Well hoooly fook, DLP, here's book number 3:

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Synopsis:

“The Knights of Atlantis created the Infernal Clock, the Roseblades, and other weapons of celestial illusion. Yet today the Knights are less than a pale shadow of their former glory. A bonfire diminished to dying embers. None of the Order could wield Origin with enough conviction to even blemish the Everlasting.” Emily grinned and gave me a wink. “Well, save perhaps one shadowless fool.”

The peace forged by Declan Hale at the end of the Tome Wars was meant to last a hundred generations. Yet barely six years have passed and the drums of war echo once more across the thousands of worlds of the Story Thread.

With shadowed enemies loosed from the Void, the Knights Infernal again after his head, and the Everlasting wrapping him in their dark schemes, Declan will have to take the fight across worlds further than he’s ever gone before—or risk True Earth getting swept away in the maelstrom.

Praise for The Reminiscent Exile series:

"Broken Quill, the second volume of 'The Reminiscent Exile', is considered Outstanding in Genre (Urban Fantasy)." ~ Red Adept Select ​

As always, quite happy to give out free copies in the form of PDF's in exchange for reviews! Just shoot me a PM or an email to joe.ducie@gmail.com and I'll hook you up with any of the books from this series.

It's a pretty great series, said the author, but I want me some goddamn reviews!

If you're so inclined, you can buy it for Kindle right here: http://www.amazon.com/Knight-Fall-Reminiscent-Exile-ebook/dp/B00G7PHAAA/

Cheers!

 

Savin' the universe, hoss.

 

So I finally got around to it and bought all your books. Expect reviews incoming shortly.

 

I have no time to read this at the moment. Just wanted to say congratulations for publishing another book and that I'll buy it eventually and leave a review on Amazon.

 

Pretty much this. When I scrounge up a few dollars to spare, I'll start with your first book and work forward from there.

 

Just bought it, I'll leave a review both on DLP and on Amazon when I've finished reading it.

 

Is it available on any other version? My Kindle is back home and I am out of the country for the next 3 weeks or so. I have to get my hands on that book.

 

I am, as usual, unable to get my hands on it. Same with the DLP Anthology 2. Amazon's restrictions are irritating.

 

Kindle says I'm 17% through the book. My first impression: You use "broken quill" too much. My second impression: this reads a lot like butcher.

 

So finally had enough time to read this one.

Like the other books it is full of action, memorable characters and great one liners. Your writing flows nice and I finished in one go.

But it also has some down sides.
1. It is/feels very short. You have this interesting world, all those characters and so many plots but we never spend enough time on any of it. I need some time getting used to a character and you don´t give me that time. I would like a bit more detail and less hectic.

2. Tal. I am not a big fan of this one love and love conquers all theme and it gets especially irritating when Declan has a multitude of other (serious) relationships. (Especially because so much of that relationship happens off screen)

2. Is a personal one but 1 is really something I feel that would improve the series for all readers.

3.5/5. Entertaining Urban Fantasy with some room for improvement.

 

I finished the book sometime last week but haven't had the time to write a review.

The book overall was a nice read. I enjoyed the new revelations and twists. and it has made me anticipate what is going to happen next. :awesome

I do have some complaints though. I just turned the page and suddenly the book was over. like you've been told by others, the book is a little short. But then we readers want to get more out of you. And as I have always been complaining in all the books, Ethan and Sophie dont get to do much.

I do have a query. If I got it right then the story thread and all the worlds in the void were created by willful authors. So who created the everlasting and where had they been existing if Axis created the device for humans to access will? They cannot get into true earth which means they are not from here. Are they?

 

I just got paid. Where do I buy a luxury collector's item signed boxset with complimentary scotch and scotch accessories?

 

So my ship ride was the perfect opportunity to read this in one sitting.
Here are my thoughts.

Definitely better than the first one, as anything that isn't a copy pasta of your previous work will always be, but slightly below the second installment.

I definitely enjoyed reading this, and the middle part was as awesome as it gets, I think, but Id rather speak of what I didn't like so much.

Firstly, really early on in the story you repeat the same phrase with the same meaning in two consecutive paragraphs, something that I didn't think would get through an editor.

Next, Declan's inability to say no and/or get/stay mad at anything with a pussy is starting to get jarring.
Most importantly, the characterization. Specifically for Sophie and Declan. While Sophie has been foreshadowed in previous books as being capable of such huge selfishness and insensitivity, I was hoping you wouldn'go there because I really wanted to like her and now I cant.
Declan's choice was completely out of the blue, however. His whole history is about making the hard choices, of doing the right thing no matter the cost, where no one else would. He also has shown that he can leave the dead be, no matter how much he might wish the opposite.
It can be argued that he got tired of it all, that his love for Tal overshadows the principles that have forged him into the man he is, which is why I'm not outright calling it out of character. It was still very dissapointing to see that either I perceived him wrong, or you retconned his character, nevertheless.

Though point 2 stands, I loved what you did with Emily.
That scene in Jupiter was worth all the money in the world.
Still no King Hale. I am dissapoint.

11/10 would buy again.

Edit: I forgot to mention that what Declan did once he held not one, but two mythical blades made me bang my head on the wall hard enough to pose a threat to the hull's integrity.

 

Hah. I knew people weren't going to like the Roseblade/Myth scene, but it had to be done.

As for your main issue, about Declan making a decision that goes against his near-decade of 'doing the right thing and damn the cost', that was kind of the point of this book.

That was why I called it 'Knight Fall'. He falls (into Jupiter, as well - my favourite scene) but also falls in the sense that he abandons his previously unbreakable will to do something that's more than a little selfish. For love, yes, but also for himself.

Rest assured, this decision is going to bite him in the ass hard. Things can't go back to the way he remembers them before the Tome Wars. However much he sacrifices.

King Hale was teased at again, though. The next few books in the series are going to steer away from True Earth. So far they've all started with Declan chilling in his shop. That's not the game anymore. He's going to learn what he can from where he ended up at the end of Knight Fall and take Forget and the Story Thread by storm.

It's war now, and he wants to fight.

 

I forgot to mention how much I hated the Myth and Roseblade scene. And I really want to know how Oblivion tainted the weapons

 

Brought, read, finished in about 18 hours.

I liked it overall but there were bits that I didn't like.

Bits I liked:

- The jump into Jupiter was awesome
- Declan saying screw the greater good
- The hint of King Hale and the glimpse we get of Knight Hale, the badass who actually enjoys fighting and winning wars
- Ascension; I love the vibe of the city. To be honest it kind of reminds me of Asgard from Thor: the Dark World what with the energy cannons and flying ships and all that cool shit

Bits I didn't like:

- Declan's reaction to the baby. It seemed ... blase maybe? Like you were glossing over a more serious reaction to save time
- The shortness/feeling that the book could be so much more descriptive. You spend paragraphs talking about Declan's emotions/thoughts/opinions but it never seemed to relate to the novel's events in a major way. You weren't really telling us anything we didn't know. I felt like these words could have been better used to deepen Declan's characterisation

That's it at the moment. I'll leave a more polished review on Amazon. Like I said, overall I liked it but felt you could have done some things better but that's my right as an armchair reader/someone who's never actually published anything.

Again, congratulations

 

Review: Knight’s Fall. 'ware, spoilers ahead.

Pro​

I very much liked the way you threaded in lore about Atlantean Knights. How powerful they are, how they dwarf the abilities of the current Knights Infernal. This is especially interesting given how the story ended.

Concerning Atlantis, the idea of a Voidflood is great. The notion that parts of that tale made it to True Earth and went the usual way of hearsay to the legend of Atlantis “we” know, is a nice touch. Given that Declan tore a hole in reality to cause his own Voidflood is an added bonus, and a great way to intertwine lore and plot.

Atlantean weapons, i.e. weapons of celestial illusion, getting corrupted by the Everlasting. It’s an interesting idea and I wonder how that came to be, given that Scarred Axis told Declan he made Will. His own creation turned against his kind by the Atlantean Knights? I’m sure though that Declan will sooner or later investigate the corruption of those weapons, especially given the ending of the book, since he’s now directly at the source.

Which leads to the Everlasting. Good way of getting across that it’s never a full win and never a full loss, how you dealt with Scarred Axis (and also Oblivion). The idea that an Everlasting made the Will is also intriguing. No doubt there’ll be some revelations about them yet to come, given that Scarred Axis is the second traitor now to their ranks.

Also, “you ken” is a nice way to add flavor and lore to the story. I like it. You struck a good balance and didn’t overuse it.

Those are lore-things, so let me just say that character-wise, Emily Grace hit the perfect sweet spot. I loved her, and I was genuinely sad when she died. The way she talked with Declan before the ruins of her tomb, and also Declan in those scenes, are among my favorites this book. The whole episode was replete with beautiful description of scenery as well (the forest, the glen, the tomb itself, with its cathedral like windows). The whole part with her was stunning, and emotionally charged, front to back. And the chase scene that followed with Declan Jr. got the highest marks in my book. It was the exact blend of epic, humorous, and gut-wrenching, to tug at all my heartstrings. You outdid yourself with that one in my opinion.

Other notable scenes that made Declan’s character shine were among other things: him stealing the train and winking at the guard; and his beautiful deadpan deliveries, as in when Faraday asked him what he’s been up to, and he answers with “Handing a weapon of celestial illusion to an Everlasting.” He had a lot other epic moments, no doubt, but those were among my favorites, for various reasons.

Ah, and before I forget it. All hail, Vrail. May he be a good companion to the Shadowless. I loved the scene where they march to the cruiser and the knights clap and shout. Sufficiently great. I want more of that.

Con​

Butter again. Always with the butter. If I never have to read that phrase again I can die happy. It only appeared once though, I think, so that’s progress of a kind. Added to that list is now wading through treacle and skipping stones across a pond of still water. Evocative in a way but also somewhat lazy.

Then there’s Broken Quill. I liked it, when you first came up with it. And it’s an awesome image that adds a lot of flavor. And then came the first half of this book that so severely abused the phrase that it jarred whenever I read it afterwards, even if it was more strategically placed in the second half. There was a point somewhere, where Declan thought or said it thrice. On a single page. And then next page came another character and said it again.

A loss of impact happened in the scene where Declan thinks about running away with his son and hiding in Canada, and his son would play the piano, and Declan would tell the people that he had “his mother’s grace.” Boom. Beautiful. Referring in such a loaded way to what happened that it made me speechless. The line with the Everlasting and the chariot of blood should have come directly after. Directly. The two paragraphs spent after “his mother’s grace” to paint the picture more completely felt unnecessary and took away from the beautiful moment of impact and the contrast with the Everlasting.

Minor point: Emissary’s flames were pink in the second book; this time they were green.

The poem about the Everlasting I’m not sure about. On the one hand it’s epic. On the other hand while reading I felt it to be a bit off due to an uneven rhythm. Maybe it’s because how I read it, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that the metric style is off. (Which makes it a bit unsuitable to be a children’s song (I think it was a children’s song), because those are usually very rhythmically structured, to make learning easier for children.)

In the name of my apparent crusade against too many capitalized words, I thought it might be nice to use either Myth or Creation Knife and stick with it. I prefer Myth, honestly. Has a nice ring to it. In general though, this has become less and less of a problem as the books progressed so far. I’m in the world now, and I know enough to process the names. The first book was really the most egregious in that regard.

The Historian. I found Declan’s response a bit underwhelming regarding her reveal of pushing his exile. He said something “a touch bitterly” and then a paragraph later concerned her a friend and took her hand. That jarred. To me it was actually the most jarring part in the book.

Sophie and Ethan. Well, I guess they’re not entirely useless? And it’s good that this time Sophie was involved in the whole affair with her sister. I liked her speech about being selfish. Now if only she and Ethan had goals and drives of their own, instead of being constantly dependent on Declan’s goals, that be swell.

In general ​

As you can see, the con parts are mostly minor things that might well be personal preferences; the positive part outweighs all that nitpicking by far. And the third book showed, to my mind, an astounding progress. It felt as if you tightened the plot, made it more interesting, had better character interactions, and so forth. I devoured the story, and even more than in BQ I felt your authorial, let’s call it mojo, come through most perfectly. The progress is noticeable from Distant Star and BQ.

I can even forgive you the colossal cliff hanger because you gave me plenty of world-ending moments in the lead up. Still a dick move, but I got the 4th one ready, so it doesn’t feel as dickish to me. Also, you have superior naming skills. Knight Fall is amazing. I’ll see where the next one leads me.

 

Heh. Thanks for another awesome review, mate. Knight Fall is my favourite in the series - the next one, Lost Grace, I'll be interested to hear your thoughts there. It's getting a lot of positive, but also some gripes at the different style. I consider it the 4th book in the series, but also the pivot on which the characters enter the next stage.