The Sound of Magic, Elegy [BOOK 1, EPIC FANTASY]

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Violence has shaped Zaber’s life, and it haunts him.

Gone are the years of soldiering and he has turned into an aimless slob. Zaber is living off the coin from his battles for the Kingdom, hiding the secrets of his old general. But when a friend is in need, the fire gets reignited and he is up to the task.

An uphill battle against the upper classes ensues, fought by the magicless commonfolk. New allies and old friends stand their ground and fight back, no longer accepting the feet on their necks.

Peasants, slaves, brigands, and whores alike have nothing to lose. But what will Zaber and his companions have to pay for their freedom?

What can you expect?

An Epic Fantasy story, told from and about the perspective of those at the very bottom.

A strong revolutionary theme about overthrow and liberation.

This is the first book of a series with 200k+ words already written.

What’s the update schedule?

Book 1 is done, thank you very much! The old schedule is over, but I'll post 4 Intermezzo Chapters at the first friday per month. After that, this is on hiatus until I have enough backlog for book 2.

Information

Status: Completed
Year: 2024
Author: SEBscribe

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.7/ 5.0
Followers: 23
Views: 12,338

What readers say about The Sound of Magic, Elegy [BOOK 1, EPIC FANTASY]

“This is an impressive fantasy with immersive writing that transports readers to a vivid medieval world. The author skillfully brings the setting to life, from the detailed environment to the rich portrayal of daily happenings. The attention to detail allows…”
TheCrimsonEclipseRoyal Road5.0 / 5
“The story begins with our merry gang of adventurers hanging out in a tavern before they're accosted by the town guards, who want to make trouble for them. And they do get in trouble, and so one of them is dragged off, and the story follows them as they init…”
drechenauxRoyal Road5.0 / 5

Reviews

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Community Reviews(7)

TheCrimsonEclipseRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This is an impressive fantasy with immersive writing that transports readers to a vivid medieval world. The author skillfully brings the setting to life, from the detailed environment to the rich portrayal of daily happenings. The attention to detail allows you to fully picture the world in which the story takes place, making it feel tangible and real. Whether it's the cathedral of St. Leodor, the Guild Hall, or any location, every scene feels carefully crafted and authentic.
The characters are another standout aspect of this story. Each one is distinct, with their own unique beliefs, goals, and personalities, making them easy to tell apart. They are not just flat archetypes; they possess depth, flaws, and plenty of room for growth. This dynamic makes following their individual journeys exciting, as there's a sense of anticipation for how they'll evolve over time.
Grammatically, the story is very well-written, which is particularly remarkable given that the author isn’t a native English speaker. As someone who also writes in a second language, I can appreciate the challenge, and I admire the author’s ability to create such a smooth and cohesive narrative.
Overall, this is a captivating story with excellent world-building and character development. I look forward to seeing how it unfolds. Fantastic work!
drechenauxRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The story begins with our merry gang of adventurers hanging out in a tavern before they're accosted by the town guards, who want to make trouble for them. And they do get in trouble, and so one of them is dragged off, and the story follows them as they initially try to rescue their comrade.
Style: The style is simplistic, but leaves no room for complaint as it follows the story find and from a technical point of view leaves nothing to be desired.
Grammar: Again, the grammar, like the style I don't have any complaints with- if there are any errors, I couldn't catch them.
Character: It's here that the story really begins to stand out. The characters on the surface follow basic adventurer and fantasy tropes- the grizzled veteran, the newbie intern, the friend from an oppressed class, but make no mistake. These people are as far from cliches as you can possibly get. What really stands out is the dialogue, the way that they speak to each other feels real, as if you're listening on people who have known each other for years, which is exactly what they are.
Story: The story unfolds slowly- there is of course, a mystery, as to what the reason behind some of the events are, but the worldbuilding is solid and this story doesn't make the mistake of dumping everything upon you all at once. The world expands slowly, chapter by chapter.
Overall this is a very promising start to a fantasy series, and if you are a fan of fantasy I'm sure you'll enjoy this story.
fachefaucheuxRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This story starts with a basic premise, but twists each standard element of medieval European-coded fantasy to give the reader a more historically and materially grounded take on the myth of heroic kings and dashing princes sold to reader in most books of this genre. There's no noble coming to save us in this story. Just a war-scarred veteran who is in dire need of a bath and his dorky apprentice, who are the most prominent members of a whole cast full of fascinating lower-class people who are ready to fight for their friends and their freedom.
Story: The plot starts out with a basic premise: save a friend from unjust incarceration due to his race. But it grows in ever-expanding circles to encompass more and more mysteries and strata of medieval society. The author clearly takes his historical research seriously, as I can see evidence in it with his choice of terms, settings, and traditions. I really appreciate the inclusion of an Ottoman-coded population in this story! And the attention paid to their magical language. Non-white populations usually get 100% overlooked in this genre, aside from as an "exotic" throwaway component.
That's the other big selling point of the story -- the magical system based on singing, which has real hard limits. It means there won't be effortless fireballs flying everywhere from page one, but when magic is used, it packs an extra punch.
Style/Grammar: The author's grammar is pretty good for a non-native English writer, and it only gets better as the chapters progress. And it does have the benefit of sometimes producing novel word combinations and descriptions that wouldn't jump to the front of a native speaker's mind. But it also sometimes does get a little confusing/fall flat. You win some, you lose some.
Character: I'm mostly a character reader, and that's where this story really shines. The author manages to find a unique voice for every character that comes up, no matter how minor, and the main crew is distinctive and funny and tra
YoharikoRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
The story kicks off with a group of adventurers relaxing in a tavern, only to have their peaceful moment interrupted by town guards looking to cause trouble. Things escalate quickly, and one of the group gets hauled off, sparking the main thread of the plot: their attempt to get their friend back.
Style: The writing is straightforward and gets the job done well. It's not overly complicated, but that works in favor of the story, keeping everything clear and easy to follow. From a technical standpoint, there's really nothing to critique.
Story: The pacing is steady. Instead of overwhelming you with details all at once, the world and its mysteries are revealed bit by bit, which makes the unfolding story more engaging. There’s clearly more going on beneath the surface, but the gradual worldbuilding keeps you hooked without feeling lost.
Grammar: No noticeable issues here. If there were any minor mistakes, they didn’t stand out enough to detract from the reading experience.
Characters: This is where the story shines. At first glance, the characters might seem to fit standard fantasy molds—the seasoned warrior, the rookie, the underdog from a marginalized group. However, they break free from those stereotypes pretty quickly. The dialogue is especially well done; it feels natural, like you're overhearing real conversations between people who have been through a lot together.
Overall, this story shows a lot of promise. If you’re into fantasy, it’s definitely worth checking out. It sets up the world and characters nicely, and I’m interested to see where things go from here. I will definitely be reading this one.
Theora WattersRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
I find myself quite smitten by what is on display here. My complaints are few and outweighed substantially by the care and thought put into the work, which I can tell has a lot of effort put into the worldbuilding of.
The style of the writing is solid and consistent. You certainly get the feel of the realistic struggle and squalor of this fantasy world, as our viewpoint is at the bottom of this heavily class-based, unfair system. The rough lives of the commoners, who take out their frustrations on indentured people who are the only ones that the peasants can kick down at, carries through. If I had any complaint, it's that the writing and detail can be a bit dense, but it's still plenty enjoyable and I feel is intentional.
Story-wise, I am already drawn in to this story of our haggard, distant protagonist and his eager but endearing apprentice. There isn't a lot of grandstanding, in that the importance of the characters feels consistent and reasonable. It's hard not to root for the protagonist in trying to be loyal to his friends in defiance of the racist, petty upper caste.
Grammatically, much of the writing is done well, though there are some minor typos and punctuation errors. Sometimes the flow of the writing can stumble due to the density of the style and material, but it's a minor complaint. Needs some light proofreading, I feel, but I also understand that English isn't the author's native language. Considering that the writing and grammar is quite good, even by the standards of a native English speaker/writer, this is a minor complaint.
As far as the characters themselves, they all feel real and reasonable. Most are interesting so far, not over the top in any way, though some come off as a little flat this early on in the story. That said, I feel that their characteristics and personalities will very much come out as the story progresses, as opposed to them being underdeveloped.
The story overall feels like a slow burn, due to how realistic and heavy both the
S.D. HussRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Pretty interesting start to the series. What I’ve read, I’ve enjoyed. Without the overbearing or meaningless noise many stories have at the beginning. I thought the author pulled this off quite well.
Style: The author’s style is pretty smooth. There wasn’t a moment where I felt I was being rushed or was confused enough to go back and read a portion again. Each segment seamlessly flows into the next. Well done.
Story: The story grips you fairly well in the first chapter. Carrying you on through several fight scenes and keeps you engaged enough throughout. There is a clear message and point that I gathered so far from this story. (I’m only on Chapter 5 at the time of this review) The downtrodden are pretty mistreated. The scene with the Yesilian in Chapter 2 is a pretty decent indicator. I won’t go into spoilers for those looking to read. Other than that, it slowed down quite a bit after chapter 3.
Characters: The Characters seem fine to me at this point. Zaber is a competent protagonist so far. He’s easily relatable and is a grizzled Veteran with some perks due to his connections. Torm kind of got a bit annoying at times, but his personality is well defined and fits in with the story. The rest; Asher, Sagir, and other minor characters seemed fine as well.
Grammar: To my understanding, the author isn’t a native English speaker. This is pretty impressive so far. All it needs is a quick edit here and there.
Overall I would recommend this book for fans of the War/Military genre. It checks a lot of boxes for those who are looking for a solid story. Give it a read!
AustenKeatsRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
This story feels like you are dropped squarely into the center of a new world. From the first paragraph, the world-building begins. I would describe the world-building as it is present thus far as "atmospheric." There is little outright description, but there is a lot of qualitative feeling that is generated by the words on the page. I could not always see the world in my mind's eye, but I could definitely feel it.
Style: The style of this story is a strong point. The dialogue is the strongest point of all. In my opinion, dialogue is one of the hardest aspects of writing to master. This author is already well on their way to doing so, and if one is already so skilled at dialogue, it stands to reason that all the other skills can follow behind in terms of ongoing development. I would recommend the use of descriptive words (e.g., "greasy and unkempt man") to be limited to initial introduction of characters. While these phrases do facilitate the development of a mental image, it can be confusing to track who is who if a character we have come to know by the name of Zaber is sometimes referred to again as a "greasy and unkempt man." It can create the incorrect impression that there are two characters now present, instead of just the one who is named Zaber. Lastly, I would use italics less often, in factor of other words such as adverbs and adjectives that can convey the same thing.
Grammar: I did not notice any grammatical errors aside from the usual minor ones that can be corrected in editing.
Story: As I stated above, the world-building of this tale is a strong point. I would like to see a little more description of the city, so that I can at least have something around which to begin constructing my own mental image of it.
Characters: The characters are interesting and well-developed. They are gradually presented and revealed so that we come to know them as the story unfolds. It may be helpful to establish with more clarify what the relationships are between the char