Tech Duinn

Ether Flows, Book 1

By: Ryan DeBruyn

Narrated by: Steve Campbell

Length: 11 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

A war to enslave the population. A prison planet designed for blood sport. The Sovereign Empire’s power was a lie.

Brutally trained his entire short life to be a Sovereign Elite and defend the Empire, Azrael instead finds himself a prisoner. Not even eight years old, and without system access, Azrael is abandoned on Tech Duinn. He must rely on his hunting trainers to keep his identity secret. There is no doubt that if people learn his last name, he would wake up in the arena...if he woke up at all.

While fleeing the takeover of Mur, the group discovers how deep despair can drag them. Soon, only the praise of the bloody mob in the Arena Pit Dungeon keeps them alive. Surviving seems impossible, yet Azrael vows to not only live, but to find a way off-world.

Azrael lives only because of applause. Others will die for it. Death or escape is the only way out of the cycle.

©2020 Ryan DeBruyn (P)2020 Mountaindale Press

Ready for book two!

This book brings on so many questions and gives many answers to the previous books. Cant wait to see where this goes.

solid start to a new series

This was a good addition to the author's universe of books. This book was a little choppy it the start. but that changed in a couple chapters as the author hit his normal flow. Overall, this was an enjoyable listen that expanded the universe of the author's of the series. if you liked the author's previous two books then this one is a good read.

Amazing!

I loved this book, a wonderful mc, grate side characters, magical worlds! A bat man race! And so much more I can’t wait for book 2!

Great

Another great book by Ryan debruyn, superbly narrated by Steve cam bell. I look forward to more

I really like where this is going

Very cool take, good system and nice new ideas.
this series is headed for good things I can't wait for the sequel to be an audiobook!

Enjoyable

Expanded universe by the same author with several nods to other fantasy authors. Now, I’m stuck waiting for the sequel.

Great start to a supporting story line

I enjoyed this start to a new story within the Ether Collapse universe. It's a fresh look at the gaming system and the greater story at large. I very much look forward to the next installment.

Really good

DeBruyn does it again, a creative and interesting world that I really want to see more of. I cannot wait to find out what happens next.

Prequel sickness.

Love the Ether Collapse books particularly due to the “discovering class mechanics” trope. There’s a lot more leeway for the author to develop the system while writing.

This one, fell a little flat for me. The narrator does a good job bringing the story to life, and the plot is engaging if a little circuitous. What kept bringing me out of the emersion was the unstable viewpoint and general lack of believability of that viewpoint.

For example, the book is written from the perspective of the main character, who we know from the Ether Collapse series as a mythical hero that made his class an ancestral class inherited by that series MC. This series MC though is 8. Yes, the other series establishes that kids grow up fast, but really. The character goes from turning 8 and getting his class to death matches with threats an order of magnitude older. We are expected to view this 8 year old badass who is very world-weary as realistic in the world, and just ignore the metaphors and similes used in his internal monologue that are from modern earth and not the system he lives in.

Overall, not bad, no objectionable bits (no sex / swearing / egregious violence), and I’m interested in seeing the events that lead up to ether collapse, but I’m not going to prioritize the next issue of this series over my other reads.

A good start

I recieved this book as part of a promotion but not in return for a review.

Pros: fun world building, some unique twists that make for interesting mechanics and world. Shows a lot of potential.


Cons: Some of the chanactures and interpersonal aspects seem to fall flat. This is in part possibly due to the MCs age and emotional state.

Overall it was a fine start but feels like rough work from an inexperienced author, that will hopfully continue to improve. I plan on picking up the next in the series.