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The Cycle of the Scour #1
The Sealed Citadel
Young Cally is an apprentice within the most unusual order of sorcerers in the known the only one that forbids its members from using their powers to kill. But after a deadly betrayal, everything he's ever known stands on the brink of being ripped apart. And that's before the demons invade. ~ From a USA Today bestselling author and Audie nominee for Best Fantasy Novel, THE SEALED CITADEL is the first in a new series following the rise of one of the greatest sorcerers of the age.
318 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 27, 2019
148 people are currently reading
365 people want to read
About the author
Edward W. Robertson
73 books1,236 followersEd is the author of the post-apocalyptic Breakers series and the epic fantasy series The Cycle of Arawn. A former New Yorker and Idaho-guy, he currently lives in the LA area. His short fiction has appeared in a whole bunch of magazines and anthologies.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
March 8, 2021
I think this would appeal the most to people who enjoy classic coming of age stories in a high fantasy setting. It’s centered around a young boy who developed the ability to use the Nether and channel it, marking him as a sorcerer. The world is very wary of sorcerers and it’s possible that he would have been killed based on his abilities even though he was just a child. His parents, simple farmer folk, sent him away to an academy that teachers him the art of magic in a way that society approves of… being that they never learn how to cast spells that cause harm. Sanctioned magic is strictly to be used for healing and serving the community… this rule even extends to animals – sorcerer’s can’t hunt even without using magic.
The main character, Cally, doesn’t quite understand all of the rules he’s strapped with, but does adhere to the big ones, like not killing people. He is thrilled when he’s told he will travel with a group of elders to a meeting between different societies regarding the titular, Sealed Citadel. Sixty years ago, the Citadel was swarmed with the undead and it was since sealed. The person who sealed it perished, taking with him the secret of how to take down the wards around the Citadel. Cally is traveling with his teachers to go speak to another kingdom about unsealing the citadel and destroying the undead within once and for all.
I think the main character was pretty standard for his age without becoming overly angsty or naïve. He did grow quite a bit over the course of the book. I wouldn’t say that I loved him, but I did enjoy his character which is more than I can say for many coming-of-age characters. I think I liked the story and the world surrounding him more than the Cally himself, though. I like old fashioned high fantasies with lots of magic, and I liked how this was neither hand wavy magic nor hard magic system, but a nice compromise in between. I’m also a sucker for healers in general, as it’s always the class I play in MMORPGs.
There were a few info dumps, and some of the times the dialogue explaining some lost history got a long and my interest started to wane. That didn’t happen too often, and most of the world was unraveled organically. I do like the race of nomadic giants and their hidden stone passages. I see a lot of elves and dwarves and demons but I don’t often see giants or troll like species. I don’t know why, but I haven’t grown tired of the undead trope either, so that will almost always engage me when I encounter it. I was pleased when the wights became more and more predominant as the story continued.
The pacing was okay, this isn’t a long book and there’s not much page space taken up by descriptions or flowery language. The writing style is very breezy and allows for fast reading. The story itself is also fairly straight forward and easy to follow along, it makes for a good audiobook experience. There are a few times where I felt the pace drag a bit, at least for me, because I’m not a huge fan of traveling scenes from one place to the next. The plot really kicks into gear around 20%, so you don’t have to wait long for the story to get the point.
This is another one of the audiobooks I picked up just because it was Tim Gerard Reynolds narrating, and he does not disappoint. However, there must be at least a dozen instances where the audio quality shifted and sounded different from the majority of the narration. It was probably due to post-production additions or edits, if that makes sense. The quality would change for 15-20 seconds and then go right back and after a while it became distracting.
Overall, this was a nice way to ease back into reading since I’ve been sick and my brain was in a fog. I sat and colored and listened to this on audio and enjoyed myself enough to look for other works by this author who was new to me for this book.
Ratings:
Plot: 11/15
Characters: 10/15
World Building: 12/15
Writing: 12/15
Pacing: 11/15
Originality: 11/15
Personal Enjoyment: 7/10
Final Score: 7.4/10 or 3.7/5 stars on Goodreads
The main character, Cally, doesn’t quite understand all of the rules he’s strapped with, but does adhere to the big ones, like not killing people. He is thrilled when he’s told he will travel with a group of elders to a meeting between different societies regarding the titular, Sealed Citadel. Sixty years ago, the Citadel was swarmed with the undead and it was since sealed. The person who sealed it perished, taking with him the secret of how to take down the wards around the Citadel. Cally is traveling with his teachers to go speak to another kingdom about unsealing the citadel and destroying the undead within once and for all.
I think the main character was pretty standard for his age without becoming overly angsty or naïve. He did grow quite a bit over the course of the book. I wouldn’t say that I loved him, but I did enjoy his character which is more than I can say for many coming-of-age characters. I think I liked the story and the world surrounding him more than the Cally himself, though. I like old fashioned high fantasies with lots of magic, and I liked how this was neither hand wavy magic nor hard magic system, but a nice compromise in between. I’m also a sucker for healers in general, as it’s always the class I play in MMORPGs.
There were a few info dumps, and some of the times the dialogue explaining some lost history got a long and my interest started to wane. That didn’t happen too often, and most of the world was unraveled organically. I do like the race of nomadic giants and their hidden stone passages. I see a lot of elves and dwarves and demons but I don’t often see giants or troll like species. I don’t know why, but I haven’t grown tired of the undead trope either, so that will almost always engage me when I encounter it. I was pleased when the wights became more and more predominant as the story continued.
The pacing was okay, this isn’t a long book and there’s not much page space taken up by descriptions or flowery language. The writing style is very breezy and allows for fast reading. The story itself is also fairly straight forward and easy to follow along, it makes for a good audiobook experience. There are a few times where I felt the pace drag a bit, at least for me, because I’m not a huge fan of traveling scenes from one place to the next. The plot really kicks into gear around 20%, so you don’t have to wait long for the story to get the point.
This is another one of the audiobooks I picked up just because it was Tim Gerard Reynolds narrating, and he does not disappoint. However, there must be at least a dozen instances where the audio quality shifted and sounded different from the majority of the narration. It was probably due to post-production additions or edits, if that makes sense. The quality would change for 15-20 seconds and then go right back and after a while it became distracting.
Overall, this was a nice way to ease back into reading since I’ve been sick and my brain was in a fog. I sat and colored and listened to this on audio and enjoyed myself enough to look for other works by this author who was new to me for this book.
Ratings:
Plot: 11/15
Characters: 10/15
World Building: 12/15
Writing: 12/15
Pacing: 11/15
Originality: 11/15
Personal Enjoyment: 7/10
Final Score: 7.4/10 or 3.7/5 stars on Goodreads
August 16, 2022
This one honestly caught me off guard. I picked up The Sealed Citadel based solely on an Audible recommendation (combined with Tim Gerard Reynolds narrating), and in spite of its good reviews I was incredibly skeptical. However, what I found was a really intriguing, if slightly derivative, take on a magic system and politics. There was a lot more depth to the novel than I expected, and the writing turned out to be very enjoyable. I went back and forth on 4 or 5 stars, as it wasn't perfect but I truly did enjoy almost all aspects of The Sealed Citadel, and have already picked up the sequel to read immediately afterwards.
May 15, 2019
I am so totally in love with each installment of The Cycle series. The Sealed Citadel is everything I could have wanted it to be. Cally was such a mysterious character in The Cycle of Arawn: The Complete Trilogy series, and it was satisfying to get a glimpse into his past. I had not even expected to get a chance to learn more about Cally, but I would love to see more of The Cycle of Scour.
One immense factor of why I love The Cycle series is the character development. It was great to be able to learn about Cally. It almost felt like when you learn part of an older relatives life story, and you get a better understanding as to who they are. To learn about this time in Callys life gave so much insight as to who he was, and why he taught Galand the way he did. There was so much personal growth for Cally in this book, and I see him in a new light.
The storyline was perfect. It was interesting, and even enthralling, to learn of certain origins, problems, solutions, and ways of thinking that lead up to the time in the current Cycle books. I hope that there are more books in The Cycle of the Scour series, and would love to learn more about Cally and how the world and people were in his time.
Overall, as with all of the Cycle books, I gave this book 5 stars. Whenever a new book comes out, I am so excited to read it, and I always get more out of it than what I expected. I hope that Edward W. Robertson continues to write this series for many years to come.
One immense factor of why I love The Cycle series is the character development. It was great to be able to learn about Cally. It almost felt like when you learn part of an older relatives life story, and you get a better understanding as to who they are. To learn about this time in Callys life gave so much insight as to who he was, and why he taught Galand the way he did. There was so much personal growth for Cally in this book, and I see him in a new light.
The storyline was perfect. It was interesting, and even enthralling, to learn of certain origins, problems, solutions, and ways of thinking that lead up to the time in the current Cycle books. I hope that there are more books in The Cycle of the Scour series, and would love to learn more about Cally and how the world and people were in his time.
Overall, as with all of the Cycle books, I gave this book 5 stars. Whenever a new book comes out, I am so excited to read it, and I always get more out of it than what I expected. I hope that Edward W. Robertson continues to write this series for many years to come.
November 12, 2021
On the fence on this one, it is more than a 3 but less than a 4 for sure. 3.5 Stars I guess but not sure if I want to continue the series. I did like some parts of it for sure but something was missing as well.
July 19, 2022
The Sealed Citadel is the first book of a new series of books, The Cycle of the Scour set in the same world as The Cycle of Arawn and The Cycle of Galand. The Cycle of the Scour takes place before the other two series. It tells the story of the rise of Cally, who we learn in The Cycle of Arawn became Dante Galand’s mentor and High Priest of Narashtovik. In fact, he may have been the High Priest of Narashtovik two different times. But in this book, he begins as an apprentice of the Order of the Healing Shadows.
The premise of the Order of the Healing Shadows is that their sorcerers are not allowed to use the nether to kill. To enforce this there are lots of strict rules for the sorcerers to follow. Curiously, this is so different from the later situation, where using the nether in war is as natural as breathing.
There is a complicated situation involving the remnants of a previous war, where the structure known as the Sealed Citadel in the middle of Narashtovik, which was once the innermost defense of the city, is now being used to contain otherwise unkillable demons from this war. Narashtovik’s supposed allies, the Lannovians, are supposed to be searching for ways to destroy these demons. But some of the sorcerers in Narashtovik have also been experimenting with ways to destroy these demons (thereby breaching their oaths not to kill?) and have finally succeeded in taking down a few. There is to be a meeting between the members of the Order and the Lannovians to negotiate a way to finish off the remaining demons and take down the wards around the Citadel. And Cally is to be one of those invited to the meeting.
But the meeting goes horribly wrong. The Lannovians betray the Order and kill off all of them except Cally, who is tracking a suspicious-acting soldier in some caves behind the meeting site. After everybody still alive has left, Cally follows the soldier – Rowe – to escape the caves.
Rowe is hostile at first, but they wind up working together to find out what the Lannovians are up to and trying to stop them. They spend some time with the Norren on their way back to Narashtovik, and the Norren nethermancer teaches Cally a lot about the use of the nether, and about life in their world.
They discover that the Lannovians have learned to make demon wights using the book the Order had been using to learn to destroy them. Rowe steals the book back from them, but they have already learned to make the wights, and seem to be able to make more whenever they want.
Cally and Rowe return to Narashtovik to warn them to prepare for war. On their way, they come to a rough understanding and learn to work together in a way reminiscent of Dante and Blays later, although Rowe is so serious and military that he isn’t nearly as good at witty banter as Blays.
When they battle for the Sealed Citadel, they discover some things they don’t expect.
The premise of the Order of the Healing Shadows is that their sorcerers are not allowed to use the nether to kill. To enforce this there are lots of strict rules for the sorcerers to follow. Curiously, this is so different from the later situation, where using the nether in war is as natural as breathing.
There is a complicated situation involving the remnants of a previous war, where the structure known as the Sealed Citadel in the middle of Narashtovik, which was once the innermost defense of the city, is now being used to contain otherwise unkillable demons from this war. Narashtovik’s supposed allies, the Lannovians, are supposed to be searching for ways to destroy these demons. But some of the sorcerers in Narashtovik have also been experimenting with ways to destroy these demons (thereby breaching their oaths not to kill?) and have finally succeeded in taking down a few. There is to be a meeting between the members of the Order and the Lannovians to negotiate a way to finish off the remaining demons and take down the wards around the Citadel. And Cally is to be one of those invited to the meeting.
But the meeting goes horribly wrong. The Lannovians betray the Order and kill off all of them except Cally, who is tracking a suspicious-acting soldier in some caves behind the meeting site. After everybody still alive has left, Cally follows the soldier – Rowe – to escape the caves.
Rowe is hostile at first, but they wind up working together to find out what the Lannovians are up to and trying to stop them. They spend some time with the Norren on their way back to Narashtovik, and the Norren nethermancer teaches Cally a lot about the use of the nether, and about life in their world.
They discover that the Lannovians have learned to make demon wights using the book the Order had been using to learn to destroy them. Rowe steals the book back from them, but they have already learned to make the wights, and seem to be able to make more whenever they want.
Cally and Rowe return to Narashtovik to warn them to prepare for war. On their way, they come to a rough understanding and learn to work together in a way reminiscent of Dante and Blays later, although Rowe is so serious and military that he isn’t nearly as good at witty banter as Blays.
When they battle for the Sealed Citadel, they discover some things they don’t expect.
September 22, 2020
Not Dante & Blays but promising. It ended too soon and never really got riveting to give it 4-5 stars. Interesting because it’s Cali, but I wish he was a bit more of a spitfire as a youth to reveal his true underlying nature. Instead it was more that situations made him who he was which just made it a little less fun. It’s a nice treat for fans of The Cycle while waiting for the next book but I wouldn’t think anyone would get hooked on the series because of it. Hoping the next one is more gripping. Probably would’ve been fine if it was longer.
Also I listened to the audio version on audible. If you read the reviews, pay no attention to the whining about the audio quality. It’s 2020, it was probably partially recorded at home or something. Audio seems to switch tracks of and on around Chapter 4. It lessens as you get further on only happening occasionally as you progress. NOT A BIG DEAL
Also I listened to the audio version on audible. If you read the reviews, pay no attention to the whining about the audio quality. It’s 2020, it was probably partially recorded at home or something. Audio seems to switch tracks of and on around Chapter 4. It lessens as you get further on only happening occasionally as you progress. NOT A BIG DEAL
May 15, 2019
I'm probably biased because of how much I like this universe (Cycle of Arawn and Cycle of Galland included), but I cruised through this book. I was concerned from the get-go that Cally, the protagonist and familiar face from previous books, would be a direct stand-in for Dante and likewise for his companion(s). Robertson just managed to make these characters and their interpersonal dynamics distinct enough to feel new and fresh and interesting. I am beyond excited for the next installation. My only complaint is that the audiobook versions aren't released at the same time as the books, and I won't get to hear Tim Reynolds' incredible narration bring these stories to life.
April 12, 2019
A good book set in one my favorite worlds. The magic system is fairly well developed and familiar. It was nice to get some more background to Cally. However, I was a bit disappointed that
April 14, 2019
Excellent tale in the spirit of his other books
This first book documenting Callimandicus's journey is very much in the dynamic duo theme of his earlier books set later Cycle of Galand. Well worth a read. If you have read the Cycle of Galand it will make you smile to hear the familiar names, if you haven't then go read them. Or listen to the amazing audiobooks.
This first book documenting Callimandicus's journey is very much in the dynamic duo theme of his earlier books set later Cycle of Galand. Well worth a read. If you have read the Cycle of Galand it will make you smile to hear the familiar names, if you haven't then go read them. Or listen to the amazing audiobooks.
April 26, 2019
Loved it
I’m so glad there is more to this story. I already loved the Cycles of Arawn and Galand so I’m excited about this new series. This goes back in time to before Callimandicus reformed the High Council of Narashtovik which further enriches the history and mystique of their Order.
I’m so glad there is more to this story. I already loved the Cycles of Arawn and Galand so I’m excited about this new series. This goes back in time to before Callimandicus reformed the High Council of Narashtovik which further enriches the history and mystique of their Order.
February 16, 2024
DNF 46%
This book should be listed as Young Adult. The central character, Cally, is a teenager who acts his age. Which is to say, he lives without much planning or agency.
The writing suffers from a level of pretentiousness not supported by its grammar. The plot is forced, and the world-building strains credulity. It reached the point where I didn't care to learn more.
This book should be listed as Young Adult. The central character, Cally, is a teenager who acts his age. Which is to say, he lives without much planning or agency.
The writing suffers from a level of pretentiousness not supported by its grammar. The plot is forced, and the world-building strains credulity. It reached the point where I didn't care to learn more.
July 20, 2025
It was a while ago that I read this book, but I remember the thing that makes me adore Edwards writing. You're just cruising along enjoying the story, then he throws an absolute curveball at you and you cannot put the book down!
This is the first book about Calle's past and I am looking forward to reading more!
This is the first book about Calle's past and I am looking forward to reading more!
May 5, 2019
Great Story! (Of course)
I knew Cally's story would be fantastic! I'd hoped from the start he would write all about him, and I got my wish! Fantastic beginning to what Im sure will be a fantastic prequal series!
I knew Cally's story would be fantastic! I'd hoped from the start he would write all about him, and I got my wish! Fantastic beginning to what Im sure will be a fantastic prequal series!
June 13, 2019
A great start to a new adventure!
Really loved this first book in this new series! If you enjoyed the world and magic system of the Cycle of Arawn and the Cycle of Galand, get ready for a new adventure following a young Cally. Can't wait for the next installment. 😃
Really loved this first book in this new series! If you enjoyed the world and magic system of the Cycle of Arawn and the Cycle of Galand, get ready for a new adventure following a young Cally. Can't wait for the next installment. 😃
July 8, 2019
Very entertaining
I was surprised at how much I liked this book. Calmly and Rowe were engaging and I quickly became caught in their adventures. Cally’s introspection was very provocative and Rowe was an excellent foil/co-protagonist combo! Lovely writing! Good story!
I was surprised at how much I liked this book. Calmly and Rowe were engaging and I quickly became caught in their adventures. Cally’s introspection was very provocative and Rowe was an excellent foil/co-protagonist combo! Lovely writing! Good story!
March 1, 2022
A Great World to get lost in
This is a wonderful book, if you're a fan of and have read any of the other books from this world you will find some characters you know and some New and just as exciting
This is a wonderful book, if you're a fan of and have read any of the other books from this world you will find some characters you know and some New and just as exciting
April 10, 2019
Solid Robertson. I've read every one of his books and loved them all. He never disappoints. As always, I'm looking forward to his next book.
May 16, 2019
Robertson's best book yet.
I love the characters. The plot was fast, and the magic system didn't need any setup.
Great book! I highly recommend
I love the characters. The plot was fast, and the magic system didn't need any setup.
Great book! I highly recommend
June 23, 2019
Great book.
Edward W Robertson is one of my favorite authors. I have bought and read every single book he has written.
Edward W Robertson is one of my favorite authors. I have bought and read every single book he has written.
January 30, 2020
Love the history of the order our main character follows and how they only heal. The way out main character grows is believable and enjoyable to read. Can't wait to see what happens next.
May 1, 2020
Too short! Need more
As always. This author is legit. Phenomenal world building. And I can never predict what will happen next. (Also, read Breakers!)
As always. This author is legit. Phenomenal world building. And I can never predict what will happen next. (Also, read Breakers!)
July 21, 2020
Loved it! Can't wait for the next one. It sent me right back to Cycle of Arawn and I'm re-reading that now and getting even more enjoyment out of that.
June 13, 2021
Rating 3.5
December 18, 2021
Very fun and super fast :)
The audio editing left a bit to be desired. Sometimes the narrator sounded like he was sideways to the mic
The audio editing left a bit to be desired. Sometimes the narrator sounded like he was sideways to the mic
April 14, 2022
Very strong read
July 26, 2023
Another excellent story in the world of the Cycle. It's great to great Cali's story. I wondered throughout Dante's story about this very odd character. Tim Gerard Reynolds is a wonderful performer!!!
November 5, 2023
Really didn't enjoy the style of writing. The lack of real structure to scenes to the way things were described, not not really. Just all of it.
December 28, 2023
Surprisingly good story, after the last couple Cycle of Galand books... felt like back to basics, without all the big world-ending threats, but still some real stakes... also alot shorter...
March 10, 2022
When going into the story, I did not know what to expect, and I was pleasantly surprised with what I found. The story wasn't exactly what I expected, and the characters did not act as I thought they would, but there were also plenty of familiar things and a nod here and there to the other series set in this world.
Cally is also a great character. He acts his age, and I loved following him on his adventure. More than once, he did not do what I expected him to go and do, but after the fact and my disappointment, I realized that it was either a fantasy cliché that would not work in the real world or that I was expecting power from him that he could not possibly possess as of then. That resulted in me appreciating the story even more.
What concerns Rowe, he was an enjoyable character as well. I wouldn't say he was as fleshed out as Cally, but he got enough screen time for me to come to fall for him and wait for him to show up again and again.
Cally is also a great character. He acts his age, and I loved following him on his adventure. More than once, he did not do what I expected him to go and do, but after the fact and my disappointment, I realized that it was either a fantasy cliché that would not work in the real world or that I was expecting power from him that he could not possibly possess as of then. That resulted in me appreciating the story even more.
What concerns Rowe, he was an enjoyable character as well. I wouldn't say he was as fleshed out as Cally, but he got enough screen time for me to come to fall for him and wait for him to show up again and again.
September 26, 2022
I love everything Mr. Robertson writes. :)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews