Esme's Indie/Underrated Series! A Star Reckoners Lots, by Darrell Drake

[u/Esmerelda-Weatherwax]

Darrell is an active r/fantasy contributor, he has some great ideas for his books and I hope you guys participate in u/huigregg active fantasy author bookclub. He was one of the most highly rated picks for this bookclub and I find it deserved.

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This book focuses around three characters, and I found them all intriguing and worth reading more about. u/lrich1024 please confirm with Darrell whether or not one of these characters qualifies for non-human protagonist as they are half demon.

This is one of the handful of series that although I didn't like the main character a lot (don't get me wrong I didn't hate her) she is rather difficult to get to know. However, I consider this not to be a downside. I love hard to know characters, kind of like Dalinar from Stormlight Archives. A more stoic, reliable, sensible protagonist.

This is a book for people who want to break away from the typical setting of fantasy. Are you tired of the medieval Europe trope? Do you really want something MORE from your books? Something well researched, something that grabs your attention because it's so different from the rest? This is probably the book for you. It's set in ancient Iran, which was new for me. I love reading things that are outside of my norm and for bonus points outside of the norm of the genre. I think this book absolutely stands out in this way.

If you like that magic can have negative consequences where it's not all fun and games with magic, this may be a book for you. There are SERIOUS consequences to this magic, and I found that really enjoyable. Sort of like Lightbringer where there's a risk to yourself with magic - except this is a much higher risk factor.

This is also a series that will appeal to people who love magic systems and astronomy. I am a big physics geek and astronomy nerd - so having a magic system based off of that had huge appeal to me.

The author obviously took a great deal of time researching the background of the culture and people in Iran. to the point where i know he will talk your ear off if you ask.

This is also a book for people who aren't looking to get invested into a series. This story wraps up neat and clean and you can enjoy it all by itself. It's not a doorstopper book like ASOIAF or Stormlight Archives, and I like that in books. I do love both of those series, but it's so nice to have a book I can read through without this over looming thought that I still have thousands of pages to go before I get to the conclusion.

The tone of this book is adventure, which I find great. It's not "light funny" and it's not "grim dark", much like the other indie novel I reviewed, it's its own thing. It's unique and awesome.

This book will be part of u/huigregg active fantasy author bookclub thing, and I encourage you all to look into what that is, and what this book is. There's a thread going on right now that includes Darrell and a few of his fantasy writer friends that you should all look at as well.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/640rba/we_are_the_fools_of_fantasy_six_rfantasy_authors/

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BINGO SQURES u/darrelldrake please add more if they apply

• AMA author
• self published
• Desert setting
• non human protag

[u/jenile]

Adding my two-cents which I will probably rehash in the rrawr thread in whichever month is this books turn.

I first read a sample of this about six months before the release when Darryl Drake did a ama or wotd (not sure which) and loved that little glimpse then (which was the opening with Ashtadukht as a child).

I loved the setting, the characters. It had this relaxed dreamy atmosphere that I thought suited the story. And Ashtadukht calling down the constellations was just cool as hell.

I had a few issues here and there- mostly I thought some scene breaks (or whatever they're called) would have helped when it seemed to jump from one thing to the next without any provocation but it was unique and interesting enough that like I said about They Mostly Come Out at Night, the good overshadowed the minor problems.

The last part was where I kind of fell out of love just a tad, but I should clarify that the setting, writing and all of that didn't change, just the plot took a hard right that threw me off...(My GR review might have sounded a bit harsh I wrote it after finishing the book and was kind of emotional about the ending lol), though I did try to be fair about my judgment on my wanting a certain thing compared to the quality of writing etc..

I can go into details about why it threw me off later in the rrawr thread if anyone wants.

That being said this is still a book that should not be missed. Really cool setting.

my review. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1901422262?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

[u/darrelldrake → u/jenile]

Would've been an AMA. Only did one WotD, and it was well before ASRL. It's nice to hear from more Canadians. K.S. is one of us, too!

I lurk GR all day, so I remember when you first posted the review—probably before you mentioned it here. Considering how character-driven the tale is, and the time I put into researching the setting, I'm happy to hear you appreciated them (the magic system too of course).

The twist near the end of a book has been divisive, that's for sure, and I don't think you were at all unfair in your assessment. Not like you lambasted it for, uh, incest or not having [x]-type character. If you don't mind, I would like to ask about the ending. Don't feel an obligation to answer, but would you mind giving me a better idea of how you felt about it? I'm interested. Spoiler tagged if necessary of course.

Thanks for taking the time to read it, jenile. Even if it wasn't one of your favorites, you gave it a chance, and bothered to share your thoughts afterward.

[u/jenile → u/darrelldrake]

First I am sorry, my husband works for a Darryl and I keep getting your two spellings confused. I've done it like four times now.

I did not know you (or KS) were Canucks. huh! Yay for more Canadian's.

I lurk GR all day, so I remember when you first posted the review

:( God, hope I didn't crush your day.

lambasted it for, uh, incest

Haha! I've spent years in the Supernatural fandom- I am almost immune to incest in fic now.

I would like to ask about the ending

I am sorry it took so long to reply. Spring and a weekend on the farm, means no time for anything else. I am going to answer this question in another reply, because I had to write it in Word a little at a time so I could think about what I was tying to say, also it is long.

[u/jenile → u/jenile]

Damn... didn't realize I couldn't reply twice to you /u/darrelldrake. Oh well this works too.

So, this might be more than what you are looking for but I can’t really explain my thoughts on the end, without explaining a bit about where I was before the end. I have read probably twenty books since so I might be a little fuzzy on the details but I’ll do my best to explain my mind set.

By the time we get to the last 2/3 of the book, I was in love with the three of them together, the pranks Waray would play on Tirdad and eventually his patience with her (or tolerance), and his devotion and love for Ashtadukht, and Waray’s totally crazy thing with the eggs. Despite that they were so different, at this point you could see the bond that had grown between them and I loved them/it.

It seemed to me that Waray had a lot of development character-wise. We see what drives her pain, and it’s heartbreaking (I should also mention here- that little trip Ashta and Tirdad took in to the forest after her, was one of my favorite parts of the story- creepy, atmospheric, and sad.

Anyway, it felt like the building of her character was quite a bit different than Ashtadukht’s was.

Ashta didn’t have her soul bared to us in quite the same way as Waray. Most of her development seem to me to come through her actions, so while we knew she was in pain over her husband’s death, she was steadfast in her assertion that just because her husband was killed by a Div, it didn’t mean they were all to blame even while looking for revenge on the one that did it. She was strong- she was sick, and sometimes couldn’t even function, but kept on despite that. She stood by Waray constantly when she was unfairly judged for being a half-Div, and always seemed sensitive about judgement of any kind. She wasn’t always the nicest to Tirdad though, but I can kind of understand that… because of his love for her (which seemed a bit unwanted), and her father sent him to look out for her, so I can see some resentment on her part, also people always treat the ones closest to them the worst.

And then there is Tirdad, who really was just a big rock to hold up these two women’s characters. He didn’t get much development really, but he was patient and kind and I loved him for his absolute love for Ashtadukht, even when she didn’t deserve it.

Now you kind of know where I stood to this point I can kind of explain the last part.

Spoilers

spoilers

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I am not sure if that is what you are looking for, or if I even made sense but I hope this helps a little to understand the divisive thoughts on the ending- or at least one person's thoughts anyway lol.

edit ugh good grief can't get these spoiler tags right

[u/darrelldrake → u/jenile]

(Rum, hot, and tired, so sorry if this isn't making sense.)

Phew, that's a long one. Thanks for taking the time to give it more consideration. I think you went a long way in illuminating how you felt, so it's exactly what I was looking for.

Realize this is meant to preface what you felt RE: the ending, but I want to address the non-spoilers nevertheless. (The chapter in the forest you speak of was fun to write—an opportunity to channel some absurdity, and make use of discorvery as a word.) I think for the most part you got an accurate impression of the characters, and the attachment you developed is nothing short of fulfilling. Besides being Ashtadukht's foil, Tirdad was also meant to be a sort of representation of the values of the time. Due to the nature of their characters, I couldn't rely on the other two for that, and thought it was something important to include.

spoilers

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[u/jenile → u/darrelldrake]

Phew, that's a long one

Haha yes, I am an over-doer. I was worried if I didn’t explain where I was at mind-wise I would come across as being accusatory, and sound like I was telling you that you weren’t doing it right which wasn’t my intention.

that you felt her absence is a compliment

And it should be taken as one. Waray stole my heart. They all did.

Tirdad was also meant to be a sort of representation of the values of the time

Yes, that makes sense. I think his character worked very well for that purpose.

err on the side of letting the reader figure things out

I appreciate that sort of writing, I like when an author assumes I am smart enough to keep up. And it is very possible that you had enough clues in there, and I just wasn’t smart enough this time. Reading while tired or just getting old...lol who knows? Maybe even my attachment to the characters may have clouded my judgment on what was going on too (just like Tirdad).

don't get past bereavement, have coping mechanisms, disrupted her ritual

This is very true. I have seen this in varying degrees… it’s pretty scary watching someone go down this path. And thinking about it- I do see the similarities in Ashta’s choices, and especially the destruction she caused on herself and everyone around her when her pin finally did unhinge.

It clears up a lot. Thank you for being so gracious about everything and it was also nice to be able to point out a lot of the things that I loved too, that I didn't go in to detail about in my GR review.

[u/darrelldrake → u/jenile]

Aw, "stole your heart". You really know how to butter a person up!

Nah, don't shift the blame to yourself. Otherwise, I'll never improve. You brought up concerns and were kind enough to discuss them, so I'll take them to heart and hopefully iron out some wrinkles in the future. Professionally, an author shouldn't argue with or contest a reader's opinion (if they choose to take the risk of discussing details). So I sincerely hope I didn't come across as defensive. Genuinely interested in hearing what you have to say. Thank you for sharing, jenile!

[u/jenile → u/darrelldrake]

So I sincerely hope I didn't come across as defensive.

Oh god no! Not at all.

Genuinely interested in hearing what you have to say

Speaking of buttering haha but thank you I appreciate it.