Intent, Dark Kingdom!
586936
The sun does not shine on Crystal City; a spell has been cast on it's queen! The humans, vampires and fairies exist in chaos, led by Queen Allora and the council. When an old friend returns, a chain of events is ignited...
  Intent, dark kingdom includes bleakness to opulence, evil to pure hearts. Not the easiest read, but well worth it! Looking forward to the next book in the series.
  Voluntarily read ARC for honest review.
2996305
I read this in one day. The world of the Dark Kings stays in my mind all the time. Great episode with Kinsey and Ryder. Good to see Con opening up. I am just wanting the story to continue. I wish the book were longer and the complications with Rhi would move forward. Feels like only half the tale. Sorry bout that. But I remain a diehard Dark King fan and will be loyal forever. Just like a dragon. Lol
580962
For a more thorough review of the series, please see my review under the same heading for The Land: Founding.

I enjoyed reading The Land: Alliances! I like the direction Mr. Kong is going with the series thus far. The characters are progressing much the way I think they would in an actual RPG which, to me, is pretty cool! I like the progression of the village as well!
4191020
The reason why this book may not have gotten the best of ratings is because: Readers were confused at the beginning of the
book and couldn't fathom what was the so-called gloaming or what the purpose of this place meant for the overall story. Once
you get through reading about that unpleasant place, you should highly enjoy rest of the story. There's a treacherous prince on
the throne who's being guided by an evil individual who desires world domination, not so much for that prince but for himself.
Both of them must be stopped at all costs! Plenty of action!
3528232
After a rather dull and disappointing showing in the previous book "Vampireslayer", in this, the 7th book in the Felix & Gotrek series (--after "Trollslayer", "Skavenslayer", "Daemonslayer", "Dragonslayer", "Beastslayer" and "Vampireslayer"--) William King bounces back and gives us one of the strongest entries in the series so far.

The book introduces an interesting new character, ages-old High Elf mage Teclis. In the midst of the ongoing Chaos onslaught on the Old World, Teclis becomes aware of a plot to harness powers which could hold dire consequences for the entire Warhammer world. Can he stop it in time?

Naturally along the way he runs into our intrepid twosome, and they proceed to have an unforgettable adventure which takes them from the very edges of reality (eat your heart out, Dr. Strange!) to the midst of an epic battle between massed rival forces of evil.

As much of the book's action takes place on the isle of Albion, the counterpart in the Warhammer world to William King's native Scotland, King must have especially enjoyed writing this part. He also makes very effective use of playing off the tensions between Elves and Dwarves in the often strained relationship between Gotrek and Teclis.

I was happy to see my favourite Felix & Gotrek villains of all, evil twin albino mages Kelmain & Lhoigor back again. But I was a bit disappointed that we did not spend much time with them this time out compared to their previous appearance in "Beastslayer". I think they are truly worthy and most importantly INTERESTING adversaries and I hope William King will bring them back again sometime in the future (--hey, any writer truly worth his salt can always figure out a cool way to bring back a beloved villain everyone thought defeated for good ;) ). I LOVED their backstory in "Beastslayer" and want to hear MORE! (--Or how about giving them their own book?!)

Overall, I think I would rate this installment as my #2 favourite in the series after "Daemonslayer". While I did love the siege of Praag seen in "Beastslayer", I think this book was even more enjoyable because our heroes were on the move again, taking them through some very interesting and mysterious places. And the build-up of tension in the book kept me eagerly turning the pages as they continued on their quest. It's a wild ride that takes us to some fantastic places we've never seen before, and my only minor criticism is that the ending could have been a bit stronger.

For those new to the series, I'd probably recommend "Daemonslayer" first. But for those who have already read that great work and are hungry for more of the same calibre, this book is just what the manling ordered!

But now that I've read this, the most recent installment, I find myself with no more fresh Felix & Gotrek left. :(  It's been a year and a half already. Where is the next book??? Come on William King, don't keep the fans waiting! We need MORE. I can't get enough of these guys!

Oh well, guess I'll go sharpen my battle-axe or something... You never know when the forces of Chaos will strike again next!
2837943
Lots of exciting action! Unlike the author's previous series the reader actual gets introduced to the evil ruler before book #1 ends. It will be a lot of pleasure to read about the emperor's eventual demise in a future book by this talented author. I can hardly wait to read the next book of this ongoing story!
2551463
There has been peace for 800 years, but the growing Coalition threatens the Federations tenuous peace. There are whispered rumors, and those paying attention to other dimensions are feeling the growing evil creep nearer. Admiral Ortega knows that he must stop it at all cost, because he knows the man behind it. Roger knows its coming, but is too busy on his own quest to recognize his role. Justin and Austin are only just recognizing that their role is not just those of diplomats, but of key players in the unfolding drama. Will they be able to defeat the encroaching evil or will the prophecies be misread?

Author Metiver has introduced a new universe full of species, politics, and space travel. While there are obvious elements common to sci-fi series (its hard to get away from a federation of planets and some sort of rebel coalition), he does a great job spinning a new tale in a new world with characters that are well plotted and deep. This is book one in the Chalas Peruvas series and it does an excellent job of establishing the backdrop as well as introducing the characters depth in charisma without resorting to long, boring plot exposition narratives. The addition of a dimensional/spirtual/magical element is also quite tantalizing.  I really look forward to reading the next book!
1384714
My latest obsession, I love it. Great strategy title, and I especially like the accurate world map and the option to play with literally any kingdom of the time. I played a couple campaigns as Transylvania ! lol ! Hours of fun strategy that flows well once you get the hang of it.
2679579
A different approach to the "politics" of a fantasy kingdom. Thoroughly enjoyed!
1728005
This installment nicely wraps up the Dark Kingdom arc and introduces the Black Moon. I am mostly rating the product, the translation is around 2/5. The artwork is wonderfully retouched. The stronger cliffhangers are starting to come, but it's worth it, I mean Sailormoon has been treated so terribly by Americans that I'm just happy we have the manga here.

Contains Acts 12-16

12. Enemy, Queen Metalia
13. Final Battle, Reincarnation
14. Conclusion and Commencement, Petite Etranger
15. Infiltration, Sailor Mars
16. Abduction, Sailor Mercury
195572
Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon travel to oversee elections on the planet Gala where a monarchy had ruled before. They become entwined with a conspiracy to keep the power in royal hands, and must bring unveil the truth behind the monarchy's heirs.

I'm enjoying how these novels are all interconnected, and we finally get more hints of this series' major antagonist, former Padawan Xanatos. This was a fun and easy story.
2701180
Professor Mountebank, you sly huckster. Welcome to The States. Please bring your other demented children to play with Sable and the General. Your works are such a dark pleasure! Love Sable to bits (bless her heart).
2647101
This book will inspire the reader to believe in Gods's wonderful kingdom of life and light! Life, light and truth destroy the dark enemy every time! Fascinating read!
1454816
We were given the opportunity to play this game back when it was being Kickstarted and called "Kingdom", and were very impressed with it! Here is our original preview from January. Just substitute "Regnum Angelica" where ever you see the game referred to as "Kingdom" :):

"He Geek and She Geek love nothing more than a cold gloomy day where we can huddle up indoors with a stack of board games. This weekend fit the bill, and we were invited to preview Kingdom, a game currently being Kickstarted and created by Nashville area game creators Black Locust Games. In a nutshell, Kingdom is a two-player card/board game where one player controls the heavenly host and the other leads the fallen angels in an attempt to invade the other's realm.

We met up with Casey, one half of BLG, at the local bookstore/coffee shop. Pulling up a couple of tables, Casey unpacked the prototype version of the game. The game board is a 20 x 30 piece imprinted with move spaces, score boards, and power level trackers for both sides. Also included in the box are various score marker cubes, black and white power stones, and the main game components, a deck of arch angel cards and a deck of fallen angel cards.

Now, Imma let you finish, but the artwork on these cards is some of the best angel paintings of all times! They really are gorgeous cards. Each of the 50 unique angels was painted by UK artist William Xavier Lavender. Casey told us that the original idea was to have each card painted by a different artist, in the vein of Magic the Gathering, but when they saw the quality of the Lavender's first submission, they commissioned him to paint the rest of the deck. Good choice in our opinion. Check out the collage and see for yourself:

Game play can best be described as Magic The Gathering meets Chess meets Roshambo. The goal is to score the most points by moving your angels from your side of the board and into your opponent's realm. Each angel has a different point value which determines how much you score if you are successful. However, the most valuable angels are also the most powerful, so you have to decide whether you want the points now or if you want to keep the angel in play in order to defeat your opponent's angels.

Combat is resolved by a simple rock-paper-scissors style of play. Each angel has an eight-way combat diagram printed on its card with each point represented by Earth, Water, or Fire. Depending on which direction two opposing cards meet in combat determines which is the victor. Say two cards meet head on. You look at which element each card has at its top center arrow. Water beats Fire, Fire scorches Earth, Earth absorbs Water.

However, there are also two other types of cards in your decks that can change that outcome: Pillars, which can be used as defense against the elements, and Angelic Scripts (which are actually written in the ancient celestial alphabet, Malachim) that give players or cards additional powers. You can "burn" these cards to build up your power reserves (up to a max of 5) or you can spend your power to use the cards. With this mechanic, the game forces you to be strategic in your power management decisions.

We played Kingdom for about an hour (before the barista made his store closing announcements) and didn't finish a whole game, but that was because we were taking our time to learn the strategies (and to be honest, a lot of time was spent pouring over the angel artwork). Casey told us that a normal game would take about 45 minutes, which felt about right. I had caught on to the game after about my first 30 minutes and was able to take my turn without my handy turn progression "cheat sheet" from that point on.

BLG is still game testing and putting some finishing touches here and there on the game, but as it stands, Kingdom is a hell of a good time and definitely a game HGSG will have on our shelf"

(originally published on HeGeekSheGeek.com - bit.ly/1DEt8zH)
4561629
This tale takes the reader into a realm where elves and humans still reside as neighbors.  The tumultuous relationship between mankind and the many races of elves must be set aside when an evil sorcerer finds a new way to rise to power.  Ulda has found a way to bind the souls of men in order to glean their power to bend the wills of the animals and men around him.  His opportunistic sorcery is unlimited by his inability to gain empathy or look beyond his own self-centered need for power and domination.  Meanwhile, King Aelryk from the realm of men has realized his kingdom is in danger.  A prophesy sets a quest in motion.  He must travel to a mythical land to seek the help of an elemental spirit who is incarnate in the form of an elf from a race of ancient elves.  The king seeks the assistance of Mel and his mate, Thinal to ensure the missions success.  This elfish pair attempts to guide the royal party through the wilderness to ask for help before Uldas evil grip can extend further into the kingdom where it is already harming both men and elves.  This edge-of-your-seat adventure lends an air of believability to an era and realm of magic and forgotten races.  It is a must read!
880110
I good continuation of Leam's story, with further insight into his character. This series is all about Good vs. Evil & it seems to be getting harder & harder to find books that will hold my interest with this theme.

These books definitely hold your interest! More action, more twists, better character development.

My one negative comment is this: I didn't know this was going to be a continuing saga when I read the first book! However, that being said, it is well worth your time to read this book if you love these type of dystopian books, with good vs. evil & some seriously demented villains!
4796552
Woo Hoo. This is a cracking yarn. Monsters, guns, Orcs & shadowy government agents....also blowing up said monsters with guns and various explosives....What could possibly go wrong?