Lyth: Hymn of the Flesh [Kindle Edition]

Harrison Roberts (Author), Caitlin Olson (Editor), Jillian Grant (Editor), Elisha Aistrup (Illustrator)

Book Description

"For eons have I slumbered, only the void of the darkness to embrace my brooding mind. A constellation of dead stars hangs over my head, an eternal requiem for my fallen empire. It is here my body has withered while my spirit has grown venomous, a fermenting poison. Ethereal chains constricting my every muscle have bound me to the pit into which I was cast by my offspring. Unbreakable by my own hands, crafted by my sons and daughters from the permafrost of their mother's ashes, the bindings have held my wrath at bay, until now. The burning eye of the heavens has lured the doom serpent from the endless sand once more. Men rally around their demigods while in the shade of creation a creature of flesh and steel has been born into the mortal coil. With this omen, he will bear the seed of my retribution and germinate my infernal wisdom within the minds of those who have betrayed me. It is he who will bring the world of Lyth to the cleansing flame of my outrage, he who will flay the knowledge of the arcane from the blasphemers' tongues. My rage will echo endlessly in the deeps and shatter the pillars of the land. Like the endless streams that fill the pools of time with fading dreams of men, I will pour my own desire into the maelstrom of fate-- through the dying screams of the slain in my nameless conquest. Let the history of the world be penned in the blood of the unworthy, etched into the stone of ages by their very bones. Come now, creations of man! The mountain beckons you to enter its fathomless depths, to resurrect the titans of old. For this is the destiny of all who dare deceive he who walked away from the light, laughing as he bled: the world of Lyth will bow before me, or break against the might of my searing vengeance!" 

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I did not put it down until it was finished, and as frightened as I may have been, I kind of liked it.. Good job Harrison, you creeped me out, you must feel accomplished."

(Random amazon reader.)

"Love the gory descriptions (ouch). Makes our life seem like a walk on the clouds. Keep going with this project for yourself and your pals. Had a great time reading your book"

(Suzanne Mailloux, former teacher in a parallel universe in Rhode Island)

" It's one of the most visceral and brutally awesome tales of fantasy steam punk wrath!"

(Gabriel T.C. Doering, US Air force) 

"Mr. Roberts, along with the rest of Broken Tusk have created a dark fantasy experience that, unlike all the tales of old, contains the moral ambiguity that is the mark of the reality of our age. I personally commend Mr. Roberts on an excellent job creating the word of Lyth with such a full imagination and complicated worldview"

(Random amazon reader)

From the Author

Before you disregard this novel as another "$0.99 death trap" let me explain my reasoning behind my price point.  It is around 90,000 words and the first of a five book set. Why would I give it away for $0.99? Writing is a labor of love. Period. There is zero profit gain in telling your tale other then the satisfaction that someone else is able to experience the world that you have forged within your mind. I believe that if someone is willing to take the time to read my book and enjoying it as much as I did creating it, then that's good enough for me. Lyth took me two years to write. Countless nights of researching folk lore from various cultures around the world, re-reading old fantasy classics, and hastily writing down nightmares in the last hours of the night. Most of the two years were spent alone, in a backroom of a apartment I was crashing in, with little rest. Lyth became a part of me as I poured every fiber of myself into each page. It was truly a experiences writing this novel. $0.99 is not a warning but a invitation. The world of Lyth is waiting for you.        (also before I get trolled this brief note  has yet to go through my editor so I am will to bet there is a typo here and there. I'll have it edited soon enough. Until then, read Lyth. Thanks supporting local authors!)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 457 KB
• Print Length: 358 pages
• Publisher: Broken Tusk; 2 edition (March 19, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B007MHCP9I
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #636,989 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars I just wanted it to be longer... June 7, 2012

By Esther

Format:Paperback

This dark fantasy novel held my interest from the first page to the last. I really enjoyed every bit of dialogue, plot twists and visceral descriptions. Honestly, I was so very attached to the characters that I literally wish the narrative could have expanded and continued in my hands. I am a voracious, if mainstream, reader and I was quickly immersed, chewed up and spit out by the tale of Lyth in all it's gory glory. Though there are clues that this was the author's first, self published book the flaws were not in the writing style or imagination (I just didn't realize how attached I was to page numbers). The world of Roberts is dark and deep and by the end I found myself hungry for more about the place, the time and the characters themselves. I am eagerly awaiting the continuation of Lyth!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars What weird emo disease does this author have? February 15, 2013

By F this Book

Format:Paperback

I was all set to buy this book, but then I actually read the sample. Wow...this is among the most disgusting things that I've ever seen, and not in a cool horror movie way, but in a way that suggests you must masturbate to pictures of Tim Burton watching snuff films. A complete waste of my time, the English language, and space on the internet. Please consider other uses of your time...I'm sure there's some new version of World of Warcraft or Magic the Gathering coming out. Fantasize about blood there. The internet already has enough garbage without your addition. What must have happened to you as a child? Were you sodomized with a razor? Raped by a goat? You're what's wrong with America.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Lyth September 15, 2012

By Lisa

Format:Kindle Edition

Lyth: Hymn of the Flesh: Book One of the Lyth Chronicles

Lyth literally explodes into graphic description from moment one. You can't help but form a picture in your mind that transports you into places in the book. At first you are shocked, you feel for the machine they build, you feel the pain and desperation with his talented way his graphic description leaves no place for mystery. The unusual thing is that you do not even get introduced to who or what Lyth is until after the initial chapter and then it is not smoothly switched into. It is like the first story breaks off and wham, there is the story of Lyth at that point.

While both of the `factions' in the book are visually stimulated, it remained confusing and never truly able to interlock with either of the sides. There is no back ground to Algor and where they are, where they come from , what time frame the story is in, it leaves you truly frustrated that you don't really know anything about them. The same goes with the Lyth. The description is awesome, the moving pictures that ones mind creates is breathtaking. Though the author does barely touch on the past times with Lyth, it is really not until the end.

This continued confusion of the two factions, really does this book injustice. Being the first in a series, without the background of either factions leaves the reader in quandary. It is so important to let your vision truly be told and using the basics of creating by speaking of the time of when the piece would be in, the culture of the people of Algor, and the various gods that are brought up, as well as it is just as important to go into depth of the people of Lyth and gods and chain of command on that side of things as well....

If Lyth: Hymn of the Flesh had some background, it would have a much different effect, transporting the reader directly into the places and era and eagerly chomping on the bit for the next book in the series. With all things considered, I would rate this book 3 stars, and only because of the descriptive talent the author had, otherwise it would have had a much lower score for me. Read more ›

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Brutally Delightful May 1, 2012

By Stevwen

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Lyth: Hymn of the Flesh was an excellent dive into a dark and enticing world filled with excellent imagery and descriptions so vivid you can almost taste the blood on your tongue. The characters feel alive and desperate, plunged into a world of war and madness that has consumed the very ground they walk on, and as the chapters move on the suspense grows along with the body count. Nothing gave me more satisfaction than knowing that this was just the first of many books to be set in the Lythiverse, and I am sharpening my axes waiting for book 2.
Only advice I would give is that this book is not something you would read to your kids at bedtime.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Disturbing Is The Least.. June 6, 2012

By just somebody

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I was terrified at the words that my eyes had to see, not so much the words themselves, more of the way they were horrifyingly put together. Not to say this was a bad book, because that, it was not. I'm not the everyday book reader, or a reader at all, but the moment I read the first page I was glued. I did not put it down until it was finished, and as frightened as I may have been, I kind of liked it.. Good job Harrison, you creeped me out, you must feel accomplished.

4 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Blood bath of awesomness!!! April 26, 2012

By Gabdiego

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

From the first page to the back cover I could not put this book down! It's one of the most visceral and brutally awesome tales of fantasy steam punk wrath! I would suggest that you read this book while listening to some really good metal music like Meshugga or trivium as it really helps set the mood for a great blood bathed story full of high fantasy and grungy steam punk awesome sauce! yes I put all that in one sentence. I really can't begin to describe just how vivid the author writes. You can almost feel every gory demise and dismemberment. Well worth it!

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing from start to finish! May 28, 2012

By Caressachu

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

A wonderfully worded and brutal book that dances in the realm of fantasy and steam-punk. This book is a great read for any fantasy/steam-punk fan (especially if you like gore). Brilliant and descriptive wording, makes for an imaginative and compelling read. Once you start reading Lyth: Hymn of the Flesh, you won't be able to put it down!

I look forward to reading more from Harrison and delve further into the realms of Lyth.

More About the Author

Harrison Roberts, a native of Charlotte North Carolina, moved to San Francisco CA four years ago with only a backpack and a few sets of clothing. At the age of 22 he was almost on the streets due to financial issues and a failing relationship. Working odd jobs and spending most of his free time reading fantasy novels, losing himself in role playing games such as magic and war machine, Harrison became obsessed with his idea of what fantasy was. When asked if he was a advocate for the fantasy genre, Harrison often would say that he was interested in the possibility of what it could become. The cold isolation of living in a big city and daily struggle to provide for himself fueled his escapism until it began to take shape. Demons, legends of early man, lost wisdom of a dark tongue twisted together in his thoughts and dreams taking on the form of Lyth. A violent world of old gods, war and the rending of souls from the human heart. For two years Harrison spent most of his time writing down the tales of the creatures he had spawned in his subconscious, forming what later became known as Broken Tusk, the platform from which he would launch his visions of steel and flesh. Today Broken Tusk is a group of individuals bring fantasy to the dark corners of early myth and exploring the uncharted realms of forgotten lore. Lyth: Hymn of the Flesh is the first of five book to be released, with the second planned to be published later 2012. Today Harrison Lives comfortable in San Francisco, working as a retail manager during the day and writer in his free time. Considered to still be a young writer at the age of 25, Harrison has made the first step in a long journey to bring the fantasy genre into the shadows to seek out the abominations that lurk in the darkness.