The Nephlim Trilogy: Qleehl

Information

Status

Hiatus

Year

2019

Author

GhostlyArtz

• Hiding Truth
  Jun 20, 2020
• Failing Cities
  Jun 12, 2020
• Burning Freedom
  Mar 3, 2020
• Honest Lies
  Jan 8, 2020
• Cursed Futures
  Dec 28, 2019
• Old Stories
  Dec 30, 2019
• Forgotten Prisons
  Jun 5, 2020
• Dreaming Reality
  Dec 26, 2019
• Lost Souls
  Dec 21, 2019
• Broken Secrets
  Nov 8, 2019
• To Change
  Dec 31, 2019
• Hopeless Cause
  Dec 24, 2019
• Living Nightmares
  Dec 22, 2019
• Prologue
  Oct 29, 2019

Reviews

Community Reviews(9)

• Nameless32Royal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  NOTE: I did not read up to forgotten prisons, that was a misclick! I've read up to chapter four, so do with that what you will.
  I also won't be using my typical one part for every section type review, because I feel like it doesn't work as well with this fic.
  The first thing you should know about this fic is that it follows many different POVs. This might prove frustrating to some readers (like many of the reviewers over here) because there isn't a strong link to tie all the POVs together, and that leads to a bit of weirdness. However, I also think that this is a plus in that it helps pull the reader in, because you're always waiting to see what happened to the other guy.
  Also, the individual chapters are amazing. The author's prose is incredible and every character kind of has their own thought patterns as well as speech patterns. I've quickly grown attached to both the father and the daughter, and I'm dying to see what happened to them!
  One thing I will say about the grammar is that when you're in Felix's head, there are a lot of sentence fragments. This is obviously a stylistic choice, but it just didn't flow as well for me. (GhostlyArtz, if you end up changing anything or if I'm missing something, don't hesitate to message me! I'll change your score immediately.) Other than that, there wasn't much wrong except for the occasional slip into past tense.
  Oh, did I mention the story is in present tense? This is used very effectively by the author to sort of "speed thing up", where every moment feels like it's important and fleeting. Definite plus to style for that.
  All in all, this is a really interesting story that tries to do something new. Those who like character-forward stories and activism: maybe give this one a try!
• VMJaskierniaRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Amazing story that starts off great and continues on that way. It is told in mostly present tense, which in most cases would bother me, but the author does it so well that it makes the story seem alive.
  The characters are well-written and realistic, the hinting at the worldbuilding and what we'll learn as we read along is great.
  Minor grammar things, but really it's so minimal and the story so good you won't even notice.
• AnjinRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 4.5

  If you're expecting a web serial, this is not it. GhostlyArtz' The Nephlim Trilogy: Qleehl is an immersive saga, set in a world with dozens of unique quirks and a rich history.
  The novel is extremely stylized, which may out some people off, but I for one love it. The approach differs from character to character, and the scenes build as we read. Nothing is ever offered up on a silver platter, if you want to know what's going on then you have to delve in and get your hands dirty.
  I really can't fault the story at this stage, it has been thoroughly captivating and I WILL be seeing where it goes. The pressure is on for the author to maintain that high standard but I have every faith.
  I've dropped the score on grammar, perhaps a little unfairly, just because of some inconsistencies in certain places. A few of the chapters do need a another proofread in order to flow as perfectly as they should, but I really want to stress that these small errors are not a deal breaker. I encourage anyone to read this.
  The characters have been very interesting thus far. My only qualm is that I want to see more from them! The novel reads almost like a collection of short stories at times, with the main protagonist often changing from chapter to chapter. I don't mind, I've enjoyed each and every story thread and look forward to them coming together, but it does slow character development. A quick shout out to Mihr though, who is so genius that I almost ignored the fact that I had seen half a dozen equally weighted characters come and go.
  All in all, this is a truly great piece. I find it captivating and original, and I can't wait to read on.
• MrBadWithNamesRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 4.5

  Right off the bat, I have to say the story his very elegantly written - if you have doubts, just read the first few paragraphs.
  Grammar - it's what you'd expect, no issues what so ever.
  Worldbuilding - absolutely great, I can't really think of how this aspect could be improved, nothing feels out of place and it never feels like you are being showered with information.
  Characters - they all feel realistic but not boring - you never feel that a character's personality is restricted by the world.
  My only real critique is that personally I didn't really pick up on the time period this is taking place in.
  Also - if feel the summary could be re-written, most people will just glance at it and see a dozen metaphors, you need to sell them on the story ASAP!
  Overall, an awesomely written story with great characters and an interesting setting - while the first bit is a little slow the story picks up fast.
• MTurnerRoyal Road

  ★★★★ 4.0

  Note: Only read first 4 chapters, so take as you will
  Your use of tense, quite so bold
  It took a while, must be told
  For the style, to get acquainted
  It was worth, my mind repainted
  Your world of magic, mordernised
  Contemporary problems, realised
  Such a take, it felt so fresh
  Different themes, so well did mesh
  Writing mostly, oh so tight
  English language, you wield with might
  Vocab, grammar, skills on show
  Not too purple, still aglow
  Knowing this, I trust you can
  Treat the parts, go through and scan
  Just a tweak, here and there
  To make the whole oh so fair
  At the start, characters do jump
  The time investment, is a hump
  When we learn a P.O.V
  Then swap through, more than three
  I am sure of great satisfaction
  For your readers, who gain traction
  I'm sure your fans, they will be hooked
  But some others, may be chucked
  I do much like, your themes so adult
  A mature feeling, is the result
  I hope you do not shy away
  From the harshness of the fray
  I wish you luck, in your venture
  In epic thirst, total quencher
  My best wishes, thoughts, and praise
  Onwards, upwards, I hope to gaze
• Skylark (Dion Sky)Royal Road

  ★★★★ 4.0

  I really like The Nephlim Trilogy: Qleehl, and have a confession to make: This is my second time reading it. I tried once, earlier, and found it too difficult to get into.
  Boy, was I wrong, and I'm so glad I came back to it and pressed through. I would have missed some of the most gripping and original storytelling on Royal Road if I hadn't.
  The world of Qleehl is a unique one. Combining elements of high fantasy, steampunk and urban fantasy, it doesn't quite fit squarely into any one established subgenre. The fictional world represented is set in a similar technological era to the twentieth century, in the aftermath of a terrible war between humans and nephlim (a race of beings who seem very similar to humans but for their capacity to wield magic), in which humans were the victors. Now, nephlim are feared, distrusted and looked down on by their human counterparts, and have to live in a world that largely despises them.
  Part adventure and part mystery, set against a powerful backdrop of entrenched prejudice, the story is told from multiple characters' perspectives and tells a sterling tale each time. We have a crime-fighting duo tracking down an elusive nephlim serial killer, a naive graduate learning about the dark realities her new job demands of her, and a burgeoning civil rights movement trying to make the world a better place for its nephlim inhabitants. The setting, story and characters are all amazing and brilliantly-executed, and I can't wait to find out what happens next on every storyline.
  So why haven't I rated it five stars? Partly for the same reason I dropped it the first time. It's hard to get into. The first couple of chapters in particular can be a tough read. Not only do they demand your full attention to make sense of what's going on, but one in particular is written from the perspective of an intentionally unreliable narrator. Which makes perfect sense from a characterisation perspective but does make for a challenge given it's the opening scene.
• B. A. Baker (Thedude3445)Royal Road

  ★★★★ 4.0

  There's one thing I really appreciate about The Nephlim Trilogy that I want to point out now, and that's that the writing actually has personality. The prose has energy and voice. The prose isn't flat and stilted like a majority of stories on Royal Road, and for that alone I have to give the story a lot of credit. I was engaged with the writing even when the story wasn't as gripping.
  And unfortunately, even though each individual chapter is interesting, and the world is very fleshed out, the story itself didn't grab me through its first five chapters. Each of these chapters had a different POV, a completely new storyline going on. It almost feels like an anthology of one-shots with various characters in their world. However, a lot of these chapters end with cliffhangers, and the sixth chapter appears to bring back one of the earlier POVs, so I don't think it was actually intended as an anthology.
  It's certainly worth a read with its world, but it will definitely take some time to get into when the first 50+ pages are so disconnected from each other. It's a tough ride that makes it difficult to engage with the characters generally (though I think "Lost Souls" was a standout chapter when it came to characterization and writing style both).
  One thing to note though; early on there are quite a few tense errors with sentences that slip into past tense accidentally. It doesn't hamper the experience much, but it is something that deserves to be addressed.
• Tana NariRoyal Road

  ★★★★ 3.5

  The prologue packs one hell of a punch, then it jumps to a brand of modern fantasy where magic openly exists alongside more or less the modern world but human being still deal with the usual crap like depression, debt, death, and everything else humans are known to deal with.
  I love it.
  Story: Several chapters in and I want to kidnap the author and force him to finish the damn book. This guy knows how to draw you in and keep you reading from beginning to end chasing the answers to the mystery it establishes early and won't ever let you forget.
  Characters- In a word: brilliant. Every character comes alive with personal goals and motivations that are some combination of believable and sympathetic. They all feel very, very real. Even, or perhaps especially, the ones I want to punch and/or set on fire.
  Style and Grammar- In this case, the story's style and grammar are hard to unpack from one another. The writing itself is good, with few typos and a descriptive but not overwhelming portrayal.
  Until it's not. There are numerous reduncancy errors, where the same word gets repeated four or five times in the same paragraph, and some chapters are written in third-person past-tense while others are written in third-person present-tense.
  These mistakes tend to drag one out of the story, and in some cases forced me to read the same segment three times to figure out what the story was trying to convey.
  Yet, even with flaws that glaring, I still feel the overall writing and style are only somewhat below average, which should give the rest of you an idea of how good it could be when cleaned up.
• VelaraRoyal Road

  ★★★★ 3.5

  This is part of a series of reviews where I read the first 50 pages of the book and give a verdict on if I wish to continue reading.
  Normally after reading a fiction for this project I jump right into the review, but this one left me so stumped I had to let it sit and breath for a couple days. Qleehl is an experience. The writing itself is gorgeous, but I'm 50 pages in and I still don't know what its about, per say. If you love the weird-fantasy aesthetic and psychological character driven stories, I think you'll like Qleehl. If you're more interested in a tight narrative you'll have better luck elsewhere.
  Favourite Part
  This has to go to the prose, some of the turns of phrase are so intense it make my teeth itch. When you're in the perspective of a broken man, the prose is broken, and fragmented. But not unintelligible which is a fine line to walk.
  This carries throughout all the parts I read, with prose showcasing the characters in a way that is quite masterful.
  The use of present tense lends a lot of immediacy to the scenes, which is exploited to good effect most of the time. Though there are occasional lines where that tense choice seems to be fighting the historical tone, especially in the prologue.
  Least Favourite Part:
  The narrative, I suppose. I can see the links between the chapters, and I've got a feeling I can see how the disparate perspectives flow together, but ultimately I'm not interested.
  I think this book in attempting something very challenging, that just, doesn't quite work.
  The prose positions us for an intense character driven fiction, but leaps from character to character in a way that is hard to get away without with a strong narrative tie to link them altogether. Instead the author has gossamer light touch hinting at the underlying thread.
  I think the book reaches for the best of both worlds between slow paced psychological character exploration and complex multi-part narrative. The end result is a slow beginning that is mired in the difficul