To Seize the Skies

Information

Status

Hiatus

Year

2023

Author

Ben Howard

• 50. Homecoming
  Aug 9, 2023
• 49. Testing the Waters
  Aug 6, 2023
• 48. To Hell and Back
  Aug 2, 2023
• 47. Tip of the Iceberg
  Jul 30, 2023
• 46. A Drop in the Ocean
  Jul 26, 2023
• 45. Beauty Sleep
  Jul 23, 2023
• 44. Money Troubles
  Jul 19, 2023
• 43. Scraping By
  Jul 16, 2023
• 42. Memories of Gold
  Jul 12, 2023
• 41. Brothers in Arms
  Jul 9, 2023
• 40. Boiling Point
  Jul 5, 2023
• 39. Back to Basics
  Jul 2, 2023
• 38. Rebellion
  Jun 28, 2023
• 37. Campfire Tales
  Jun 25, 2023
• 36. Cold and Calculated
  Jun 21, 2023
• 35. Havoc
  Jun 18, 2023
• 34. Before the Storm
  Jun 14, 2023
• 33. Dark Places
  Jun 11, 2023
• 32. Into the Gallery
  Jun 7, 2023
• 31. Complications
  Jun 4, 2023

Reviews

Community Reviews(8)

• DischtopiaRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  To Seize the Skies is a progression fantasy about a young craftsperson named Remus who is fairly shit at just about everything he attempts, and we love him for it.
  Style: This might go a little long. I have thoughts.
  In literary criticism, there is a charge that may be leveled against certain works whose prose is so complex, so resplendently verbose, that it is utterly distracting to the reader: purple prose.
  I have a high tolerance for such prose, myself. I love a big, beefy word or two (or a dozen). But in this, tastes do vary. And if I am being quite honest, I do believe that Benhow's prose skews a little bit in this direction. Not purple, per se... Maybe a nice mauve?
  It's a good problem to have, really. An extensive vocabulary is a useful tool. I am well impressed by your capabilities here, Benhow. However, I am of the opinion that vocabulary is only as good as its use case, and as writers our use cases are dictated by three fickle gods:
  Flow, Tone and Clarity.
  Fortunately, the story's tone and narration lend themselves to verbosity. No problems there. But, though I like Benhow's prose quite a bit, I noticed several instances of vocabulary overwhelming flow and clarity, which in turn harms readability.
  IMO, vocabulary and poetic license are boondoggles. They're great, but secondary. Like spices on your potatoes. Flow and clarity are your potatoes, and they are good even un-spiced. People will eat them up. Spices? Not so much.
  Basically what I'm saying is if you want some michelin star prose, focus on your potatoes--flow and clarity--first. Then add some spice if it won't negatively impact those facets. Sometimes, leaving a sentence written at a Grade 6 reading level is preferable to putting some stank on it. I had to learn this the hard way myself.
  To Benhow I would say, take heart! You are a gifted writer. If you learn to wield your best words like a rapier, I have every confidence you'll be slaying your metrics left and right.
  Story: Excellent! I love seeing
• DuvilRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  To Seize the Skies, a new treat. This is the beginning of a grand journey, and I am totally here for it!
  Style:
  Honestly, I don't think I can accurately express my thoughts on the style, so read Dischtopia's review because they actually know what they're talking about. Essentially, the author's potential is clear, and with some experience the story will be great.
  Grammar:
  Nothing jarring, well-done. Not much to say here (which is a good thing)
  Story:
  Who doesn't like to see the little guys punch up? This story is all about those at the bottom against those at the top, and it focuses around Remus's attempts to claw his way upwards. I really liked that the gods just so happened to appear. In this type of story, you expect them to be lofty, unknowable beings, but then here they sort of show up and freak people out, I love it.
  One thing I wanted to talk about was the sudden shift at some point. When Remus (bit of spoilers) is thrown in jail, there is some time dedicated to an entirely different perspective that has seemingly little to nothing to do with the story in any way. I love alternate perspectives, but this sudden change without any sort of explanation or indication just felt odd. Maybe it will become relevant soon, but as it is it feels jarring and strange.
  Chracter:
  Well. I will say that coming at an mc like Remus from a reader's perspective teaches me a lot as an author. From an objective standpoint, Remus is fascinating. He is flawed and brash and even stupid in a way, constantly doing stunts and acting in a way that gets him in trouble, not without purpose. It is clear why he is the way he is, and how he can grow as a person, and I think it is done so well. He really is an underdog you want to root for as he skips straight ,past wanting to compete with his oppressive superiors straight to spitting at the gods.
  But man, is it hard to root for him sometimes. Despite everything I said, reading Remus from a more simplistic standpoint is a rough experience. Every
• KleggtRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Style: There is a consistent tone in the writing which is well-detailed and descriptive. A clear decision to use some in-world names for certain things (Sects/Passing/Duration) does well in adding to the flavour of the tale, but some additional lay-person explanations could be utilised in the starting chapters just to smooth over the intake of anything a little unconventional.
  Story: There is a wide world that we only get to see the start of in the first few chapters of the story, but the author does an excellent job at worldbuilding, setting the scene for the issues that are apparent in the character's life and starting to lead us on the trail to how they start to overcome them.
  Grammar: The story had consistently good grammar and a set structure that was easy to read and did not pose an obstacle to reading.
  Character: The MC of the story starts off just about as low on the totem pole as he could be. Fed up with his situation and the injustices imposed on his Sect, he naturally begins full of frustration and immaturity in the way that he decides to act up against those responsible. When this does not go the way he had planned, it offers him the chance to reflect - as such there is ample opportunity for the character to grow even before he sets into the adventure proper.
  Overall the story has a slow start but uses this time to fully explain how much of an underdog the MC is. The hook that is presented is how can this lowly person with nothing going for them overcome the almost insurmountable odds presented - which is a very good motivator to read on further!
• Mad279Royal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  The story and characters are really good. This feels like the level of a published book. Though I didn't like Remus in the beginning he really grew on me.
  However, I'll be dropping the book for now and will probably read it once it's done. Mainly because the story was too fast for my taste. A lot of things I'd have liked to read got off screened.
  One problem I have with is the villains. A protagonist is only as good as his antagonist and I this story the villains feel flat. Old and powerful people appear too often and don't have the gravitas one expects of them. Also everyone in power seems to be interested in killing everyone else in power. Lack of variety.
• Of Rantings and RamblingsRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  To Seize the Skies is fairly standard in the basic building blocks that make up is genre; tiered magic systems, exponential differences of power between each rank and a world that doesn't seem to much mind the fact.
  Our main character Remus, however, is in quite a rare position to see this system from another direction.
  Born unmarked by any god, our hero is left without supernatural power in a world where superhumanity is downright commonplace. This leaves him occupying the very lowest rung on the ladder, but those of other gifts are scarcely higher. What really stood out to me is a scene with his grandfather, this extra-powerful local hero, sits him down for a chat and explains in no uncertain terms that... Well, I'll just drop the quote.
  "You are nothing."
  This is a persisting theme in the early parts of the story. Remus' family are workmen, exploited through taxation by a more powerful group. This group itself merely derives its power from the Gods, as do most people, and if a God wants something done, it's happening whatever the humans feel about that fact.
  A lot about this book is decent or good, but it's this persisting sense of helplessness, injustice and harsh reality that leaves it truly captivating and perfectly priming its readers to root for a hero who's going to overturn the unfair truths of his world.
• PeterRobertsRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Style: The descriptions of the world, the social structure and the divine system is neatly packaged and delivered early on in this fiction. By the end of the first chapter you have an idea not only of the MC’s history, but also the issue that marks him out as unusual in his society. The dramatic ending of chapters is a strong point and well placed to lead the reader into the story.
  I would add that world building and fleshing out the concept fully is the writers main strength.
  Story: Remus does not fit in with the neatly ruled system that governs his world. He is an anomaly which causes those around him to either pity or ridicule him. A good start for a would-be hero to have to grind to overcome. The history of god wars and subsequent pacts and deals is a great concept with heaps of room for exploration. I think the upcoming Day of Descension could have been introduced earlier.
  Character: MC is from a loyal and loving family but is still embittered about the bad luck he had being DMarked. He has a chip on his shoulder and is out to prove the world wrong. I like the possibilities that being Death-marked brings up, potential conflict with other gods and being shunned from society. The only thing I don’t know yet is if Remus is a good guy at heart, or he has some darkness in him. It would be good to have a clearer idea so that I can start to track his progression.
  Grammar: I’m not close-reading for issues. Nothing got in the way of my reading.
  Feedback: The first chapter is 4200 words, I think that this could be edited down to make it more accessible and allow a reader access to slightly less information as it could be overwhelming for some readers.
• Rookie12Royal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  This review is based on the first five chapters.
  Before you, we have a story based on sects and gods. Now, before I lose you, this is not a story about how the MC becomes the OP and rules over all, at least not yet! No, for now we have a story about a very troubled youth who is dealt a harsh hand in life and who is dealing with all the troubles that a young man would face in such a situation. When almost everyone is blessed, what can one person without a blessing do?
  Style and action. I like it. Everything is meticulously described, leaving just enough room for our imagination to fill in the blanks. The action and showing of truly supernatural abilities are very well done, showing us exactly why all would bow to the Sects' leadership without overwhelming us with OP abilities right from the start.
  Grammar. I am a non-native English speaker, but I have found the text easy to read and found next to no mistakes. Everything that the other people pointed out, the author quickly fixed. All in all, the author has a solid grasp on writing.
  Story and worldbuilding. So far execent. A sparing use of deities, a somewhat confining location to ease our submersion into the world, a very well-thought-out balance of power, naturally human reactions to the political events (like, for example, waiting out a rule of one sect, because, while this sect is overall bad, they are not unbearably bad. The author masterfully showed that the bad guys leave others just enough to survive, but not to live properly, thus fostering no revolutionary movement). Lore, descriptions of abilities, and hints are also done skillfully enough to entangle a reader.
  Characters. I have some problems here. The MC comes off as unlikable at first, but this part is ok. He takes full responsibility for his actions and works to remedy them. In general, this looks like a story about him maturing into a proper master. This part and most of the side characters are done well. What is not done well is a character's sudden,
• fantasyretreatRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 4.5

  I love the world-building that comes with the story. The author has clearly mapped out the world and has made good progress expressing it.
  Getting to know the MCs struggles and dreams and how hard it is for him to get a droplet and gain the strength he needs, is another thing the author excels at. It gives the MC life as a human, making him seem like every living, breathing human on earth and not just a fictional character one can't relate to.
  I would however say that there is still much work to do for the author to give this piece of writing the standard it deserves. The writing style and choice of words could get in the way of reading.
  The writer needs to cut out the fat in his words and make them fit enough to convey intention without being...what's the word for it?  Too wordy?
  This'll definitely cause changes to the style of writing, but it'll make the flow of words and sentences seamless and enjoyable. People prefer to read like they are talking (I for one prefer this). It doesn't matter the tone of voice you go for as a writer: make it readable. Be it punchy lines or an archaic and out-of-time tone, they'll still be read by humans.
  I won't be doing a full review for now, but I will keep my eyes on the story because it's a good story, and I want to know what happens to our dear MC, Remus.