Tome of the Undergates (The Aeons' Gate, Book 1) [Paperback]

Sam Sykes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 7, 2010

The debut novel from an extraordinarily talented twenty-five-year-old author. Fantasy's next global star has arrived. Lenk can barely keep control of his mismatched adventurer band at the best of times (Gariath the dragon man sees humans as little more than prey, Kataria the Shict despises most humans, and the humans in the band are little better). When they're not insulting each other's religions they're arguing about pay and conditions. So when the ship they are travelling on is attacked by pirates things don't go very well. They go a whole lot worse when an invincible demon joins the fray. The demon steals the Tome of the Undergates - a manuscript that contains all you need to open the undergates. And whichever god you believe in you don't want the undergates open. On the other side are countless more invincible demons, the manifestation of all the evil of the gods, and they want out. Full of razor-sharp wit, characters who leap off the page (and into trouble) and plunging the reader into a vivid world of adventure this is a fantasy that kicks off a series that could dominate the second decade of the century.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Monstrous, murderour, psychotic, deranges, possessed and insane — the only question is what our heroes hate more: the demons they're fighting or themselves." --Stephen Deas, author of The Adamantine Palace

Grimly characterized, and highly imaginative, if somewhat self-indulgent, Tome of the Undergates is an intriguing, original take on the classic fantasy band-of-adventurers tale. Sykes takes gleeful aim at the tired tropes of fantasy and turns them on their head, warping them to suit his sense of humour and dark mind… I have no problem seeing Sykes becoming and enduring and successful voice in fantasy." --Civilian Reader blog, November 1, 2010

About the Author

Sam Sykes is a twenty-five-year-old author living in Arizona. Tome of the Undergates is his first book, with many more to come. He lives with two hounds in a small, drab apartment and has eaten at least one of every animal on earth.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 447 pages
• Publisher: Pyr (September 7, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1616142421
• ISBN-13: 978-1616142421
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #236,493 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Sam Sykes is the author of the acclaimed Tome of the Undergates, a vast and sprawling story of adventure, demons, madness and carnage. He lives with two hounds in a small, drab apartment and has eaten at least one of every animal on earth. You can visit his website at www.samsykes.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Subversion Gone Too Far, September 12, 2010

By 

The Evil Hat (evilhatDOTblogspotCOM) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tome of the Undergates (Hardcover)

"'I need more. I need ...to know that I'm doing the right and proper thing.'

'You'll never figure that one out," he answered decisively. "There's no way to know what the right and proper thing is, you see. Ask a Karnerian, a Sainite, a shcit and a dragonman the same question, they'll all tell you something different.'"

In a lot of ways, I think that we've reached the point where subversions have simply gone too far. Tome of the Undergates is about a merry group of adventurers, going off on a fetch quest. Except that they're not merry, and, while they are adventurers, they're far deeper than that cavalier title conveys. Each of them is a fair bit more interesting than they first appear. In a twist that is perhaps realistic for a group of severely flawed, violent characters thrust together, everyone hates everyone else. This is not the kind of hate that is eventually replaced by hugs and I Love You's. No. This is the kind of hate where hugs and I love You's are met with dialogue like:

'Is this the part where I'm supposed to cry?'

The thunder stopped with her heart; her face screwed up.

'Wh-what?'

'After this delightful little chat about standing tall against the human menace, are we supposed to be charming little friends? Am I supposed to break down in your puny arms and reveal, through tears, some profound insight about the inherent folly of hatred as you revel in your ability to bridge the gap between peoples? Afterwards, we will go prancing through some meadows so you can show me the simple beauty of a spiderweb or a pile of deer dung or whatever it is your worthless, stupid race thinks is important?'"

And, at first, I thought it was an awesome concept. But there's a problem. When you have six people who fight constantly, and they never come to like each other, and they're together for the whole book, it never ends. The standard arc of: Dislike -> Fight -> Tearful Make Up, which I'm confident every one of us is thoroughly sick of by now, is replaced with: Dislike -> Fight -> Ma-no, Fight -> Fight -> Make u-, no Fight -> Fight. Sykes's characters seem promising to start, but, at the end, you realize that the promise is all there is. You never get a centimeter deeper than you were in the first half; their relationships never change one iota.

Besides characterization, the book's other main element is combat. In this department, things are also a mixed bag. The fighting is, frequently, quite well done. Abysmyth demons are suitably powerful to scare the crap out of the reader the first few times they appear. Unfortunately, their appearance is rarely enough for character's to shelve whatever witty remarks they were about to make. Now, these are frequently hilarious, but they sap all of the energy out of the fight. The book's opening battle felt something like Obliveon's dialogue trees, where everything freezes frame while you calmly discuss rumors with your companions until you're ready to get back to the killing. Still, it's not even close to enough to break the battle scenes, and some fights, especially toward the end, are great sources of visceral chaos.

In his interview with Aidan [...], Sykes said:

"It's actually a surprisingly philosophical book. Not the overt, beard-stroking, "what is a chestnut" kind of philosophy, but the sort that delves deep into the psyche of people without being boring. It takes the standard idea of the adventurer in fantasy and asks the questions that are presumed to be answered in the genre: what drives someone to become an adventurer, who is largely presumed to be a graverobber, thief and unprofessional assassin? Would a group composed of many different races, religions and professions really get along so well as to perform a quest? How can they presume a benevolent deity is on their side when they continue to suffer and die? How can they presume that they are in the right when they continue to cause others to suffer and die?"

It's true, Sykes does bring up several interesting questions. The problem is that, like with the characterization, a fascinating premise is all you get. None of the issues are ever explored. Instead, they're simply voiced by one character or another. Asper questions how she can be doing good while she follows such a bloodthirsty bunch. At the end of the book, Asper still questions exactly the same thing. There are no answers here. Again, perhaps that's more realistic, but it's certainly not more satisfying.

The prose is the only great thing about Tome that I don't have to qualify at all. It's descriptive, and manages to be atmospheric when appropriate, but it's also down to earth always amusing. That being said, Tome has some of the most unflinchingly modern prose I've ever read in fantasy, so if you had trouble with Morgan's `55s, you may have some issues here. It's well worth acclimatizing yourself, though, because some moments are truly hilarious:

[When having a conversation with a Siren]
"'I ...I do not have a name, I am afraid,' she replied meekly. 'I have never had a use for one.'

'Everyone needs a name,' Dreadaeleon quickly retorted. 'What else would we call you?'

'Screechy.' Denaos nodded. 'Screechy MacEarbleed.'"

Tome is quite big. Alright, it's not quite Steven Erikson's Dust of Dreams, but it's a respectable 692 pages, hardback. And it should not be. Tome is not a sprawling epic fantasy; it is a book of a single group of characters that go on a simple mission. The pacing in the book feels fast, and there is generally always at least one character in mortal danger, but it goes on for far too long to be effective. The book opens with a (now infamous) fight scene. It could be a dramatic way to open the book, but it goes on for one hundred and sixty pages. It is not a massive engagement featuring thousands of soldiers and munitions that crack the earth. It is six adventurers killing some pirates. Then some more pirates. Then some more pirates. Then some frogmen allied with the pirates. Then some more frogmen. Then some more frogmen. Then things finally get interesting, but by that point I just wanted everyone to calm down and do something that doesn't involve killing someone. Like have tea.

Essentially, Tome of the Undergates is a seven hundred page book that has the content of a novel half its size. If fifty percent of the fighting was removed, and seventy five percent of the infighting went the same way, it could be quite good. As it is now, however, it is a colossal exercise in maintaining the status quo. At the beginning of the book, the characters have a magic book, hate each other, and have a series of interesting internal debates. At the end of the book, the characters have regained their magic book, still hate each other, and still have several philosophical puzzles to grapple with. Yes, it's not quite the ordinary set up for adventurers, but, by that point, we've seen it before. At the beginning of the book. And I don't think we needed to see it again.

I realize that this review is a bit harsh on Sykes. Tome of the Undergates is not a bad book. It's entertaining, even laugh out loud funny on occasion, but I was expecting more. I haven't given up on Sykes, but I can't say that I wasn't disappointed.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars TOME OF THE UNDERGATES, Sam Sykes, September 29, 2010

By 

Gabi E. (Albany, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tome of the Undergates (The Aeons' Gate, Book 1) (Paperback)

Let me begin with the obvious: I am not a professional reviewer, and more importantly, I thoroughly enjoyed TOME OF THE UNDERGATES, by Sam Sykes. The appeal for me comes from intriguing characters and fast-paced action that kept me turning pages; tension among the band of not-so-merry misfits who embark on a quest of epic proportion; humor that left me laughing out loud; and the discovery that beneath all of this Sykes begins to explore important questions.

At first glance the characters fight without conviction or cause and I did not connect with them right away. Sykes introduces the quintet of characters slowly and they grow to match the seriousness of the quest that sends them to the edge of the world and finally into the maw of evil. The irony that the five protagonists see themselves as lower than pondscum even after they survive unspeakable horrors, and their struggle with this, lifts them from entertaining to memorable. Sykes's effort in revealing the characters in a deliberate pace worked for me. He uses cutting humor, especially during the squabbles among the various members of the band. The exchanges reminded me of siblings fighting, and they often had me laughing out loud. However, the dialogue shows more: the five do not like each other, and often confess the desire to do away with the others; yet at the same time, they do not like themselves.

Beneath the action Sykes begins to explore some important and timely questions: the fear of the other, helped along far too often by stereotyping and the teachings of elders, the very apropos discussion of who is a true believer and who is a heathen and the dictate to kill the one who does not believe in the correct god, and the questioning of the purpose of life, the "Why am I here?" conundrum. One of Sykes's accomplishments is the fact that he makes me care for the five to an extend that I can understand their desperation and anger at fate or the gods for placing them into the lives they must live.

Sykes manages to introduce these more serious concepts without missing a beat in providing this reader with a story that is entertaining and fun. I am very much looking forward to meeting the characters again in the next book of the series.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars (Slap)Stick & Sorcery, November 14, 2010

By 

Ahimsa Kerp (Portland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tome of the Undergates (The Aeons' Gate, Book 1) (Paperback)

Despite the atrocious cover art, I was excited to read this book. It promised a stirring adventure with a team of adventurers but fell far short of even being entertaining. This story was poorly conceived and poorly written. Though Sykes had been compared to Abercrombie and Lynch, his forced prose is Eddings-like and his Erikson like uber-characters are unconvincing in every aspect.

Nominally, the idea of a group of adventurers that don't get along is intriguing, but their disagreements are handled with the subtlety of the Three Stooges and the pointless action of Michael Bay. The characters alternately and for little reason punch, hit, slam each others heads into the ground and contemplate backstabbing each other. Their reactions to the physical blows and bloody noses is mild annoyance. And that is one of the biggest problems with the book; the characters interactions with each other never seems real. The eloquent pirate captain doesn't seem real. The ornery ship captain doesn't seem real. Their internal monologues don't seem real. It's a book of contrived situations that the characters enter but never really interact with.

Additionally, the pacing is lacking in key areas. Other have questioned the decision by starting the book with a 200 page fight, and those concerns are valid, but worse, to me, is the constant interruption of each action sequence with internal monologues that consist of redundant questions of the "How did I get myself in this situation?" variety.

The leader, a silver haired short guy, somehow commands the respect of his murderous crew although we never see why they are loyal to him. Worse, every bad situation he gets into is solved by his blacking out and then later regaining consciousness to realize his enemies are all dead. There a kind of reason for this, but it leads to far too many uses of cheap narrative tricks.

The plot is as basic as you can imagine; less complex than some fairy tales. I was hoping for a Scott Lynch-like book, but sadly this tome has only unrealistic characters, embarrassingly bad dialogue, poor pacing, underwhelming prose, and a plot as old as the hills. This is one book I'd actively recommend avoiding.