The Black God's War: A Novella Introducing a new Epic Fantasy [Kindle Edition]

Moses Siregar III (Author)

Book Description

The full novel-length version of this story is now available on Amazon: The Black God's War [A Stand-Alone Novel] (Splendor and Ruin, Book I).

WINNER of *Best Novel* and *Best Fantasy* in the Best of the Independent eBook Awards (2012).

"Moses is a fine writer and is deserving of success, and I think that it will follow. I really enjoyed Moses's work." --David Farland, NYT Bestselling Author of The Runelords

"Given the quality of the writing, you would not know that this is Siregar's first novel and he set the bar quite high ... I enjoyed this book, immensely. It had style, it had substance, and it had a lot of heart." (9.4/10) -FantasyBookReview.co.uk

An Amazon reader review of 'The Black God's War' (the full novel) for fans of George R.R. Martin and A Game of Thrones: "There is no clear good or evil -- we develop sympathy for both sides, and the dramatic conclusion is gutwrenching, yet satisfying."

FROM THE BACK COVER

Against the backdrop of epic warfare and the powers of ten mysterious gods, Lucia struggles to understand The Black One. 

Her father-king wants war.

Her messianic brother wants peace.

The black god wants his due.

She suffers all the consequences.

King Vieri's war against the lands of Pawelon rages into its tenth year, and with the kingdom's holy savior, his son Caio, en route to the fighting in the storied canyon, victory ought to come soon. Feeling abandoned by his god, King Vieri forces young Caio to lead his army to victory.

The Black One, Lord Danato, tortures Lucia with nightly visions promising another ten years of bloodshed. She can no longer tell the difference between the waking world and Danato's nightmares. Lucia knows the black god too well; he entered her bed and dreams when she was ten.

As the epic battles rage, Lucia struggles to understand the messages of The Black One, while Caio wrestles with his conscience: Can someone who only wants to heal the world bring himself to kill another man?

_______

"An inventive tale with high command of craft."
--Scott Nicholson, Author of Drummer Boy

A 27,000 word kindle novella introducing a new epic fantasy novel by the same title. This novella is also an excerpt from the 121,000 word novel (now available).

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Moses Siregar III is a co-host of the Parsec Award-winning Adventures In SciFi Publishing podcast, where he has interviewed Steven Erikson, Brandon Sanderson, Patrick Rothfuss, Guy Gavriel Kay, Sherrilyn Kenyon, David Farland, Tracy Hickman, Michael J. Sullivan, and other bestselling fantasy authors. Moses has a B.A. in Religion. He lives in Prescott, AZ with his wife and kids. The Black God's War is his first novel.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"It used to be if you read a self-published bit of fiction, you got something that was unpolished, likely unedited. Now you're more likely to stumble upon something worth reading.  That's what happened with this novella." --Novelnaut Blog

"'The Black God's War' has all the right ingredients ... His characters are as passionate as his descriptive prose. The pacing is perfect ... This is a novella epic fantasy fans don't want to miss." --Bryan Thomas Schmidt's blog

"Siregar's prose is smooth and for his first novella he has his sense of pacing nailed down ... Siregar's debut is an excellent example of the quality the indie author scene is capable of ... More like this, please." --Signal dot Noise blog

"If you want to read a talented new author with a flair for storytelling, you should definitely pick up this story." --Debra L. Martin's Review, Two Ends of the Pen Blog

"I enjoyed this novella from its opening chapter to its gripping end ... The writing style ... immediately put me at ease in the setting." --Red Adept Reviews, 5 Stars

"... excellent storytelling in this debut, a tale spun with a degree of elegance I did not fully expect ... a great example of how there are extremely talented indies out there." --Ron C. Nieto's Blog

From the Author

Thank you for checking out my book!

This is a free novella-length preview of my novel, The Black God's War. This novella gives you 27,000 words (15 chapters) taken from the 121,000 word novel (85 chapters). If you want the whole enchilada, I recommend picking up the novel; though you can read this novella by itself.

You can follow my blog at ScienceFictionFantasy.net and my author page, which I update a lot more often, at Facebook.com/MosesWrites. My Twitter is @MosesSiregar. 

Thank you for trying out a new author. I hope you'll enjoy this epic story!

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 306 KB
• Print Length: 99 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Cup of Gold; 2nd edition (August 11, 2010)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B003Z0D2HK
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,115 Free in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Free in Kindle Store)
  • #40 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Fantasy > Historical

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Start For Both A Novel and A Career August 11, 2010

By JimR

Format:Kindle Edition

"The Black God's War" is the opening to Moses Siregar III's upcoming novel, and though it only comprises the first 15 chapters, it is an engaging introduction to the world and its story.

The story is most certainly an entry in the grand old tradition of Epic fantasy. Two nations, with distinct cultures and histories, locked in a years-long war to determine the fate of their people and their faith...big stakes, and a big story.

This novella focuses on the Rezzia, the people of a large empire with an (apparent) theocracy--the gods of Rezzia, known collectively as Lux Lucis, are present and active in the lives of their worshipers, and their powers are channeled by the spiritual and martial leader known as the "Haissem".

(Here's a little linguistic tip: When you read this book, try reading backwards.)

As the book opens, the latest Haissem is born, and his older sister witnesses his mother's death--and the titulary Black God taking a hand in it. From here, we move forward to the ascension of the baby Haissem, Caio, to his role as a leader and wielder of holy power, the Dux Spiritus. And then, war comes, and drags on for years.

This novella is small in scope, giving readers a sense of the lead characters and their roles in the story--not a complete novel, no, but still a page turner (screen scroller?) and well worth the purchase. It engages both action and character to make a readable, enjoyable, and worthy story.

Siregar is a fresh writer, and there are times when that comes out in the story; the language use can, at times, betray a certain amount of inexperience, but the story gets by on its characters and world and I don't hesitate to recommend it.

Jim Rion
'[...]

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars A Good Start! October 3, 2010

By Debra L. Martin

Format:Kindle Edition

I picked up this novella during a free promotion. I was curious to see how the novella was presented because it is being advertised as an introduction to the novel that will be published in the Spring of 2011.

The story opens up with a powerful scene seen through 10-year-old Lucia's eyes. Her mother has just given birth to a son, but the child is no ordinary child. This child, Caio, is the long-awaited savior, "Haissem," for the people of Rezzia. While her father presents the child to the faithful, Lucia is first overjoyed, but when she tries to join them on the balcony, her father pushes her aside and the cold reality of his rejection hits her hard. Compounding the sting of rejection, Lucia witnesses a terrifying event involving her mother. When she calls out to her father for help, he continues to ignore her and an event that will change Lucia forever plays out. In this short scene, the author paints a vivid picture of the turmoil and suffering that Lucia endures - her conflicting feelings for her brother and her heartache over her father's rejection - and I was a little disappointed when the next chapter unfolded 19 years later.

The rest of the novella is Caio's story from his ascension to the "Dux Spiritus" to his taking over as commander of the Rezzia army in their battle against their mortal enemies, the Pawelons. We are introduced to his personal guard, Ilario, who secretly loves Lucia, but their difference in class makes a union between them impossible. This surprised me because there is no back-story to let the reader know this fact so the full impact of their forbidden love is lost. However, the author unfolds a masterful story of Caio's hopes, dreams and his own inner demons about living up to his own legend and doing the right thing.

Mr. Siregar has given us a taste of the epic novel to come with this novella. If you want to read a talented new author with a flair for storytelling, you should definitely pick up this story. I for one am looking forward to reading the full story when it's published next year.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars From "Red Adept Reviews" November 8, 2010

By Lynn ODell

Format:Kindle Edition

Plot/Storyline: 4 3/4 Stars

I enjoyed this novella from its opening chapter to its gripping end, which left me wanting more, as all good stories do. As just a fantasy tale, it provided plenty of entertainment. However, I found further enjoyment on another level.

I found this novella to be an interesting metaphor for religion in the `real world', both historical and present. One faction is fighting for the right to worship and follow their own gods, while the other faction is fighting to spread their "religion" (although it's never called that in the book) and force the first faction into submission. The biggest difference was that in the book, the gods' existences are undisputed. By that, I mean that no one is saying they don't exist. They do. They are evident and visit certain people. Therefore, it was more of a war between the gods than a war between people; although it was the people who suffered.

However, it did appear that the people had some free choice. They chose which gods to worship, how to wage war, or even whether to not wage war. The gods didn't force them, just nudged them a little.

The novella is mainly about Lucia, the main character, her interactions with the black god and her country at war. Upon reading the first chapters with this information, I developed a real empathy for her and her people. Amazingly, the author managed to turn that completely around with just a short section told from the viewpoint of the other faction. I went from empathising with the first faction to being horrified at their actions. What a difference viewpoint can make!

My only criticism stems from the dreams that Lucia experiences. Afterward, she has trouble telling reality from the dreams, but she eventually is able to divine truth. Unfortunately, one dream toward the end is so vivid that I got a bit confused for awhile, making me stumble a bit in the reading process.

Although this is a "prelude" for a future series, I found it to be complete with a satisfying ending. There is even a little romance thrown in for good measure.

Character Development: 5 Stars

For the format, the characters were sufficiently well developed. I assume the author will be developing them further in his first book of the series, but this was a great introduction to them.

I enjoyed Lucia very much. I hope that in the full book more is disclosed regarding her childhood.

Lucia's brother is the "messiah" of his country. I was treated to a small taste of what he felt about his "calling." This is another character that would be fun to see developed further.

Writing Style: 5 Stars

The writing style of this novella immediately put me at ease in the setting. The opening chapter is told from the viewpoint of a child, and the voice was perfect. The descriptions were rich and vibrant.

*This review is from a Review Copy provided by the author.

More About the Author

When I was ten, I fell in love with an anime series: a space opera spanning three human generations, a saga that unfolded over 85 consecutive episodes and four months of after-school TV. Watching Robotech was a spiritual experience for me. I still remember how high I felt after watching the final episode for the first time.

That's when I decided I wanted to be a storyteller someday, hoping to inspire people as Robotech inspired me. A few years ago, I finally got back around to my heart's desire when I was a boy: telling the big story.

I've never had so much fun.

'The Black God's War' is a stand-alone epic fantasy novel and an homage to Homer with a multicultural flavor. It's also the first book in the 'Splendor and Ruin' series. My novella-length preview of the novel is also available on Amazon.

You can follow my blog, 'Moses and Dionysus Walk Into a Bar ...' at www.ScienceFictionFantasy.net. I'm also a co-host of the Parsec Award-winning Adventures In SciFi Publishing podcast.

I hope you'll check out my humble epic and, more than anything, I hope you'll enjoy it and feel more inspired to follow your own most passionate muse.