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Breachman
Join the Breachmen!
Volchak, Commander of the Breachmen, has spent a lifetime fighting. Now he has time for just one more war. But when you have to fight to find peace, how can it ever end?
With the advancements he has made in the art of anatomy, Stirc will perform miracles of medicine. If a few more subjects need to be sacrificed along the way, then so be it.
Kaelith is a dashing warrior, a soldier of fortune, a famed intellect and quite the looker. Or so he will tell you. But he’s running out of friends, and is about to play the last trick he has up his sleeve.
And Flea? She is just happy to be alive. When you’re a seventeen-year-old convicted murderer fighting for the Breachmen, being alive is something to hold on to.
The people of Yrfrite will soon be crushed under the boots of the Royal Guard. The rebel Duke can’t stand against the might of the King’s army and the ferocity of the Breachmen. Yet someone is pulling the strings of this conflict. Soon, something will change the fight forever.
Volchak, Commander of the Breachmen, has spent a lifetime fighting. Now he has time for just one more war. But when you have to fight to find peace, how can it ever end?
With the advancements he has made in the art of anatomy, Stirc will perform miracles of medicine. If a few more subjects need to be sacrificed along the way, then so be it.
Kaelith is a dashing warrior, a soldier of fortune, a famed intellect and quite the looker. Or so he will tell you. But he’s running out of friends, and is about to play the last trick he has up his sleeve.
And Flea? She is just happy to be alive. When you’re a seventeen-year-old convicted murderer fighting for the Breachmen, being alive is something to hold on to.
The people of Yrfrite will soon be crushed under the boots of the Royal Guard. The rebel Duke can’t stand against the might of the King’s army and the ferocity of the Breachmen. Yet someone is pulling the strings of this conflict. Soon, something will change the fight forever.
313 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 1, 2022
6 people are currently reading
28 people want to read
About the author
Chris Barker
1 book6 followersChris Barker was born a thousand years too late into a world entirely too realistic for his liking.
In his opinion, he should be riding a war horse gloriously into battle. Or sprinting across the open field charging down a shield wall. Or possibly just drinking himself into a stupor in one of the capital’s many taverns – one of the seedier ones. Since he isn’t though, you’ll maybe find him walking with his ever-patient wife and dog in the woods of Buckinghamshire. When he isn’t outdoors, he’ll be sat in his study at an antique desk, with his grandfather clock ticking away in the background, flying spaceships in virtual reality.
A self-confessed uber-geek. He studied Criminology at the University of Manchester and became enamoured with the psychology of conflict, the interaction between opposing players and game theory. After graduation, he joined the financial sector during its spectacular collapse into the financial crisis and has been fighting that battle ever since.
He writes for fun. If someone enjoys one of his stories then it proves he can take 26 letters and put them in the right order to make someone happier.
And he hopes that someone is you.
contact: info@squidinkpublishing.co.uk
In his opinion, he should be riding a war horse gloriously into battle. Or sprinting across the open field charging down a shield wall. Or possibly just drinking himself into a stupor in one of the capital’s many taverns – one of the seedier ones. Since he isn’t though, you’ll maybe find him walking with his ever-patient wife and dog in the woods of Buckinghamshire. When he isn’t outdoors, he’ll be sat in his study at an antique desk, with his grandfather clock ticking away in the background, flying spaceships in virtual reality.
A self-confessed uber-geek. He studied Criminology at the University of Manchester and became enamoured with the psychology of conflict, the interaction between opposing players and game theory. After graduation, he joined the financial sector during its spectacular collapse into the financial crisis and has been fighting that battle ever since.
He writes for fun. If someone enjoys one of his stories then it proves he can take 26 letters and put them in the right order to make someone happier.
And he hopes that someone is you.
contact: info@squidinkpublishing.co.uk
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 11, 2022
This is part of my review request list! I am really making a concerted effort to get through this list before it gets any more unwieldy.
The book starts with the possible death of the main character, Volchak. He’s more or less at peace with the fact he’s about to die, and who killed him. He’s led a violent life and it makes sense that he meets a violent end. Then chapter one starts the reader with a long ‘flash back’ of events that led Volchak to where he was in the prologue — dying.
So Volchak is the leader of a group called the Breachmen, which is a classification of infantryman in the army. Getting assigned to the Breachmean is more or less a death sentence, and it’s usually used a punishment for criminals or those who get on the wrong side of the King. It’s reminiscent of Kaladin and the bridge crew in the Stormlight Archives series, I got very similar vibes. The breachmen and the bridge crew also had similar wartime technology in that they used spears, pikes, and axes, not guns and cannons. Volchak, like most soldiers stuck in the lower ranks, was drafted straight off his farm as a young kid. If given a choice would not be fighting anymore, he’s not a warrior that loves his craft, he just does it to get through to the next day. Once drafted you spend 25 years in the military, which is a long fucking time, most don’t go home. When the army comes around looking for recruits you either go with them or get killed on the spot. It’s pretty brutal. Anyway, Volchak has managed to stay alive all these years as a Breachman and it’s his job to go out and recruit more folks. He’s actually not a bad person, I really really liked him by the time the story was over. He bends the rules as much as possible to be as merciful as possible while also not getting called out and removed from his position of power where he can do some good. It’s a fine line to walk.
In his crew he’s got a few steady people who are smart and skilled enough to make it out of the battles each time along with him. Of the people that live, there’s Harkner and Flea, lol that’s it. Flea is a small girl who’s usually too fast and too cunning to get hit, while Harker is more or less a warrior/tank type. He just keeps swinging his hammer until he’s the last one left. He’s got an easy attitude and he’s very easy to enjoy. He’s got a sweet relationship with Flea, keeping her safe as best he can.
The Breachmen are currently fighting an insurrection run by a rogue Duke who is challenging the King. The Duke is losing. But, the Duke has also sent a mercenary to take out high ranking officials and warriors to try and turn the tides in his favor. So, in comes Kaelith’s POV. He’s been sent on a mission to take out Valchak and others at the top of the military food chain in the King’s army. I liked Kaelith, he’s got a decent head on his shoulders, an easy going personality, and more morals than you’d think from a mercenary. I find it makes for excellent tension when two sides of a war are presented sympathetically and you’re not sure who you want to win, because you want both of them to come out okay.
Okay, and there’s one more POV, and this one didn’t work for me at all. Stirc is a “physician” and these “doctors” are not like our doctors. They are not there to help you. They are only there to learn about what makes bodies tick and then discard the body when they’re done with it. If you run from your duties in the army you end up the red tents of the hermatic order getting vivisected. It’s so disturbing, and Stirc is right in the middle of it. He just does not give a single shit about his subjects. It’s actually not allowed in the hermetic order (the crazy physicians guild) to refer to people by their names, only as “subject”. It’s almost too much to think that this kind of thing would exist and that people would be able to routinely torture other people to death like this as Order openly accepted by society, but I suppose similar things have happened in the past, but maybe just not as out in the open — eg nazis. I suppose if you left a nazi regime to its thing for long enough maybe the experiments would have been publicly accepted. Horrifying to think about. Anyway, so Stirc gets sent on a mission with the Valchak crew to go deliver a prisoner, Keilith, once he was discovered. This all happens fairly early on so it’s not really a spoiler, the main story is these guys going on a quest to go deliver the prisoner.
Goodness me there are a TON of people in this book, a lot of moving parts, it’s a complicated story so this is not for light reading lolol. This is very military based with a lot of strategy talk, and a metric ass ton of battles. I mean there are so many axes in skulls and swords rammed through gullets and what have you. If you don’t like battle scenes this book is not for you, lol.
The world building honestly was kind of light? Since this was a low fantasy there wasn’t a magic system to incorporate, and there weren’t a ton of fantasy races with varying cultures to explain, either. The Gods/religion really didn’t factor in anywhere that clearly stands out to me. I know there was a King and there are some Dukes, but the world was described as fairly small. The whole kingdom was comprised of two large cities and seven villages — I think that’s a direct quote. Which leads to one of my bigger issues — how are you losing 28/30 breachmen in certain battles and able to fill your ranks again with just two cities and seven villages of people? You’re going to run out of people, no?
By the end things wrapped up really neat and clean and very quick. Certain things I really liked and others I thought felt forced and rushed. Overall though, I felt really compelled to get through to the end because I knew some of the cast was going to die, and I wanted to see who made it to the end and what their conclusions were. This does read as a single serve book, most if not all of the plot points were addressed and everyone’s arc was completed, it definitely doesn’t end on a cliffhanger. I think it’s open enough to have another adventure here, but the story being told was finished, so if you’re looking for stand alones, or stand alone series this could be for you.
Overall, I think this is a book for people who love war stories, battles, soldiers, and unlikely companions.
Ratings:
Plot: 11/15
Characters: 12/15
World Building: 10/15
Writing: 11/15
Pacing: 11.15
Originality: 11/15
Enjoyment: 7/10
Final score: 73/100
The book starts with the possible death of the main character, Volchak. He’s more or less at peace with the fact he’s about to die, and who killed him. He’s led a violent life and it makes sense that he meets a violent end. Then chapter one starts the reader with a long ‘flash back’ of events that led Volchak to where he was in the prologue — dying.
So Volchak is the leader of a group called the Breachmen, which is a classification of infantryman in the army. Getting assigned to the Breachmean is more or less a death sentence, and it’s usually used a punishment for criminals or those who get on the wrong side of the King. It’s reminiscent of Kaladin and the bridge crew in the Stormlight Archives series, I got very similar vibes. The breachmen and the bridge crew also had similar wartime technology in that they used spears, pikes, and axes, not guns and cannons. Volchak, like most soldiers stuck in the lower ranks, was drafted straight off his farm as a young kid. If given a choice would not be fighting anymore, he’s not a warrior that loves his craft, he just does it to get through to the next day. Once drafted you spend 25 years in the military, which is a long fucking time, most don’t go home. When the army comes around looking for recruits you either go with them or get killed on the spot. It’s pretty brutal. Anyway, Volchak has managed to stay alive all these years as a Breachman and it’s his job to go out and recruit more folks. He’s actually not a bad person, I really really liked him by the time the story was over. He bends the rules as much as possible to be as merciful as possible while also not getting called out and removed from his position of power where he can do some good. It’s a fine line to walk.
In his crew he’s got a few steady people who are smart and skilled enough to make it out of the battles each time along with him. Of the people that live, there’s Harkner and Flea, lol that’s it. Flea is a small girl who’s usually too fast and too cunning to get hit, while Harker is more or less a warrior/tank type. He just keeps swinging his hammer until he’s the last one left. He’s got an easy attitude and he’s very easy to enjoy. He’s got a sweet relationship with Flea, keeping her safe as best he can.
The Breachmen are currently fighting an insurrection run by a rogue Duke who is challenging the King. The Duke is losing. But, the Duke has also sent a mercenary to take out high ranking officials and warriors to try and turn the tides in his favor. So, in comes Kaelith’s POV. He’s been sent on a mission to take out Valchak and others at the top of the military food chain in the King’s army. I liked Kaelith, he’s got a decent head on his shoulders, an easy going personality, and more morals than you’d think from a mercenary. I find it makes for excellent tension when two sides of a war are presented sympathetically and you’re not sure who you want to win, because you want both of them to come out okay.
Okay, and there’s one more POV, and this one didn’t work for me at all. Stirc is a “physician” and these “doctors” are not like our doctors. They are not there to help you. They are only there to learn about what makes bodies tick and then discard the body when they’re done with it. If you run from your duties in the army you end up the red tents of the hermatic order getting vivisected. It’s so disturbing, and Stirc is right in the middle of it. He just does not give a single shit about his subjects. It’s actually not allowed in the hermetic order (the crazy physicians guild) to refer to people by their names, only as “subject”. It’s almost too much to think that this kind of thing would exist and that people would be able to routinely torture other people to death like this as Order openly accepted by society, but I suppose similar things have happened in the past, but maybe just not as out in the open — eg nazis. I suppose if you left a nazi regime to its thing for long enough maybe the experiments would have been publicly accepted. Horrifying to think about. Anyway, so Stirc gets sent on a mission with the Valchak crew to go deliver a prisoner, Keilith, once he was discovered. This all happens fairly early on so it’s not really a spoiler, the main story is these guys going on a quest to go deliver the prisoner.
Goodness me there are a TON of people in this book, a lot of moving parts, it’s a complicated story so this is not for light reading lolol. This is very military based with a lot of strategy talk, and a metric ass ton of battles. I mean there are so many axes in skulls and swords rammed through gullets and what have you. If you don’t like battle scenes this book is not for you, lol.
The world building honestly was kind of light? Since this was a low fantasy there wasn’t a magic system to incorporate, and there weren’t a ton of fantasy races with varying cultures to explain, either. The Gods/religion really didn’t factor in anywhere that clearly stands out to me. I know there was a King and there are some Dukes, but the world was described as fairly small. The whole kingdom was comprised of two large cities and seven villages — I think that’s a direct quote. Which leads to one of my bigger issues — how are you losing 28/30 breachmen in certain battles and able to fill your ranks again with just two cities and seven villages of people? You’re going to run out of people, no?
By the end things wrapped up really neat and clean and very quick. Certain things I really liked and others I thought felt forced and rushed. Overall though, I felt really compelled to get through to the end because I knew some of the cast was going to die, and I wanted to see who made it to the end and what their conclusions were. This does read as a single serve book, most if not all of the plot points were addressed and everyone’s arc was completed, it definitely doesn’t end on a cliffhanger. I think it’s open enough to have another adventure here, but the story being told was finished, so if you’re looking for stand alones, or stand alone series this could be for you.
Overall, I think this is a book for people who love war stories, battles, soldiers, and unlikely companions.
Ratings:
Plot: 11/15
Characters: 12/15
World Building: 10/15
Writing: 11/15
Pacing: 11.15
Originality: 11/15
Enjoyment: 7/10
Final score: 73/100
March 11, 2022
Great story, strongly paced, action driven.
Sharply written, strong characters, great story. Well done, Chris Barker, would love to read more about the Breachman and all the characters detailed, as well as many new adventures.
Sharply written, strong characters, great story. Well done, Chris Barker, would love to read more about the Breachman and all the characters detailed, as well as many new adventures.
February 1, 2022
Breachman is a focussed story about four individuals of varying importance who become intertwined through their roles in and around the ‘Breachmen’, a unit in the army of the king who are as expendable as they are deadly. The main characters are Commander Volchak – who is the leader of the Breachman and a classic grizzled veteran. Flea, a girl who fights in the Breachman and is fairly happy go lucky about the whole situation. Stirc, a creepy bureaucratic doctor/priest in the strange religious order alongside some of the main antagonists. And then Kaelith, who really steals the show as a witty, clumsy but lovable rogue character who often says what the reader is thinking. Or demonstrates the ridiculousness of some of the heroics you probably see in other fantasy stories.
The story does not hang about as the opening battles gives way to a bloody journey across what is a tiny little medieval style kingdom. It becomes obvious that this is a very small-scale world where the characters roles can have quite dramatic effects on the outcomes of the various conflicts.
The read is engaging, fast paced and the characters are interesting. Conflict is both ideological, personal and based on greed and status with varying stakes. The world is quite limited (there are no fantastical creatures or magic systems) but that plays into the close nature of the story. There is no suggestion this is opening up in to a bigger story or a series although the door is definitely left open to it.
The story does not hang about as the opening battles gives way to a bloody journey across what is a tiny little medieval style kingdom. It becomes obvious that this is a very small-scale world where the characters roles can have quite dramatic effects on the outcomes of the various conflicts.
The read is engaging, fast paced and the characters are interesting. Conflict is both ideological, personal and based on greed and status with varying stakes. The world is quite limited (there are no fantastical creatures or magic systems) but that plays into the close nature of the story. There is no suggestion this is opening up in to a bigger story or a series although the door is definitely left open to it.
October 4, 2025
Really enjoyed this.
It's well written, engrossing characters - Volchak, Harkner, Flea, and even Stric, great story. I would love to read more about the Breachman
It is a grimdark book, but well worth the read. It's on my reread list, and I have bought it in a paper copy now.
It's well written, engrossing characters - Volchak, Harkner, Flea, and even Stric, great story. I would love to read more about the Breachman
It is a grimdark book, but well worth the read. It's on my reread list, and I have bought it in a paper copy now.
November 12, 2022
Brutal, bloody, brilliance
Starts with an ending that demands explanation and doesn't at all disappoint when it's delivered.
The story of an aging, axe-wielding warrior... shades of Druss the Legend, though much darker and more violent...
Starts with an ending that demands explanation and doesn't at all disappoint when it's delivered.
The story of an aging, axe-wielding warrior... shades of Druss the Legend, though much darker and more violent...
Read
February 24, 2022This is a page turning, good tale well told. The presentation is excellent too with good page layout and a very easily read font. I am looking forward to the authors next work
August 29, 2022
Sorry, this didn’t quite do it for me. I couldn’t get to grips with the story. It seemed to me that the order of physicians were trying to take over, they were experimenting with bodies, mainly while they were alive, Sturc, one of the main characters even had a magic salve that miraculously healed even the most deadly of wounds, I couldn’t tell if he was good or just working for his own ego.
Volchak, Harker and Flea (the only one that I quite liked) were injured, almost dying, then healed and went on to fight again, but what were they fighting for? No, neither the characters or the story did anything for me and if this is the first part of a series, which it appeared to be to me because there wasn’t an actual ending, then I’m sorry but I won’t be reading the rest.
An apologetic 2/5
Volchak, Harker and Flea (the only one that I quite liked) were injured, almost dying, then healed and went on to fight again, but what were they fighting for? No, neither the characters or the story did anything for me and if this is the first part of a series, which it appeared to be to me because there wasn’t an actual ending, then I’m sorry but I won’t be reading the rest.
An apologetic 2/5
March 17, 2023
A good book with passable characters who have their moments, a forgettable world and rushed plot. While this book had everything to be better it never delved deep enough into the story or characters for me to feel much attachment to either. The latter half of the book felt rushed with the resolution happening in an instant and not being a very satisfying one. Overall, it is a good first book but with such a good start and hook I expected more and felt it did not deliver.
5.7/10
5.7/10
February 1, 2022
Fascinating book which kept me gripped from the very first pages. Scene is set in the first chapter and then story evolves from there. Genuinely wouldn’t be surprised if this turns into the next Game of Thrones. Looking forward to the sequel.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews