Tallah [Book 2 Stubbing 10th of April]

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Tallah means to end an eternal empire and take the head of an empress. Her enemy is nigh immortal and wields power only few really understand. To take her down, Tallah's going to need power of her own. Lots of it. But time is not a friend, not when a mistake has brought the empire's attack hounds onto her scent.

Sil is stuck between a past she can't think on, and a future that will likely have her swinging on the end of a short rope... if lucky. Having escaped the empire's dungeons once, she has no other choice but to follow her friend on the warpath in the vain hope for a calm life beyond the mission.

Vergil should be dead. Twice even! Given a second lease on life on an alien world, he finds himself in thrall to an obviously insane sorceress and her equally terrifying partner, with the ghost of a dwarven hero sharing his headspace with a nearly useless AI companion. His rescue by the terrible duo may not be the stroke of luck he was hoping for. Dragged along by forces he can't conceive, he can only hope to find a clue as to why he's been brought to a place as horrible as Edana.

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What to expect:

- Competent, highly-motivated MCs pursuing their own agendas on both sides;

- A mysterious world that may not be what it seems on first glance;

- Gods and their games, bloody battles and body horror;

- More magic than you can shake a wand at;

- Strategic soul theft.

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Release schedule: Friday, 15:30 GMT

Average chapter length: 2000 - 3000 words

Feel free to reach me onDiscordfor any questions or just to say hi.

Information

Status: Ongoing
Year: 2024
Author: C. M. ANTAL

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.6/ 5.0
Followers: 1,479
Views: 354,272

Chapters(181 total)

Reviews

No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!

Community Reviews(10)

rad10headRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
One of the most interesting dark fantasy novel I read. Each character has motto and sense, some has history to uncover and potential to develop. Got some popular references like Al*en, but tries to tell it's own story. It has its own vocabulary that looks real, not some gibberish.
EAD12Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This is a pretty good read since you might get scared off by the media res beginning but it’s very much worth it. The writing style is also a bit unusual if you’re accustomed to reading litRPG that is common on this site but it’s for the better. The characters are intriguing complex, and complicated but I think it’s best if I leave out as many details as possible since it might hinder the experience. The style definitely takes some getting used to but its actually quite immersive as it leaves a lot to the imagination but fill in just enough gaps as you go along so that you discover this world in a very organic manner with little to no exposition as possible and thus immerse the readers through the viewpoint in a very well fleshed out manner.
I think that this is also a character first story and world second, the setting is definitely very strong but I would recommend this on the basis of amazing character work before anything else. Especially as you follow Tallah and Vergil’s viewpoints and get to see their internal and external conflicts, the drama within their hearts is just as captivating as the action.
InterroganteRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This is a wonderful fantasy story that starts in media res and then slows its pace to make the world building we need, while raising slowly the suspense.
Well written, addictive, an isekai that is less obnoxious than I thought it would be, no lit anything (that is a good point for me).
MojnRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Just wanted to leave a quick review and thank you for this story.
A highlight for me would be the authors style of writing, which throws you into the deep end and leaves you to figure out, through contextual clues, what is going.
If you're new to the story and wondering if you should try it out then i can absolutely recommend it. Though it does require a bit of investment from the reader before youve got the basics down on what's going on in this world. This is a good thing!
Nick11179 (Nick Timm)Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Overall - Tallah is a wonderful mix of fantasy, sci-fi and horror. The first chapter leads in hard with a POV from a "Monster" being slaughtered and the dark mind controlling a fleshy monstrosity. This dovetails into a nice few chapters of worldbuilding and character development. If you like 40k you'll love this.
Style - I generally don't rate style - each writer has their own pace - but this is a good 5/5. Easy to read, fun and engaging.
Grammar - No glaring errors. A few personal syntax things, but it doesn't detract from the story at all.
Story - Grimdark mash of sci-fi and fantasy. One minute you're scuttling through a fleshy cave monstrosity and in the next you're on a matriarchal run space ship terraforming a planet. It's a fun mix and something you don't see often enough. The story flows around the characters and the entire work feels natural and not contrived.
Characters - The Characters are all very organic feeling. Vergil is a neat touch as he's introduced as little more than a brainwashed fight-slave, but not for the reasons you'd think. The supporting casts within the different occupied areas are all 3 Dimensional and jump off the page. You don't get the feeling they're just throw-aways. Sil and Tallah's interactions are very relatable and enjoyable. I think they have the strongest pull for me in the story thus far.
Can't wait to read more! My only complaint is there isn't more to read now!
-Nick Timm
PawnsRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Note: this story is so great that this review will not do it justice, I really recommend you to read it as the author put so much effort into it (including a map of the world which I hope a lot of fantasy does but making such quality of reading adds might take a lot of money). at the time of writing this, the story has not yet come with major events but it is so enjoyable, top 5 fantasy I read for sure.
Honest opinion on "Tallah":
Style and Story: The unfolding story within Tallah is a captivating journey through a meticulously crafted fantasy world much like "Frieren: Beyond Journey's End". The author skillfully navigates rich detail and intricate world-building, transporting readers from vibrant cityscapes to foreboding caves. The immersive narrative style draws you into a realm brimming with magic, adventure, and intrigue. The prose flows effortlessly, painting each scene with vivid descriptions. While the use of dialogue effectively fleshes out characters and propels the plot, there are moments where its elaboration might challenge reader accessibility. that must be 5/5
Characters: Tallah excels in character development, a standout feature of this narrative. Characters like Tallah and Sil are multifaceted, endowed with clear motivations, distinct personalities, and intricate relationships. The depth afforded to these characters allows us to intimately connect with their struggles and triumphs. Supporting characters, such as Vergil (DMC reference maybe?) contribute additional layers to the narrative, enhancing the overall tapestry of the story. 5/5
Grammar: The author's command of language shines through in solid grammar and well-structured paragraphs and dialogue. While these elements contribute to the story flow and comprehension, a heightened focus on punctuation, particularly in lengthy, descriptive sentences, could enhance overall readability. 5/5
Conclusion: Tallah stands as a compelling and intricately woven fantasy tale, showcasing the author's prowess i
Wind WizardRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
A good story idea is nothing more than a good story idea unless in the hands of a good story teller. I believe this was sort of the position that Jim Butcher took some many years ago. There is truth to that. Fortunately for Tallah, the story teller is good, too. Tallah is quite the intriguing story that is vividly and creatively told. Not my usual type of selection but I am pleased to have read it. We follow several POV characters each with captivating motives and personalities. As a character-driver reader, I am enthralled by this darker anti-heroine storyline which follows, primarily, Tallah and her healer Sil. Their relationship is deep, strongly rooted and beautifully quirky. The presentation of characters is professional-tier with memorable dialogues and character speaking styles. We also follow characters, among one of my favorites (Quistis), that are ‘hunting down’ our protagonist. Very refreshing to follow both sides. The story begins with a very intense set of action scenes portraying Tallah and Sil as very capable mages in their respective avenues. Rather than told, we are shown the effects of the fights on the characters and limitations of the magic and form a sense relatability with the main characters. Loved it to bits. I only wished more of the POV’s thoughts were clearly shared as at time it seemed ambigious what was going through their head. Not a really big deal for my enjoyment, however.
I appreciate exposition limited to what is necessary meanwhile CM clearly focuses on writing meaningful prose aimed to plant imagery and immersion for the reader. This is a rare find on a platform like RR. I cannot underestimate the creativity and raw talent of the writing style. Not unlike a virtuoso pianist at a concert where the first keystroke nurtures anticipatory delight, CM’s ability to craft a world into words is outstanding and I yearn to listen to the end of the score.
In all, Tallah presents a story with intent, and by extension, hard work that is evide
XyneRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
TL;DR: Read it, it's great.
Tallah is a unique story that is frankly a joy to read. The characters are snarky and iconic without being bland one-liner spouting goofs, razors edge edge-lords, or caricatures which is so often the case reading online. Instead, they come off as actual people, with developed personalities and goals that clearly inform their actions and motivations.
The world itself is not just a bland backdrop, but rather a compelling and ever-expanding thing that doesn't force itself on the reader but rather entices them to dive deeper. I cannot verbalize just how excited I am to see where this story will end up as more is posted over time, and you should be too!
Give this a go if you haven't already, it is definitely worth it. Some of the cons include a few extremely minor where the grammar and syntax is the tiniest bit awkward. I could nitpick those, but I feel that that is unnecessary in this review because none of them effect enjoying the story in the slightest.
Also, the posts have been very consistent and frequent, so it wouldn't be a long wait for a new chapter once you get to the end.
eschatonRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Tallah is a riveting dark fantasy story that that surpasses most self-published works and even many you'll find on the shelves of your local bookstore.
Style: The author has mastered the art of scene description. He provides enough detail to keep the reader intrigued without bogging the story down with purple prose. He also pays close attention to the differing POVs of the characters, rooting the scene descriptions in what the POV characters experience rather than simply a simple "cinematic" presentation.
Grammar: It is already 95% of the way to being a publication-ready final draft. There are no typos, though an editor may have occasional issues with a few of the word and capitalization choices. As with the style, none of them take away from readability.
Story: Antal has spent a great deal of time crafting a detailed world and story, and it shows. One should keep in mind that, similar to Steven Erikson, he is not a fan of expository infodumps. The story starts in media res, and he trusts that you can figure out everything from context as you go along. The story does not hold your hand, dropping you right into the action of the story. I personally love this, because your initial feelings when dropped into the prologue in some ways mirror the characters themselves. And the ideal is to craft a narrative which gets the reader to feel what the characters are feeling. Which gets us to...
Characters: All of the established POV characters (Tallah, Sil, Virgel, and the investigators) have different personalities, and chapters can have startlingly different tones based upon who's shoulder we're over. Antal particularly excels at banter, with cracking-good dialogue which is conflict-forward when it needs to be, without ever falling into cheap melodrama.
Antano SparreboomRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
For me, reading Tallah was a very novel experience (pun not intended). For one, it was my first read on Royal Road, or webnovels in general, so I did have to get used to reading on my laptop only.
Tallah begins quite strong, you're thrown in medias res and you start off seeing the aftermath of this epic battle against chimeras (FMA version). I immediately got strong biopunk vibes, which is a subgenre I've rarely seen featured this prominently.
The main characters are introduced relatively quickly, and I got the idea that there was a kind of post-medieval technology level in this world, with magic playing a huge role. The magic system seems to be relatively hard, it's explained in detail what happens when, and this makes it quite clear what is happening.
I do find that there is all quite a lot of dialogue, interspersed with short sections of dramatic action. In most cases this is excellent pacing, keeping me reading. There is also a constant set of mysteries which are slowly being unravelled as I read, which is a fun way to progress the story.
There were quite a few horror elements, and CM does a good job of making it disturbing, though I can't say I was ever really scared. This might be because I'm more sensitive to atmospheric horror, and in this it's rarely subtle.
I will say though, there's a scene with Vergil that did really disturb me. He's definitely my favourite character so far, especially because his background is so unique and different to the other characters.
Tallah was a bit too strong at the beginning in my opinion, though that might just be because I'm not used to powerful protagonists early on. I personally prefer slightly slower progressions in which we see how characters got their powers, for example in training scenes. I think the progression could certainly have been more gradual, and my first thought is that this would improve the horror.
As a warhammer fan myself, I can also see a lot of inspirations from that, especially the militaristic aspec