The Column of Ash [Epic Fantasy]

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Centuries entombed. A future stolen, replaced by one of ash and bones.

Daecinus, master Sorcerer and reclusive statesman, awakens from an arcane prison to find his people wiped from history, their disappearance buried in centuries of lies. He seeks the truth, even if it drags him back to a war-torn path he vowed never to tread again. Alongside him in a tenuous peace, the prophetic priestess Emalia, whose visions demand Daecinus’s sacrifice, and Oskar, a sardonic sellsword with all the loyalty of a blood-slicked coin. They’ve all been betrayed by the Imperial Tsardom of Vasia—a nation on the edge of collapse, divided between a weak tsar and independent voivodes hungry for more power. Laczlo Vilsky, lowest of the voivodes, is forced far from home by debts and cruel politics to pursue a dangerous scheme that threatens to destroy him, his family, and all of Vasia.

In the shadow of the past, a new era dawns. And the four Souls find themselves inextricably bound to each other and the fate of Vasia. Be it one of glorious rebirth or, like many of its former lands, Necromantic Corruption.

What to expect:

Character-driven and focused narrative

Adventure, politics, necromancy, and brutal action

A combination of Joe Abercrombie's First Law and A Practical Guide to Evil by ErraticErrata

New chapters on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 4 PM MNT.Average chapter length: 3,000 words.

Information

Status: Ongoing
Year: 2025
Author: nickdavis

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.7/ 5.0
Followers: 109
Views: 55,615

Chapters(180 total)

Reviews

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

Community Reviews(10)

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.
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
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.
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.
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
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.
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
Pens&KeysRoyal Road
★★★★ 4.0
First thing, I love a story with rotating POVs. The bird’s eye view will forever win me over.
Currently I have no liking to any of the characters. They all just feel like people I’m reading about. That’s not to say they are not written well because they are.
The creator of this story does a great service to their readers with the descriptions of places, people and things.
I also appreciate how the power structures are not thrown in your face the first few chapters. I love a good slow power reveal. With that being said I was not lost in how the characters use their powers or what their powers were.
I am a Grim lover. The darker the theme the better. I will say I was a little disappointed that beginning of this story was not enough to hint into darker themes for me. But again it could be a slow descend into the darkness. Which I believe the creator will do a sinfully remarkable job.
Overall I recommend. The writing style is good and the characters have a distinct voice. The world is interesting and the story does have a great start.
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.
Master-at-armsRoyal Road
★★★★ 4.0
Story: Like I mentioned in the title of this review, it's well written. I mean, the storyline is woven together so neatly. The world building is superb, but I feel as though it could be better. All sorts of different characters, from different places... doing stuff. All in all, it's a great story, but the setting linda kills it for me. It's not bad, at all, but I'm just not the target audience for incredibly serious dramatic high fantasy. In the interest of putting personal bias away, I'll just go to the next segment now. :D
Character: Not bad. I've only read four chapters, but I feel as though I understand these characters. Almost everyone is well fleshed out, and appear to go deeper than what's on the surface. I believe that might set the stage for very dramatic moments later on in the story. I've got no beef with this segment. Give it 5 stars.
Style: .... Ick. I mean, it's not too bad. But this is the weakest for me. The book is written in a way, that I believe is quite praiseworthy- it's awesome, no joke. But I'm too stupid to get what's going on half the time. The story is written in a very... immersive way, and you actually have to pay attention to understand what's going on or you'll get lost. Exposition isn't fed to you. And I love it for that. But I think it takes it a bit... far to the point of being difficult for stupid people to read. Maybe I mentioned way too many ‘buts’ here.
Grammar: Perfect. No spelling error spotted whatsoever. No grammer error spotted. I'm not exactly the best at English, but I'm not the worst either. So it means something for me to give this a thumbs up.
Final remarks/ Overall score: I would like to say that, despite all I have said, I enjoyed reading this story. I strongly recommend it to fans of high fantasy stories with serious tones. Thanks!