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Dark Oak: Book One

(Dark Oak #1)

Jacob Sannox (Goodreads Author)

3.69 · Rating details · 67 ratings · 26 reviews

Humanity has finally defeated the Dark Lord, but Morrick fought on the wrong side. Though he was a slave, he is branded a traitor and must earn the trust of new lords in order to return to his family - if they are still alive…

Now that their common enemy is dead, the nobles begin to forget old loyalties, and Queen Cathryn’s realm looks set to plunge into war once more. But ...more

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Paperback, 314 pages

Published May 15th 2017 by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform

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· 67 ratings · 26 reviews

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Dec 16, 2018 Lee Conley rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: spfbo-18, to-review

A review of
Dark Oak
by Jacob Sannox

This book is another of this year’s SPFBO entries. I found Dark Oak was a very interesting read. On first impression it gave me a bit of a high fantasy vibe but told from the bad guys POV – How wrong was I.
It begins with Morrick, a wood cutter forced into the armies of the “dark lord” – Awgren. Awgren is defeated by an alliance of men led by Queen Catherine in the opening chapter and Morrick finds himself a prisoner, labelled as a traitor to his own kind. This A review of
Dark Oak
by Jacob Sannox

This book is another of this year’s SPFBO entries. I found Dark Oak was a very interesting read. On first impression it gave me a bit of a high fantasy vibe but told from the bad guys POV – How wrong was I.
It begins with Morrick, a wood cutter forced into the armies of the “dark lord” – Awgren. Awgren is defeated by an alliance of men led by Queen Catherine in the opening chapter and Morrick finds himself a prisoner, labelled as a traitor to his own kind. This was a pretty interesting starting point which had me interested.
Then we are introduced to Rowan, Morrick’s wife. She awaits and worries for the return of her husband, uncertain whether he is alive or dead. Rowan manages their farmstead and protects their children from the occupying forces of Awgren, known as the creatures of devising. Also, Rowan is secretly sowing the seeds of sedition against the occupying evil, urging the local folk of Hinterland to rise up and fight their oppressors.
So two chapters in I’m thinking yeah this is pretty good. There’s a lot of exposition as a narrative giving us the world, the history and brings us up to speed with events in the world, which worked fairly well.
Then Boom, we meet Riark. Riark is the King of the Dryads, a creature of the forest and of the trees. Despite being natural elemental creatures, there’s a bit of a sinister feel to the Dryads which becomes clearer as the book progresses. Frankly, I was blown away by the Dryads early on Sannox shows us their powers and gives us a creative glimpse into their world. Able to occupy the trees, feel what the trees feel, travel vast distances quickly through the root system of the forest and explode out the bark of any tree as beings of shape-shifting wood. The Dryads are kick ass and are easily my favourite part of the book for me.
So that’s the introduction in the first three chapters. The story moves on, with Awgren defeated the realms of men begin to reclaim the lands they once lost and inevitably divisions begin to arise. There’s a strong and interesting political undercurrent to this book which drives the overall storyline forward to its eventual conclusion. We follow Morrick as a man of a people disgraced for fighting against their own kind (against their will but nonetheless hated) and he goes in search of his family. Back in Hinterland it all kicks off and Rowan finds herself fleeing for her life still unaware of the fate of her husband as he in turn desperately tries to find them. There are some particularly dark and shocking moments that occour here, one thing in particular made me certain this book is no high fantasy and certainly leans more towards a dark fantasy.
The human story Sannox has woven here, I found quite touching and emotional, at times sad. I was rooting for Morrick all the way despite the obstacles thrown in his path. The part on the beach I found particularly gripping and intense and well worth reading. I think Sannox did a fantastic job writing a truly believable human story here.
The Dyrads are obviously a big part of this story, both on the world political scene and in Morrick’s story and they continue to make very interesting and exciting reading throughout. The end is fast paced and good reading too. I felt the book worked very well as a stand alone novel but I am intrigued to see if Sannox writes further books in this world. I will be following this writer in the future for certain.
I very much recommend this book, especially for fans of creatively worked fantasy creatures and folks who love factions vying for power through cloak and dagger and all out military might. This is a great book with a lot of great qualities, which ticks a lot of boxes, definitely worth checking out.

Thanks for reading
Lee
...more

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Jan 10, 2019 Todd Oliver rated it it was ok · review of another edition

The best part of this book was the narration. Nigel Peever did an excellent job with each of the character voices. My only complaint with the audio is all of the sound effects. I didn't mind them so much and enjoyed it some of the time, but there were times when it got to be a bit much and almost overshadowed the narration. I found myself concentrating more on the sounds than on the narration. The story itself was just too slow. It seemed like it was going nowhere and taking it's sweet time gett ...more

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Jan 10, 2019 CassandraG rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: audible

If you like Lord of the Rings and that line of fantasy books, you'll defiantly enjoy listening to this. It even comes with sound effects and a really good voice performer who can really get you hooked by the first sentence and is exceptionally good. Shoot, he could probably be Sauron or Gandolf, if he wanted and no one would be the wiser. So if you get the chance to listen, do so and enjoy. ...more

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Dec 01, 2017 Kristina Adams rated it liked it

Shelves: in-library, giveaway-wins

Decent read but could have been better. Has a good concept but some parts and certain characters seemed a little underdeveloped. It took me a long time to read it because the writing was a bit boring. There were also some short scenes that should have been omitted or moved to another part of the book. My favorite scenes were the ones with Riark and the other guardian like beings and wished there had been more scenes with them. I also found the two final short scenes to be unnecessary. Would have ...more

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Aug 30, 2017 H rated it it was ok · review of another edition

I don't really understand why this book has such great reviews on here? Seems like they were purely giving a 5 star review in order to encourage people to pick it up, as opposed to being made by people who have read it. Anyways, it worked on me and although parts of this book were certainly good, the ending state of the story hasn't left me at all interested in reading the next one in the series. Worth a go if you want to try an interesting concept, which in my opinion didn't achieve a lot by th ...more

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Aug 14, 2018 Steve rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Great idea, bad story.

The idea of a soldier forced to fight for a dark lord, having to face the world after that dark lord’s defeat is brilliant. This book just doesn’t follow through on that. It spends most of the time shifting POV to show the squabbling of the nobility, rather than focusing on the soldier and his the problems he faces. Also, other than the first scene, there is little actual action or fighting. It was a huge disappointment to me, because the idea and description were so good.

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Dec 08, 2020 H.L.Tinsley Tinsley rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Consider a flowing body of water – where it begins and ends. The places where it narrows and widens, curves and ebbs, the tranquility of the shallows giving way at times to deep, dark, surging waters that crash around rocks before quieting once more to a peaceful slow. I can think of no better analogy for Dark Oak.

Appropriate, being as how one of the mainstay features of this dark fantasy is the use of anthropomorphic wood, water, earth and wind, to tell a story conveyed by the sort of richly im ...more

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Dec 06, 2020 S A M | The Book in Hand rated it really liked it

Shelves: low-fantasy, self-published-nd-indie, arcs-review-copies

Good Evening Bookish Folk!

Here are a few things you can expect from Dark Oak:

- A high fantasy novel that is beautifully magical but with a darker core feel;
- An intriguing and unique story concept;
- INCREDIBLE creatures and magics;
- Political intrigue; and
- An incredibly raw and emotional punch from several aspects of this book.

A little bit about the narration…

This was a really good narration, it is the first narration I have ever listened to that has sound effects. Now, I know that for some the ...more

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Apr 13, 2020 Janelle Garrett rated it really liked it

I was first introduced to Jacob Sannox in last year's SPFBO contest when I read and reviewed The Ravenmaster's Revenge. I rather liked that story - a modern take on the King Arthur legend - but I definitely prefer Dark Oak. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, save classic-type prose and some head-hopping like that of Ravenmaster's Revenge. And while I wasn't wrong, Dark Oak, in my opinion, is superior in writing style and doesn't head-hop nearly as much as the previous work by this author. And t I was first introduced to Jacob Sannox in last year's SPFBO contest when I read and reviewed The Ravenmaster's Revenge. I rather liked that story - a modern take on the King Arthur legend - but I definitely prefer Dark Oak. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, save classic-type prose and some head-hopping like that of Ravenmaster's Revenge. And while I wasn't wrong, Dark Oak, in my opinion, is superior in writing style and doesn't head-hop nearly as much as the previous work by this author. And the story itself? Different, and dark, and it goes places I certainly didn't expect.

It follows the story of three main characters, for the most part. Morrick is a woodmaster, and has been drafted into the army of one Awgren, and his legion of Devised. Morrick had no choice in the matter - he was forced to fight, as we soon learn, and the opening pages depict the battle in which Awgren's forces are defeated. It was a unique start to a story. I don't know if I've ever read anything quite like it, actually. Generally speaking, a story usually has a build up to a battle or war, but in Dark Oak, we are dropped into the last battle and the story is the aftermath. This lent to a lot of info dumping, but it was done well. The ramifications come out in political drama, familial drama, and... welll... tree-drama. But I'll get to that.

The next main character is Morrick's wife, Rowan. The poor woman is trying to keep her farm afloat while waiting for her husband to return while raising two sons and a newborn daughter. There is trouble from the village as corrupt people try to take advantage of the fact that there is a war, and Rowan is struggling to get the village to unite against it. Eventually, her farm is attacked by a roving band of now-dispersed Devised and she is on the run. There is tragedy involved that made me cringe, but it only makes the story all the more believable and Rowan a sympathetic character. Her story arc is sad, to be sure. And although her descent to crazed madness and terrible decisions was understandable considering what she went through, part of me wished she had been portrayed a bit better, and less like a crazy woman who can't keep her s--- together.

Lastly, by FAR the best character in the book is Riark, a Dryad. I would describe him as a bada-- Ent. He can travel through trees, and therefore can traverse across the whole of the world (if there are nearby trees) with a thought. He is a deceased human, but has lost his humanness for something altogether... different. His motivation is simply that of protecting natural life, and he wants to prevent a certain man from carving a road through his brethren. Riark knows of Morrick - a woodmaster - but knows Morrick to be respectful of trees and not using them for selfish reasons - much like a circle of life type of idea. They form a bond, and the bond leads very unexpected places.

I rather enjoyed this creative story, from Riark and his uniqueness to the dark places the plotline went. The prose, as I mentioned previously, is more classically bent, and I nod my head in approval. It was beautiful at times, and the depictions, although sometimes rambling, took me back to the writing style of Lewis, or Tolkien, or Doyle. It head-hopped, for sure, but not enough to make me stop reading.

I also enjoyed the theme - the importance of cultivating the earth instead of destroying it. Of course, this isn't the only theme, but it's the strongest. The story highlights Morrick's respect for the forest, and in truly creative, unique ways, shows the thread of life that runs through not just humanity but the world as a whole. Dryads aren't the only cool thing about this book, that's for sure.

All in all, this is a 4/5 stars for me. If you like dark fantasy light on the magic, unique characters, and the classics, check this one out. ...more

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Feb 23, 2019 Vicki Warby rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I’m not normally one for fantasy as a genre but I was recommended this book so I downloaded the audiobook from audible. I actually really enjoyed this. I’m not great with names so at first I struggled to keep up as there are a lot of names and locations but once I got to grips with them, i found it a highly enjoyable listen. There are many lines of story to keep you on your toes, and while some held my attention better than others they all worked together to create an overall enjoyable story. I ...more

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May 17, 2018 Bryce Ian rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Most stories tell the tale that leads up to the big battle between good and evil, this story takes place after the fact, and deals with the politics, intrigues, and ambitions of the champions dealing with a fracturing union.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story, a lot love went into it. You can tell Jacob Sannox loves his characters, it shows through in each of them. The characters, their feelings, and trials come first and foremost throughout the book. This is important to me, especially in fantasy w ...more

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Oct 25, 2020 Kelly rated it really liked it

Let me start this review by saying I was given this book by the author for an honest review. This is book number one of the new fantasy series written by Jacob Sannox. The world that Jacob creates is unique and highly detailed. I had a hard time putting this one down. You follow the lives of Morrick, a simple woodcutter who was pulled into a war, his family and the nobles that are battling over the lands. There is magic weaved within these pages and I found the author’s descriptions of the Dyrad ...more

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Sep 23, 2020 Peter Fox rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

A good concept for a book sadly undermined by its bleak and charmless tone and even worse audio adaptation. The narrator was initially interesting with his full thespian richness and dramatist, however, very quickly over time this idiosyncratic tone and plodding pace becoming bothersome and exasperating. Were he conveying even a short in person I have asked him to get to the point. This was compounded further by someones decision to add "atmospheric" sound effects and background music which were ...more

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Jul 29, 2017 Marissa rated it really liked it

Shelves: goodreads-win

Goodreads Win

As the war with the Dark Lord ends, Morrick finds himself on the losing side despite not choosing any sides but force to do battle as a slave. He must prove himself to the winning side so he can return home to his family.

But things will not remain peaceful for long as allies turn on each other for power. But there is another greater evil out there ready to destroy. A never ending battle for power will rise.

A story of one man’s journey to find his way home.

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Oct 27, 2019 Jan Miller rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Fantasy books are outside my typical genre, but I was attracted to this book Dark Oak by Jacob Sannox due to the narrator Nigel Peever. The storyline pulled me in, the sound effects were great, and the narration was superb. Nigel Peever really is amazing in this listen. He adds the right emotions, and has distinguished voices. I requested this review copy audiobook and have voluntarily written this review.

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Jan 30, 2019 Sherry Christenson rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I listened to the audiobook
What a wonderful fantasy story! It’s a very entertaining story with a unique twist on the typical good vs evil battle. It’s cleverly written and had me hooked from the beginning. The narration is OFF THE HOOk! Nigel Peever was freaking fantastic! He really brought the story to a whole new level. It has a Lord of The Rings feel to it. The sound effects are expertly done can’t wait for the next book

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Mar 21, 2020 Dave Snowdon rated it liked it

Started out quite enjoying this. The depiction of the dryads was novel and I enjoyed the world-building. Also novel to have a book start just after a major villain was defeated. I didn't enjoy the darker direction Morrick took in towards the end of the book though. Not sure if I want to read the next in the series. ...more

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Feb 12, 2019 Deedra rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

OMG!This was a wonderful book to listen to! The story itself was full of interesting characters and creatures of lore.The narration by Nigel Peever was exceptional!This man can do any voice you may need.The added sound effects made it really feel like you were there.I am looking forward to book 2.I was given this book by the narrator,author or publisher free for an honest review.

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Sep 27, 2017 Peter Kralka rated it really liked it

My rating is really a soft 4 as 3.5 is not an option. An OK read. Written in a style of Stephen Lawhead meets Terry Brooks. Unexpected twists in Morrick's life while trying to reconnect with his family and the family efforts to stay alive after a war. ...more

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Nov 05, 2018 Carrie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Enchanting

This book has queens, dryads, and politics, just enough of each. Many POV characters , but the author has written them well and it does not get confusing at all. I look forward to the next book in the series. Glad I found this , thanks to reddits fantasy page.

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Dec 04, 2020 Rowan rated it it was ok

DNF. Very meh. I couldn’t get past the initial info dumps and scene setting.

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Jul 28, 2017 Alan rated it it was amazing

I won this book in a recent Goodreads First Reads giveaway.

Fantasy isn't a genre that I usually enjoy, but this is one of those exceptions. Am now hoping to read the second book. Recommended. ...more

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Jun 24, 2019 Joey Stettnisch rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Wonderful and sad, broke my damn heart.

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Aug 07, 2018 Sami & rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favourites

Absolutely loved it. So much going on, characters you can really believe in, more realistic things happening than the standard perfect characters in fantasy novels.. I felt so gripped I read it too quickly. Now I'm going to read it again to catch all the bits I missed! :) ...more

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Dec 08, 2018 K.N. Timofeev rated it liked it · review of another edition

An interesting world with interesting characters and creatures. It took me a while to get into because it's starts off a bit slow but after a while it picks up pretty good. ...more

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Dec 07, 2019 Rohit rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: anti-hero, did-not-finish, exiled-protagonist, fantasy

False Advertising
Don't believe the blurb given by the author. Steve's Review is a more accurate representation of what to expect:

"It spends most of the time shifting POV to show the squabbling of the nobility, rather than focusing on the soldier and his the problems he faces. Also, other than the first scene, there is little actual action or fighting."

If that is a what you are looking for then have a go. If you wanted what was describes in the blurb then stay far away, the book is nothing like i ...more

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