What is your opinion?
A Dark and Compelling Story
"I have spent the past few months reading Avarice Desperation Valley. Have I Enjoyed it? Do I think it is worth your time? My answer is a definitive yes. A post apocalyptic drama that follows a group of survivors. Conflict with each-other , the world and the other humans who inhabit it are they key plot points of the story. The world is cruel, violent and uncaring but their are always signs of life and hope. It is positively different from a typical story of this kind, with a great deal of depth and meaning behind it. The best example of this and the best thing about the book for me is the characters. They all feel like they have a place in the world. Their motivations both cruel and kind (mostly cruel) feel genuine and accurate. In my honest opinion some of the best most human villains are home in this story. Bennet, without spoiling anything, is such a character of understandable yet inhuman cruelty. I did not sympathise with the man, but was always interested when he was on the page. This is true for many of the characters. The characters you do sympathise with, usually at the heel of the others, are very sympathetic. Their pain is always well described and vivd. I felt I wanted them to succeed, truly. Due naturally to the odds that were against them. This sympathy didn’t feel forced whatsoever. Carlos the central protagonist for example, is a human slave. His struggles with such are very beautifully told and make you root for and understand him. The cruelty of the world is explored through him and those he interacts with. Again sympathising with him never felt forced to me, simply seeing the life he lives and his troubles feels natural and a part of this world. As the story and characters expand, this fact remains. There are characters who are obviously meant to be villains/ disliked, though their evil is always shown in context and doesn’t feel out of place. Instead of being told how good or bad the characters are, we are simply shown what they do to others and how they react to situations. I think every character feels genuine in Avarice and would be surprised if there wasn’t at least one character you would find compelling. The world itself is fascinating as well. The various kingdoms and groups in the world are all fantastic. My favourite chapter of the book focused on a prison raid. It was intense and thrilling, featuring established characters in a new unique setting. The writing was really captivating at this point, establishing the new setting and characters in fantastic detail. At the core of the story is this group of survivors, this is a fantastic way to show the wider world, exporting it from the groups perspective. The action/ fight scenes at this point, at the point of the raid, are really brilliant and intense. The action and fight scenes as a whole are all really well written. They are all down to earth, brutal and described well enough to understand clearly. There wasn’t a single fight scene that felt out of place or forced either. Again Avarice’s strength is that everything feels natural, that it happens in the world not because it's a story, but because it's what the characters would do. Unlike other post apocalyptic stories there is an underlying theme of magic and fate. That despite the ruin of this world, something powerful, deep and constant remains. I am someone who loves dark fantasy, though am mixed about this aspect of the story. Whilst I love the mysticism behind it, at points it does feel out of place to me. I have heard that this becomes more engaging and better established in the later books though. This aspect isn’t key to the central story however, and is by no means bad or poorly written. The description of such events is beautiful, especially a scene describing a sacred pool of water carrying a scared sword. The imagery behind that is really visually striking. I look forward to seeing how this aspect comes into play further down in the story and am glad it doesn’t heavily impact the realistic, human, character driven elements. With so many Characters in the story, points often shift between them. The story told from many perspectives. For a few chapters this was slightly jarring, with sudden shifts to a different character. At some points in which I wanted to stick with the main story. This is not a major issue though overall. I like the change in perspectives in most scenes. For the aforementioned prison raid, showing both the new location and camp of the main survivors was really engaging. Showing the impact of those who had left made the world feel more complete. After speaking with the author Xonereth, I have seen how much passion and work they have put behind Avarice. So much time an effort went into crafting this world and characters, I have loved learning about the process in of itself. This gives me an even greater appreciation for the story, seeing that it has been deliberately created to be engaging and fleshed out. That there is a passionate vision behind it, a world the author wanted to create. This first book took a year to write, considering its length and detail I find that really impressive. It is truly fantastic Xonereth. Overall I loved my time reading and I plan to read the rest in the series. This is an intensely dark story so I wouldn’t recommend it for everyone, though if you are looking for a story with such themes that has true human characters behind it I think Avarice would be perfect for you. If you are a fan of Berserk, Vinland Saga and Early Fallout (Fallout 1 and 2) I think you would love Avarice. Like those works it deals with dark themes respectfully, engagingly and with purpose. A geniune 5/5 "
Avarice Desperation Valley
"Good storywith great characters and storyline. I want say much about the plot being left with a ending to add more or second part.But with that said what there was was in the right direction for more.I really can't wait for some more. This story is shocking in it's brutality of human survival and the aftermath of its on demise.Lots of action ,great characters and unfolding plot & storyline. Good read,and I'm waiting on more. Thanks for sharing keep on keeping on. Peace"
