Below the Heavens [Trad Epic High Fantasy]

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Book 1 -Sins of a Dying Empirecan be found on Amazon.

Expectations:- MC has no powers in a world of magic. Wits and strategy only.- Progression is all horizontal instead of vertical.- Meaty chapters averaging 3500+ words.- Expansive secondary world.- Updates once aweekevery 2-3 weeks (I am le tired after work), with breaks after each interlude.- Current status: Books 1 is published on Amazon. Book 2 is complete! Book 3 in progress.

Book 1 - Sins of a Dying Empire

Molam longs to return home after successfully stealing from the Empire. But the enigmatic Oracle dangles it just out of reach, assigning him another task: to steal wood from the sacred World Tree from the Empire.

The task sends Molam to an Empire city on the brink of collapse, its inhabitants desperate to survive the impending Winter's Sorrow. United with a group of allies handpicked by the Oracle, Molam realizes he is the Oracle's last piece in a decades-long plan to thwart the Empire's relentless ambition to reach Heaven.

Entering the fray comes with lurking enemies, mistrust among allies, and lethal scrutiny from all sides. Continually at risk of having his lack of aura exposed, Molam relies on his wits to navigate powerful individuals with misdirection and a facade of powers. To obtain the group's help and trust, he must balance his new responsibilities against his deeper, more personal goals.

There is no synopsis after Book 1 to avoid spoilers.

Book 2 - Beyond a Broken Horizon

Book 3 - Sands Under a Silent Sun

- Regarding warnings: sensitive and sexual content may appear, but I use it sparingly and rarely gratuitous. It's there to allow me to retain creative freedom if I decide the plot requires it.

Come chat on Discord— I'm happy to engage with readers or other writers on storytelling.

Cover art by the wonderfulKiguri.

Information

Status: Ongoing
Year: 2023
Author: CKMo

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.8/ 5.0
Followers: 142
Views: 65,650

Reviews

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Community Reviews(10)

M T ConboyRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Wow! In full honesty - I've only completed the first arc, but I'm super excited to read on. I leave these scores as high as they are in all seriousness, this has been a great read so far. If anything changes in my opinions, I'll update my review but for now, it's some of the best writing I've read on the site!
The author's tendency to world build in your face and make you wonder instead of explaining is never heavy handed, done to just the right degree before giving some needed exposition.
For the most part, Molam, our Main Character, has to deal with a lot of manipulation and danger which would be oh so easy to cut through if he were powerful, but power comes slowly to an Auraless individual, if at all! It's easy to dive into Molam's story, and hard to stop reading until he gets the win he so desperately needs!
Our cast of characters act completely natural and with a vibrancy that is hard to capture, which is also helped by the fantastic writing. Without any grammatical errors I could see, and a nice flowing prose, this book gets the full 5* for me!
arianedartagnanRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
If you enjoy traditional epic high fantasy in an Asian-inspired setting, you should definitely read “Below the Heavens”! I love stories with a well-developed cast of fascinating characters, and this is one of my favorites.
In a world dominated by powerful magic users, the main character, Molam, has no magic of his own (for REASONS that are skillfully built up and gradually revealed over the course of the story). Forced to rely on his wits in hair-raising situations, he nevertheless succeeds in standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the giants of his world. As his character grows and develops, his goals also grow and develop from simply going home, to something far greater than himself.
In addition to Molam, the story also features a rich world and a diverse cast of side characters, each with their own personalities and motivations that make them feel like people you might meet in real life.
There is so much more that I wish I could say, but it would spoil the joy of discovery, so you’ll just have to read “Below the Heavens” yourself!
Style: The writing is smooth and enjoyable. There is a great mix of riveting fight scenes and conversations that feel like verbal duels, through which we learn about the characters’ personalities and backstories. Epigraphs at the beginning of each chapter lend further depth to the world (more below).
Story: It is fascinating – and frequently nail-biting – to watch Molam use his wits to hold his own against those who are vastly more powerful than he. There’s a fine line between courage and suicidal foolhardiness, and he dances right down that line, while the reader holds their breath wondering if this is the moment his bluff falls apart and a powerful magic user beats him to death.
I also love the rich world-building. Traditionally-published epic fantasy has so rarely featured Asian-inspired settings, and it is a joy to see the myths and folktales that I grew up with play into the world of “Below the Heavens.” As I mentioned above, e
hiraeth.wrtRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Below the Heavens evokes a similar bookstore energy to epic fantasy classics like Wheel of Time or Way of Kings. It is a sprawling tale set in a world heavily inspired by traditional east-Asian mythologies, strengthened by complex yet digestible worldbuilding, and predicated on a central tension of politics and powerlessness in the face of war. The depth of the setting is staggering: from the very first moment, you are subsumed in a living world of alchemy and aura where human warlords rage against the guardian spirits of the natural world on a warpath to heaven. If you are a fan of intricately-detailed fantasy worlds that you can truly submerge yourself into, this story has everything you could ask for. Chapters are lengthy, lore is abundant and always hints at greater things, yet it’s naturally woven in with the narrative without becoming overwhelming or defaulting to clumsy exposition.
One of the most powerful things I think a fantasy novel can do is make you believe in the world that exists beyond what’s strictly on the page, and Below the Heavens absolutely nails that. Molam, the reluctant protagonist, is a mortal who’s fallen between the geopolitical battle lines with no power of his own. I’ve not read many stories in the cultivation genre, but the premise of a protagonist who is completely absent spiritual power is a perfect driver for a story focused on the interactions of mortals and powerful spirits. Molam’s strengths of tactics and ingenuity are showcased straight from the get-go. He’s also surrounded by a dearth of complex characters from spirits to mortals to Oracles, each with their own motivations and dialogue style- most of which are quite nuanced in their altruism.
For its genre, Below the Heavens absolutely deserves five stars and a read. If slower stories and wider plots aren’t your preference, the high wordcount of each chapter and the measured pace might be a turn-off. Ultimately though, I believe this story knows its audience well, and for the
hypervionRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I found this book randomly scrolling through the recent updates list on Royal Road and am very happy that I clicked on it. One of the best traditional high fantasy stories I have read. With a protagonist who is interesting and tough with spectacular world building.
Awesome job author. And I hope you get this book published and in the meanwhile I am happy to consume what you put out.
Mad279Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I think this is a story that’s on par with published novels. From the beginning we jump right into the action and slowly over time get to learn about our protagonist/s. Who are all unique and interesting to get to know.
one gripe I have is that we basically just have 3 tiers of power - normal, auramaster, titled one. As a prog fantasy enthusiast I’d have liked more tiers but I can see why it works for this story.
But otherwise great story, would recommend to anyone.
MaloryRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
It's been a while since I read a real old-fashioned Fantasy epic on here. I mean, I absolutely enjoy all of the Progression fantasy that I come across, but there's nothing like a proper sword and sandals epic. And this one has a phoenix.
The real joy in reading this is that the author spends lots of time carefully confronting the world around you, without infodumping on the reader from a great height. We are dropped smack into the world of Molam as they are being chased and the context around that situation is slowly filled in for us. It is done with a lovely lightness of touch that becomes the hallmark of the wider piece. It's early stages of what will clearly be a much longer tale here, but I already can feel the quality of the plotting shining through.
In that way, the editing has been meticulous and I have not noted anything connected to the grammar that has pulled me out of my enjoyment of the piece. I especially enjoy the character interplay that exists between the MC and the phoenix, there is a pleasing archness to those interactions.
If you want numbers that go brrr, this is absolutely not for you. But if you are looking for a class epic quest novel, you should certainly jump on board this. It is an absolute hoot.
C. M. ANTALRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Below the Heavens is one of those surprising finds that makes RR such a varied and interesting place to be a part of. It's a fascinating mix of two different styles of storytelling - Eastern and Western - wrapped up in a complex sheath of excellent worldbuilding, dotted with complex characters and spectacularly good dialogue. I can't recommend it highly enough just straight off the bat.
Molam himself is a great centerpiece for this story, someone being used by larger forces for their own complicated and complex goals. His story hits the ground running in Chapter 1 and the author allows for the reader to catch up at its own pace to what's happened before, what the stakes are - personal and large-scale, and what the world is like. I'm a big fan of this kind of storytelling so the whole of this experience has been exactly up my alley so far.
I am actually quite impressed with how the Oracle has been handled so far as she makes for a great, great narrative device for moving things forward. There is so much established and relayed subtly to the reader every time she's on page that I couldn't help but take notes on how she was being set-up and used to further the plot.
And I can't wait to see more of the Phoenix. Its relationship to Molam promises a lot and I hope it ultimately delivers.
The magic is clearly Eastern-inspired and all that is possible hasn't been made clear so far. I look forward to discovering more of this as the story opens up and expands.
And yes, I look forward to more of this story overall. I've added this to my favorites and I want to follow the story to its conclusion. Technically and stylistically sound, this is definitely one work to look out for. If you're a fantasy fan who would love to see more Eastern-inspiration crossing over into the mainstream, this is definitely for you.
BigThinkRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Below the Heavens is a rare diamond on RR - long-form chapters, a fascinating world, excellent writing in the style of traditional fantasy prose, and it takes itself seriously, expecting the same from readers.
With that said, here is my review of Below the Heavens.
Story: 4.5/5
The story begins in medias res, with the MC Molam already having succeeded in one harrowing task a hair’s-breadth from getting caught by the bad guys. Continuing from there, we are quickly thrown into a world which Molam is highly familiar with, with a small bit of downtime and new faces being introduced before he sets off on the story’s main adventure. While the story is captivating, there is a bit of a culture shock in the first couple of chapters as several new terms and worldbuilding elements get introduced fairly quickly.
Character: 5/5
The characters are all extremely well-written - period. Besides Molam, the other characters he encounters even early on are all given a fair bit of time to shine, and even seemingly minor characters have a certain realistic air of mystery to them. No one is fully transparent and bears their full heart out to the MC (any by extension, the readers), and everyone feels distinct in how they are written and the vibes they give off. I never found myself having to go “wait a minute, who was that again?”, which is a strong testament to how CKMo’s characters all leave a lasting impression.
Style: 5/5
The writing flows super well, and is flavorful and detailed without running into purple-ness. Character descriptions, especially that of the Oracle, paint a super evocative mental image of CKMo’s world. The dialogue is well-written and realistic, and ably straddles the line between emotional and melodrama when it comes to high-tension arguments.
Grammar: 5/5
Absolutely flawless grammar. I did not come across any spelling errors or weird sentence structure, and that in of itself did wonders for my immersion and reading speed.
CD_HouckRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
A chosen one character just trying to get home.
Molam is a likeable character who knows what he wants and hates being used like a puppet. He speaks his mind and hates the "Titled Ones" and "Gods" for using the people around him for their own goals.
Style: Magic - lots of it, from dragons to auras, to spirits. There is also politics in the world and at the end of chapter 5, just seeing a tip of the iceberg. All except Molam does not have any. How he solves these situations is interesting, and unfortunately he used by the Oracle for this.
Story: The first 2 chapters could be trimmed and save some of the world building for later. But push through it, don't skim. It makes the impact of chapter three (sorry no spoilers) great and the pace goes from there. The reader needs the detail instead of being told that he can do it. Chapters 1 and 2 show how Molam lives. The author does not tell, they do a great job showing.
Grammar: Nothing stuck out to me. The story is extremely polished.
Character: I love the conversations between Molam and, well, everyone. Each character is unique in their voice and I love it.
I plan to continue this epic high fantasy story to see how Molam completes his task and to know if he will get what is promised to him. His home is up near the mountains, and he has to do a lot of work in order to get back. The author clearly crafted an incredible world and there is more to Molam than what has been revealed. Hints already of the "gods" becoming weak and flawed are there, especially with how they depend on an auraless Molam to help them.
MonoDrakenRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
A refreshing story of a high fantasy, one that's not plagued with the typical overpowered main character shenanigans. It's enjoyable to experience the story through the lens of a character without powers as he tries to undergo this adventure he has been levied.
Style: The writing style is poetic. There are several moments of mystery that entails one to continue enjoying the story, with minor interludes that flesh out the world that we the readers have found ourselves in. The writing is descriptive and flavorful which helps to keep one in with the way the written story helps keep everyone grounded and in the world itself.
Story: The story revolves around our main character Molam with his companion spirit. The good news is that each time an event occurs, it isn't out of nowhere: there are teasers to showcase something that will be coming in the future. This means there aren't any sort of curveballs that come out of nowhere and completely disorients the reader.
Grammar: There's no problems with the grammar. As far as I have read, the grammar is done really well. There hasn't been any issues with spelling or with the formatting. Thus, this has made the story be a pleasant read.
Characters: The first chapter helps set the stone on Molam and his relationship with his companion. The good news is that this interaction continues to be set in stone the more the story goes, thus maintaining a continuity within the story. His discussions and interactions help flesh him out more as a character, where we get to see him meet people to try to obtain new information here and there. He is wise in his actions and meticulous, which helps to cement him as an interesting perspective to follow.