The Column of Ash [Epic Fantasy]

Information

Status

Ongoing

Year

2025

Author

nickdavis

• World of the Living – Chapter 120
  Nov 6, 2025
• Ruses – Chapter 119
  Nov 4, 2025
• The Line – Chapter 118
  Oct 30, 2025
• The Next Generation – Chapter 117
  Oct 28, 2025
• Coalition – Chapter 116
  Oct 23, 2025
• Villains – Chapter 115
  Oct 21, 2025
• The Cruel Reality – Chapter 114
  Oct 16, 2025
• The Cruel Flame – Chapter 113
  Oct 14, 2025
• Heroes – Chapter 112
  Oct 11, 2025
• The March of War – Chapter 111
  Oct 9, 2025
• A New Future Elect– Chapter 110
  Oct 7, 2025
• Creatures of Hubris – Chapter 109
  Oct 4, 2025
• Carrot and Stick – Chapter 108
  Oct 2, 2025
• Creatures of Death – Chapter 107
  Sep 30, 2025
• New Masters – Chapter 106
  Sep 27, 2025
• Sacrifices – Chapter 105
  Sep 25, 2025
• The Blood of Innocents – Chapter 104
  Sep 23, 2025
• Ambushed – Chapter 103
  Sep 20, 2025
• Slaying – Chapter 102
  Sep 18, 2025
• Condemnations– Chapter 101
  Sep 16, 2025

Reviews

Community Reviews(10)

• DvColoradoRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Absolutely love anything grimdark. WH40k scratches the future fantasy, but I've been looking for more of a core fantasy. I believe I've found what I didn't realize I've been seeking.
  The characters are compelling and appear to speak and act truly of their own volition, not just to move the plot along. The threat of violence feels ever-present amongst strangers. Care and caution feels ever-present with dialogue between cohorts.
  The narration of each chapter changing POV is something I truly adore.
  The setting is gritty, vibrant, unforgiving, and rich all at once.
  The writing gives great detail to paint scenes in my mind, but not too much to where I start losing focus and have to reread passages.
  I enjoy and appreciate the pacing. Not only are the action scenes tense and exciting, but the dialogue between characters feels real.
  My only gripe is that I'm, currently, unable to hold a paperback version of this world in my hands.
• AncienthipsterRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  (At the moment of writing this review, the story is still ongoing. As such, this review will cover the story up to and including chapter 3.
  Nick Davis’ The Column of Ash opens in a world teetering between the remnants of divine glory and the corruption of necromantic decay. The story begins with the obsessive sorcerer Daecinus, desperate to pierce the veil between life and death in service of both personal loss and ambition. We then follow Emalia, a devout priestess on a mission from her god Raizak, who, along with her guard Sovina, ascends a floating ruined city in search of a long-buried secret. Pursued and eventually joined by the grizzled mercenary Oskar, his ragtag company, and the witch Feia, the narrative shifts from internal faith and scholarly purpose to raw survival as the group descends into a haunted, locked-away furnace beneath the ruins—hunted by the Dead and tethered to secrets older than empires.
  Nick Davis’s voice speaks clearly through the words of this story. His command of Voice and dialogue is tremendous. Each character speaks with a distinct cadence and vocabulary. Voice is the book’s greatest strength. The world-building is well-paced and not overwhelming, and the text manages to shift tone and character dynamics without losing its clarity.
  Story (4.5 / 5)
  The plot is tightly constructed, moving from philosophical and metaphysical ambition to dungeon-crawl suspense with seamless pacing. The setting—a floating, crumbling city—is visually stunning and symbolically rich, mirroring the instability of magic, belief, and history itself. The prologue offers a mythic tone, while the subsequent chapters ground us in tangible danger. The stakes escalate naturally, character-driven, and the transitions between viewpoints are smooth and purposeful. A slight dip in Chapter 1’s momentum due to exposition keeps it from a perfect 5, but otherwise, this is an expertly plotted opening.
  Characters (5 / 5)
  Each central character arrives fully formed, their voices
• SOMBRAcorpDTRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Nick Davis' epic fantasy, The Column of Ash, presents us with a world abandoned by the gods, its societies in decline and characters with a dark and complex story to tell -just the way we dark fantasy connoisseurs enjoy.
  This review is done after reading up to Chapter 3, and I'll probably offer more thoughts as I delve deeper into the story (a little taste is simply not enough!)
  Excellent style of writing. The use of multiple POVs, battle scenes and built tension will hook you right from the start.
  Correct grammar and concise syntax. The consistency of the paragraphs and the length of the sentences are such that reading is not tiring or hard to follow, which is something very difficult to achieve when you're writing fantasy.
  Characters are still "in formation" as per Chapter 3 in the sense of growing deeper on the reader, but of course, I'm talking about the start of the story. There's a lot of potential; I can't wait to see them develop even more in future chapters. To learn their stories, their struggles, their objectives, the kind of people they are, and of course, the interactions and relationships between them.
  About the story, it's still too early to judge the direction it takes, consistency, stakes... But by the way the author started to build the main structure with small details, lore -A MAP OF THE WORLD-, I know that there's passion and an excellent work-in-progress.
• A.NormanRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Style Score
  The world building in this story is excellent. The world is cohesive, thought out, and most importantly (imo), plausible. I am easily immersed in the story, and even though there is not an obvious explanation of the magic system at play, it doesn’t matter because everything just makes sense. And the PROSE! Wow the prose… It is so good. Descriptions are vivid and precise, and the range is just incredible. This author is able to evoke beauty and wonder so eloquently on one page, and then proceed to describe the most disgusting and horrific scene I have read in a while (in a good way). Really impressive and well done.
  Grammar Score
  The grammar overall is very good. Things make sense, dialogue is clear, and the structure is sound. I found a few minor spelling mistakes, but that is to be expected, and honestly? Three spelling errors total in 11 chapters is pretty darn good.
  Story Score
  I am a sucker for a gritty story in an imperfect world, and this is definitely it. Based on other people’s reviews, I was expecting the story to be slower, and perhaps it is a bit slow for Royal Road, but I personally don’t have an issue with the pace at all; in fact, I actually prefer it. It is not quite a slow burn; there is certainly plenty of action right from the start, but there is enough of a burn to create the kind of anticipation that leaves you hungry for more. I couldn’t put it down.
  Character Score
  I LOVE these characters so far. All of them are interesting and full, even the secondary ones. I find them very likable and SO appreciate that they are competent. I can relate to pretty much all of the characters in some way, and I especially enjoy Oskar’s pov; he cracks me up lol. The author’s ability to capture each character’s personality is nothing short of incredible. I feel like each POV was written by a different person. Even the passive descriptions of the world, other people’s actions, etc. are in line with the way that character would see it. Really cool.
  Overal
• DolinaSuncaRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  The story itself is extremely well-connected and diverse so that there is a little bit of everything for everyone. Do you enjoy reading about powerful magical beings that use magic to influence the world around them? It has it. Do you enjoy the political intrigues that shake kingdoms to their very core, that pits nobles, who once shared a common cause, against one another? It has it. Maybe you just want to read about large scale battles and skirmishes happening in the first person. It has it. This story is so immersive and in depth that there is something for everyone to enjoy, but what makes this story truly amazing is how well the author took all of these ideas and used them to shape the main characters and their relationships to one another.
• beny_vergilionRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 4.5

  The column of Ash showcases a unique take on a grimdark world, it is a representation of a world built on the bases of a past era long gone, with its tone and prose, it drags you into a premise filled with creatures who lost their humanity, rendered into shells that seeks nothing but chaos and keeps you intrigued by presenting a variety of characters that are fleshed out and carry distinctive voices and personalities, both pov and and side characters.
  The author uses a unique style with a smooth prose, equally dividing the worldbuilding aspects and backing it with the lore of the world, each word carefully picked and each phrase structured with care by the author, constantly reflecting the grim epic world we are introduced to.
  As far as the story goes, the epicness and the vast scale is clear from the beginning, presenting one Pov at the prologue and two other povs as far as I read up to chapter ten, they all differ from one another, each with a different morality, tone and drive. But what interested me most is the constant feeling of watching people traverse a broken city, and perhaps an ancient collapsed world, the only remnants that we see from it is twisted creatures that haunt its streets and act as an obstacle against the Pov characters, forcing them to work with each other through the chapters. And the gigantic immerse architecture covered in grime and darkness, some even submerged. It reminds me of the world from the video games series Dark souls, a moldy world that shows us how small the characters in the grand scheme of things, except for the prologue Pov character who I suspect will reappear in future chapters whilst we are still getting introduced to societal norms and religious aspects the world alongside the sorcery or magic it carries.
  Not to mention the exceptional and well thought out combat scenes, you could easily tell that the author did their research on combat maneuvers, weapons and the tactics of small skirmishes.
  The character work is great,
• Black2408Royal Road

  ★★★★★ 4.5

  I was honestly debating whether or not to choose a 5 or 4.5 stars and if it were honestly up to me, I would've given this a 4.75. But unfortunately, that option wasn't available for me lol.
  Story:
  The story (for now ignoring a mysterious yet captivating opens up with Emalia and her bodyguard always clad in steel armor and a sword given to her by the tightest of circumstances, Sovina. They, no matter the risk, must go inside of a once prosperous city lead solely by the leadership of an Empire now depleted of its once high glory. The reason? One that questions your brain into paying attention to the details, and one that a Priestess for her God of Rakaal has to accomplish. To rid of the constant Dead, Greyskins, and other creatures of the night and day.
  Alongside twists and turns that comes with possible antagonists such as Feia, Oskar, and Nifont. And with the constant threat of death looming over their heads, I'll give this a 5 star for captivation and the keeping of interest tight on the reader.
  Character:
  Speaking of these characters, in the short time I was able to learn about them throughout 5 chapters, I can determine that they have the emotional value that represents reality to a T. With Oskar's constant caring over his companions alongside thee brute sternness of Sovina, this offers a wide scope into the personalities between both parties. Those parties being the somewhat unreasonable, yet avid and hard-strucken Priestess and her guard as well as the bounded mercenaries fighting for their survival lead by the aforementioned Oskar.
  Just from the consistent dialogue inspiring hope and wittiness from each and every character, oozing personality into their every movement described greatly in each paragraph. I'll give character a 5!
  Style:
  This one will be brief as the metaphorical aspect of the story ties in with the deep, rich lore of its world in a fantastic way. However, as for writing technique, and this may just be a personal preference. Yet, I would've like
• FalstaffRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 4.5

  If you devour the grimdark fantasy genre, you will love this. You've got a grumpy OP MC wizard and a handful of D&D band members, your paladin, your rogue, your holy mage, and so on. There are seeds planted for an epic struggle against the Dead, meanwhile mysterious religious factions manipulate events.
  The prologue does an excellent job of hooking the reader with a sprinkling of shock and awe. One of the better prologues I've read on this site, and I'm certain many RR readers will be immediately taken with Daecinus.
  The problem is that he's immediately benched for like 5 chapters while we get to know the other band members. This effectively stops and restarts the story over and over. So that prologue does a lot of heavy lifting.
  The POV changes can be improved. I resented all these other characters for interrupting my wizard story, and I didn't find any of them lovable or compelling enough to fill Daecinus' absence. I feel those 5 chapters can be condensed and sculpted to fit new positions. But readers who enjoy slower-paced narratives will enjoy this stylistic choice. The grammar is good.
  Overall, a very good if somewhat standard grimdark fantasy.
• Queenie IVRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 4.5

  Style Score
  The descriptions in this story are so good, it feels like I'm in an actual fantasy world as I can envision it quite well. Although the world building hasn't been expanded much, it feels rich and carefully thought out already.
  Story Score
  Although the pacing is a bit slow (to me personally) it didn't deter my interest because I got a good grasp of the characters and the plot as the story continues. It feels like those stories that take their time to slowly unravel like a present.
  Grammar Score
  Honestly, I found zero grammar mistakes. Might be my unprofessional grammar skills failing me but I didn't really find anything jarring. The only thing that sort of put me out of place was the change of the POV, sometimes I miss the ellipsis (...) when I'm immersed in the story and get a bit of a shock when the perspective changes. Although I am getting used to it and being able to fit the POV with the character.
  Character Score
  I love the cast, they all have their own personalities and even when the POV changes like I said earlier, it's not hard to figure out who is talking sometimes. My favorite character is Oskar, he is a joy for me to read. The priestess is also an intriguing character and I like Feia as well! Sovina hasn't rubbed off on me yet.
  Overall, the story is very good, the grammar is good but the POV changes can be a little shocking. I like the world building about the Columns and Novas and Visas ( I hoped I spelled it correctly.) The story definitely has an original vibe to it, it's not a typical fantasy and you can't predict how some things might play out.
  I definitely recommend giving this story a try, it has a lot to offer and you won't regret experiencing it!
• AddictednovelicRoyal Road

  ★★★★ 4.0

  The story itself is very compelling. From the grand observatory, to the sudden betrayal, to the sorcerer being freed, it leaves you to wanting more. Also, the band of characters adds a good flair to it. The column sisters, the mercenary, the grey skins, etc. All of it fit well into the novel. It surely doesn't hurt the novel, it only adds more lore to it.
  Also even though the names might be confusing to some readers, it works well with the novel. If one read carefully, it shouldn't bother you. The plot itself is very intriguing itself. It makes you want to keep reading, to find out what will happen in the end.
  Grammar wise, I don't see much issues. I will definitely keep reading. For myself, I want to see how this whole things plays out. Besides that, the world building is very unique. It deserves the title epic fantasy.
  I can tell the author put much thought into the whole story. The number of pages speaks for itself. I can only praise the writer dedication. I would gladly recommend someone to read it. I'm sure you will enjoy it. I wish the writer the best of luck. Anyway, you have my support.