"Nethergeist" by Nick Stevenson is a gripping blend of fantasy and horror that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. The story follows a young protagonist who navigates a dark, mysterious world filled with haunting spirits and unexpected twists. Stevenson’s vivid world-building and richly developed characters draw you in, making you feel the tension and urgency of their plight. The pacing is excellent, balancing moments of suspense with emotional depth. Fans of supernatural tales will find themselves captivated by this eerie yet engaging adventure. A solid read for those who enjoy a mix of chills and thrills!

I picked this up from NetGalley as it piqued my interest with the cover and the synopsis.

First, let me start with what I really enjoyed. I really loved the action and fight scenes in this book. I also really enjoy the character of Ayilia. There is some mystery surrounding her and she can fight with the best of her soldiers. Finally, I do enjoy the storyline overall and the potential for what it can turn out to be with the series.

There is a lot of filler and a lot of explaining about different parts of the story which would really take me out of it. The magic system is not flushed out or described well. There are Multiple points of view and we seem to jump to different points of view at random which was a jarring experience. Some parts of the book felt more like an academic read than a book to relax with and enjoy.

I am giving this three stars because I do see a lot of potential in the story and the action is amazing.

A fun read, which I'm surprised by with how dark the material is, the Lord of the Rings pattern of one-of-every-race works well with new races in a new world.

Sad to say that this was a bit of a disappointment for me. I appreciated that it wasn’t slow and had lots of action, as well as many interesting ideas. Where it fell short was in the lack of description for pretty much everything. This would have been far better if it was a book two or further on, and the world had already been built. As it is thought though, very little is explained or described and the instances where some things are is in a brief info-dump kind of way. This caused what is a cool idea to feel fairly flat.

Note: arc provided by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for honest review

I really liked this novel. In the synopsis, I read « necromancer » and I knew I wanted to discover this book. There are a few points of view but all of them are interesting and none of them slow the story down. The pacing is not the fastest but the plot is full of battle scenes (some of them are quite graphic but I liked that) and war discussions. The universe is as dark as expected and I really enjoyed discovering more and more about it as the story went. And the characters are well-developed, some of them are despicable but interesting nonetheless.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

I picked this up from Netgalley because I loved the cover (seriously kudos to the artist it’s absolutely amazing) and the premise sounded interesting. The synopsis sounds like a cross between science fiction and fantasy and horror and I was very much into it.

Starting with a positive I very much liked the fight scenes in the book. They were very well written and I had a clear picture in my head as to what was going on at any one time in the fights. The book is action packed and those scenes happen quite often. It made the book faster paced and I enjoyed reading them.

I unfortunately have more negatives than positives despite me liking the idea of this book. This is apparently the first book in a series but for most of the time I had the distinct feeling that I had jumped into a series at the halfway point and I had missed 1-3 books before hand. Things just happen with little to no explanation before hand. You’re thrown into the book mid events happening and you’re just expected to figure things out on your own. Magic system are unclear, the undead and how they work are very unclear, humanity’s place in all of this is almost as unclear as that. Apparently we migrated to this planet at some point in the past but the mechanics are never explained. There’s a forbearer alien race mentioned occasionally but we know nothing about them. It’s just all a confusing mess.

And speaking of confusing mess, there is way too much plot in this book. The author wanted to write a sweeping space opera but the book is only a little over 300 pages long and it really doesn’t work in my opinion. The book would have had to be at least twice as long as this to fit all of the different side plots in this if they’re explained properly. The female MC is having visions and she may or may not be cursed, the undead are trying to take over the universe, a necromancer has declared himself God, the undead are trying to take over this planet and also there is a coup, a group of raiders is trying to get to the main undead base for reasons, oh and also there’s a reptilian race on the planet too? There was so much happening I had a hard time caring about any of it.

Overall I’m giving this a three because I can see potential in this series. Given a longer book for the second installment that can flesh out and explain some of what happened in this first book I think this can be amazing. I think I do recommend this for adult science fiction and fantasy readers conditionally and I look forward to when the next in the series comes out to see what happens next.

Thanks to Net Gallery and Nick for the option to read & review.

This book sounded great, and was interesting but was very complex, and had a massive info dump.

Unfortunately this was a tough read for me, even though I do sometimes prefer very cranial reads.

I liked the magic, the ideas, and cool characters, but otherwise I had to push through in hopes it became better.

Not for me

“For thousands of years, the Emperor Goat, a necromancer so powerful he has declared himself God, has had an iron grip on the universe, causing most worlds to fall into disrepair.
In a paranoid city of renegades, the last bastion of humanity holds out against his might.
Ayilia, its Regent-Elect, is friendless, single, the ‘wrong’ sex, the ‘wrong’ heritage, and apparently cursed. While attempting to rout a coup, she is selected by outside forces to search for the impending birth site of Al Kimiya, a mage who is said to be the only match for the Emperor. To save herself and her people, she must ally with heretic magi, necromantic freedom fighters, the human-hating, reptilian Krayal, and her sworn foe, the cowardly, lifeless warlord Vespasian.
A complex literary fantasy, Nethergeist is a story where the conflict is as much about the characters' inner turmoil as the outward struggle against the maniacal emperor. Featuring intense battles, snappy dialogue, and a world on the edge of ruin, Nethergeist is a fantasy in the vein of Malazan Book of the Fallen.
The first in a series.”

To address the first point of confusion. The blurb states it is the first in a series, however amazon and other online retailers, state this is book 1 of 1. (Amazon, 2023). This needs to be addressed.

What an interesting hook Nethergeist has. Mages, emperors, necromancers, freedom fighters, reptilians – it all sounded interesting, so I knew I had to give it a go. But I was disappointed. There was too much too soon, exposition flew at you hard and fast from the first page. The information dumps were heavy and hard, names of stars, cities and house are thrown at you and then, after orientating around this new world, there is a flashback. I find flashbacks to be thrown together plot points, giving you a snap piece of information about the character.

Going deeper, there were points in the book which confused me. I was imaging scenes and action’s one way while reading, only for the sentence to pivot and uproot my imagination when something else happened. It was frustrating and I think that speaks of the need for an edit. The use of sophisticated words also drew me out of the immersion. The writing reminded me of a new writer, as there has been much debate with the simpler prose style. For instance, take this quote by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, “Words in prose ought to express the intended meaning; if they attract attention to themselves, it is a fault; in the very best styles you read page after page without noticing the medium.” (Plainlanguage.gov, n.d)

I was attracted to the medium and it threw me away from the immersion I so desperately wanted. Rolling my tongue around too many elaborate words, which could have easily been replaced, ruined the fantasy for me.
Sometimes there were three describing words for one description. It was unnecessary and I found more sentences and descriptions like this. There is no need for three similar words to be followed in succession, instead of enjoying, I found myself correcting. Fun, turned into work.

However, the book has an interesting hook, and this writer is finding their feet. More publishers should take chances on new writers, because they do things differently. They bring new ideas and new stories to the world. This book has an interesting premise and I think the editors need to do more work into shaping this into something wonderful.

The information dumps need to be removed and made into a smoother process for the reader. We want to be immersed, not lectured. Let go of flashbacks and instead try another literary techniques to develop characters.
References:

Amazon, 2023. Nethergeist, Nick Stevenson. Accessed via: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nethergeist-Nick-Stevenson-ebook/dp/B0C6NK198M/ref=sr_1_1?crid=37QGSK7OL1679&keywords=Nethergeist+Nick+Stevenson&qid=1691396868&sprefix=nethergeist+nick+stevenson%2Caps%2C102&sr=8-1
Plainlanguage.gov, n.d. Historical Quotes. Accessed via: https://www.plainlanguage.gov/resources/quotes/historical-quotes/