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Ossard #1
The Fall of Ossard
Ossard is falling... Growing up in a city of Merchant Princes, Juvela discovers she can see what others can't. The very currents of the celestial are open to her, and that includes the truths they hide: An escalating series of unsolved kidnappings have been haunting the city-state, leaving its shadows pooled deep with innocent blood. Has Juvela been cursed with the Witches' Kiss - or perhaps something worse? Yet, more is to come, for not only has she witnessed an abduction, but she will have to endure a role in the victim's ritual death. For Juvela is about to become forsaken, and that's before she learns the real truth of not just the crimes plaguing Ossard's bloody streets, but the wider world: A world at war, and governed by gods whose highest pleasure is to sup on the taste of death.
368 pages, Paperback
First published February 25, 2009
19 people are currently reading
1234 people want to read
About the author
Colin Taber
32 books112 followersColin Taber lives in Sydney, Australia. He's done many things over the years, from working in banking, to retail, dish-pigging, publishing, landscape design, and even tree farming. All he really wants to do, though, is to be left to write. Thankfully that day is now here..
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
December 10, 2016
I'm not rating it - it's my own book.
I'm just posting this review to get the book up and listed.
If you want to see a sample of text, the first 70 pages are at www.fallofossard.com
The Ossard Trilogy is a layered tale about hope and sacrifice, not swashbuckling action. If you read through the sample and like it, you'll love the rest of the first book and the series.
Thanks,
Colin
I'm just posting this review to get the book up and listed.
If you want to see a sample of text, the first 70 pages are at www.fallofossard.com
The Ossard Trilogy is a layered tale about hope and sacrifice, not swashbuckling action. If you read through the sample and like it, you'll love the rest of the first book and the series.
Thanks,
Colin
May 29, 2011
This is the first volume in a trilogy ('The Ossard Trilogy') by a debut author, largely distributed in ebook format. Its low price (only 99p!) made it irresistible. It tells the story of Juvela, a girl growing up in the city of Ossard who discovers she has unusual powers at a time when the city is descending into god-driven chaos.
The world-building here is very good. The author has devised the background in intricate detail, and when Juvela makes her way through the streets of Ossard, it is obvious that the position of every last intersection and square and building has been worked out. The most detailed map even shows the streets and principal locations. The different races, religions and forms of magic are equally well done, and feel very believable. I would have liked to see more of it, frankly. The to and fro in Ossard began to feel very claustrophobic knowing there was a whole world out there to explore.
I would have liked a little more description of the backdrop - details of buildings or streetlife, for instance. And descriptions of clothes are particularly lacking. Juvela is a conventional and demure woman from a wealthy family, and I envisage her in pale silk gowns and dainty slippers - until she has to climb the slime-coated city walls and crawl through the streets. How exactly did she manage this - did she hitch up the gown, or put on the Flet equivalent of battle fatigues? It's a trivial point, perhaps, but there's no sign the author has thought of the problem.
The characters are a little less successful. Juvela herself is initially a little passive for my taste, mostly drifting through the story, being shocked and helpless and ineffectual in equal measure, and doing a great deal of fainting and generally needing to be rescued. But that gives her room to grow and as she gets used to her abilities she becomes more of a badass, although still always one step behind the bad guys. Sef is actually more interesting, and even Pedro has his moments (I would like to know more of what happened to him when he was sent away), but the other characters are only sketchily drawn in, although they mostly feel like real people. In particular, Juvela's parents are fairly shadowy, despite a relatively important role.
I felt that the story lacked focus. Juvela's personal development and the exploration of her abilities was one good story arc. The search and rescue mission for the missing husband and child was another one. And the growing war between the different factions was also meaty and intriguing. But because of the first person point of view, Juvela carries all these different strands on her own, and sometimes the story drifts from one to another. More than once she sets off determined to look for Pedro and Maria, only to be drawn into some other plotline. Then she retreats to her own quarter of the city for a chapter of exposition before setting off again. In my view it might have been better to focus more tightly on the search, and leave the growing war in the background. Or perhaps skip the husband and daughter altogether.
But this raises one of my big criticisms. There is simply too much exposition. Chapter after chapter is given over to one character or another explaining stuff to Juvela, in great detail, and often repetitively via dialogue. More than once a character said '...but to get back to the point...' and I found myself thinking - yes, please get back to the point. And then, quite late in the book, we meet a swathe of new characters who tell us their life stories, at great length. To be honest, I didn't care enough about them to want to know, and it slowed the pace down to glacial levels.
The writing style is best described as unusual. The strange use of 'it' has been noted in another review (at least, strange to me). I'm not sure if it is just a quirk of the author's, or whether people really use that construction where he comes from, but every time I encountered it, I had to stop and work out what it meant. There are other infelicitous turns of phrase too, but none so jarring to me.
There were moments in the story that I found a little hard to believe. The key event that brings Juvela and Pedro together, for instance, felt contrived. It depended too much on chance - the overtight lacings, the fact that Juvela was dosed with lotus by her mother (who surely was not part of the plot) - as well as conspiracy by the chaperone. And Juvela's later declaration of love seemed implausible after all that had happened.
But the action scenes, when they eventually come, are excellent. I am not a huge fan of the whole arm-waving spell-casting thunderbolt-hurling wizardy thing (I prefer my magic a lot more subtle than that), but these were well done - very tense and exciting, and (praise be!) I always knew exactly who was doing what to whom and why - and (importantly for this book) what the source of their power was. The final confrontation was a bit underwhelming - once again the characters stopped to explain things - but it worked to set things up for the next book in the series.
In summary, this is a promising debut, with a well-crafted world and magic system, some interesting characters and plenty of potential for the story to move along in intriguing ways. There are some clunky aspects to the writing, but still it's very readable and so long as the price is reasonable I will probably read the rest of the series.
The world-building here is very good. The author has devised the background in intricate detail, and when Juvela makes her way through the streets of Ossard, it is obvious that the position of every last intersection and square and building has been worked out. The most detailed map even shows the streets and principal locations. The different races, religions and forms of magic are equally well done, and feel very believable. I would have liked to see more of it, frankly. The to and fro in Ossard began to feel very claustrophobic knowing there was a whole world out there to explore.
I would have liked a little more description of the backdrop - details of buildings or streetlife, for instance. And descriptions of clothes are particularly lacking. Juvela is a conventional and demure woman from a wealthy family, and I envisage her in pale silk gowns and dainty slippers - until she has to climb the slime-coated city walls and crawl through the streets. How exactly did she manage this - did she hitch up the gown, or put on the Flet equivalent of battle fatigues? It's a trivial point, perhaps, but there's no sign the author has thought of the problem.
The characters are a little less successful. Juvela herself is initially a little passive for my taste, mostly drifting through the story, being shocked and helpless and ineffectual in equal measure, and doing a great deal of fainting and generally needing to be rescued. But that gives her room to grow and as she gets used to her abilities she becomes more of a badass, although still always one step behind the bad guys. Sef is actually more interesting, and even Pedro has his moments (I would like to know more of what happened to him when he was sent away), but the other characters are only sketchily drawn in, although they mostly feel like real people. In particular, Juvela's parents are fairly shadowy, despite a relatively important role.
I felt that the story lacked focus. Juvela's personal development and the exploration of her abilities was one good story arc. The search and rescue mission for the missing husband and child was another one. And the growing war between the different factions was also meaty and intriguing. But because of the first person point of view, Juvela carries all these different strands on her own, and sometimes the story drifts from one to another. More than once she sets off determined to look for Pedro and Maria, only to be drawn into some other plotline. Then she retreats to her own quarter of the city for a chapter of exposition before setting off again. In my view it might have been better to focus more tightly on the search, and leave the growing war in the background. Or perhaps skip the husband and daughter altogether.
But this raises one of my big criticisms. There is simply too much exposition. Chapter after chapter is given over to one character or another explaining stuff to Juvela, in great detail, and often repetitively via dialogue. More than once a character said '...but to get back to the point...' and I found myself thinking - yes, please get back to the point. And then, quite late in the book, we meet a swathe of new characters who tell us their life stories, at great length. To be honest, I didn't care enough about them to want to know, and it slowed the pace down to glacial levels.
The writing style is best described as unusual. The strange use of 'it' has been noted in another review (at least, strange to me). I'm not sure if it is just a quirk of the author's, or whether people really use that construction where he comes from, but every time I encountered it, I had to stop and work out what it meant. There are other infelicitous turns of phrase too, but none so jarring to me.
There were moments in the story that I found a little hard to believe. The key event that brings Juvela and Pedro together, for instance, felt contrived. It depended too much on chance - the overtight lacings, the fact that Juvela was dosed with lotus by her mother (who surely was not part of the plot) - as well as conspiracy by the chaperone. And Juvela's later declaration of love seemed implausible after all that had happened.
But the action scenes, when they eventually come, are excellent. I am not a huge fan of the whole arm-waving spell-casting thunderbolt-hurling wizardy thing (I prefer my magic a lot more subtle than that), but these were well done - very tense and exciting, and (praise be!) I always knew exactly who was doing what to whom and why - and (importantly for this book) what the source of their power was. The final confrontation was a bit underwhelming - once again the characters stopped to explain things - but it worked to set things up for the next book in the series.
In summary, this is a promising debut, with a well-crafted world and magic system, some interesting characters and plenty of potential for the story to move along in intriguing ways. There are some clunky aspects to the writing, but still it's very readable and so long as the price is reasonable I will probably read the rest of the series.
April 1, 2010
(This review previously appeared on my blog: http://betweentwobooks.blogspot.com/2...)
In The Fall Of Ossard, Colin Taber tells the story of Juvela Van Leuwin, granddaughter of a woman burnt at the stake for being a witch, by the Inquisitor Anton, member of the Church of Baimiopia’s Expeditia Puritanica. The burning was 20 twenty years ago and it was a milestone in Ossard’s history. Since then, Ossard has grown wealthy by its merchant princes. However now the city is troubled by another problem: Child abductions... The children simply vanish without a trace and without any witnesses... And it’s just the beginning...
I didn’t know Colin Taber before I decided to read The Fall Of Ossard. Now I’m glad that I gave it a try. The three adjectives on its cover capture the spirit of the book pretty well: “Bold... Innovative... Brave...” The book is easy to read and captivating. The very beginning of the story, the burning of Juvela’s grandmother, promises a fast-paced book. And it keeps its word. With the introduction of Juvela, the story slows down but to gather momentum with each turning page.
Colin Taber’s style in his book reminded me of Patrick Rothfuss’ The Name Of The Wind, partly because the story was told in a first-person narrative mode. And the fact that Ossard is the main setting of the story and the world’s connection with its deities reminded me of Brendon Sanderson’s Elantris.
In The Fall Of Ossard, the author paints the picture of a world where the boundary between humanity and divinity is very thin and flexible. It is a world where gods can choose to answer the prayers with their blessings. It is a world where gods can be mean and vicious; they can have their own agenda and use their followers in a multitude ways. This book is a window opened to a world forged by the goddess Life and her husband Death. Yet now they’re waging a divine war, a war that promises doom for all.
The magic system that the author uses has a satisfying complexity. Even though we don’t explicitly get explained all the nitty-gritty details of spellcasting, we know that there are three different branches of magic that exist according to the power source of the caster: Mind (forbidden Sisterhood), Soul (priesthoods of the faiths) and Heart (Cabals of Mages). I’m guessing that we will discover more about magic in the following books.
One of the aspects of the book that I loved is the existence of the world’s mythology. The reader is introduced to some of the deities along the way. However the mention of a few other names, such as the Gorgoyle God of Gorloth promises more to come. Furthermore, there are some places mentioned that aren’t part of the story yet. For example, I wonder if we’ll ever know more about Bar-Mor, the mountain city of the giants.
If you’re a fan of maps in fantasy books, you’ll be satisfied to know that Colin Taber did a good job with the maps too. They include Ossard and the world around the city.
All in all, it's an amazing book. Colin Taber raises the bar very high in his debut novel, The Fall Of Ossard, which is the first of a trilogy. The second book promises a lot to come in many aspects. It will probably be published towards the end of the year. The author said that the remaining books were pretty much complete, so hopefully, there shouldn’t be any delays. I, for one, am looking forward to reading them. I can’t wait to hear the rest of the story...
In The Fall Of Ossard, Colin Taber tells the story of Juvela Van Leuwin, granddaughter of a woman burnt at the stake for being a witch, by the Inquisitor Anton, member of the Church of Baimiopia’s Expeditia Puritanica. The burning was 20 twenty years ago and it was a milestone in Ossard’s history. Since then, Ossard has grown wealthy by its merchant princes. However now the city is troubled by another problem: Child abductions... The children simply vanish without a trace and without any witnesses... And it’s just the beginning...
I didn’t know Colin Taber before I decided to read The Fall Of Ossard. Now I’m glad that I gave it a try. The three adjectives on its cover capture the spirit of the book pretty well: “Bold... Innovative... Brave...” The book is easy to read and captivating. The very beginning of the story, the burning of Juvela’s grandmother, promises a fast-paced book. And it keeps its word. With the introduction of Juvela, the story slows down but to gather momentum with each turning page.
Colin Taber’s style in his book reminded me of Patrick Rothfuss’ The Name Of The Wind, partly because the story was told in a first-person narrative mode. And the fact that Ossard is the main setting of the story and the world’s connection with its deities reminded me of Brendon Sanderson’s Elantris.
In The Fall Of Ossard, the author paints the picture of a world where the boundary between humanity and divinity is very thin and flexible. It is a world where gods can choose to answer the prayers with their blessings. It is a world where gods can be mean and vicious; they can have their own agenda and use their followers in a multitude ways. This book is a window opened to a world forged by the goddess Life and her husband Death. Yet now they’re waging a divine war, a war that promises doom for all.
The magic system that the author uses has a satisfying complexity. Even though we don’t explicitly get explained all the nitty-gritty details of spellcasting, we know that there are three different branches of magic that exist according to the power source of the caster: Mind (forbidden Sisterhood), Soul (priesthoods of the faiths) and Heart (Cabals of Mages). I’m guessing that we will discover more about magic in the following books.
One of the aspects of the book that I loved is the existence of the world’s mythology. The reader is introduced to some of the deities along the way. However the mention of a few other names, such as the Gorgoyle God of Gorloth promises more to come. Furthermore, there are some places mentioned that aren’t part of the story yet. For example, I wonder if we’ll ever know more about Bar-Mor, the mountain city of the giants.
If you’re a fan of maps in fantasy books, you’ll be satisfied to know that Colin Taber did a good job with the maps too. They include Ossard and the world around the city.
All in all, it's an amazing book. Colin Taber raises the bar very high in his debut novel, The Fall Of Ossard, which is the first of a trilogy. The second book promises a lot to come in many aspects. It will probably be published towards the end of the year. The author said that the remaining books were pretty much complete, so hopefully, there shouldn’t be any delays. I, for one, am looking forward to reading them. I can’t wait to hear the rest of the story...
April 21, 2015
I'll admit that I was first interested in this book by Facebook advertising. I'm a little embarrassed by that, but it got me. So be it. I read the first chapter and I was hooked.
Absolutely rich, very dark, story-driven, could-not-put-it-down because I HAD TO KNOW what happened next..... True, not the most rich character design or world building I've ever seen, but absolutely story-driven with an epic grandeur that I truly enjoyed. And the author did a magnificent job, if not with the original character design, but with the growth of the characters themselves, which a lot of authors fall flat with.
I'm reminded a lot of Robin Hobb (if the reviewer below will forgive me, but I see the comparisons), Sara Douglass or Carol Berg. Give it a shot, either way. My only complaint is that I hate cliffhangers, and I'm starting to get to the point, as a reader, where I'd rather wait for the series to be out in its entirety before dealing with the wait for the next bit of an incomplete story. ;)
Absolutely rich, very dark, story-driven, could-not-put-it-down because I HAD TO KNOW what happened next..... True, not the most rich character design or world building I've ever seen, but absolutely story-driven with an epic grandeur that I truly enjoyed. And the author did a magnificent job, if not with the original character design, but with the growth of the characters themselves, which a lot of authors fall flat with.
I'm reminded a lot of Robin Hobb (if the reviewer below will forgive me, but I see the comparisons), Sara Douglass or Carol Berg. Give it a shot, either way. My only complaint is that I hate cliffhangers, and I'm starting to get to the point, as a reader, where I'd rather wait for the series to be out in its entirety before dealing with the wait for the next bit of an incomplete story. ;)
October 28, 2012
I really didn't enjoy this novel. The lead character either seems to be so shallow and hung-up on her family to the exclusion of all else, or else trying to open herself up to becoming something so incomprehensible that it doesn't matter how it reads to someone outside. similarly, she either knows absolutely nothing and is utterly baffled by what happens to her or else is so aware of what's going on that she doesn't need to explain for the readers benefit.
As if that wasn't enough, you quickly learn what Ossard is: given the title of the book, what happens to it is pretty obvious, and therefore seemingly of little import. I will probably avoid further works by this author.
As if that wasn't enough, you quickly learn what Ossard is: given the title of the book, what happens to it is pretty obvious, and therefore seemingly of little import. I will probably avoid further works by this author.
January 2, 2018
The book had a good framework for a great story. But these things weren't realized:
- Not enough detail. The story lacked deeper meaning, superficial at best.
- Her magic comes to be way too quickly. One minute, all she can do is look into the celestial. The next she spinning white-hot fireballs.
- I can tell a man wrote this. The "sluttyness" is touched upon in ways I found to be patriarchal.
I don't think I will continue this series.
- Not enough detail. The story lacked deeper meaning, superficial at best.
- Her magic comes to be way too quickly. One minute, all she can do is look into the celestial. The next she spinning white-hot fireballs.
- I can tell a man wrote this. The "sluttyness" is touched upon in ways I found to be patriarchal.
I don't think I will continue this series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 4, 2017
Good
I read this book a couple years ago and thought it was absolutely wonderful. I read it again and i still think it's a good story, but the dialogue wasn't as good as I remembered.
I read this book a couple years ago and thought it was absolutely wonderful. I read it again and i still think it's a good story, but the dialogue wasn't as good as I remembered.
January 22, 2018
I got this ebook free as a subscriber to him but after reading his book, I want to continue the series and not stop until I've finished. The story had me engrossed from the first page.
The world he created is unique and creative, something I love to see in a world of reused ideas. While the land of his world may be barren, it is rich in lore and that's something to love about it.
Would I recommend this to a friend or even a stranger? Yes, I wholeheartedly would but I'd also let them know of the rape scene as well, so they can avoid the book if they might be triggered by it.
The world he created is unique and creative, something I love to see in a world of reused ideas. While the land of his world may be barren, it is rich in lore and that's something to love about it.
Would I recommend this to a friend or even a stranger? Yes, I wholeheartedly would but I'd also let them know of the rape scene as well, so they can avoid the book if they might be triggered by it.
May 11, 2021
This is a really difficult review to to write as I just don't feel any really strong feelings towards this book. It was a good book but I just couldn't connect to any of the storyline or characters. I'm sure other people might love this but it just didn't do anything for me.
September 8, 2011
The Fall of Ossard by Colin Taber turned out to be an interesting novel. If you are looking for a fast pace and lots of action then this is probably not the book for you. The action scenes we do read about are well written and exciting, but the biggest portion of the story is written around them. Colin Taber has a great imagination and for the most part he was able to bring this fantasy land and people into full 3D detail.
We first meet Juvela when she is still a young girl. There have been child abductions taking place in the area and her wealthy parents hire Sef, a one-time soldier, to protect her, a body guard. Juvela’s grandmother was burned at the stake as a witch by the Inquisitor Anton and her parents fear a similar fate for her if they don’t take immediate action to avoid it. I was a little taken aback by the actions of Pedro, Juvela’s future husband and the father of her daughter. Without giving anything away, I never quite understood his role in what was done to her—beyond the obvious—nor her willingness to still marry him. There were a lot of questions raised about Pedro that I never did feel satisfied with the answers. Perhaps more about him will come in the sequel.
As evil takes a firmer grip in Ossard, Juvela’s own powers begin to awaken. At first we are led to believe her dead grandmother is trying to help her, but this becomes questionable as Juvela’s power continues to grow. One almost begins to feel her grandmother is using Juvela as a means to steal souls and build her power base in the Celestial. As Juvela’s ability to look into the Celestial—the realm of gods, spirits, souls, and raw magic—becomes stronger, she gains in magical powers and is able to help keep her people alive when they are attacked. But she is not strong enough to stop the kidnapping of her husband, child and her in-laws. Will she be able to find those she loves and rescue them before they can be sacrificed in a battle for power?
After the kidnapping of Juvela’s family the story begins to lag quite a bit. People are being drawn to her and we end up sitting through story after story as they tell Juvela what they’ve been through. A lot of it began to sound repetitious and I found myself starting to skim. Her body guard, Sef, turns out to be one of the most interesting characters in the novel. There is much more to him than first meets the eye and he is definitely going to be an important part of this story as they continue on this quest. I love the hook we are left with at the end of this first novel. Though I enjoyed this beginning a great deal, I have a feeling the next one is going to be where the real action starts, because it’s not just the city of Ossard, Juvela and her family left hanging in the balance, it’s the whole world. Juvela is becoming more powerful with every passing day, but will it end up making her as corrupt as the people she is trying to stop? I have no doubt I’ll be back to pick up the middle part of this trilogy when it becomes available so I can find out.
We first meet Juvela when she is still a young girl. There have been child abductions taking place in the area and her wealthy parents hire Sef, a one-time soldier, to protect her, a body guard. Juvela’s grandmother was burned at the stake as a witch by the Inquisitor Anton and her parents fear a similar fate for her if they don’t take immediate action to avoid it. I was a little taken aback by the actions of Pedro, Juvela’s future husband and the father of her daughter. Without giving anything away, I never quite understood his role in what was done to her—beyond the obvious—nor her willingness to still marry him. There were a lot of questions raised about Pedro that I never did feel satisfied with the answers. Perhaps more about him will come in the sequel.
As evil takes a firmer grip in Ossard, Juvela’s own powers begin to awaken. At first we are led to believe her dead grandmother is trying to help her, but this becomes questionable as Juvela’s power continues to grow. One almost begins to feel her grandmother is using Juvela as a means to steal souls and build her power base in the Celestial. As Juvela’s ability to look into the Celestial—the realm of gods, spirits, souls, and raw magic—becomes stronger, she gains in magical powers and is able to help keep her people alive when they are attacked. But she is not strong enough to stop the kidnapping of her husband, child and her in-laws. Will she be able to find those she loves and rescue them before they can be sacrificed in a battle for power?
After the kidnapping of Juvela’s family the story begins to lag quite a bit. People are being drawn to her and we end up sitting through story after story as they tell Juvela what they’ve been through. A lot of it began to sound repetitious and I found myself starting to skim. Her body guard, Sef, turns out to be one of the most interesting characters in the novel. There is much more to him than first meets the eye and he is definitely going to be an important part of this story as they continue on this quest. I love the hook we are left with at the end of this first novel. Though I enjoyed this beginning a great deal, I have a feeling the next one is going to be where the real action starts, because it’s not just the city of Ossard, Juvela and her family left hanging in the balance, it’s the whole world. Juvela is becoming more powerful with every passing day, but will it end up making her as corrupt as the people she is trying to stop? I have no doubt I’ll be back to pick up the middle part of this trilogy when it becomes available so I can find out.
April 19, 2012
How disappointing! The story could have been so incredible, so amazing, so singular instead we are faced with rather cardboard characters and dialogue that simply moves the story forward. The Grandmother was the most interesting character and she only show up in the very beginning of the book and then haunts the rest with little to no action or dialogue.
The book is supposed to be the journal of our heroine Juvela, but rarely do we get her real inner feelings, instead we get what almost sounds like a report of what has happened in the fall of Ossard, her home city and the death of many of her people - the Flet's. Because of this fact after fact recital, it's hard to even feel for Juvela - much less like her. She also does some things in the book that I don't find credible including sleeping with Pedro in the garden before they were married, loving Pedro even after he admitted he did it on a dare/bet to get into the cult. Both of these were too much for me. She would have been drilled from birth never to give away her virginity except to her husband. Even though her Mother gave her lust drugs and she was drunk doesn't mean she wouldn't have stopped him. Afterward, she would be no further use to her family because she couldn't marry into power to help with Father's business. She would have fought him off like a demon. And of course, as for loving Pedro after many years of a loveless marriage, what changed to bring about this deep, deep feeling? He sure hasn't done anything. And even when he admits to having slept with her in a public garden while the cult sacrificed a young boy right next to them, just so he could win a bet/dare and join the cult. She doesn't even question it, she still loves him. When does this ever happen? Have a little self respect why don't ya!
The magic system and the Gods are treated with complete disdain. You only get to know what moves the story forward - no more and no less. Because of that, there are gaping holes in the information the reader has. A glossary in the back provides more information than the entire book, so read it. Other than that, you are on your own.
It's not all bad. The story itself is a good one. The ideas are imaginative, the worldbuilding good, the plot is tight, if only we had lush characterization, an explained system of Gods and magic and some bloody humor, then we would have one helluva novel.
The book is supposed to be the journal of our heroine Juvela, but rarely do we get her real inner feelings, instead we get what almost sounds like a report of what has happened in the fall of Ossard, her home city and the death of many of her people - the Flet's. Because of this fact after fact recital, it's hard to even feel for Juvela - much less like her. She also does some things in the book that I don't find credible including sleeping with Pedro in the garden before they were married, loving Pedro even after he admitted he did it on a dare/bet to get into the cult. Both of these were too much for me. She would have been drilled from birth never to give away her virginity except to her husband. Even though her Mother gave her lust drugs and she was drunk doesn't mean she wouldn't have stopped him. Afterward, she would be no further use to her family because she couldn't marry into power to help with Father's business. She would have fought him off like a demon. And of course, as for loving Pedro after many years of a loveless marriage, what changed to bring about this deep, deep feeling? He sure hasn't done anything. And even when he admits to having slept with her in a public garden while the cult sacrificed a young boy right next to them, just so he could win a bet/dare and join the cult. She doesn't even question it, she still loves him. When does this ever happen? Have a little self respect why don't ya!
The magic system and the Gods are treated with complete disdain. You only get to know what moves the story forward - no more and no less. Because of that, there are gaping holes in the information the reader has. A glossary in the back provides more information than the entire book, so read it. Other than that, you are on your own.
It's not all bad. The story itself is a good one. The ideas are imaginative, the worldbuilding good, the plot is tight, if only we had lush characterization, an explained system of Gods and magic and some bloody humor, then we would have one helluva novel.
January 11, 2012
The Fall of Ossard by Colin Taber tells the story of Juvela, a young girl in the city of Ossard. Her grandmother was burned as a witch during a turbulent time that saw The Inquisition banished from the city. The religion of Ossard looks to all magic other than that of their priests as evil corruption that must be rooted out and destroyed. When the city begins to fall victim to a plague of child abductions Juvela's parents hire her a personal guard to ensure her safety. Sef is an experienced warrior who has been fighting to save the Flet's homeland for some time. The other major character is Juvela's husband, too much info on him is a bit of a spoiler so I'll just leave it at that.
First off the book has some wonderful maps and a very nice glossary as well. Both of these items are helpful when the world is as in depth as the one that Colin has created. There are also a few parts where I felt the story dragged a bit because of the explanations needed to bring his world to life. Nothing horrendous by any means, just a little bit of a hiccup. He does a very nice job with wrapping up the story enough to conclude the first book while leaving enough questions to draw the reader into the second book, which is on my shelf waiting to be read. Even though Juvela has some large revelations and interesting twists to her character I liked Sef the best. The book ends leaving some serious questions about his background and what part he will have in the world that is being created by the events in Book 1.
Review copy provided by author.
First off the book has some wonderful maps and a very nice glossary as well. Both of these items are helpful when the world is as in depth as the one that Colin has created. There are also a few parts where I felt the story dragged a bit because of the explanations needed to bring his world to life. Nothing horrendous by any means, just a little bit of a hiccup. He does a very nice job with wrapping up the story enough to conclude the first book while leaving enough questions to draw the reader into the second book, which is on my shelf waiting to be read. Even though Juvela has some large revelations and interesting twists to her character I liked Sef the best. The book ends leaving some serious questions about his background and what part he will have in the world that is being created by the events in Book 1.
Review copy provided by author.
December 27, 2012
Fantasy novel about a city-state called Ossard nearing its version of Armageddon--it is a society with lords & ladies, guilds & merchants, Cabalists and the Inquisition. The main character, Juvena, only recently come of age, is granddaughter to the last powerful witch killed during the Burnings a generation ago. Juvena's parents are well-established for their minority race in Ossard, Flets (a fair-skinned, blonde haired people) and can afford to send Juvena to a swanky resaurant for her debutante outing. There she catches the eye of Pedro, a younger son of the ruling family, who belong to the dominant racial group, the Heletians, a dark, olive-skinned people.
Something evil this way comes--Juventa undergoes a spiritual awakening, and much of the novel traces her growing sense of just who she is and what her destiny might be, as a myriad of competing forces, drawing upon the magical connections between this plane and the celestial in different ways, fight for power to control Ossard, and to satisfy the soul-hunger driving several relentless, craven and craving, supernatural forces.
A rather extensive glossary is included at the end of the book should a reader become confused by the complex structure of this multi-religions cosmology. That glossary hints at ways the storyline will develop in subsequent volumes.
Something evil this way comes--Juventa undergoes a spiritual awakening, and much of the novel traces her growing sense of just who she is and what her destiny might be, as a myriad of competing forces, drawing upon the magical connections between this plane and the celestial in different ways, fight for power to control Ossard, and to satisfy the soul-hunger driving several relentless, craven and craving, supernatural forces.
A rather extensive glossary is included at the end of the book should a reader become confused by the complex structure of this multi-religions cosmology. That glossary hints at ways the storyline will develop in subsequent volumes.
August 9, 2015
I'm sorta torn on this book. I liked reading it but I didn't LOVE reading it. There were pros and cons.
I didn't really feel close to any of the characters and as a matter of fact I felt nothing for them (Is that bad?). I think the main reason for this was that it's written in first person and really that means you have one character to like and that's it. I really believe it if hadn't been in first person I would really love this.
This book was middle of the road, there were parts that I loved and kept me reading, but sometimes the book seemed to drag on and on and become slow. There seemed to be a lot focusing on the kidnapping, almost too much of the book, maybe that's why I liked the last 75 pages the most?
I would like to see where this series goes, and will try out the second book as I think Taber has talent just it needs to be fined tuned a little.
I didn't really feel close to any of the characters and as a matter of fact I felt nothing for them (Is that bad?). I think the main reason for this was that it's written in first person and really that means you have one character to like and that's it. I really believe it if hadn't been in first person I would really love this.
This book was middle of the road, there were parts that I loved and kept me reading, but sometimes the book seemed to drag on and on and become slow. There seemed to be a lot focusing on the kidnapping, almost too much of the book, maybe that's why I liked the last 75 pages the most?
I would like to see where this series goes, and will try out the second book as I think Taber has talent just it needs to be fined tuned a little.
August 17, 2011
I wasn't sure I was going to like this book. It started out with a bang, well, a witch-burning...excitement, anyway. That got my attention. Then the heroine of the book is introduced. And we get kinda bogged down in the details of her life. I admit that my interest flagged for a bit, until the story picked up steam again and the magic is flying and riots in the streets and final(?) confrontations. And writing this right now, I can see that the story was steadily adding bit by bit the whole time...a sort of punctuated momentum.
By the end of the book, I was really into the story. I liked how the heroine went from a near nonentity to acknowledging and beginning to grasp the power she was born with. Some story threads are tied up, yet this feels very much like a "first book", with threads still left hanging yo be explored.
All-in-all, I'm ready for the next book.
By the end of the book, I was really into the story. I liked how the heroine went from a near nonentity to acknowledging and beginning to grasp the power she was born with. Some story threads are tied up, yet this feels very much like a "first book", with threads still left hanging yo be explored.
All-in-all, I'm ready for the next book.
September 30, 2016
I started this book months before finishing because of the pace slowing so much after the initial excitement of the beginning. I had to force myself to read through, what felt like the majority of the writing, all the mundane details that make up the background of the main character. I rated this story highly because the final part of the book and up for enduring the rest. I would recommend to anyone considering reading this novel. To just skim through the majority of the content after Juvela witnesses the first kidnapping until she comes of age at her "minting". Those criticisms aside the story itself is compelling by it's own merit. The mythology and world building are topnotch.
September 15, 2010
I enjoyed this book, the characters were likeable and three dimensional.
The main thing that annoyed me was the use of 'it'. Seems like a small issue, I'll explain... Example: the door closed, it dark and wooden. She brushed her hair, it long and soft. I don't know why but this just made my teeth grind!
Other than my obsessive compulsiveness, this was an entertaining and addictive read. Colin taber is an author to watch, the world he created was vivid and convincing. I'll definitely be purchasing the sequel!
The main thing that annoyed me was the use of 'it'. Seems like a small issue, I'll explain... Example: the door closed, it dark and wooden. She brushed her hair, it long and soft. I don't know why but this just made my teeth grind!
Other than my obsessive compulsiveness, this was an entertaining and addictive read. Colin taber is an author to watch, the world he created was vivid and convincing. I'll definitely be purchasing the sequel!
April 6, 2018
The Fall of Ossard enticed me to enter the fantasy city of Ossard and immerse myself with the characters whilst following Juvela's journey of self-discovery.
The story creates an interesting fantasy world; a detailed city, classes of people, religions and characters. The turmoil within the city and Juvela's path amongst this is a very interesting read.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book and purchased the second in the series in anticipation of finishing the first!
The story creates an interesting fantasy world; a detailed city, classes of people, religions and characters. The turmoil within the city and Juvela's path amongst this is a very interesting read.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book and purchased the second in the series in anticipation of finishing the first!
July 24, 2011
This wasn't the sort of Fantasy I normally like, but I really enjoyed it. The characters develop well and the plot holds just enough suspense to keep you hoping for the main character until the end. The world of Ossard is excellently described. Very dark, but very good.
September 17, 2012
So I purchased this book on Amazon Kindle, looking for a fresh new fantasy novel, and this didn't disappoint. A darker novel with a lot of original ideas, I read this and the second book and patiently wait for the final. Great job!
November 25, 2013
I found this book through FB & I only read the first page but I forgot the name of it. Years later a friend found it for me. It was not exactly what I remembered or expected, but it was an extremely interesting story. I can't wait to read the rest in the series...
September 24, 2014
I met Colin in Sydney Supanova back in June, and picked up all of his books. I was hooked into this one straight away...really enjoyed the fast paced story line, and also the generations between the start, and the main character. Any science fantasy readers would love this book!
July 24, 2011
the writing had a few, minor weak points, but the story was compelling. good enough for me to buy the second installment.
June 1, 2012
Was an okay but was missing something, but good enough that I bought the second book.
January 31, 2013
I haven't finished it yet. So far a 3. Maybe as I get closer to the end it will get better, but it is, as of now, long and drawn out. Great potential.
August 4, 2013
I was expecting an Old school Fantasy novel and this was more science fiction fantasy and that's why I really didn't enjoy it. I won't be reading #2 or #3.
March 18, 2014
I can't believe I managed to read the whole book. Boring!
February 17, 2015
Well written, original idea, and characters you can relate to, but it just seems to drag on. It IS the first in a trilogy though. We'll see how the other books are.
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September 4, 2012Received this copy free in return for review - to be posted shortly
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September 8, 2012
about my 3rd go at staring this and now I'm half way through, really is quite exciting so far!
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