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Soul Cycle #1
Nethereal
A woman like no other who longs for acceptance.
A precision killer inspired by the dream of his captain.
The last member of a murdered race, fighting to avenge his people against the might of the Guild…and the dark powers behind it.
The Sublime Brotherhood of Steersmen holds the Middle Stratum in its iron grip. Jaren Peregrine, last of the Gen, raids across fringe space with Nakvin—her captain’s best pilot and only friend, apprentice steersman Deim, and mercenary Teg Cross.
Hunted by the ruthless Master Malachi, Jaren and his crew join a conspiracy to break the Guild’s monopoly with an experimental ship. But when its maiden voyage goes awry, the Exodus flies farther off course than its crew could have imagined.
A precision killer inspired by the dream of his captain.
The last member of a murdered race, fighting to avenge his people against the might of the Guild…and the dark powers behind it.
The Sublime Brotherhood of Steersmen holds the Middle Stratum in its iron grip. Jaren Peregrine, last of the Gen, raids across fringe space with Nakvin—her captain’s best pilot and only friend, apprentice steersman Deim, and mercenary Teg Cross.
Hunted by the ruthless Master Malachi, Jaren and his crew join a conspiracy to break the Guild’s monopoly with an experimental ship. But when its maiden voyage goes awry, the Exodus flies farther off course than its crew could have imagined.
613 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 9, 2015
67 people are currently reading
248 people want to read
About the author
Brian Niemeier
29 books56 followersBrian Niemeier is a #1 best selling author and a John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer finalist. His second book Souldancer won the first ever Dragon Award for Best Horror Novel. As an editor, Brian helps his top selling clients realize the best version of each book.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
July 25, 2016
I honestly don't know how to rate this book. 3/5 is only because it's kinda in the middle. "Nethereal" is weird. And I mean WEIRD. In a really good sense. When it comes to worldbuilding it is wonderfully weird. Sadly it is also painfully bad at other places. I believed without hesitation when Neimeier said that one characters girlfriend is his best friend’s father. It is still horribly bad fiction, though.
I am rather sure it was written as a NaNoWriMo novel and then nobody read it before publication. It was proofread but not edited. The worldbuilding and the sole beginning of this story is mind-blowingly good, even if it is mixed with rather pulpish set of characters and plot. It works because technofantasy space-opera setting is awesome and pulpish adventure stories are great reads even if they're not very good literature. When it gets super-weird and characters travel to hell - it's still good in worldbuilding department but plot... well, I guess it ran away. Characters go from one point to the other, meeting people, running from bad guy, and then again and again. Author is an RPG game master and I think that may be the reason of this repetitiveness. It gets better later on but in the middle I really felt like not finishing and I didn't finish only few books in my whole life.
I really like how there's no romance between two main characters and how even author is making fun of obvious assumptions both readers and other characters make. (The fact that not being attracted to someone and not being interested in sex in general is portrayed as a rather selfish gesture pissed me off though). In many places I felt like author known perfectly well why someone did that or said something but he couldn’t be bothered to tell me – or maybe he cut off some material but I highly doubt it. Many times characters were pissed off on one another or something and I really had no idea why.
All-in-all it would be very good as something you could read in the internet on some writers forum or something and I think author has potential but now he is so not on a publication level. He wasn’t able to edit this to the point it would just lack professional editing so – there’s long way before him and I hope he’ll work hard on himself because if he does he’ll be writing really good books in a few years.
I do recommend “Nethereal” to everyone who like weird settings and techno-fantasy AND is not afraid of bad literature.
There’s a second book in this cycle but honestly I don’t think I’ll read this one. In a way I want to but I am seriously afraid that I’ll just waste a lot of time.
Setting: 5/5, really. The sole physics of this world is great, the institutions are great, the way hell is related to the world – all awesome.
Writing: To accuse Neimeier of having any kind of style would be absurd. At some point it was transparent and others painfully dull. Words were conveying the meaning but had no artistic function whatsoever.
Plot: 2/5. Jaren’s vengeance was ok but for the most of the time characters were moving from place to place and doing whatever author had thrown before them. RPG and novels are two entirely different ways of storytelling and Neimeier failed to realize that. I felt like he was planning as he go and honestly – there’s nothing bad in that, you just need to sit on your ass and EDIT stuff afterwards to make it look as if you had a perfect plan from the very beginning – which he didn’t.
3/5 because it would be unfair to give it one star (SETTING <3) and also wrong to give it 5/5 (sad excuse of a plot and writing) – but I honestly don’t know how to rate “Nethereal”. It’s just not on the publishing level, that’s all.
Ps. If anyone can recommend me similar books – technofantasy preferably in space – please do.
I am rather sure it was written as a NaNoWriMo novel and then nobody read it before publication. It was proofread but not edited. The worldbuilding and the sole beginning of this story is mind-blowingly good, even if it is mixed with rather pulpish set of characters and plot. It works because technofantasy space-opera setting is awesome and pulpish adventure stories are great reads even if they're not very good literature. When it gets super-weird and characters travel to hell - it's still good in worldbuilding department but plot... well, I guess it ran away. Characters go from one point to the other, meeting people, running from bad guy, and then again and again. Author is an RPG game master and I think that may be the reason of this repetitiveness. It gets better later on but in the middle I really felt like not finishing and I didn't finish only few books in my whole life.
I really like how there's no romance between two main characters and how even author is making fun of obvious assumptions both readers and other characters make. (The fact that not being attracted to someone and not being interested in sex in general is portrayed as a rather selfish gesture pissed me off though). In many places I felt like author known perfectly well why someone did that or said something but he couldn’t be bothered to tell me – or maybe he cut off some material but I highly doubt it. Many times characters were pissed off on one another or something and I really had no idea why.
All-in-all it would be very good as something you could read in the internet on some writers forum or something and I think author has potential but now he is so not on a publication level. He wasn’t able to edit this to the point it would just lack professional editing so – there’s long way before him and I hope he’ll work hard on himself because if he does he’ll be writing really good books in a few years.
I do recommend “Nethereal” to everyone who like weird settings and techno-fantasy AND is not afraid of bad literature.
There’s a second book in this cycle but honestly I don’t think I’ll read this one. In a way I want to but I am seriously afraid that I’ll just waste a lot of time.
Setting: 5/5, really. The sole physics of this world is great, the institutions are great, the way hell is related to the world – all awesome.
Writing: To accuse Neimeier of having any kind of style would be absurd. At some point it was transparent and others painfully dull. Words were conveying the meaning but had no artistic function whatsoever.
Plot: 2/5. Jaren’s vengeance was ok but for the most of the time characters were moving from place to place and doing whatever author had thrown before them. RPG and novels are two entirely different ways of storytelling and Neimeier failed to realize that. I felt like he was planning as he go and honestly – there’s nothing bad in that, you just need to sit on your ass and EDIT stuff afterwards to make it look as if you had a perfect plan from the very beginning – which he didn’t.
3/5 because it would be unfair to give it one star (SETTING <3) and also wrong to give it 5/5 (sad excuse of a plot and writing) – but I honestly don’t know how to rate “Nethereal”. It’s just not on the publishing level, that’s all.
Ps. If anyone can recommend me similar books – technofantasy preferably in space – please do.
June 29, 2016
Jaren Peregrine leads a group of pirates in his quest to destroy the Guild--those who eradicated his people. The Shibboleth's officers include Navkin, a venomous magician (and much more); Teg, a hard-bitten mercenary; and Deim, a helmsman with spiritual leanings.
Nethereal is a difficult book to place neatly into a category. Take Firefly and Farscape; subtract humor, add darkness; sprinkle liberal dashes of fantasy; pour in some fantastic worldbuilding; and then shake well until the reader isn't quite sure what is going on.
Mr. Niemeier's first novel shows great promise for stories to come. The imagination and worldbuilding are there; I'd like to see the characters fleshed out more and made endearing to the reader. I know who the characters are and can see the motivations of some, but I didn't like them as people enough to care if they survived or not.
The story is a strong 3 star read; I added a star for the pure novelty of worldbuilding.
May 4, 2016
When I'm reading a book I wouldn't ordinarily pick up on my own accord, I like to check out a few reviews first, so I know something of what I'm getting into. So before starting Campbell Award nominee Brian Niemeier's debut novel Nethereal, I looked for reviews and read a few. It was a little disturbing to note that the majority of reviews I located were written by people situated within one degree of internet separation from a Rabid Puppy. Nonetheless, I embarked on the novel.
There is a way to plunge right into the manners, politics, history and culture of a secondary world without leaving the reader with so many questions that the text is frustrating in its opaqueness. Good science fiction and fantasy writers do it all the time, dropping just enough clues, giving just enough exposition, that the story and the characters' actions make sense. Neimeier, unfortunately, does not do this.
In addition to being frustrated and confused, this lack of incluing [1] left me feeling very little interest in the fates and fortunes of the characters.
I gave the novel a decent chance to grab me - but by the time I'd read ten percent, I was still uninterested and unimpressed. And I certainly would not consider an author for a Campbell award on the strength of it.
[1] Incluing is a technique for world building, in which the reader is gradually exposed to background information about the world in which a story is set. The idea is to clue the readers into the world the writer is building, without them being aware of it. http://fritzfreiheit.com/wiki/Incluing
There is a way to plunge right into the manners, politics, history and culture of a secondary world without leaving the reader with so many questions that the text is frustrating in its opaqueness. Good science fiction and fantasy writers do it all the time, dropping just enough clues, giving just enough exposition, that the story and the characters' actions make sense. Neimeier, unfortunately, does not do this.
In addition to being frustrated and confused, this lack of incluing [1] left me feeling very little interest in the fates and fortunes of the characters.
I gave the novel a decent chance to grab me - but by the time I'd read ten percent, I was still uninterested and unimpressed. And I certainly would not consider an author for a Campbell award on the strength of it.
[1] Incluing is a technique for world building, in which the reader is gradually exposed to background information about the world in which a story is set. The idea is to clue the readers into the world the writer is building, without them being aware of it. http://fritzfreiheit.com/wiki/Incluing
July 7, 2016
Thank goodness that's over. But boy was it a struggle. I never really cared about any of the characters, most of whom were too stupid to live, the main human villain was stereotypically genocidal for no properly explained reason, and the writing was spotty and confusing (and in places, it was downright incoherent), littered with teeth-grating cliches. Boy does this guy need an editor!.
I almost promoted it to two stars because of the interesting ideas in the world building - and the mix of magic and technology. But in the end, it just wasn't worth it.
The short story Strange Matter was better than Nethereal, although all in all, I assume that Niemeier was only on the Campbell ballot because of the assorted Puppies.
I almost promoted it to two stars because of the interesting ideas in the world building - and the mix of magic and technology. But in the end, it just wasn't worth it.
The short story Strange Matter was better than Nethereal, although all in all, I assume that Niemeier was only on the Campbell ballot because of the assorted Puppies.
February 19, 2017
Greay
*I know Brian on social media*
Really enjoyed this book, especially the cast of characters. Not only is it an entertaining story but the book is a lot cheaper than most of the big name published stories. no names mentioned of course...
*I know Brian on social media*
Really enjoyed this book, especially the cast of characters. Not only is it an entertaining story but the book is a lot cheaper than most of the big name published stories. no names mentioned of course...
started_finish_later
October 3, 2017good stuff so far - the first chapter excerpted on the author's website made me get the book and I quite like what i read in the next few chapters so i expect i will actually read this book
February 14, 2017
This book does a lot of things right. I enjoyed it and I've already bought the second book, and look forward to seeing where the story goes.
The author defies tropes and takes story set pieces well beyond where you think they're going to go. This is not a tired rehashing of rearranged tropes that most of sci-fi has become. The author brings fresh ideas to the table time and again. Many times I reached a new plot reveal only to gasp or exclaim, "Oh F@&$!" Brian Niemeier pulls no punches and does not look away when decency would otherwise demand it. This book will take you to uncomfortable places, but it does so tastefully and in an entertaining manner.
As to the content, the author is obviously well versed in both very old sci-fi (Nethereal hearkening back to the dawning of the genre and tasting strongly of Lovecraft) and also in theology, based on the intricacy of his world building. No tired borrowing from real-world religions here, instead we see the frenzied fever dreams of a madman standing as divine creation, and it matches the setting perfectly. That setting is vastly unique and incredibly deep, with a mountain of stories waiting to be told within it. I look forward to seeing what other stories this author pulls out of his world for us to experience.
There were some minor bits which left me with mixed feelings, as with any book. Particularly two things: a main character seems to act far outside of character during the second act in trusting someone very quickly, and a moment late in the second act ends with a strange reveal that seems to come from nowhere and has no explanation so it comes across as contrived. Given the depth of care taken in building the rest of the setting, I suspect that the author knows the answers to these two questions. Neither moment ruined my suspension of disbelief, but they did stick out to me as the two weak points of the narrative. As a reader, both could have easily been addressed in small scenes that just show me what the characters are feeling and thinking, and I would have felt satisfied. I also wish that the glossary had been included at the beginning, because there are some hefty metaphysical concepts that aren't explained as plainly as other books might do. That adds to the mystery and horror as the reader tries to infer the way things work, but it was a relief to finally get some solid answers at the end. Being that this is the author's first published novel (I do believe), I can forgive these minor points and focus on the rest of the story, which certainly has enough action and intensity to engage even the most picky of readers (myself).
The book deceives you a bit, masquerading as a story about a few characters on a horrifying adventure when really it's the culmination of a plan to hatch something new. This book is the story of a birth; that newly birthed thing, perhaps, is an entire series with this initial book as it's base. Go into this book expecting it to be the introduction to a world, rather than simply one contained story that opens and closes cleanly, with all answers wrapped up neatly inside.
I've got a high stack of books waiting to be read, but I bought the sequel to this book and put it on top of the stack. Is there a better review than that?
The author defies tropes and takes story set pieces well beyond where you think they're going to go. This is not a tired rehashing of rearranged tropes that most of sci-fi has become. The author brings fresh ideas to the table time and again. Many times I reached a new plot reveal only to gasp or exclaim, "Oh F@&$!" Brian Niemeier pulls no punches and does not look away when decency would otherwise demand it. This book will take you to uncomfortable places, but it does so tastefully and in an entertaining manner.
As to the content, the author is obviously well versed in both very old sci-fi (Nethereal hearkening back to the dawning of the genre and tasting strongly of Lovecraft) and also in theology, based on the intricacy of his world building. No tired borrowing from real-world religions here, instead we see the frenzied fever dreams of a madman standing as divine creation, and it matches the setting perfectly. That setting is vastly unique and incredibly deep, with a mountain of stories waiting to be told within it. I look forward to seeing what other stories this author pulls out of his world for us to experience.
There were some minor bits which left me with mixed feelings, as with any book. Particularly two things: a main character seems to act far outside of character during the second act in trusting someone very quickly, and a moment late in the second act ends with a strange reveal that seems to come from nowhere and has no explanation so it comes across as contrived. Given the depth of care taken in building the rest of the setting, I suspect that the author knows the answers to these two questions. Neither moment ruined my suspension of disbelief, but they did stick out to me as the two weak points of the narrative. As a reader, both could have easily been addressed in small scenes that just show me what the characters are feeling and thinking, and I would have felt satisfied. I also wish that the glossary had been included at the beginning, because there are some hefty metaphysical concepts that aren't explained as plainly as other books might do. That adds to the mystery and horror as the reader tries to infer the way things work, but it was a relief to finally get some solid answers at the end. Being that this is the author's first published novel (I do believe), I can forgive these minor points and focus on the rest of the story, which certainly has enough action and intensity to engage even the most picky of readers (myself).
The book deceives you a bit, masquerading as a story about a few characters on a horrifying adventure when really it's the culmination of a plan to hatch something new. This book is the story of a birth; that newly birthed thing, perhaps, is an entire series with this initial book as it's base. Go into this book expecting it to be the introduction to a world, rather than simply one contained story that opens and closes cleanly, with all answers wrapped up neatly inside.
I've got a high stack of books waiting to be read, but I bought the sequel to this book and put it on top of the stack. Is there a better review than that?
May 31, 2016
I'm still trying to decide what I thought of this book.
It was weird. Really, really weird. Comparisons to the surrealism of Philip K Dick come to mind, but Philip K. Dick if he was as smart as Asimov and crossbred with Dante. It has some similarities to some of Orson Scott Card's later work (highly intellectual and philosophical).
Really, I think I'm going to have to reread the book to really make a finally call on it. It was bizarre, but intriguing. I couldn't put it down - and definitely ordered the next one.
The only major criticism I have is the characters were a bit weak - I didn't bond with anyone and wouldn't have been particularly upset if any particular character had died.
However, the entire plot is so intriguing and I was so curious to find out what was really going on that I didn't mind the weakness of the characters. That's really high praise coming from me, since I'm typically a character addict and I have been known to not bother finishing books because I didn't care about the characters.
On a first read, I'd say this is the thinking man's science fiction. Surrealistic and bizarre, with a fascinating plot, if slightly lackluster characters. I'm looking forward to watching Niemeier's writing mature and hopeful that the next book will have some characters I can really like. I'll find out soon.
It was weird. Really, really weird. Comparisons to the surrealism of Philip K Dick come to mind, but Philip K. Dick if he was as smart as Asimov and crossbred with Dante. It has some similarities to some of Orson Scott Card's later work (highly intellectual and philosophical).
Really, I think I'm going to have to reread the book to really make a finally call on it. It was bizarre, but intriguing. I couldn't put it down - and definitely ordered the next one.
The only major criticism I have is the characters were a bit weak - I didn't bond with anyone and wouldn't have been particularly upset if any particular character had died.
However, the entire plot is so intriguing and I was so curious to find out what was really going on that I didn't mind the weakness of the characters. That's really high praise coming from me, since I'm typically a character addict and I have been known to not bother finishing books because I didn't care about the characters.
On a first read, I'd say this is the thinking man's science fiction. Surrealistic and bizarre, with a fascinating plot, if slightly lackluster characters. I'm looking forward to watching Niemeier's writing mature and hopeful that the next book will have some characters I can really like. I'll find out soon.
August 7, 2015
Nethereal is not afraid to drag its characters through hell.
Brian Niemeier has laid the groundwork for a fascinating space opera with his novel Nethereal. A ragtag group of pirates gets more than they bargained for when they take control of the Exodus, an experimental starship unlike anything they could possibly imagine.
Niemeier's worldbuilding is superb, easily on par with Brandon Sanderson or John C Wright. The characters have a real depth to them as well. The story took me on a roller coaster of a ride to places I didn't expect. I didn't want to put it down.
I would highly recommend Nethereal. Brian Niemeier has laid the groundwork for an epic space opera that I am excited to follow. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.
Brian Niemeier has laid the groundwork for a fascinating space opera with his novel Nethereal. A ragtag group of pirates gets more than they bargained for when they take control of the Exodus, an experimental starship unlike anything they could possibly imagine.
Niemeier's worldbuilding is superb, easily on par with Brandon Sanderson or John C Wright. The characters have a real depth to them as well. The story took me on a roller coaster of a ride to places I didn't expect. I didn't want to put it down.
I would highly recommend Nethereal. Brian Niemeier has laid the groundwork for an epic space opera that I am excited to follow. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.
dont-read
April 28, 2017sad puppy affiliated
May 28, 2021
Nethereal by Brian Niemeier is an imaginative and densely written trip straight to Hell. And not in any metaphorical manner whatsoever.
The pacing of Nethereal is relentless. New characters, new places, new intrigues are introduced without any explanation whatsoever. This is the kind of book I feel like I need to read over again just to get it all straight in my head. Everything had a place, but you didn’t necessarily know what it was when you first encountered it. The sheer scope of it all is a little daunting. But it is all intriguing enough to pull you in.
I appreciate this unconcern with whether the reader quite knows what is going on, as a pause to provide context or explanation would definitely interrupt the very, very strange story that you see unfolding. On one level, the story is very simple. Jaren Peregrine, smuggler and pirate, master of the Shibboleth, will stop at nothing to gain revenge upon the murderers of his people. Everyone else in his life is simply swept up in his monomaniacal quest.
It isn’t at all surprising that Jaren’s path leads to Hell, but as the tale unfolds you find that nothing is what it seems, and greater forces are at play. The obvious touchpoint here is something like 1997’s Event Horizon, a splatter-fest about Faustian forbidden knowledge. Even the ship on the cover of Nethereal by Marcelo Orsi Blanco is vaguely like the eponymous ship from the movie. However, I find the horror more understated in Nethereal. Partly that is due to the different media involved, but also it is that Nethereal is situated in a tradition where there are far worse fates than death. Event Horizon hints at this idea, but it a subdued theme there. Here it is front and center.
The bleak world that Niemeier has created is seemingly without redemption. Like there was a Fall but no Christ to set the universe aright. There are religions of a sort, but it very much feels like a world were God is dead. The powerful prey openly on the weak, the masters of the universe dabble in foul experiments, and the cries of the oppressed go unheard. Thus when Jaren and his crew end up in Hell, it isn’t actually obvious that it is all that different than the place they left.
What is so fascinating here is that Niemeier weaves in subtle hints that Providence is at work, even in Hell. In many ways, this is a harrowing read. Even the characters I feel some sympathy towards are simply monsters, selfish and narrow in all the worst ways. So when you see that redemption might be possible even for such as these, it hits you much harder. Which is the true power of horror, to show us in a visceral way the consequences of departing from the straight and narrow way.
I am very interested in seeing more of this universe that Niemeier has created. I can’t imagine how it could get any crazier, but I bet it will.
The pacing of Nethereal is relentless. New characters, new places, new intrigues are introduced without any explanation whatsoever. This is the kind of book I feel like I need to read over again just to get it all straight in my head. Everything had a place, but you didn’t necessarily know what it was when you first encountered it. The sheer scope of it all is a little daunting. But it is all intriguing enough to pull you in.
I appreciate this unconcern with whether the reader quite knows what is going on, as a pause to provide context or explanation would definitely interrupt the very, very strange story that you see unfolding. On one level, the story is very simple. Jaren Peregrine, smuggler and pirate, master of the Shibboleth, will stop at nothing to gain revenge upon the murderers of his people. Everyone else in his life is simply swept up in his monomaniacal quest.
It isn’t at all surprising that Jaren’s path leads to Hell, but as the tale unfolds you find that nothing is what it seems, and greater forces are at play. The obvious touchpoint here is something like 1997’s Event Horizon, a splatter-fest about Faustian forbidden knowledge. Even the ship on the cover of Nethereal by Marcelo Orsi Blanco is vaguely like the eponymous ship from the movie. However, I find the horror more understated in Nethereal. Partly that is due to the different media involved, but also it is that Nethereal is situated in a tradition where there are far worse fates than death. Event Horizon hints at this idea, but it a subdued theme there. Here it is front and center.
The bleak world that Niemeier has created is seemingly without redemption. Like there was a Fall but no Christ to set the universe aright. There are religions of a sort, but it very much feels like a world were God is dead. The powerful prey openly on the weak, the masters of the universe dabble in foul experiments, and the cries of the oppressed go unheard. Thus when Jaren and his crew end up in Hell, it isn’t actually obvious that it is all that different than the place they left.
What is so fascinating here is that Niemeier weaves in subtle hints that Providence is at work, even in Hell. In many ways, this is a harrowing read. Even the characters I feel some sympathy towards are simply monsters, selfish and narrow in all the worst ways. So when you see that redemption might be possible even for such as these, it hits you much harder. Which is the true power of horror, to show us in a visceral way the consequences of departing from the straight and narrow way.
I am very interested in seeing more of this universe that Niemeier has created. I can’t imagine how it could get any crazier, but I bet it will.
August 29, 2018
Space pirates go to Hell as pawns in a plot to undo reality by the long-time lord of the lowest level of Hell. Gun fights, sword fights, massive space ship battles, scifi-magic battles. If that doesn't hook you in, I feel sorry for you.
Characters are well-developed and fleshed out. The world building is crazy good, built slyly from Dante's Purgatory by acting like it was merely riffing on the concepts, instead of baking them into the storyline. It's strangely deep because of that. Mr. Niemeier draws on a lot of Christian imagery and concepts from various ages, but he works them into the story deftly and often indirectly.
The twists are pretty good, none of them didn't fit with the world-logic.
It's a different sort of book, part space opera, part fantasy, a dash of allegory, and a lot of adventure.
Characters are well-developed and fleshed out. The world building is crazy good, built slyly from Dante's Purgatory by acting like it was merely riffing on the concepts, instead of baking them into the storyline. It's strangely deep because of that. Mr. Niemeier draws on a lot of Christian imagery and concepts from various ages, but he works them into the story deftly and often indirectly.
The twists are pretty good, none of them didn't fit with the world-logic.
It's a different sort of book, part space opera, part fantasy, a dash of allegory, and a lot of adventure.
January 21, 2018
This is NOT science fiction space opera, as it was touted.
This is fantasy in space - the main characters descended into hell and battle the "baals" (demon lords) with their Workings (magic spells) and enchanted weapons using a magic spaceship (which turns out to be a living creature instead - huh?).
If you're looking for hard science, or indeed science fiction, this ain't it. This is magic in space.
This is fantasy in space - the main characters descended into hell and battle the "baals" (demon lords) with their Workings (magic spells) and enchanted weapons using a magic spaceship (which turns out to be a living creature instead - huh?).
If you're looking for hard science, or indeed science fiction, this ain't it. This is magic in space.
May 1, 2020
This book is like the first time I listened to dubstep; at first the rhythms and conventions seemed strange and alien, then I started getting comfortable with and enjoying them, but then new surprises and twists kept coming. If you want another analogy, imagine Star Wars mixed with Repo: The Genetic Opera. Nethereal is thrilling, at times highly unsettling, occasionally confusing, and beautiful in a grim way. Give it a shot!
did-not-finish
June 23, 2016This is utterly incomprehensible, and certainly not strong enough for me to consider the author for a Campbell Award. It's a shame because the magic system looked promising and there were some interesting world-building details -- but I've got too many good books in the wings to waste my time on one this clumsily written.
March 27, 2018
A big nope on this one. A never-ending series of poorly explained deus ex machinas (sometimes literally), all wrapped up in random deaths that no one seemed to care about. I can't even figure out who the villain was or who won - nor do I care that much.
October 5, 2017
It's difficult to rate this curious mix of fantasy, horror, and sci-fi. In any case, it's quite an entertaining read.
December 18, 2017
Weird Anime Sci-Fi Pulp.
Or something.
Good stuff.
Or something.
Good stuff.
January 19, 2024
There are many criticisms that I can readily and happily give, but the most profound criticism I can provide is that at no point did it inspire any desire to read more. Our narrator presumes we are a part of the world, throwing the reader head first into a strange, dangerous world that hates them with an ardent passion. Indeed, that is after being forced to read a glossary of terms which would better have been spent being woven skillfully into the narration than shoved into our faces.
The prose reads like a schoolboy’s first fanfiction where all the women are beautiful and all the men incompetent except when it comes to him, the main character. Though, whether there is a main character worth mentioning cannot be stated as Jaren, Teg, and Nakvin, a horrible name to be certain, inspire nothing. They have no voice that distinguishes them from one another, and their dialogue is about as exciting as a school play set on by a bunch of middle schoolers introduced to Shakespeare five minutes prior to production. Scratch that. The middle schoolers would have been more entertaining.
For a man who professes to be an editor, and to which I myself work professionally as one, I would have fired him immediately for lying on his resume as there isn’t a hint of editing in this book. There’s grammatical errors, a mix of tenses, and a hodgepodge of active and passive voice that is more mind numbing than the characters we’re to be invested in. Indeed, the only thing that our author should be investing in is an actual editor who isn’t afraid to point out that the story, if it can even be called such, needs greater refinement in terms of characterization, plot, voice, and structure.
More egregious than that, this book is most certainly not science fiction. At best it can be called space opera, but that is a stretch at best.
The prose reads like a schoolboy’s first fanfiction where all the women are beautiful and all the men incompetent except when it comes to him, the main character. Though, whether there is a main character worth mentioning cannot be stated as Jaren, Teg, and Nakvin, a horrible name to be certain, inspire nothing. They have no voice that distinguishes them from one another, and their dialogue is about as exciting as a school play set on by a bunch of middle schoolers introduced to Shakespeare five minutes prior to production. Scratch that. The middle schoolers would have been more entertaining.
For a man who professes to be an editor, and to which I myself work professionally as one, I would have fired him immediately for lying on his resume as there isn’t a hint of editing in this book. There’s grammatical errors, a mix of tenses, and a hodgepodge of active and passive voice that is more mind numbing than the characters we’re to be invested in. Indeed, the only thing that our author should be investing in is an actual editor who isn’t afraid to point out that the story, if it can even be called such, needs greater refinement in terms of characterization, plot, voice, and structure.
More egregious than that, this book is most certainly not science fiction. At best it can be called space opera, but that is a stretch at best.
January 5, 2018
I liked the pacing of the book and I found the setting / characters to be interesting and unique. Overall, I think it works as a holiday / commute read but falls a bit short of hitting hugo award levels. I've taken off a few stars for 2 main reasons:
1) A number of times the author referenced 21st century items which didn't fit at all with the setting (set hundreds of years in the future with no mention of earth). Why would there be cars or soft drinks? For such an otherwordly space opera, I found these references took me out of the world Brian was building.
2) Because of the fast pacing, things felt confusing at times and some things about the world building didn't make sense. It would have been nice if the author spent a bit more time with elaborating on the universe as well as all the theology and especially on how the 9 circles of hell worked. It just seemed the internal logic seemed to be bounce back and forth.. not to mention the fact that the book went back and forth between normal space adventure and supernatural horror story.
1) A number of times the author referenced 21st century items which didn't fit at all with the setting (set hundreds of years in the future with no mention of earth). Why would there be cars or soft drinks? For such an otherwordly space opera, I found these references took me out of the world Brian was building.
2) Because of the fast pacing, things felt confusing at times and some things about the world building didn't make sense. It would have been nice if the author spent a bit more time with elaborating on the universe as well as all the theology and especially on how the 9 circles of hell worked. It just seemed the internal logic seemed to be bounce back and forth.. not to mention the fact that the book went back and forth between normal space adventure and supernatural horror story.
July 6, 2023
"You tried to father a goddess known for patricide"
I checked this book out because it was presented as the Sci-fi version of Dante's inferno.
But I think that's really only the first half-ish, it's more than a simple "go through hell to get out" trip.
More than that I think Brian does a great job of showing the ideologies that we wrestle with now are still there in the hard scientific/and magical future. Perhaps too early to tell but inter alia I think a key background theme is the notion of Divine Providence and I'm look forward to how this gets dealt with in the other books.
Maybe not soon with my schedule but I'll definitely be checking out the rest of the series.
I checked this book out because it was presented as the Sci-fi version of Dante's inferno.
But I think that's really only the first half-ish, it's more than a simple "go through hell to get out" trip.
More than that I think Brian does a great job of showing the ideologies that we wrestle with now are still there in the hard scientific/and magical future. Perhaps too early to tell but inter alia I think a key background theme is the notion of Divine Providence and I'm look forward to how this gets dealt with in the other books.
Maybe not soon with my schedule but I'll definitely be checking out the rest of the series.
May 19, 2019
This book could’ve been good, it was interesting enough until it (literally) went to hell, where everything we’d learned so far quickly becomes irrelevant, because in a magical sub-dimension, there are no rules, so random shit just happens, in one hard, boring slog of a chapter after another.
I gave up reading after chapter 43. While finding out what happens in the real world would’ve been interesting, I just couldn’t muster the excitement to read through more hell-chapters, which apparently compose 90% of the book.
This book can stay in hell for all I care.
I gave up reading after chapter 43. While finding out what happens in the real world would’ve been interesting, I just couldn’t muster the excitement to read through more hell-chapters, which apparently compose 90% of the book.
This book can stay in hell for all I care.
February 8, 2019
The story is very wide-ranging, set in an expansive background, much of it unexplained. This detracts from the ability to immerse yourself in the story. I do like the rather extreme breadth of character types and descriptions. Undecided as to whether I should devote to books 2 and 3 in the trilogy however.
July 19, 2017
Did not finish it. I just lost interest. Probably will try and come back to it at some stage, but I have so much more better books to read.
August 2, 2021
There are few books that I am willing to read again. This one I read and then reread. After that I read it again.
June 13, 2016
Space Pirates versus a monopolistic Guild that holds the known galaxy in an iron fist. What's not to like? Sounds like Firefly meets Dune, maybe. And it starts off well, with an interesting mix of characters and a situation that grabs you, including a bit of mystery. But what seems like a fairly straightforward science fantasy veers wildly into something more like Dante's Inferno, as if the author didn't have a plan and was just going in whatever direction caught his attention next. The initial bad guys (written well enough that you enjoy booing them) are left far behind and we're given over entirely to a faceless force who's motives and goals are unguessable. As well, we see no continuing growth or change in the characters we are left with, only a series of "Oh no! Yay!" near-scrapes that fail to advance the plot in any meaningful way, nor illustrate more about the characters themselves.
A third of the way through, and I have given up on this one. I think I'd rather re-read an old favorite than spend the time plowing through the rest of this, just to get to the end, whatever it might be.
A third of the way through, and I have given up on this one. I think I'd rather re-read an old favorite than spend the time plowing through the rest of this, just to get to the end, whatever it might be.
August 30, 2016
I was reading a description of this book when the phrase "Space Pirates in Hell" was used, and I immediately bought it, hoping for something akin to the movie "Even Horizon". Unfortunately it was nothing like that - I found it to be much more along the lines of a fantasy novel (albeit with spaceships and high-tech weapons) where the characters end up in weird and unknown dimensions/planes.
Though this novel is listed in the horror category in some locations, I never found myself thinking of it as a horror novel - the space opear desciption is much more apt.
Finally, I found some of the characters to be a bit underdeveloped - there were changes in some that I did not find were adequately explained by what happened to them over the course of the book, sort if as if there were jumps made or parts cut out of character arcs.
Ultimately, while it isn't for me, I'm glad that there are people who enjoyed this book because, if nothing else, it is different from what seems to get mass published this days.
Though this novel is listed in the horror category in some locations, I never found myself thinking of it as a horror novel - the space opear desciption is much more apt.
Finally, I found some of the characters to be a bit underdeveloped - there were changes in some that I did not find were adequately explained by what happened to them over the course of the book, sort if as if there were jumps made or parts cut out of character arcs.
Ultimately, while it isn't for me, I'm glad that there are people who enjoyed this book because, if nothing else, it is different from what seems to get mass published this days.
October 4, 2016
This thing doesn't have a genre. Its a law onto itself. Part of me was thinking GURPS. My dad introduced me to GURPS/Shadowrun. But then it pulled a Dune, which had a baby with Cthulhu, then its offspring decided...well hell, lets just mix a smattering of Stephen King's surreal imagery....just to mess with people.
It took me a while to read because this thing is dense. The world building is rather elaborate
It took me a while to read because this thing is dense. The world building is rather elaborate
October 14, 2016
I picked this up when Monster Hunter Nation book bombed it. I'm going to have to go just average for this on. This is a book that drops you in the deep end, and yells sink or swim. It was a good book, it just was so out there, I felt like I needed more explanation than was offered. As would be expected, as I became more familiar I enjoyed it more. I could probably be convinced to read book 2, but I won't be rushing to get it.
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