’s found a lost treasure trove of knowledge but it’s in the ancients tongue and she needs to decipher it. She sees pictures of huge cities with hundreds of thousands of people living in them, while the largest cities in her current world have thousands at best.
“Outers” are an isolated race that live in the south in a city called the Campus, it’s a city of ancient tech that’s still working and it’s a wonder to the world. Ada gets there and discovers she has even more unique abilities than she thought.
There’s a neat tie in with the title around 85% that’s linked to the gods.
Writing/Tone/Pacing:
Pretty straight forward prose with mild cursing, 10 fucks were given in this book.
The two POV’s don’t merge until 54% and even then it’s only fleeting, you really get two sides to the world building through two different POV’s. You get culture and magic and war problems through Isavels POV and ancient tech, coding, and lore through Ada’s pov. Alternating between the two kept things fresh and quickly paced.
This is a pretty short book being around 230 pages on ebook so I got through it in a day.
Audience:
For people who like unique magic systems
For people who like a lot of magic in their books
For people who like limited multi pov
For people who are looking for female protags
For people who like sci fi twists to fantasy
For people who like books focusing on discovering lost ancient tech
Bingo: Self Published, dragons, debut
Plot:
Isavel wakes up after being murdered and finds that she has been reborn with new gifts, with her entire town slaughtered including her family she has to find a new place to go. Soon she ends up being Gifted twice, and then a third time which is unheard of and considered a perversion. A mentor figure she ran into while trying to find a place to go thinks she has been dabbling in dark magic, and that she’s perverted the Gifts. She doesn’t understand what’s going on and she’s searching for answers and acceptance from her new group.
Isavel becomes friends with a group of scouts searching to stop the raiders who have been pillaging small towns and killing everyone in the villages. They’ve noticed a big increase in the amount and intensity of raider attacks, an amount of which hasn’t been seen in decades.
Ada has been exiled, and is trying to find where she can go, she has a serious sense of self worth and is pretty arrogant. She thinks that most people are idiots and that she’s smarter than everyone around her. She’s been recruited by someone to try and open an old ruin that other Coders haven’t been able to figure out yet – she makes discovery after discovery about the ancient world and why the ancients died off. Super interesting twist with something called the Technophage.
Characters:
Isavel – an innocent sounding girl who was previously ungifted before her death. She seems like a nice person who’s gone through some terrible things, and just trying to find her way. She gets tasked with some enormous responsibility by the end.
Ada – I’m not sure if I like this character, or if you’re supposed to. She has an interesting plot/character arc but she’s not the most enjoyable person. Thinking herself superior to almost everyone she meets reading her inner thoughts can be grating at times but her thoughts of superiority got fewer as the book went along and she grew a bit and grew on me.
World Building:
Some people in this world are Gifted and have certain ‘magic’ abilities, there are different types of Gifts that allow you to do different things, but before Isavel it was unheard of for someone to have multiple gifts.
Hunting Gift allows you to pool bright blue hexagons and hurl them from your finger tips burning anything you target.
Pathfinder Gift allows you to camouflage in with your surroundings.
There are multiple gods which are believed to reside on the rings of this alternate Earth, (which have a neat backstory) there’s also familiar “ancient technology” that gives the world a post apocalyptic feel to it.
“Coding” seems to be a mix of ‘magic’ and tech, whenever someone refers to Ada’s coding as magic she gets irritated and calls people ignorant, referring to it more as a science.
Through Ada’s POV we get a ton of really interesting world building on the ‘ancient’ culture that has immensely complex coding that people haven’t been able to decipher. She’s found a lost treasure trove of knowledge but it’s in the ancients tongue and she needs to decipher it. She sees pictures of huge cities with hundreds of thousands of people living in them, while the largest cities in her current world have thousands at best.
“Outers” are an isolated race that live in the south in a city called the Campus, it’s a city of ancient tech that’s still working and it’s a wonder to the world. Ada gets there and discovers she has even more unique abilities than she thought.
There’s a neat tie in with the title around 85% that’s linked to the gods.
Writing/Tone/Pacing:
Pretty straight forward prose with mild cursing, 10 fucks were given in this book.
The two POV’s don’t merge until 54% and even then it’s only fleeting, you really get two sides to the world building through two different POV’s. You get culture and magic and war problems through Isavels POV and ancient tech, coding, and lore through Ada’s pov. Alternating between the two kept things fresh and quickly paced.
This is a pretty short book being around 230 pages on ebook so I got through it in a day.
Audience:
For people who like unique magic systems
For people who like a lot of magic in their books
For people who like limited multi pov
For people who are looking for female protags
For people who like sci fi twists to fantasy
For people who like books focusing on discovering lost ancient tech
April 12, 2017
I picked up this book because a friend kept insisting one of the main characters reminded her of me. My curiosity got the best of me, and I ended up reading start to finish in a couple days.
I like this story, and I like how it is told. The book is narrated from the perspective of two different characters which lives intersect but that are ultimately going on their own solo journeys. I think the author did a great job creating a specific personality and voice for each character, both Ada and Isavel are strong female leads, but they are so in different ways - they are not opposite, but clearly different.
This is my first time venturing in the Science Fiction Fantasy genre, and to be honest at first I was a little thrown off by it. Though Science Fiction and Fantasy do manage to coexist in this book, they do so by staying in their own lanes. Towards the end I felt as if I was reading two different books at once: Isavel's (the fantasy) and Ada's (the science fiction).
I did not dislike that, but I did reach a point in which I felt it was "too much".
I overall liked this book, there were many things I liked about the world it is set in, and I would definitely recommend it.
I like this story, and I like how it is told. The book is narrated from the perspective of two different characters which lives intersect but that are ultimately going on their own solo journeys. I think the author did a great job creating a specific personality and voice for each character, both Ada and Isavel are strong female leads, but they are so in different ways - they are not opposite, but clearly different.
This is my first time venturing in the Science Fiction Fantasy genre, and to be honest at first I was a little thrown off by it. Though Science Fiction and Fantasy do manage to coexist in this book, they do so by staying in their own lanes. Towards the end I felt as if I was reading two different books at once: Isavel's (the fantasy) and Ada's (the science fiction).
I did not dislike that, but I did reach a point in which I felt it was "too much".
I overall liked this book, there were many things I liked about the world it is set in, and I would definitely recommend it.
April 14, 2022
3.5/5
I liked it. The premise is great and the characters memorable. The plot could be tighter and some scenes could be more to the point.
All in all, a solid start to the series and it's quite possible I'll read the sequel soon.
I liked it. The premise is great and the characters memorable. The plot could be tighter and some scenes could be more to the point.
All in all, a solid start to the series and it's quite possible I'll read the sequel soon.
August 17, 2017
Actually 3.5 stars, but I couldn't get myself to round up to four for this book. But I'm definitely already reading the next book in the series!
I really enjoyed the premise of this book. Science fantasy is such a fun genre. The magic system is excellent and still has plenty of room for the reader to learn about it through one of the main characters, Isavel. She's a novice with her magic, but she somehow has three different powers, when it was thought only a single gift could be granted per individual. It reminds me of a Mistborn.
The science side of the novel is also really fascinating. Who caused humanity to lose their ability to read? How will Ada, the second character, change society through her unique ability to read?
So why do I only give this book a rating of three stars? First, I do not like Ada as a person. She's not naïve like Isavel, but she thinks that she is better than everyone and as a result treats people like crap. Everyone. It's grating over time. Maybe she'll grow as a person in subsequent novels?
Second, I'm really bothered by the fact that all of the ancient technology still works perfectly. Yes, the novel provides Watcher robots who mysteriously maintain everything, but at the same time the story has already said there aren't enough to maintain everything. So how do all those guns keep working and what is their power source and where do people get ammo? How are all of the "haulers" (hovercraft) able to work instantly after sitting idle for a thousand years? Where do they get new fuel for them when they run out of an energy source? These small and insignificant details pop out for me and as a result it pulls me out of the story at times. Hopefully these small details will get addressed later!
These criticisms, however, don't mean I didn't enjoy the novel. I did! So much in fact that I immediately started reading the sequel. So, yes, I do recommend reading them!
I really enjoyed the premise of this book. Science fantasy is such a fun genre. The magic system is excellent and still has plenty of room for the reader to learn about it through one of the main characters, Isavel. She's a novice with her magic, but she somehow has three different powers, when it was thought only a single gift could be granted per individual. It reminds me of a Mistborn.
The science side of the novel is also really fascinating. Who caused humanity to lose their ability to read? How will Ada, the second character, change society through her unique ability to read?
So why do I only give this book a rating of three stars? First, I do not like Ada as a person. She's not naïve like Isavel, but she thinks that she is better than everyone and as a result treats people like crap. Everyone. It's grating over time. Maybe she'll grow as a person in subsequent novels?
Second, I'm really bothered by the fact that all of the ancient technology still works perfectly. Yes, the novel provides Watcher robots who mysteriously maintain everything, but at the same time the story has already said there aren't enough to maintain everything. So how do all those guns keep working and what is their power source and where do people get ammo? How are all of the "haulers" (hovercraft) able to work instantly after sitting idle for a thousand years? Where do they get new fuel for them when they run out of an energy source? These small and insignificant details pop out for me and as a result it pulls me out of the story at times. Hopefully these small details will get addressed later!
These criticisms, however, don't mean I didn't enjoy the novel. I did! So much in fact that I immediately started reading the sequel. So, yes, I do recommend reading them!
April 25, 2022
Zeroth Law is the first installment of the six-book Digitesque series. It takes place in a fascinating science fantasy world, with an ambitious mash-up of sci-fi and fantasy elements, though I think I would personally categorize it further on the sci-fi side of the scale. It is certainly the first book of a series, doing a lot of worldbuilding and setup of our characters and situation. I found it to be a compelling and satisfying start and definitely intend to pick up the next book in the series.
After a cataclysmic event known only as The Fall some thousand years ago, humanity lost its history and knowledge of its own technology. The remnants of Ancient technology and infrastructure are scattered throughout the world, some usable but not understood, and sometimes revered as holy relics of the gods. In addition to the ancient technology, something considered to be magic exists in the form of Gifts. A variety of Gifts exist, each granting the user a specific skillset and certain enhanced senses. These Gifts are a one-per-person situation and are inborn talents, generally appearing at a certain age and unable to be learned or acquired.
The story is told in dual-perspective, with our heroines Ada Liu and Isavel Valdéz each trying to find their place in the world. Ada is a talented and curious coder—able to interact with the Ancient technology to some degree—but apparently incapable of respecting authority or following rules, she is cast out of the Institute where the other coders of the world congregate. Alone and rather directionless, Ada stumbles across and starts interacting with Ancient technology in ways previously forbidden to her. She is inquisitive and intelligent, but disdainful of the people around her, unable to forgive them for their ignorance. Isavel, on the other hand, has lived her life as an ungifted villager and begins the story by dying, along with everyone in her village. It doesn’t stick though, and she wakes back up from death no longer ungifted—an impossibility made moreso by the fact that she has multiple Gifts—and no remaining friends or family. Also now alone and rather directionless, Isavel places her faith and future in the hands of the gods and embarks on a journey to the nearest large city to find a temple and hopefully be told what her second life and Gifts are for.
A rarity for me, the world here is what really drew me in and got me engaged in this story. It felt new and unique, with a little bit of everything thrown in but without feeling too disconnected or muddled. The characters are a little hard to love right off, Ada being rather unfriendly and arrogant and Isavel at first feeling like she lacks agency in the story. As the story progressed, I found myself more sympathetic toward Ada and enjoyed her journey through the book. However, Isavel finding purpose in an almost-scary dedication to what she believes to be the gods’ plans for her was sometimes offputting and some of her interactions with people occasionally stretched the suspension of disbelief. Ada came out as the clear favorite for me, though I do feel that Isavel’s less-endearing character is likely going somewhere interesting. I found the story engaging and quickly paced; I look forward to seeing where the next book takes Ada and Isavel, and how their paths will continue to tangle.
Recommended Audience
- Readers who like the premise of forgotten history, ancient technology, and rediscovering lost knowledge. Readers who are interested in a look at how humanity might change if cut off from our understanding of ourselves.
- Readers who enjoy characters who are not the stereotypical hero, are sometimes dickish to those around them, or are kind of religious zealots.
- Readers who want a story told from two very different (perhaps sometimes opposing) points of view.
After a cataclysmic event known only as The Fall some thousand years ago, humanity lost its history and knowledge of its own technology. The remnants of Ancient technology and infrastructure are scattered throughout the world, some usable but not understood, and sometimes revered as holy relics of the gods. In addition to the ancient technology, something considered to be magic exists in the form of Gifts. A variety of Gifts exist, each granting the user a specific skillset and certain enhanced senses. These Gifts are a one-per-person situation and are inborn talents, generally appearing at a certain age and unable to be learned or acquired.
The story is told in dual-perspective, with our heroines Ada Liu and Isavel Valdéz each trying to find their place in the world. Ada is a talented and curious coder—able to interact with the Ancient technology to some degree—but apparently incapable of respecting authority or following rules, she is cast out of the Institute where the other coders of the world congregate. Alone and rather directionless, Ada stumbles across and starts interacting with Ancient technology in ways previously forbidden to her. She is inquisitive and intelligent, but disdainful of the people around her, unable to forgive them for their ignorance. Isavel, on the other hand, has lived her life as an ungifted villager and begins the story by dying, along with everyone in her village. It doesn’t stick though, and she wakes back up from death no longer ungifted—an impossibility made moreso by the fact that she has multiple Gifts—and no remaining friends or family. Also now alone and rather directionless, Isavel places her faith and future in the hands of the gods and embarks on a journey to the nearest large city to find a temple and hopefully be told what her second life and Gifts are for.
A rarity for me, the world here is what really drew me in and got me engaged in this story. It felt new and unique, with a little bit of everything thrown in but without feeling too disconnected or muddled. The characters are a little hard to love right off, Ada being rather unfriendly and arrogant and Isavel at first feeling like she lacks agency in the story. As the story progressed, I found myself more sympathetic toward Ada and enjoyed her journey through the book. However, Isavel finding purpose in an almost-scary dedication to what she believes to be the gods’ plans for her was sometimes offputting and some of her interactions with people occasionally stretched the suspension of disbelief. Ada came out as the clear favorite for me, though I do feel that Isavel’s less-endearing character is likely going somewhere interesting. I found the story engaging and quickly paced; I look forward to seeing where the next book takes Ada and Isavel, and how their paths will continue to tangle.
Recommended Audience
- Readers who like the premise of forgotten history, ancient technology, and rediscovering lost knowledge. Readers who are interested in a look at how humanity might change if cut off from our understanding of ourselves.
- Readers who enjoy characters who are not the stereotypical hero, are sometimes dickish to those around them, or are kind of religious zealots.
- Readers who want a story told from two very different (perhaps sometimes opposing) points of view.
November 17, 2017
I'm pretty sure this will be high on my list of reads for the year, it was so well paced and innovative, most of my quibbles with it were tiny in comparison. Also, the series covers are stunning!
This is a really exceptional delivery of science fantasy storytelling, with an earth far future setting that at first glance appears to be a traditional high fantasy world following two female protagonists both with certain special abilities. As we uncover additional layers, the "coder" Ada (I assume this was naming with intent) discovers an ancient ruin and works to find out about what happened to result in the fall of that ancient civilization - which is effectively our modern world on Earth. This leads her down a more pragmatic science/technology problem solving path in her story, she does research and investigates her theories, runs through test scenarios to figure things out. On the other hand Isavel, heads down a more superstitious path, having somehow died and returned with multiple special abilities (when it is abnormal to have more than one) she winds up trying to hide that aspect of herself until she can seek understanding with the religious authority.
This was a wild ride, with everything from unique concepts regarding how we see technology versus magic, AI, aliens, space, humanity, and it has a really well executed cliffhanger ending... fortunately the next book is already available (and I already have picked it up) as I'll be diving into it soon.
This is a really exceptional delivery of science fantasy storytelling, with an earth far future setting that at first glance appears to be a traditional high fantasy world following two female protagonists both with certain special abilities. As we uncover additional layers, the "coder" Ada (I assume this was naming with intent) discovers an ancient ruin and works to find out about what happened to result in the fall of that ancient civilization - which is effectively our modern world on Earth. This leads her down a more pragmatic science/technology problem solving path in her story, she does research and investigates her theories, runs through test scenarios to figure things out. On the other hand Isavel, heads down a more superstitious path, having somehow died and returned with multiple special abilities (when it is abnormal to have more than one) she winds up trying to hide that aspect of herself until she can seek understanding with the religious authority.
This was a wild ride, with everything from unique concepts regarding how we see technology versus magic, AI, aliens, space, humanity, and it has a really well executed cliffhanger ending... fortunately the next book is already available (and I already have picked it up) as I'll be diving into it soon.
November 13, 2016
In a world where the Gods exist and technology is ancient magic, a young woman returns from the dead with new powers to combat a rising evil.
Everyone in Isavel’s village is massacred and she alone survives — apparently having returned from the dead, not just healed, but with incredible new abilities. Though she doesn’t want to be a leader or to save the world, it seems the Gods have other plans for her. And her powers are certainly needed, because an army of undead are on the march.
Meanwhile, another young woman, Ada, has been thrown out of her community because of her antisocial tendencies (like making things explode). She has a unique ability to understand the lost technologies of the ancients, and a good deal of over-confidence to go with it. She may be the one person who can uncover the past and restore what humanity has lost.
This is a really well-written book, packed with interesting ideas. Good characters drive a compelling plot in an original, intriguing world. My only complaint is it should be longer — I’d like the sequel now. Great stuff.
Everyone in Isavel’s village is massacred and she alone survives — apparently having returned from the dead, not just healed, but with incredible new abilities. Though she doesn’t want to be a leader or to save the world, it seems the Gods have other plans for her. And her powers are certainly needed, because an army of undead are on the march.
Meanwhile, another young woman, Ada, has been thrown out of her community because of her antisocial tendencies (like making things explode). She has a unique ability to understand the lost technologies of the ancients, and a good deal of over-confidence to go with it. She may be the one person who can uncover the past and restore what humanity has lost.
This is a really well-written book, packed with interesting ideas. Good characters drive a compelling plot in an original, intriguing world. My only complaint is it should be longer — I’d like the sequel now. Great stuff.
January 6, 2021
I liked the world-building and both the fantasy/sci-fi elements. The main two characters grew on me as the story progressed. However, the story itself felt choppy and secondary characters weren't developed that well. A good editor could've made it much better (as well as reducing typos).
That said, it's a relatively short book and decently paced. So, check it out for yourself (at least till half way point) and see if it works for you.
That said, it's a relatively short book and decently paced. So, check it out for yourself (at least till half way point) and see if it works for you.
April 10, 2018
What was humanity, if not wanting to be more?
Zeroth Law is a very solid introduction to a series which blends elements of fantasy and sci-fi and I really, really liked this book.
THE GOOD:
+ The worldbuilding is a big plus here. It's done really well and I could tell the author had a solid vision for this world. There were small snippets of worldbuilding scattered through the text so it never felt overwhelming or info-fumpy but every time a new piece of the grand puzzle was revealed it was exciting.
+ The world's diverse in terms of race, culture, and sexuality.
+ Surprising plot twists.
+ At first I didn't love the idea of an 'endless evil horde' as the enemy but a later reveal about it made me change my mind. Because, again, cool worldbuilding.
+ The prose is lovely and easy to read.
+ There's super interesting linguistic stuff concerning language change here. (I'm such a nerd.)
+ Very often when I questioned a character's choice or something that happened, the character promptly also questioned it or had the same realisations. This was such a nice change from the usual frustrating behaviour which feels like it makes no sense.
+ Which brings me to... the MAIN CHARACTERS. Who are both awesome.
Perhaps that was the greatest of the gods’ gifts to her - not just the strength to kill, but the strength to kill despite knowing what it meant to be killed.
Isavel: driven by her unwavering faith - the only thing that keeps her going after losing everything she ever cared about and being thrust into a crazy and terrifying new reality. In the beginning whole chunks of her story were written in a repetitive and choppy way which I thought were beautifully reflective of her inner turmoil. I mostly liked Isavel though she was not my favourite of the two.
All this time, she hadn’t even known the full extent of her own ignorance. How different was she, then, to everyone else? The thought unbalanced her, set her teetering on the edge of a dark pit. How many bad assumptions did she still cling to? How could she even know?
Ada: a super smart, arrogant coder with a superiority complex, but she is not beyond admitting ignorance when it comes to it. She's also incredibly inquisitive and she genuinely cares about the fate of the world. Her reasons might be selfish but hey, who's perfect? She's still an idealist, even after being told all her life that she's wrong and dangerous, and punished for who she really was. She wants to be appreciated for once. She was my favourite and the one I could relate to the most.
She's a lot of the things female characters often don't get to be without being criticised, while male characters with the exact traits are universally adored. But she's awesome the way she is, unapologetic and aware of her own worth. In short, Ada Liu owns my heart.
THE NOT-SO-GOOD:
- I really liked this book and thought the pacing was good overall, but it felt very disjointed. Its 2 halves were cleanly divided not just in the changes of setting but also character "rotations." So as a result, not only did it feel off but also no one from the supporting cast really felt fleshed out.
- There were some mistakes but really nothing that would stand out.
4,5 stars, rounded up because it was a pretty awesome book and great set up for a series. I hope the sequels will follow up on its promise.
* Fun drinking game: take a shot every time someone purses their lips.
November 7, 2017
This was an interesting and different read! This settles in very quickly, into this fast-paced mesh of sci-fi fantasy that I quite liked. I am finding I am a big fan of this sub-genre.
The story is told from a couple characters.
Isavel, comes into her gifts after dying. Her story is the fantasy side and I liked her journey trying to discover more about her magic (which I kind of was envisioning as this sort of Tron thing on her body with little symbols lighting up) and her becoming a stronger confident person because of it.
And Ada, who is the more self-assured, technically inclined character, on the sci-fi side of the story. She’s a coder-which I thought for the longest time that coding was just that Ada was able to read (the world’s people have all lost this ability due to disease that pretty much causes them to be severely dyslexic), and was envisioning something along the lines of every tv computer hack ever , where we get to watch the numbers appear one at a time as it shuffles through them quickly, but after a later scene I decided maybe that’s not quite right either, and it is more like a magical ability. Anyway, whichever it is, I really liked her and her story, maybe because it seemed to me like she learned more about the world and through her, we did too.
What I did think was neat about this story too, was the way the different viewpoints showed how they approached the Gods and how Isavel’s story is more faith-based and Ada, was more likely to question everything because of the things she has learned previously. Interestingly enough, Isavel’s magic appears as symbols that make me think tech, and Ada’s has a faith-based feel to it because we can’t see it. I thought that was a nice touch.
It’s a true culture clash that is one of the cooler things about the sci-fi/fantasy genre that you really don’t see highlighted like this because it’s usually so interconnected that it just is , where the way this is highlights the differences a little more just by the way it’s told.
Other notes.
There are glimpses into a huge and interesting world outside of this story, giving this world lots of room to grow.
I think it's funny, judging from the other reviews, that I am the only one who liked Ada.
There is a bit of the first novel, debut novel problems. Little bits of roughness/unevenness all around, but really just minor stuff and some of it is more personal taste than anything for me. The whole thing is very readable, very fast, and a lot of fun.
3.5
The story is told from a couple characters.
Isavel, comes into her gifts after dying. Her story is the fantasy side and I liked her journey trying to discover more about her magic (which I kind of was envisioning as this sort of Tron thing on her body with little symbols lighting up) and her becoming a stronger confident person because of it.
And Ada, who is the more self-assured, technically inclined character, on the sci-fi side of the story. She’s a coder-which I thought for the longest time that coding was just that Ada was able to read (the world’s people have all lost this ability due to disease that pretty much causes them to be severely dyslexic), and was envisioning something along the lines of every tv computer hack ever , where we get to watch the numbers appear one at a time as it shuffles through them quickly, but after a later scene I decided maybe that’s not quite right either, and it is more like a magical ability. Anyway, whichever it is, I really liked her and her story, maybe because it seemed to me like she learned more about the world and through her, we did too.
What I did think was neat about this story too, was the way the different viewpoints showed how they approached the Gods and how Isavel’s story is more faith-based and Ada, was more likely to question everything because of the things she has learned previously. Interestingly enough, Isavel’s magic appears as symbols that make me think tech, and Ada’s has a faith-based feel to it because we can’t see it. I thought that was a nice touch.
It’s a true culture clash that is one of the cooler things about the sci-fi/fantasy genre that you really don’t see highlighted like this because it’s usually so interconnected that it just is , where the way this is highlights the differences a little more just by the way it’s told.
Other notes.
There are glimpses into a huge and interesting world outside of this story, giving this world lots of room to grow.
I think it's funny, judging from the other reviews, that I am the only one who liked Ada.
There is a bit of the first novel, debut novel problems. Little bits of roughness/unevenness all around, but really just minor stuff and some of it is more personal taste than anything for me. The whole thing is very readable, very fast, and a lot of fun.
3.5
April 27, 2022
Zeroth Law follows a pair of girls in a post-apocalyptic world full of inexplicable tech, as Ada seeks to piece together forgotten history and Isavel seeks to understand inexplicable powers apparently bestowed on her by the gods.
I absolutely love forgotten history stories, where you watch the main characters slowly putting together the pieces. But that was really only half of the story, with the perspectives alternating every other chapter between co-leads who were poking around different sides of the same problem but were still very distinct stories.
And early in the book, I found Isavel’s sections to be the most interesting, as her earnest belief in the divine and her searching for a place to belong and to use her strange gifts made her easy to like—in stark contrast to Ada’s offputting arrogance. But as the story progressed, Isavel’s story focused more and more on fighting, and I found her sections frustrating to get through while I was waiting to see Ada’s next steps in uncovering lost knowledge.
The premise is intriguing enough, and the forgotten history storyline is one that appeals, but having one of the two major plot arcs not really catch my interest made it tough to really fall in love here, even if I liked the other quite a bit.
First impression: 13/20. Full review to come at www.tarvolon.com
I absolutely love forgotten history stories, where you watch the main characters slowly putting together the pieces. But that was really only half of the story, with the perspectives alternating every other chapter between co-leads who were poking around different sides of the same problem but were still very distinct stories.
And early in the book, I found Isavel’s sections to be the most interesting, as her earnest belief in the divine and her searching for a place to belong and to use her strange gifts made her easy to like—in stark contrast to Ada’s offputting arrogance. But as the story progressed, Isavel’s story focused more and more on fighting, and I found her sections frustrating to get through while I was waiting to see Ada’s next steps in uncovering lost knowledge.
The premise is intriguing enough, and the forgotten history storyline is one that appeals, but having one of the two major plot arcs not really catch my interest made it tough to really fall in love here, even if I liked the other quite a bit.
First impression: 13/20. Full review to come at www.tarvolon.com
September 23, 2020
3,5*
This starts of as a fantasy, but more and more scifi elements get introduced along the way.
I liked the two main characters and enjoyed spending time with them! Some of their actions felt a bit too rushed (as in I couldn't see why they would have acted like that at that point), but overall they were rounded enough to feel real.
The magic was cool, but a little too "constructed" to feel real to me personally. Fireballs I can easily imagine - but for example hexagonal shapes flying around? Not es well. It might have been due to the mix of scifi and fantasy, but just didn't completely work for me. The talent to camouflage in the forest on the other hand I could easily imagine. So the magic part of the book was a mixed bag for me.
Overall I did enjoy the whole book, and would read more by the same author again.
This starts of as a fantasy, but more and more scifi elements get introduced along the way.
I liked the two main characters and enjoyed spending time with them! Some of their actions felt a bit too rushed (as in I couldn't see why they would have acted like that at that point), but overall they were rounded enough to feel real.
The magic was cool, but a little too "constructed" to feel real to me personally. Fireballs I can easily imagine - but for example hexagonal shapes flying around? Not es well. It might have been due to the mix of scifi and fantasy, but just didn't completely work for me. The talent to camouflage in the forest on the other hand I could easily imagine. So the magic part of the book was a mixed bag for me.
Overall I did enjoy the whole book, and would read more by the same author again.
August 22, 2020
I think this has been the book I have enjoyed the most this year which I will try to heighten I liked it further given there has been quite a lot of books I've dnfed or taken ages to finish kicking and screaming. It was literally a breeze to read and I usually see this as a good sign.
In a way, this book reminded me of Planet of the Apes. Imagine a dystopian future where after a major war, humans have survived but are just well... not as smart as before. Nobody knows what reading or writing is and the ignorant superstitious masses inhabiting these dark ages tie old useless knickknacks from our era (like a flashlight for example) to their necks and embark on voyages to old space station platform elevators as religious rites. A world where children quickly die for no reason if brought to cities inhabited by more than a few hundred people, strangely very egalitarian in regards to women rights and zero curiosity about actually learning more about the ancient world in an effort to recover what was lost.
Amid this chaos, we have two heroines of sorts. Isabel Váldez is a mixed race daughter of a mexican immigrant who never quite felt at home in her ordinary village who was supposed to be murdered in a raid. Yanked back to the world of the living by the will of the gods with a healed body and her prior memories intact, she soon discovers much to her chagrin she has been gifted with not one, but two superpowers. Apparently in this primitive world, around 20% of humans develop during their teenage years a handful of different superpowers they can use at will for the rest of their lives. Some are common, others are extremely rare and we begin learning about them as the story progresses. Instead of feeling elated with her second chance at life, Isabel is horrified she is the first to ever possess two and can use either at the same time with seemingly ridiculous ease. In a world where people could kill her for even making such a claim, she is thrown into a conflict with more questions than answers.
Ada Liu on the other hand seems to have the opposite problem. Born with the gift of reading strange symbols to bend the traits of physical objects and make doors explode or eternal fires at will officially known as a Coder, she has an intelligence and innate curiosity for the world that has left her exiled from her people. Instead of feeling sorry for herself, she wants to learn everything and maybe even crush the gods themselves along the way.
Even though Isabel and Ada barely ever bump into each other during their equal voyage of self-discovery where other entities seem to be pulling the strings behind curtains, you want to root for both of them and maybe its even because they are such opposite people but at the same time, they want to be something greater, albeit for totally different reasons.
With a world building that slowly starts to reveal tiny glimpses here and there, some parts of the story will seem more interesting on Isabel's side, whereas Ada's story will then take the front row seat. Even more curious is not only how Isabel seems to have more than two gifts that not even she knows about or the real purpose of her second life, but I believe it is the huge value the story places on knowing the power behind reading.
I have interacted with people that unfortunately due to poverty were never able to learn how to read and write, and how their lives in an ever moving society were always hampered. To have an entire community of people that not only have forgotten to read but have never even heard of such a concept only heightens the sense of disgust and dismay Ada feels when she realizes despite her brashness, she isn't all too much better than the people she belittles. And maybe she should eat some of Isabel's humble pie because many of the same people I have known that could never read were intelligent in many other ways. They could count and run the inventory of their mom & pop stores like a real pro.
I felt more identified on a personal note with Isabel, but mainly because of her feelings of self-doubt partially influenced by her mixed ethnicity and culture in a society that even when she was an ordinary ungifted never really accepted her as one of their own.
One thing I always enjoy in a story is never knowing how the story ends, and this book was one such example. The pacing is pretty even most of the story, never too lagging, never too fast, so for people looking for a gripping cliffhanger, this book might not be up your alley. For the most part I wanted to give it 4 1/2 stars, but the multitude of typos did deter me. If the author feels okay, please feel free to ask me in this review some of the typos I found and I'll be glad to look them up in my tablet.
I definitely wish to read the sequels!
In a way, this book reminded me of Planet of the Apes. Imagine a dystopian future where after a major war, humans have survived but are just well... not as smart as before. Nobody knows what reading or writing is and the ignorant superstitious masses inhabiting these dark ages tie old useless knickknacks from our era (like a flashlight for example) to their necks and embark on voyages to old space station platform elevators as religious rites. A world where children quickly die for no reason if brought to cities inhabited by more than a few hundred people, strangely very egalitarian in regards to women rights and zero curiosity about actually learning more about the ancient world in an effort to recover what was lost.
Amid this chaos, we have two heroines of sorts. Isabel Váldez is a mixed race daughter of a mexican immigrant who never quite felt at home in her ordinary village who was supposed to be murdered in a raid. Yanked back to the world of the living by the will of the gods with a healed body and her prior memories intact, she soon discovers much to her chagrin she has been gifted with not one, but two superpowers. Apparently in this primitive world, around 20% of humans develop during their teenage years a handful of different superpowers they can use at will for the rest of their lives. Some are common, others are extremely rare and we begin learning about them as the story progresses. Instead of feeling elated with her second chance at life, Isabel is horrified she is the first to ever possess two and can use either at the same time with seemingly ridiculous ease. In a world where people could kill her for even making such a claim, she is thrown into a conflict with more questions than answers.
Ada Liu on the other hand seems to have the opposite problem. Born with the gift of reading strange symbols to bend the traits of physical objects and make doors explode or eternal fires at will officially known as a Coder, she has an intelligence and innate curiosity for the world that has left her exiled from her people. Instead of feeling sorry for herself, she wants to learn everything and maybe even crush the gods themselves along the way.
Even though Isabel and Ada barely ever bump into each other during their equal voyage of self-discovery where other entities seem to be pulling the strings behind curtains, you want to root for both of them and maybe its even because they are such opposite people but at the same time, they want to be something greater, albeit for totally different reasons.
With a world building that slowly starts to reveal tiny glimpses here and there, some parts of the story will seem more interesting on Isabel's side, whereas Ada's story will then take the front row seat. Even more curious is not only how Isabel seems to have more than two gifts that not even she knows about or the real purpose of her second life, but I believe it is the huge value the story places on knowing the power behind reading.
I have interacted with people that unfortunately due to poverty were never able to learn how to read and write, and how their lives in an ever moving society were always hampered. To have an entire community of people that not only have forgotten to read but have never even heard of such a concept only heightens the sense of disgust and dismay Ada feels when she realizes despite her brashness, she isn't all too much better than the people she belittles. And maybe she should eat some of Isabel's humble pie because many of the same people I have known that could never read were intelligent in many other ways. They could count and run the inventory of their mom & pop stores like a real pro.
I felt more identified on a personal note with Isabel, but mainly because of her feelings of self-doubt partially influenced by her mixed ethnicity and culture in a society that even when she was an ordinary ungifted never really accepted her as one of their own.
One thing I always enjoy in a story is never knowing how the story ends, and this book was one such example. The pacing is pretty even most of the story, never too lagging, never too fast, so for people looking for a gripping cliffhanger, this book might not be up your alley. For the most part I wanted to give it 4 1/2 stars, but the multitude of typos did deter me. If the author feels okay, please feel free to ask me in this review some of the typos I found and I'll be glad to look them up in my tablet.
I definitely wish to read the sequels!
December 4, 2017
This is a very interesting book full of great ideas, excitingly executed. The story has two main characters and two threads that spin around the same events in the same area, but only intersect once. Set in a post-apocalyptic world (but a lush one that has reverted to primitive ways, rather than a wasteland), the book also blends sci-fi and fantasy tropes, and the two threads reflect this.
One is more sci-fi, featuring a hacker who sees the world in algorithms and code and tries to unlock the mysteries of lost technology. The other more fantastic, featuring a character back from the dead who happens to possess more than one of the gifts that some people have. These aren't really explained (hence the fantasy feel) but feel like the common video- or rpg-game class system trope - hunters, fighters, healers, etc. The characters' drives contrast well also, with one trying to figure out what has happened to her and coming to grips with her gifts and the role they give her, while the other is more internally-driven and only really ends up helping in the big fight because it aligns with her aims.
Pretty fast-paced throughout, it dolls out the mystery and backstory quite stingily, but things really come together towards the break-neck finale where . Well worth a read!
One is more sci-fi, featuring a hacker who sees the world in algorithms and code and tries to unlock the mysteries of lost technology. The other more fantastic, featuring a character back from the dead who happens to possess more than one of the gifts that some people have. These aren't really explained (hence the fantasy feel) but feel like the common video- or rpg-game class system trope - hunters, fighters, healers, etc. The characters' drives contrast well also, with one trying to figure out what has happened to her and coming to grips with her gifts and the role they give her, while the other is more internally-driven and only really ends up helping in the big fight because it aligns with her aims.
Pretty fast-paced throughout, it dolls out the mystery and backstory quite stingily, but things really come together towards the break-neck finale where . Well worth a read!
March 9, 2021
This is a hard book for me to review. On the one hand the story is engaging and the characters while a little one dimensional are likeable. The story is an interesting twist on an old theme and it's all quite enjoyable.
The problem is the proofreading, or distinct lack thereof. On my ereader I started highlighting typos, missing words, repeated words, incorrect verb tenses, etc. By the time I'd finished this book I had 84 such highlights. The book is only 261 pages. That's about 1 every 3 pages. I know this is self published, but there's really no excuse for this sloppiness.
Excessive mistakes are a real problem for me and draw me out of what I'm reading. As such I'm not sure I can face reading any more of this series.
The problem is the proofreading, or distinct lack thereof. On my ereader I started highlighting typos, missing words, repeated words, incorrect verb tenses, etc. By the time I'd finished this book I had 84 such highlights. The book is only 261 pages. That's about 1 every 3 pages. I know this is self published, but there's really no excuse for this sloppiness.
Excessive mistakes are a real problem for me and draw me out of what I'm reading. As such I'm not sure I can face reading any more of this series.
April 20, 2020
I found the overall concept, whilst not entirely original, to be interesting, but the plot itself is a bit predictable and relies too much on coincidence. Similarly, of the two characters that the plot follows, I found one to be significantly more interesting than the other.
Still, this is a promising start to a promising series that blends Sci-Fi and fantasy in a cool way. I look forward to reading the others.
I should mention as well that the Kindle version I read had its fair share of typos and general grammatical errors, so it would benefit from further revision.
Still, this is a promising start to a promising series that blends Sci-Fi and fantasy in a cool way. I look forward to reading the others.
I should mention as well that the Kindle version I read had its fair share of typos and general grammatical errors, so it would benefit from further revision.
April 21, 2022
9 out of 10 for original world-building but I had issues with the central characters.
Isavel was granted more than her share of powers but we don't know why. She seems ordinary in every other way. Her motivation is weak and her personality is ill-defined.
Ada is morally empty. She seems to have no empathy toward her fellow man and thinks nothing of killing the innocent.
I need to be emotionally invested in a protagonist to enjoy a novel fully. That's not happening here. At least not in book one.
Isavel was granted more than her share of powers but we don't know why. She seems ordinary in every other way. Her motivation is weak and her personality is ill-defined.
Ada is morally empty. She seems to have no empathy toward her fellow man and thinks nothing of killing the innocent.
I need to be emotionally invested in a protagonist to enjoy a novel fully. That's not happening here. At least not in book one.
December 6, 2019
I have mixed feeling on this one. I enjoyed it, but it felt like it could have been so much more. I found myself getting a little bored here and there. The book alternates between two characters, which I always find a bit distracting.
On to the next book in the series...
On to the next book in the series...
April 1, 2020
This book was fun, and the world was interesting. Books 2-4 were less good because the setting was no longer novel, and the plots were increasingly contrived. Books 5-6 descended into full-on mysticism, and finishing was a chore.
April 27, 2025
A nice Fun read
If you like sufficiently advanced technology as magic this is a good book for you. The two protagonists are great and are being set up for an AP exciting conflict in the next book
If you like sufficiently advanced technology as magic this is a good book for you. The two protagonists are great and are being set up for an AP exciting conflict in the next book
November 5, 2023
I really liked it.
June 2, 2023
Set in a far future, post-apocalyptic world where people live with a strange mixture of high technology and primitive lifestyle. We follow two women, one who has been cast out as a heretic by her peers, and another who wakes from tragedy with powers they've never had before. I really enjoyed the creativity of the world, the interesting way the two stories intersected, and how much things escalated at the end.
Read
April 22, 2017I'm obviously not going to rate this as I'm the author; just going to leave a little note here for any potential readers! I started writing this because I wanted to write an easy story about flawed young heroines having an adventure, driven along by danger and mystery and exploration as well as their own personal struggles. But the tone and even the genre of this series is going to change from book to book, as different aspects fade in and out of importance.
As I wrote out drafts and synopses, I found the interactions between my two protagonists naturally growing closer and more complicated as time went on. While this first book is really about both the reader and the protagonists finding their footing in this far-future world of ruins, the series as a whole will be bound together as much by the heroines' struggles to figure out what to do with one another as by the cataclysmic events happening around them.
If you're interested in joining them on this adventure, welcome! I hope you like what you read! :)
As I wrote out drafts and synopses, I found the interactions between my two protagonists naturally growing closer and more complicated as time went on. While this first book is really about both the reader and the protagonists finding their footing in this far-future world of ruins, the series as a whole will be bound together as much by the heroines' struggles to figure out what to do with one another as by the cataclysmic events happening around them.
If you're interested in joining them on this adventure, welcome! I hope you like what you read! :)
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews