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In This Land #1
In This Land: The Purple Book, Volume One
Bade, prince of the tiny, overlooked country of Nosupolis, doesn't have a plan for his life. His ambitious older brother Tiko, heir to the throne, seems to have everything under control without Bade or his twin brother's help. Bade hopes to marry well and find some way to be a credit to the crown, but never in his wildest dreams does he expect an invitation to court the Pharaoh of Orina Anoris, the divine ruler of the most powerful country in the world. Bade always thought that Tiko would be the one to change their homeland for the better, but now he has a chance to wed the pharaoh, ally their two nations through marriage, and do more for Nosupolis than anyone in centuries.
Suddenly whisked away by Prince Orinakin, royal diplomat and handsome purple-haired child of the gods, Bade finds himself in an exotic land that dazzles his senses and opens his eyes like never before. The people of Orina Anoris are uninhibited, expressive, flirtatious, and don't seem to know the meaning of sexual repression. The handsome Seven Siblings are no exception. Boyfriends, lovers, harems--it boggles Bade's mind to witness a freedom he never even imagined.
But the endless parade of beautiful men pales in comparison to the Pharaoh Anosukinom. Tall, gorgeous, and physically flawless, Anosukinom's beauty is literally perfection. And if that weren't enough, the rumors are he really is both god and man. Crackling with power, intimidating yet friendly, he is as unconventional as he is traditionally Anorian. Daunted in the face of his divinity, Bade isn't sure if he can win the heart of a deity, but at the very least he hopes to bring attention to the plight of his ignored, forgotten country.
After being exposed to a vibrant, colorful new world, nights of sizzling passion, and the possibilities of true love, how can Bade face the thought of being rejected and returning home? Will he be able to win the pharaoh's heart and finally help his people?
Experience the rich, luxurious fantasy world of Orina Anoris only in Matthew Haldeman-Time's series, "In This Land," and watch as eight handsome brothers try to balance ruling a nation with finding true happiness. Find out what happens to Bade, Anosukinom, and the sexiest siblings in the world. Read Volume One to begin the erotic journey of a lifetime.
In This The Purple Book, Volume One consists of the first 14 chapters of "In This Land."
Suddenly whisked away by Prince Orinakin, royal diplomat and handsome purple-haired child of the gods, Bade finds himself in an exotic land that dazzles his senses and opens his eyes like never before. The people of Orina Anoris are uninhibited, expressive, flirtatious, and don't seem to know the meaning of sexual repression. The handsome Seven Siblings are no exception. Boyfriends, lovers, harems--it boggles Bade's mind to witness a freedom he never even imagined.
But the endless parade of beautiful men pales in comparison to the Pharaoh Anosukinom. Tall, gorgeous, and physically flawless, Anosukinom's beauty is literally perfection. And if that weren't enough, the rumors are he really is both god and man. Crackling with power, intimidating yet friendly, he is as unconventional as he is traditionally Anorian. Daunted in the face of his divinity, Bade isn't sure if he can win the heart of a deity, but at the very least he hopes to bring attention to the plight of his ignored, forgotten country.
After being exposed to a vibrant, colorful new world, nights of sizzling passion, and the possibilities of true love, how can Bade face the thought of being rejected and returning home? Will he be able to win the pharaoh's heart and finally help his people?
Experience the rich, luxurious fantasy world of Orina Anoris only in Matthew Haldeman-Time's series, "In This Land," and watch as eight handsome brothers try to balance ruling a nation with finding true happiness. Find out what happens to Bade, Anosukinom, and the sexiest siblings in the world. Read Volume One to begin the erotic journey of a lifetime.
In This The Purple Book, Volume One consists of the first 14 chapters of "In This Land."
297 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
2 people are currently reading
193 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
October 25, 2015
2009 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention (5* from at least 1 judge)
July 11, 2011
At the beginning of this story, I remember thinking: how in the hell am I supposed to remember all these names? Alas, after no time at all, the names were inconsequential; the characters literally drew themselves in my mind's eye. What a wonderful world this author has built! I would highly recommend this book and the continuing saga (with weekly updates) to readers who appreciate beautiful, humorous, lovable, highly sexed characters with a huge dose of romance and indulgence thrown in.
February 12, 2026
REVIEW FOR ENTIRE PURPLE BOOK ++ ENTIRE SERIES (the online serialisation is up to 7 books later!)
Note: Spoilers for Bade's ending (I've forgotten this counted as a spoiler)
How do you review such a mammoth undertaking?
For those who have no idea about this series, it's an online gay romance serialisation (yes - in the glory days of the internet where a number of people self-published online and people paid directly to them!!). By November of this year (2026), I think this serialisation would reach its 20th year, and it may very well be nearing its end.
In This Land weaves a magical Utopian world that is vivid, fantastical, warm, and very very gay. It reads like a utopian slice-of-life, doused with copious amounts of gay romance and gay sex (I'm quite sure it qualifies as erotica). In many ways, this series also reads like a character study. The series follows the current ruling dynasty of 8 brothers (7 demigods, and 1 actual god). Each volume details their journey to find love (in a very Bridgerton-esque way), while the overall plot vaguely meanders towards the overall goal of a more peaceful, united world.
Do they literally achieve world peace - no? Probably not? (but it's still going!!) But what makes this world so comforting and so warm is that Matthew tries to envision a world in which, yes, there is famine, yes there is a war-mongering, colonial empire - but there is also Orina Anoris. A land that is most closely intertwined with their gods, who, by virtue of that protection and relationship, are able to uphold these Utopian outcomes of peace, sex positivity, prosperity, and more. Thus, offers some sort of remedy or salvation to the human troubles that we see in reality by invoking a kind of "what-if", where human potential is guided by benevolent gods.
For those who are just starting out - the Purple Book is a lovely introduction to this epic length series - but it is the shortest and weakest. It sounds like a scam to say this, but the series gets better the longer you stick with it (again because it's more about soaking in the vibes). The initial cast was well chosen; Bade and Orinakin are the most palatable characters from the outset. Bade and Orinakin have a lovely, charming whirlwind romance. Bade is a spare prince to a middling country, while Orinakin is the powerful, influential, dazzling Prince-Ambassador from Orina Anoris. Bade is invited to court the ruler of Orina Anoris, and in the process finds out he's probably courting the wrong brother. It's a little bit starcrossed, it's a little bit Cinderella. While they most definitely got a satisfying happy ending, because of the non-traditional serialisation form, there is no true ending to their story. They, and all the brothers and their subsequent partners, are regular faces in the upcoming volumes. And it is only through their role in the following volumes do you come to truly know and love Bade and Orinakin, as you come to know and love the world. And, in true fashion for any saga of this length, you'll end up loving all the characters even if you may not end up liking some of them (looking at you Remin, Kudorin).
I don't have a good sense for the final wordcount of this series; but, weekly serialisations of about 20 years, with each update averaging 10k words - it is truly truly a labour of love.
So how has it run for this long? How has it maintained loyal followers for years on years (although this number too has dwindled - needlessly in my opinion since the latest volumes are literally killer).
I think another reviewer put it best (although I would challenge them to go forth and continue the series!): "I think it was the charm of kindness".
Having followed these characters through the most mundane and extravagant life events, and witnessed their romantic triumphs and their daily strife, I can safely say - reading each chapter weekly feels a little like coming home. I know these people and I know this world inside out. I also know that in the shitty events of today - we all need a little more loving-kindness.
Note: Spoilers for Bade's ending (I've forgotten this counted as a spoiler)
How do you review such a mammoth undertaking?
For those who have no idea about this series, it's an online gay romance serialisation (yes - in the glory days of the internet where a number of people self-published online and people paid directly to them!!). By November of this year (2026), I think this serialisation would reach its 20th year, and it may very well be nearing its end.
In This Land weaves a magical Utopian world that is vivid, fantastical, warm, and very very gay. It reads like a utopian slice-of-life, doused with copious amounts of gay romance and gay sex (I'm quite sure it qualifies as erotica). In many ways, this series also reads like a character study. The series follows the current ruling dynasty of 8 brothers (7 demigods, and 1 actual god). Each volume details their journey to find love (in a very Bridgerton-esque way), while the overall plot vaguely meanders towards the overall goal of a more peaceful, united world.
Do they literally achieve world peace - no? Probably not? (but it's still going!!) But what makes this world so comforting and so warm is that Matthew tries to envision a world in which, yes, there is famine, yes there is a war-mongering, colonial empire - but there is also Orina Anoris. A land that is most closely intertwined with their gods, who, by virtue of that protection and relationship, are able to uphold these Utopian outcomes of peace, sex positivity, prosperity, and more. Thus, offers some sort of remedy or salvation to the human troubles that we see in reality by invoking a kind of "what-if", where human potential is guided by benevolent gods.
For those who are just starting out - the Purple Book is a lovely introduction to this epic length series - but it is the shortest and weakest. It sounds like a scam to say this, but the series gets better the longer you stick with it (again because it's more about soaking in the vibes). The initial cast was well chosen; Bade and Orinakin are the most palatable characters from the outset. Bade and Orinakin have a lovely, charming whirlwind romance. Bade is a spare prince to a middling country, while Orinakin is the powerful, influential, dazzling Prince-Ambassador from Orina Anoris. Bade is invited to court the ruler of Orina Anoris, and in the process finds out he's probably courting the wrong brother. It's a little bit starcrossed, it's a little bit Cinderella. While they most definitely got a satisfying happy ending, because of the non-traditional serialisation form, there is no true ending to their story. They, and all the brothers and their subsequent partners, are regular faces in the upcoming volumes. And it is only through their role in the following volumes do you come to truly know and love Bade and Orinakin, as you come to know and love the world. And, in true fashion for any saga of this length, you'll end up loving all the characters even if you may not end up liking some of them (looking at you Remin, Kudorin).
I don't have a good sense for the final wordcount of this series; but, weekly serialisations of about 20 years, with each update averaging 10k words - it is truly truly a labour of love.
So how has it run for this long? How has it maintained loyal followers for years on years (although this number too has dwindled - needlessly in my opinion since the latest volumes are literally killer).
I think another reviewer put it best (although I would challenge them to go forth and continue the series!): "I think it was the charm of kindness".
Having followed these characters through the most mundane and extravagant life events, and witnessed their romantic triumphs and their daily strife, I can safely say - reading each chapter weekly feels a little like coming home. I know these people and I know this world inside out. I also know that in the shitty events of today - we all need a little more loving-kindness.
September 28, 2018
In this land volume one, was a masterpiece in some ways, but lacked in others.
The characters in this book are so very individual, they all have a distinct personality and you just have to love them all for their differences!
The world created here is wonderful. I love the countries and gods.
This is all character driven. The interactions between all of the characters are so well done, I was always excited to see each and every conversation play out.
You should know that this first book was NOT a romance. There is big potential for a sweet romance though.
Some issues I had IN the book and OUT of the book,
1. OUT of the book: This book series is seemingly hard to find unless you want a paperback. I had to go on iBooks to get a digital version because there wasn’t a kindle version that I could find. Also apparently there are 6 or 7 books in this series that will finish out the story, but I can only find 2 books on the same selling platform which is frustrating. It appears to me that if you want to read the whole series then you have to subscribe to the author’s website, and I really don’t want to read in a web browser, or pay a subscription to read one series.
2. IN the book: This was a decent sized book, over 400 pages. In these 400 pages there isn’t a whole lot that happens. We get a ton of character interaction and so we go learning about all of these characters, which is awesome, but I needed some kind of conflict other than the marriage theme. I needed some kind of progress outside of the character development and interaction, especially in the last 30%. Now, this could all be because it’s actually a HUGE book that the author cut up into various books, but that doesn’t change this niggle for me.
It’s important that you notice I only took 1 star away for both of my complaints. WHY? because that’s how much I still enjoyed the book. I had a blast reading this thing and I think it is absolutely worth reading.
Where I will be unhappy is if the next book does the exact same thing and nothing happens. Since I already know characters, now for the 2nd installment I need something more. Like a romance *wink wink*
EDIT: If anyone knows where I can get all of the books in digital form (kindle app/iBooks app.. or something similar?) please let me know! I can only find Volume One and Volume 2.
The characters in this book are so very individual, they all have a distinct personality and you just have to love them all for their differences!
The world created here is wonderful. I love the countries and gods.
This is all character driven. The interactions between all of the characters are so well done, I was always excited to see each and every conversation play out.
You should know that this first book was NOT a romance. There is big potential for a sweet romance though.
Some issues I had IN the book and OUT of the book,
1. OUT of the book: This book series is seemingly hard to find unless you want a paperback. I had to go on iBooks to get a digital version because there wasn’t a kindle version that I could find. Also apparently there are 6 or 7 books in this series that will finish out the story, but I can only find 2 books on the same selling platform which is frustrating. It appears to me that if you want to read the whole series then you have to subscribe to the author’s website, and I really don’t want to read in a web browser, or pay a subscription to read one series.
2. IN the book: This was a decent sized book, over 400 pages. In these 400 pages there isn’t a whole lot that happens. We get a ton of character interaction and so we go learning about all of these characters, which is awesome, but I needed some kind of conflict other than the marriage theme. I needed some kind of progress outside of the character development and interaction, especially in the last 30%. Now, this could all be because it’s actually a HUGE book that the author cut up into various books, but that doesn’t change this niggle for me.
It’s important that you notice I only took 1 star away for both of my complaints. WHY? because that’s how much I still enjoyed the book. I had a blast reading this thing and I think it is absolutely worth reading.
Where I will be unhappy is if the next book does the exact same thing and nothing happens. Since I already know characters, now for the 2nd installment I need something more. Like a romance *wink wink*
EDIT: If anyone knows where I can get all of the books in digital form (kindle app/iBooks app.. or something similar?) please let me know! I can only find Volume One and Volume 2.
May 31, 2021
Actually startled I got through this without DNFing, because it’s 75% infodump world building, 10% slow burn romance and the rest is a haze of pretty but dull men being nice to each other. Also, it started by listing so many people’s names that my eyes crossed, and there were several instances of sexual coercion that just were not ok. The men in power, including our heroes, 100% inherited it, they didn’t have to earn anything which is probably why they are so essentially boring. Lastly, the queen, who is the sole woman character of any importance, doesn’t have a single line of dialogue FFS.
So, why stick it out? I think it was the charm of kindness.
People are good and caring in this book, and that’s a sweet balm.
So, why stick it out? I think it was the charm of kindness.
People are good and caring in this book, and that’s a sweet balm.
August 23, 2018
Really well described and put-together book. The world building is great, the characters are really unique and easy to care about, and Bade, the main character, is such an easy character to get attached to and invested in.
August 21, 2011
Epic. Great characters, great setting, lots of rich details, lots of interconnecting storylines. All in all, it's been totally engaging and tons of fun.
Read a little intro HERE.
And read the first 3 chapters for free and sign up for a subscription HERE.
[FYI: "Volume One" available for purchase at Lulu consists of the first 14 chapters of In This Land, but there are currently191 254 chapters available under the subscription service at Matthew Haldeman-Time's website, with a new chapter added each week.]
Read a little intro HERE.
And read the first 3 chapters for free and sign up for a subscription HERE.
[FYI: "Volume One" available for purchase at Lulu consists of the first 14 chapters of In This Land, but there are currently
February 24, 2011
Thinking its time to pry myself away from SF and try something different. Course nothing can replace the SF guys.
February 4, 2014
Going waaaaay back to the beginning and enjoying meeting everybody for the fist time, again. Heh.
Want to read
October 7, 2011Just to humor Sagajo :D
June 19, 2012
One of my favorite M/M series! The perfect mix of plot, humor, romance, and sex!
April 20, 2016
A new rereading of this series... I love it!!!!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews