The Invincible and the Immortal
About
Three hundred years. That's how long Tiberius has waged war, claimed victories that became myth, and bathed in waters that keep death at bay. Empires have risen and crumbled in his shadow. He's never been defeated. He's never been hunted.
Until now.
When the world hears of Tiberius’s plan to resurrect his fallen war god, the world answers with a blood contract against him. Most deem it impossible. Those that accept are driven by glory, by loyalty, or by the knowledge that failure means the world burns. Among them is Andreas Corver, who moves through battle untouched. The darkness coiled around his arms drinks in every blow meant to kill him. Fighting comes easy. Caring about it doesn't. His brother Barith fights beside him, steady until battle ignites something darker. Then he's pure destruction, needing only to be pointed at the enemy.
Accompanied by fellow warriors and a blind scribe, they'll brave lands that shatter the mind, wield machines of steam and iron against beasts from nightmares, and chase the most dangerous man alive into the heart of his empire.
For three hundred years, no one could stop him. But someone has to now.
Praise for this book
Brief Summary of Review: If you are a fan of high fantasy, fast-paced and witty dialogue, strong action set pieces, and earnest world building, then "The Invincible and the Immortal" will be for you. As someone who trends towards reading historical non-fiction and classic novels, this book surprised me with how engaging it was throughout. Those who tend to read these books will likely have a different opinion; I for one was elated the entire time reading.
Full Review
I went into this book knowing nothing about it. My run ins with fantasy of any kind are limited to three books: The Lord of the Rings; A Song of Ice and Fire (sadly as there will never be a conclusion to that wonderful series); and Waylander. With such a limited repertoire of fantasy knowledge, I may not be the best versed to discuss what this book does well versus poorly for the genre it is written for. What I can espouse upon is things I do know: grammar/syntax, readability, story, character development, and overall enjoyability.
Starting first with the story: I found it to be wonderfully entertaining, intriguing, and at times gut-wrenchingly poignant. The characters were written extremely well. Though at times I was not the biggest fan of the dialogue, as I am used to different styles of books, I was laughing often at some of the interactions characters had throughout this book. Further, I found there to be plenty portions of depth and sincerity; especially between the two brother characters. Reading the story, my best description of the pacing is fast start, exposition to establish some of the world, medium paced middle, and an absolutely enrapturing and thrilling ending. As said above, the world building was very excellent, it felt like a world the author had laid out before writing, which helps. Nevertheless, it also had moments were, just like our real world/universe, the author discovered things himself and added them. All I'll say is if I could have some of that soup while reading, I would rate this book even higher.
Next is readability: I found this book very easy to read. It went by quite fast, especially as I read it during a busy period in my life with a lot going one. I still found both the time and had the urge to pick it up and read at least a few pages each day. Towards the last 75-125 pages, I read them all within an 18 hour period as I just could not put the book down at its climax. Again, if you are interested in a dialogue and action forward book that does not concern itself with long paragraphs filling up the full page ever and rarely filling up half a page, this is the book for you. It helps make this an easier and more relaxing read as well.
With readability comes grammar and syntax. In my view, having something delivered in a concise and straightforward manner is always better. Some books and authors can get away with a high vocabulary and meandering thoughts, but as the reader we want to read a finished product that chooses the correct words and puts them in the proper order. We are not trying to pay for a draft. This book is not a draft. For being seemingly self-published, it is extraordinarily well put together and does not feel choppy, or have poor punctuation placement. I was not wincing as I read it, which is always a plus.
Finally, overall enjoyability: This book was extremely enjoyable. I am rare to award books five stars, and likely if this was a bigger named author who had written more I may be more critical with my rating and comments. But for what appears to be a first time publication, I am extremely satisfied. I think this book was well worth my time and money, and one I am sure to return to either in appreciation of this individual's later works gaining esteem, or purely for my own enjoyment. It is a great beach, winter, travel, or at home read.