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Sunrider #1
SunRider
I have seen men become Gods and I have seen Gods become dust...
Magic pieces of armor rain from Lenova’s skies, granting common men God-like abilities. These individuals have been dubbed the Star-Children, and their magical suits of armor can reshape land, nations, and the future of man. Each of them wield a seemingly random and distinctive power: the
capability to create clouds of gems, the skill to bend lightning by command, the means to suck the air out of one’s lungs. They are marked by the bracers they wear: a single piece donning their arm, a piece which shifts and slides, forming their unique armored suits of might.
No one knows why these bracers have fallen from Lenova’s skies, picking seemingly random individuals to hold such power. In the absence of knowledge and with superior beings now in existence, chaos reigns. The few Star-Children with morals wield their powers with honor, those with darker intentions...seek blood and conquest.
In the midst of this emerging chaos, teenager Finn SunRider only cares for escaping the mines within the burning desert of the Crust and exploring the world he lives in. When an ancient bracer different from those which have fallen from the sky grafts onto Finn’s arm and the last of a dead race
warns that albeit no future is certain, he will be thrust in the middle of godly battles and mystery, Finn’s plans of freedom take a different turn.
Magic pieces of armor rain from Lenova’s skies, granting common men God-like abilities. These individuals have been dubbed the Star-Children, and their magical suits of armor can reshape land, nations, and the future of man. Each of them wield a seemingly random and distinctive power: the
capability to create clouds of gems, the skill to bend lightning by command, the means to suck the air out of one’s lungs. They are marked by the bracers they wear: a single piece donning their arm, a piece which shifts and slides, forming their unique armored suits of might.
No one knows why these bracers have fallen from Lenova’s skies, picking seemingly random individuals to hold such power. In the absence of knowledge and with superior beings now in existence, chaos reigns. The few Star-Children with morals wield their powers with honor, those with darker intentions...seek blood and conquest.
In the midst of this emerging chaos, teenager Finn SunRider only cares for escaping the mines within the burning desert of the Crust and exploring the world he lives in. When an ancient bracer different from those which have fallen from the sky grafts onto Finn’s arm and the last of a dead race
warns that albeit no future is certain, he will be thrust in the middle of godly battles and mystery, Finn’s plans of freedom take a different turn.
Unknown Binding
First published July 27, 2017
319 people are currently reading
264 people want to read
About the author
Rafael Hohmann
6 books38 followersBorn near the oceanic coast of Brazil inside the dungeons of a castle, Rafael moved to the United States at the age of six. He spent his young years reading, cliff climbing, exploring abandoned mines, and drawing strategy maps to survive the oncoming zombie apocalypse. Obsessed with sharing his stories with others, he writes whenever he can and talks a bit too much about books. You can often find him gorging on sushi and trying to convince his wife to let him buy a dog.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
November 8, 2019
* I read this as it's an #SPFBO entry for 2019 and I am a judge *
This book was a fun one actually, more so than I imagined it would be when I started it. I think the cover of this one made me think it was going to be more horror than fantasy, but actually I would say this falls thoroughly in the realm of high fantasy with lots of magic and a lot of crazy Star-Children roaming the world.
We pick up the story following our main character, Finn. Finn is a miner and a slave, he has overseers who force him to constantly work, and he has no real aspirations as he knows that the mine is his destiny. That is, until a new boy called Goblin joins up, and he becomes Finn's first friend.
This is certainly a coming-of-age story at first, with Finn and Goblin trying to find their way in a world which is much more vast and troubled than either of them knew. When Finn finds a magical bracer which offers him powers he'd never even dreamed of things change even more...
What I like about this is the coming-of-age story. I have a soft spot for stories of young people overcoming hideous lives and escaping into magic, and this book does exactly that. I also have to say that the magical powers of this world are a lot of fun and some are quite unique too.
The book follows the journey of Finn but as we go we do interact with other characters and some higher-up who are forming a resistance to the evil that seems to be creeping across the land in the form of rogue Star-Children. I liked seeing this wider picture, and I do believe I would want to know what happens next so I would quite happily read book #2 which I think is out already.
Definitely if you like the idea of big mecha-magical suits and powers you never dreamed of then this is a book well worth a read. 4*s from me :)
This book was a fun one actually, more so than I imagined it would be when I started it. I think the cover of this one made me think it was going to be more horror than fantasy, but actually I would say this falls thoroughly in the realm of high fantasy with lots of magic and a lot of crazy Star-Children roaming the world.
We pick up the story following our main character, Finn. Finn is a miner and a slave, he has overseers who force him to constantly work, and he has no real aspirations as he knows that the mine is his destiny. That is, until a new boy called Goblin joins up, and he becomes Finn's first friend.
This is certainly a coming-of-age story at first, with Finn and Goblin trying to find their way in a world which is much more vast and troubled than either of them knew. When Finn finds a magical bracer which offers him powers he'd never even dreamed of things change even more...
What I like about this is the coming-of-age story. I have a soft spot for stories of young people overcoming hideous lives and escaping into magic, and this book does exactly that. I also have to say that the magical powers of this world are a lot of fun and some are quite unique too.
The book follows the journey of Finn but as we go we do interact with other characters and some higher-up who are forming a resistance to the evil that seems to be creeping across the land in the form of rogue Star-Children. I liked seeing this wider picture, and I do believe I would want to know what happens next so I would quite happily read book #2 which I think is out already.
Definitely if you like the idea of big mecha-magical suits and powers you never dreamed of then this is a book well worth a read. 4*s from me :)
March 18, 2019
Hohmann has created a rich an interesting world that answers the question, "What if there were superheroes in a world of sword and sorcery?" Imagine The Avengers, only in a world of fantasy. The main character, Finn SunRider, (the Peter Parker of this world, if you will) embarks on a quest to become a hero. But he starts out first learning to become a friend. And that is one of my favorite parts about this story; the theme of friendship. Ignore what other reviewers have said about the relationship between Finn and Goblin. The author does a great job of bringing these two misfits together and he does a good job of explaining why these two have such an endearing friendship. I would recommend this book to readers of all ages who enjoy superheroes and fantasy.
August 14, 2017
A mind bending beginning.
Wow! I gave this four stars because I think it could use a little more editing. Other than that it's perfect.
Wow! I gave this four stars because I think it could use a little more editing. Other than that it's perfect.
August 14, 2017
Fun read
Very good book, I liked the characters and the storyline is like a cross between a grimdark tale, lite fare, and epic fantasy. Very well told and I rushed through the reading in a day and a half. Looking forward to the next book.
Very good book, I liked the characters and the storyline is like a cross between a grimdark tale, lite fare, and epic fantasy. Very well told and I rushed through the reading in a day and a half. Looking forward to the next book.
March 28, 2018
So happy I checked this book out, very creative world building and magic system. if you're a fan of the Malazan audiobooks, get this audiobook right now, my dude Ralph Lister bangs out another awesome narrative. Great first novel, long live Ralph Lister.
May 14, 2021
(4.3 actually)
This book was a random find while I was browsing Audible for books read by my favorite narrators, Michael Page and Ralph Lister. The cover was morbid enough for me to give it a try.
The prologue painted a black and gold picture of necromancy and rot, which only fanned my curiosity to see where it all will be going.
Although I'm not a big fan of teenage characters, this book didn't disappoint. Good character development, world-building, high levels of death and morbidity, and above all, Mr. Hohmann's great sense of humor have only left me thirsty for more.
Hands down the best chance find in a long, long time.
This book was a random find while I was browsing Audible for books read by my favorite narrators, Michael Page and Ralph Lister. The cover was morbid enough for me to give it a try.
The prologue painted a black and gold picture of necromancy and rot, which only fanned my curiosity to see where it all will be going.
Although I'm not a big fan of teenage characters, this book didn't disappoint. Good character development, world-building, high levels of death and morbidity, and above all, Mr. Hohmann's great sense of humor have only left me thirsty for more.
Hands down the best chance find in a long, long time.
August 26, 2017
It wasn't the worst book I've read but..
If you are looking for a good ending, or some pay off for all the pages all the words read, or hell even a decent cliff hanger. I'm afraid this book offers neither.
Cliche main character who's "fate" is to save the world yet somehow ends up slightly less pathetic than he did at the beginning beginning of the book.
Nearly every supporting character is more flushed out than the main one.
It's the amazing spider-man of books. No motivation to see/read the next one.
If you are looking for a good ending, or some pay off for all the pages all the words read, or hell even a decent cliff hanger. I'm afraid this book offers neither.
Cliche main character who's "fate" is to save the world yet somehow ends up slightly less pathetic than he did at the beginning beginning of the book.
Nearly every supporting character is more flushed out than the main one.
It's the amazing spider-man of books. No motivation to see/read the next one.
October 27, 2023
It's been so long since I last read a self-published book that I enjoyed, it felt like it would never happen again.
Another reviewer described this book as: "What if superheroes were introduced to a sword and sorcery world?" That's not an exactly right description, but it's close.
Set in a fantasy world, a few magical pieces of armor fall from the sky. Anyone who puts one on gets one single super power. It could be something useful like flight or super speed, but it could be something less useful like identifying the true owner of an item or being able to call the closest frog to you.
The book followed two storylines. The first was Finn, an orphan slave working in mines, and the second was a cult that worshiped pain and death... their own pain and death.
The part of the story about Finn was great, I really enjoyed it. We followed his life from an orphan slave to a free person. Along the way he got a piece of that magical armor and made his first friend.
The other storyline was harder for me to get into. I had a really, really hard time believing humans would join or stay in a cult where you badly hurt yourself on a regular basis (cut your limbs off, stab both of your knees out...) and that their only desire in life was to die. But the book spent a lot more time with Finn, so I just went along with the chapters about the cult.
The book did a wonderful thing: Before each chapter was a 1-3 page blurb from a fictional book that existed in the story's world, a tale about some part of their culture, or some other random happening from anytime in the story world's history. It was such wonderful worldbuilding! I looked forward to every new chapter for that part.
The author had some grammar issues, and unfortunately he didn't improve between the first and second book. For some reason he way overused hyphens in really weird ways, he didn't really understand how some dialogue tags are supposed to work, and some other things. It wasn't awful, but it was really noticeable.
All in all though, I really enjoyed this book. It was a long read, but since I was enjoying it, I was happy for the book's length.
Another reviewer described this book as: "What if superheroes were introduced to a sword and sorcery world?" That's not an exactly right description, but it's close.
Set in a fantasy world, a few magical pieces of armor fall from the sky. Anyone who puts one on gets one single super power. It could be something useful like flight or super speed, but it could be something less useful like identifying the true owner of an item or being able to call the closest frog to you.
The book followed two storylines. The first was Finn, an orphan slave working in mines, and the second was a cult that worshiped pain and death... their own pain and death.
The part of the story about Finn was great, I really enjoyed it. We followed his life from an orphan slave to a free person. Along the way he got a piece of that magical armor and made his first friend.
The other storyline was harder for me to get into. I had a really, really hard time believing humans would join or stay in a cult where you badly hurt yourself on a regular basis (cut your limbs off, stab both of your knees out...) and that their only desire in life was to die. But the book spent a lot more time with Finn, so I just went along with the chapters about the cult.
The book did a wonderful thing: Before each chapter was a 1-3 page blurb from a fictional book that existed in the story's world, a tale about some part of their culture, or some other random happening from anytime in the story world's history. It was such wonderful worldbuilding! I looked forward to every new chapter for that part.
The author had some grammar issues, and unfortunately he didn't improve between the first and second book. For some reason he way overused hyphens in really weird ways, he didn't really understand how some dialogue tags are supposed to work, and some other things. It wasn't awful, but it was really noticeable.
All in all though, I really enjoyed this book. It was a long read, but since I was enjoying it, I was happy for the book's length.
June 13, 2018
I enjoy this book. One of the god creates bracers that have special abilities. A bracer will fall from the sky and land in front of a person. Those that have a bracer a chosen and are called sky children. When first activation of a power the sky child will lose control. There grows two groups those that use the power for evil and those who use it for good.
There are 3 characters we fallow. First We fallows the main character as he gains his bracer. He searches out the good group with his best friend. The other character we fallow is the bad guy. He leads a cult the worships decay. As he grows mad with power and starts a war with the world. He changes the cult to one of decay and sacrifice, to one of death and slavery. The next character we fallow is the bad guys apprentice. She is very traditional and hates the way the cult is changing. She fights to find a way to kill the bad guy and bring the cult back onto the correct path.
Now the reasons it is not 5 Stars. We go the hole book waiting for the main character to use his power, but he never does. We don’t even learn what his power is. I mean the cover of the book shows him in armor that we never see him in. So you wait and wait then the book is over and you feel a little ripped off.
There are 3 characters we fallow. First We fallows the main character as he gains his bracer. He searches out the good group with his best friend. The other character we fallow is the bad guy. He leads a cult the worships decay. As he grows mad with power and starts a war with the world. He changes the cult to one of decay and sacrifice, to one of death and slavery. The next character we fallow is the bad guys apprentice. She is very traditional and hates the way the cult is changing. She fights to find a way to kill the bad guy and bring the cult back onto the correct path.
Now the reasons it is not 5 Stars. We go the hole book waiting for the main character to use his power, but he never does. We don’t even learn what his power is. I mean the cover of the book shows him in armor that we never see him in. So you wait and wait then the book is over and you feel a little ripped off.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 13, 2019
Some interesting concepts, but in the end, it left me unsatisfied. There were some good magical ideas introduced, but none of them were really explored much. I particularly liked the idea of magical gems, but after the first few chapters, they were pretty much gone from the story.
I've learned of myself that I really am a character-driven reader and I found most of these characters very one dimensional which of course made it harder to care about what was happening to them. I didn't get a distinct personality from Finn, we are meant to see him Goblin as besties but we never really saw that develop, same with the other characters he meets. I actually found Wahala by far the most interesting fleshed-out character. She had clear motivations, desires, and a defined personality.
One thing I really enjoyed were the fight scenes. They were written in a way that I was actually able to imagine them as they were happening and, for me, usually I have a really hard time visualizing battles in fantasy books. The sparing scenes were really fun.
Overall, it was a very readable book with flashes of interesting magic, but rather flat characters and a lackluster ending.
I've learned of myself that I really am a character-driven reader and I found most of these characters very one dimensional which of course made it harder to care about what was happening to them. I didn't get a distinct personality from Finn, we are meant to see him Goblin as besties but we never really saw that develop, same with the other characters he meets. I actually found Wahala by far the most interesting fleshed-out character. She had clear motivations, desires, and a defined personality.
One thing I really enjoyed were the fight scenes. They were written in a way that I was actually able to imagine them as they were happening and, for me, usually I have a really hard time visualizing battles in fantasy books. The sparing scenes were really fun.
Overall, it was a very readable book with flashes of interesting magic, but rather flat characters and a lackluster ending.
October 25, 2017
When I finished this book I was left more than a little disappointed. The story line is good but the characters and the plot just seems forced. The fact that Finn and Goblin form a friendship even while Finn recounts how he resisted friendship for years is total bullcrap. Why now? Why this one boy instead of the countless other he has worked with. The storyline is made of scraps and pieces of good ideas but it is as if they were stitched together randomly and with absolutely no precision. Overall, I liked the ideas and the plot in this book, just not the way it was written and the lack of realism. I will be coming back to read the second one because I want to see the plot continue.
October 25, 2018
Honestly had no clue what I was getting into when I got this book. I saw a post online by the author on reddit, and thought "welp why not read his book? "
I quickly found myself immersed into the story. The characters are loveable, the story is well written, and I could not put it down!
At first I thought the story was going to be a bit hard to get into when I read of "Fin the cave diver" but the set up for this grand tale was worth it. I recommend this book highly to all those who call themselves a fan of the fantasy genre! I eagerly await the next installment of the saga.
I quickly found myself immersed into the story. The characters are loveable, the story is well written, and I could not put it down!
At first I thought the story was going to be a bit hard to get into when I read of "Fin the cave diver" but the set up for this grand tale was worth it. I recommend this book highly to all those who call themselves a fan of the fantasy genre! I eagerly await the next installment of the saga.
January 26, 2019
Worth the read and I’m proceeding to book 2
It’s slightly too PG13 for me and pretty slow pace story dev, but now that it’s where book 1 left off things could get moving a bit. I don’t mean this as a slight - it’s more of just my style preference, and I don’t personally love young characters that take forever to grow up and ultimately find themselves. All in all though, imaginative and intriguing enough to move on to book 2. Thanks for writing.
It’s slightly too PG13 for me and pretty slow pace story dev, but now that it’s where book 1 left off things could get moving a bit. I don’t mean this as a slight - it’s more of just my style preference, and I don’t personally love young characters that take forever to grow up and ultimately find themselves. All in all though, imaginative and intriguing enough to move on to book 2. Thanks for writing.
March 30, 2023
4.75 stars
I sincerely loved this book but I acknowledge there are many moments early on that are slow and hard to follow at the same time. Once you grasp the way the story is being told bouncing between Finn and cultists and especially after Finn is free, it's nearly impossible to put this down.
There were moments where this felt like Marvel's Eternals meets Rebecca Roanhorse's Black Sun, but mostly it's a wholly unique experience.
I sincerely loved this book but I acknowledge there are many moments early on that are slow and hard to follow at the same time. Once you grasp the way the story is being told bouncing between Finn and cultists and especially after Finn is free, it's nearly impossible to put this down.
There were moments where this felt like Marvel's Eternals meets Rebecca Roanhorse's Black Sun, but mostly it's a wholly unique experience.
December 23, 2017
Hmmmmm
The author has created a truly hideous bad guy in Mal'Bal. I hate him and found it hard to read through his chapters of the book. This is a compliment to the writing. The action in the book was enough to keep me intrigued and i wiill read the next installment as my interest is still tweaked. Hopefully the next installment will not have as many typos.
The author has created a truly hideous bad guy in Mal'Bal. I hate him and found it hard to read through his chapters of the book. This is a compliment to the writing. The action in the book was enough to keep me intrigued and i wiill read the next installment as my interest is still tweaked. Hopefully the next installment will not have as many typos.
April 21, 2018
This was a difficult one to rate. I settled on 2.5 stars because of the briliant naration by Ralph Lister. The ending was sadly unsatisfying, the cliffhanger somewhat anticlimactic. I definitely liked the concept of this world, as well as the premiss. I may be picking up the second book, but I probably won't be in a hurry to do so.
February 12, 2022
I have really enjoyed this series so far. My main complaint is that the different gems mentioned at the beginning are almost completely forgotten about by the end of the book. I love the idea of the star children and bracers, but I feel that those overshadow the other magic of the gems. I am hoping the two can somehow combine in the series.
August 24, 2017
Interesting!
This is a different kind of high fantasy.
The ideas are fresh and interesting.
I look forward to more adventures and answers to the mysteries.
While I did find some errors, there aren't many.
I can recommend this book for any that enjoy fantasy.
This is a different kind of high fantasy.
The ideas are fresh and interesting.
I look forward to more adventures and answers to the mysteries.
While I did find some errors, there aren't many.
I can recommend this book for any that enjoy fantasy.
August 25, 2017
It's a good book
I really enjoyed the book. I admit I was disappointed that fun hadn't unlocked his potential yet but I'll just wait for the next in the series to see what happens. Can't wait.
I really enjoyed the book. I admit I was disappointed that fun hadn't unlocked his potential yet but I'll just wait for the next in the series to see what happens. Can't wait.
January 17, 2018
Here's to hope
It started slow but picked up. Had the potential to be a real Page turner. Guess we a have to wait an see I'd its great or a another wishful thinker. I see the begging of a budding author kudos sir
It started slow but picked up. Had the potential to be a real Page turner. Guess we a have to wait an see I'd its great or a another wishful thinker. I see the begging of a budding author kudos sir
February 26, 2018
Solid foray by new author
I first started reading Sunrider with high expectations, and the ending did not disappoint. The story picked up pace as I continued and was a little surprised when it ended. A great foundation for a fantastic world and series
I first started reading Sunrider with high expectations, and the ending did not disappoint. The story picked up pace as I continued and was a little surprised when it ended. A great foundation for a fantastic world and series
June 21, 2018
Good book
I especially enjoyed the snippets of Lenovan history and intriguing facts at the beginning of every chapter. Compelling story makes the book hard to put down. Looking forward to more.
I especially enjoyed the snippets of Lenovan history and intriguing facts at the beginning of every chapter. Compelling story makes the book hard to put down. Looking forward to more.
August 31, 2017
Hard to stay focused.
The first few chapters were good after which It started to read like a children's story book. Not my cup of tea.
The first few chapters were good after which It started to read like a children's story book. Not my cup of tea.
September 18, 2017
Beginning
Interesting groundwork of characters and storyline I look forward to the continuing story of SunRider and his friends against MalBal
Interesting groundwork of characters and storyline I look forward to the continuing story of SunRider and his friends against MalBal
October 7, 2017
Very interesting premise
It's still high fantasy, epic battles and magic included! Looking forward to seeing what Finn's bracer will do in the next book!
It's still high fantasy, epic battles and magic included! Looking forward to seeing what Finn's bracer will do in the next book!
October 13, 2017
A rousing good tale
Very engaging. Likeable characters. Evil villains. A very imaginative world. I can't wait for the next installment! Also a very good plot.
Very engaging. Likeable characters. Evil villains. A very imaginative world. I can't wait for the next installment! Also a very good plot.
October 17, 2017
Fantastic
It kept me entertained from beginning to end. I love it and can't wait for the next one to come out.
It kept me entertained from beginning to end. I love it and can't wait for the next one to come out.
December 28, 2017
?
I would rate this 5 stars because this story and characters are great, but the similarities it has to Eragon (The Inheritance Cycle) are too great to be coincidence..
I would rate this 5 stars because this story and characters are great, but the similarities it has to Eragon (The Inheritance Cycle) are too great to be coincidence..
August 23, 2018
Really good
Classic zero to hero book with unique fantasy elements making it just as exciting as entertaining. A must read for any fantasy lover!
Classic zero to hero book with unique fantasy elements making it just as exciting as entertaining. A must read for any fantasy lover!
August 27, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews