Progeny (The Children of the White Lions) [Kindle Edition]

R.T. Kaelin (Author)

Book Description

Nikalys and his sister Kenders have grown up living a peaceful life in the small village of Yellow Mud.

On a blistering hot day, brother and sister head to the lake for a swim. There, they witness a mysterious stranger send forth a massive, living wave that swallows their village. Believing they are the sole survivors, the two strike out on their own, hoping to discover why their home and family have been destroyed. They must make their way through a countryside where magic is outlawed while struggling with the revelation that one of them can “weave the Strands.”

Through their travels, they discover that their simple life was an illusion. An epic, divine struggle has been underway for ages, and Nikalys and Kenders are at the center of it.

Ancient, powerful forces have sought them since before their birth and hunt them to this day. Some wish to eliminate the threat they pose while others want to help the pair fulfill a destiny of which they are unaware. Myths and legends come to life, whisking the pair along a grand journey neither could have imagined possible.

Reviews:

“R.T. teaches a master class in world-building. Rich in characters and details, he pulls you through a breathtaking tale that surpasses good versus evil.”
~Jean Rabe, USA Today bestselling author

“R.T. Kaelin is one of those few new authors who understand both the importance of immersing the reader in the story and how to accomplish it. From the first word, he grabs you and holds you captive throughout. I enjoyed reading Progeny and look forward to more books from R.T. Kaelin.”
~Maxwell Alexander Drake, Author of Genesis of Oblivion Saga

"Anyone who enjoys adventure stories or magical and paranormal I would suggest you give this a try. For me, Progeny is in league with both The Chronicles of Narnia and Lord of the Rings and far better than Harry Potter - Progeny has a wealth of depth to it that I haven't seen in many books..”
~Clover Hill Book Reviews

"Overall, I would favorably compare his writing with Brandon Sanderson, Scott Lynch, (early) Robert Jordan and even a bit of David Eddings flavor mixed in. I really enjoyed this book and my biggest disappointment is going to be waiting for the next installment."
~LuxuryReading.com

“When I picked up Progeny, I was soon swept up into a world so large, and a tale so relentless, that I could not put it down. The plot flows as strongly as a waterfall but manages to pace itself and keep the reader guessing.
The disparate characters we meet along the way are intriguing and richly nuanced, reminding one of Tolkien's without being derivative."
~D Kistner, Associate Editor, FutureCycle Press

“The best word I have to describe this book is ‘wow.’ This book was so good and so action packed I got into the book on the first page. I am certain that this series is going to win some awards.”
-BookGateway.com

"Robert Jordan. George R. R. Martin. Stephen Donaldson. Brandon Sanderson. These are the masters of fantasy and readers of Progeny will be able to discover a new voice that is destined to match those authors."
~BooksieBlog.com

I found the author carefully planned out the topography, the language, the poetry, the events and the battles just like Tolkien did and I think that is partly why I loved the book so much - the nice thing about RT Kaelin's writing though is that I didn't have to concentrate as much to keep the events straight."
~Family Literacy and You

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

R.T. Kaelin grew up in Cincinnati and now resides in Columbus, Ohio with his beautiful wife and the two best kids ever. For years, he worked in information technology, but felt there was something more waiting for him. He always had an active imagination, so one day he decided to do something with it. R.T. Kaelin's son and daughter are too young to grasp it fully, but they are the reason he writes. His favorite place in the world is any barely-occupied, tucked-away corner of Tuscany.

Product Details

• File Size: 1428 KB
• Print Length: 634 pages
• Publisher: Terrene Press; 3.5 edition (February 3, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004M8S7T2
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #157,147 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Creative yet comforting epic fantasy April 26, 2012

By Rowan Reader

Format:Paperback

This review is for the updated version of Progeny. The copy was provided by the author in exchange for editing and critical review.

It is obvious from the start that Kaelin has made great strides in his writing ability. The level of craftsmanship he shows, while well above average throughout, is really shown to his advantage in the new Prologue, and in the climactic sequences of the ending. These advantages also enhance the story he has to tell. I have to say - it's a good story so far!

Now, this is a set-up novel. Fantasy readers familiar with Sanderson's The Way of Kings will know what I mean. There's a great flow of story, and a very compelling character arc throughout, but at the end, you're looking at a last few pages, knowing that even though everything will resolve satisfactorily, there's a whole lot more story coming down the pike. It's a lovely feeling, and one that is a tricky balance to maintain. I'm happy to say that in my opinion, Kaelin balances quite well, leaving the reader, not with a cliffhanger, but with an open invitation to peer around the next bend in the road, beckoning us onwards.

The world created here is vast, with the impression of solid history and distinct races (no stereotypical orcs or elves here, which is a refreshing change) with just the right touch of cultural difference to make each place distinct. That touch is seen with the characters as well. Often in a multi-viewpoint novel, the characters all blend together, or are so dissimilar that you're left wondering how they even manage to stand each other. Progeny has a deft touch. Family members bicker and quarrel in that insular and protective manner every sibling knows so well, fatherly characters are given reasons to feel paternal or authoritarian, and even the baddies are given a compelling touch of humanity.

Finally, there's the quality of the mood. Here is an tale in the mode of Tolkien, and a world in the mold of Narnia. I don't mean that it's epic, nor that the worldbuilding is stellar, nor that the characters are beautiful archetypes (although Kaelin does his best to reach those heights, and succeeds amazingly) - no, I mean that when I was still in kindergarten, my parents read to me from Narnia and from the Hobbit, and by the time I was 7, I was working through The Lord of the Rings. There wasn't any grotesque gore to skip over, no terrible sex or violence "onscreen" that I needed to be protected from. Evil existed, but it was alluded to, not celebrated. Progeny has that same tone to it - I can very easily see a family sitting around a mother or father, or older sibling, clustered around their e-reader of choice, listening in as the Tale of the Blessed Siblings continues night after night. That's something that I think every fantasy fan (especially as we get to having kids of our own to infect with our taste in books) can appreciate.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Meh July 11, 2012

By Lewis

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Progeny is a story about a pair of children destined to thwart an evil god's attempt to plunge the world into chaos. They are the Children (IE Progeny) of the White Lions, who in ages past were the chosen champions of the gods, empowered to restore balance to the world.

The children, Nikalys and Kenders, have inherited their parent's gifts, and it seems they will even surpass them, given time. But the evil gods know this and have designs of their own for the siblings...namely death.

For starters, I was somewhere around 35% complete with the book before it actually got interesting enough for me to care about what was happening to the characters. 35%!!! If I didn't like the author (from my brief interactions with him on twitter) then I definitely would have never gotten as far into the book as I did. Likely I would have went 'UGH' somewhere after the first couple of chapters and shelved it / deleted it from my Kindle.

The book does pick up from there, and although there is plenty wrong there is also plenty right. One example is the magic system, known in this world as The Strands, of which there are different colors which represent the different flavors (Air Earth Water Fire Charge Void Life Will Soul)of magic. It was an interesting take to say the least....most mages can only touch one to three different colors.

I found myself caring more for a side character than I did for the two titular progeny (his introduction is when the book actually got interesting for me), and there is plenty of dreg in the novel that slows down the story. I also found myself rolling my eyes at a lot of the dialogue between the different characters....I get that this is a made-up medieval setting but still...if I read someone say 'Truly' one more time I might have to unleash the dragon, haha.

In the end, I gave it three stars because it was a good read. Not awesome. Not great. But not bad either. If you can get through the first third of the book then you'll be invested enough to see it through to the end.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Fantasy Debut June 27, 2011

By Uriah Otting

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I first heard about this book when it was listed as a giveaway. As an avid devourer of fantasy books I signed up to win and didn't think much of it beyond that. I was surprised when the author contacted me a few days later and invited me to join a forumn about the group where we could ask questions and discuss the book. I could tell that this was an autor who was passionate about his story and wanted it to succeed. This piqued my curiosity and I went and read the intro to the story. I could tell then that he author had good reason to be enthusiastic, this was not your run of the mill fantasy. I crossed my fingers to win a copy but knew that if I didn't, I would purchase one on my own, which I ended up doing.

The world presented in Progeny is an evocative mix of the normal and the supernatural. I found myself easily slipping into the world and capable of seeing it as they did. The settings are imaginative yet grounded in the possible. The people of this world are "people" instead of falling into racial stereotypes. The characters are visibly but not fatally flawed(in a good way), giving them depth and evoking emotion. All this combines to present a recognizable world in an extraordinary setting.

A couple of the things I like most in the book are the magic system and the sense of history. The magic is understandable but also invisible. You see people using it but your imagination must fill in the details. While parts of the language may remind of other books, the use is obviously original. The history and interplay between nationalities and nations is also rich and well executed. Part of me can't decide wether I would rather see the next book or a prequel. The sense of history is not only apparent in exposition but also in the settings and interplay.

The book is well written. The first couple of chapters are the roughest but then it falls into an easy rythem. It was a pleasure to read. I won't give any spoilers here but he plot does twist at times. The development of the characters is obvious and real as are their relationships.

I hope we do not need to wait long to see another installment in this series.

More About the Author

R.T. Kaelin: is a loving husband, father of two wonderful children, and a lifelong resident of Ohio, currently living in Columbus. After graduating from college, for the first twelve years of his career he has worked as a software engineer. While writing for a local Columbus gaming group, it was suggested he try his hand at writing something more prodigious. Encouraged, he committed to the undertaking, and wrote, Progeny, the first volume in the Children of the White Lions series. The book has garnered critical acclaim, drawing comparisons to the giants of the genre, and has fostered an ever-growing fan base. As he edits the second in the series, he also is working on the Terrene Chronicles, a number of short stories that take place prior to the events in Progeny.