Endless

Endless is a book that begins with the fall of earth and ends on a distant world. The writing is very well put together and can be touching at times. What would one do if faced with the realization that every human around you has died? What are the steps when finding out that you are the only one living, no matter where you go? The descriptions of action and quiet as the main character, John, deals with this situation are very well focused on and often had me envisioning what it would be like if I were in his shoes. I could feel his suffering, experience what it would be like to wander Earth as the only human left, taking what I needed and realizing that law meant nothing any more.

The progression into a new world is a result of a show more combined event between what has happened on Earth and what is happening elsewhere. John finds himself suddenly among other living beings again, but realizes they are not human. He is elsewhere and becomes drawn into the struggles of the people around him. This new world is different and strange and the differences between the two planets are well described without too much pining for Earth. The reminders are subtle, such as saying an animal has bovine eyes, rather than spending pages comparing it to a cow.

If there had been more time to spend on this book, I think I would have spent it on the connections between what John left and what his new life had become. He encounters other people from Earth, but once the initial realizations are made, there are only fleeting thoughts about back home, memories of television shows or attempts at describing technology to a people who have never seen such wonders before. While it was good to not have a constant pining for home, I had thought that once all was revealed there would be a few more thoughts of familiar things. But perhaps this is only another way to draw the reader in to the story, because I have found myself wondering if I would set aside Earth so easily, even after all I had experienced before leaving, in order to join a new world in its struggle for survival.

Note: Though this book was a free gift from the author, the content of my review was in no way influenced by the gifting. The book speaks for itself and my review would have been worded just this way even if I'd gone out and bought it. I also give bonus points for Text To Speech enabling on Kindle format.... but that also wasn't a factor in the above review. show less

Endless begins as dystopian adventure and finishes as fantasy. The hero, John, wakes to discover he is the last man alive on earth. After a strange encounter, he finds himself transported to a new world, a world at the beginnings of a war.

I will admit I had trouble getting into this book and almost gave up. I put it away for a while but decided to try again recently and I am so glad I did. On the second attempt, I found myself completely captivated by the story. Part of my problem, I think, was the sudden addition of fantasy in a dystopian story - this seemed like a bit of a cheat to me, as if the author couldn't decide what kind of book he wanted to write, so decided to throw everything at it to see if it would stick. However, once I show more saw where the story was going with this, the magic seemed right and the story flowed.

Despite my first reluctance with the story, once I gave it a chance, I found it completely enjoyable and engrossing. For anyone who starts this book - if, like me, you have trouble geting into the story, take my advice - keep reading. Like me, you'll be glad you did. show less

I won this book from librarything member giveaway in exchange for an honest review.

It is with relief that I have finished this book. Endless is an apt title for multiple reasons. However, I don't want that to suggest this book is not worth reading. Quite the contrary in fact. This book essentially is a start to a vast quest of a ragtag band of 5 people from varied backgrounds, different worlds in fact. We are introduced in alternating chapters to John, who comes from Earth after a horrible apocalyptic event, and then Telda and Ceria who reside in the other world. From there, they meet each other and journey across many lands in the attempt to defeat the horrible Half-man and the Endless, light beasts that can kill large volumes of show more people easily and without remorse. They are joined also by Manvedian, a character that has perhaps different goals.

There are many strengths of this book. I was very impressed by the creation of another world, with different kingdoms warring against each other, different sort of beasts and culture. The magnitude and scope of the book in itself is daunting and vast. The prose is beautifully written and descriptions well done. I admired the development of two particular characters: John and Manvedian. John has been thrust into a completely different world, losing someone he loved back in his home planet, and has to figure out his new place in this society. Manvedian was probably my favorite-- I will not give away his secrets, but he is a fascinating character that I hope we will see of more in the future.

The book is long. It took me three weeks to finish and I usually finish a book in 2-3 days. It reminded me a lot of Fellowship of the Ring where we journey for a long way with hobbits until the action picks up a lot at the end, leading up to the Two Towers. In this book, we have Ceria instead of a ring, as a tool to end overwhelming evil. But like the Lord of the Rings trilogy, it's worth staying until the end. I look forward to seeing where this goes in the next installment. show less

Got this as a free epub from the author, so thanks a lot for that.
The dystopian style start to the book totally caught my interest from the get go. After John ends up at the other place in the universe the story gets a bit more complicated. The story drags on a bit when they travel together to cross the desert but picks up again in the second part.
Well written and entertaining as a whole!
Looking forward to reading the 2nd book at one point!

This took a bit of effort to keep reading at first. The initial section seemed a bit too long & set up a rather tragic/morose feel that is necessary but, perhaps, extended it a bit longer than required.

Once through the initial stages, however, the book begins to flow and the epic/saga feel begins to appear. From this point, the book transitioned into a great read & a fascinating story in a well made "other world" environment with believable characters, a global tale and an interesting approach to "magic."

It's worth reading and it's definitely worth getting through the first part. You can't skip it as you need the information & feelings it contains, plus it makes the rest of the book seem even better :)

I suspect some people may be show more turned off during the initial section & not get into the true story, which would be a shame as it's otherwise a good book. show less

I just finished reading Endless and boy was I impressed. I won't go into the story too much as mirrani gave a pretty acurate summary already. It is a lovely combination of the known (Earth) and the imaginative (Crescent, the world most of the story takes place on), connected (mainly) through the character of John. What impressed me the most were the believable characters and the beautiful writing.

To me picking up a book of an author I havent heard of before is always a bit of a mixed excitement. Will I soon discover that i waste my time or will I find that gem amongst the masses? Luckily my time was well spent! Endless definitely is a gem and I really hope the author will release new work soon. I recommend it!

A truly creative fantasy novel! Although it felt like things were sometimes more graphic and crude than needed, the story was engaging and the characters showed depth and growth.