
Riven Earth
The Book of Astea, Book 1
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Narrated by:
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Adriel Brandt
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By:
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Zammar Ahmer
About this listen
The world has stopped turning.
Burned by a blazing sun. Thrust into eternal winter.
Life survives only in the Sunset Forest.
For untold millennia, mankind lived subservient to the dryads, forced into worship of the Earth-Mother, Astea. Then one man ventured into the Scorched Desert and returned with the secret of fire. His rebellion brought the dryad empire to ash. In its place, he founded the Kingdom of Heartsong.
Twelve years later, the new king is missing. The earth trembles. Famine ravages the land, and a mysterious illness creeps through the capital.
Plots of treason and revenge abound, but as the mistakes of the past bear fruit, men will reap what they have sown.
Riven Earth is the story of a king who has lost his nerve, of his advisor tempted by the throne, of a politician plotting revolt, and of a dying soldier who finds new reasons to live. It is a character-focused epic fantasy adventure perfect for fans of Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive and Joe Abercrombie’s First Law.
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What listeners say about Riven Earth
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- iSamwise
- 04-05-25
Unlike anything you’ve read
So I’ve got a couple of feelings about this book to share. Let’s start with the good.
Mr. Ahmer has a way with words!! When you read indie fantasy you can tell within a page whether or not the author has done their due diligence to ensure that their writing is up to the standard of trad publishing. It’s just something that you know it when you see it. Ahmer has it. Within pages I could tell his writing would be a highlight of this book. Very well written, and very compelling prose.
Also the worldbuilding here is excellent. To me it seemed to have bits of influence from Sanderson and Martin but it truly had its own feeling as well. The concepts of belief, faith, and power were interesting and well explored. One character of prominence deals with self harm and suicidal tendencies. It’s probably the best I’ve seen this portrayed in fantasy. Visceral and not glamorized at all. Very true to life.
The backstory to the world and a lot of the history is good too, and Ahmer does a good job exploring it gradually.
Also the characters in the book are mostly fantastic! (Reasons for some of the negative aspects will be covered later) The dialogue is realistic and sounds great and many characters have distinctive voices! I especially loved the character of Raya and the King character (who’s name I’m blanking on randomly)
Also I said it before but when I say that Ahmer portrays faith well, I mean it. As a person of faith I’m particularly alert to its portrayal in fantasy. (Not looking to be affirmed just looking for a realistic portrayal) Many praised fantasy religions I don’t find realistic or compelling (looking at you Mistborn) However that’s not a problem here. The integration of myth and history is excellent, as well as some truly pagan feeling elements.
The opening 20% is some of the best I’ve read, certainly in indie fantasy, but maybe in general. Killer opening with a really interesting structure.
Here’s where we get to the not so good.
Ahmer messes with the structure as it goes along. It takes to about the 50% mark before we get a clear grasp of who the main characters are because of how they’re introduced and how he jumps between POVs. In theory this shouldn’t be a problem necessarily, but the six or seven POVs combined with at least three layers of flashbacks, all of which get combined with each other leave us with a bit of an emotional muddle. I had a hard time feeling a strong emotional attachment to some main players because of how lopsided their POVs felt.
Also the general plot is very unclear for much of the book (once again because of that structure issue). I’m sure the plot becomes more clear after book two, but because of the way we jump around it’s hard to track what threads are tying into other parts.
That first 20% of the book has basically one consistent structure that it goes with combining a few POVs with a chronicled flashback, and that excited me. As POVs and layers of flashbacks got added it felt like it stalled some of the momentum.
To some this is a mountain out of a molehill, but for me it really knocked the book down a star. I expect to read book 2, but I’m not sure when. I do recommend this book for the reasons I list above, and it’s likely that the wonky structure threw me more than it will for most. It may be that the odd structure is just sloppy, but Ahmer’s excellence in so many other areas make me think it’s more a product of his ambition as a writer. (That’s much better btw. Haha) Check it out if you get a chance!
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- SinnaPomme
- 02-09-25
What a world.
I love it when a world and the magic system are like an old married couple and the characters are their children. The balance between deep personal relationships and broader political themes is really well executed. Looking forward to part two.
The narration is exceptional.
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- mark steven clark
- 12-11-24
Starts off with a bang
I’d never heard of the author but won it in a contest. Really loved it. The characters weren’t all the same. The world was unique and I was hooked. Already bought book 2
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- Marie A.
- 03-06-25
Excellent Blend of Magic and Politics
Riven Earth by Zammar Ahmer is an incredibl blend of high fantasy and politics that immerses readers in a gritty, morally complex world. The novel's greatest strength lies in its rich and immersive world-building, where heroes and heroines are forced to make dark, often troubling choices that blur the lines between good and evil.
The story's structure is particularly compelling, as it shifts between multiple timelines to provide a fully fleshed-out history for the cast of characters. This narrative style adds layers of depth, giving readers insight into how past events shape the present conflicts. The exploration of religion and fanaticism is fascinating, highlighting how belief systems can divide societies and perpetuate cycles of oppression.
Ahmer crafts a vivid backstory where humans were once practically enslaved by dryads, forced to worship the Earth-Mother, Astea. The rebellion that followed led to the near-extermination of the dryads and the establishment of human rule under the victorious king. However, the king's ban on religion ironically turned him into an unofficial religious figure after his death, adding layers of irony and tension to the story. Meanwhile, his emotionally scarred son struggles to maintain power in the wake of a failed rebellion by human supporters of the dryads.
The novel also tackles issues of discrimination and prejudice, particularly against those with sun magic—once targeted by the dryads and still marginalized under human rule. This nuanced exploration of societal hierarchies adds further complexity to the world.
While the novel's middle section drags at times, the strong opening and powerful ending more than make up for this minor flaw. Riven Earth is a compelling read for fans of dark fantasy who enjoy stories where politics, human flaws, and magic intertwine.
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- Ben Kahn
- 03-31-25
Immensely Creative Debut!
This is such a creatively rich epic fantasy debut that doesn't hold the reader's hand to help you easily find your footing. There's an ensemble POV cast along with epistolary chapters from the deceased king, and it's put together in a non-linear way with lots of flashbacks and no exposition-filled info dumps to help situate the reader. There's a ton of fresh cultural and setting worldbuilding that's presented organically through the POVs, so it took me most of the book to wrap my head around it all. The narrator Adriel Brandt is great and brings so much energy and passion to the telling.
This series starts in medias res (not unlike Malazan), with a crumbling empire in a world on the verge of ecological disaster. I think the handling of the ecological themes is one of the great strengths of the duology, and while this first book hints at the causes, you won't get full reveals until the climax of the series in the next book. Those lore and history reveals recontextualize everything in an impactful way, so just know that if things are a bit obscured here that it won't be long before you'll learn everything you need to understand what's fully going on.
While the worldbuilding might have been a bit tough to get a hold on, the characters were easy to distinguish and get a feel for with Ahmer's strong writing of character voice. There are a handful of POVs, and I definitely connected more to certain ones who felt more rounded and vivid. I think Ahmer is eloquent and efficient with his internal monologues in not overdoing the introspection -- I wasn't as in love with the dialogue, which sometimes felt forced and too informal for me, and I think this could be a place for him to improve going forward to help keep the sophistication level of the text more uniformly high. The relatable modern-feeling dialogue might be a feature and not a bug for some readers, so that might be more of a me thing.
I must shout out the wonderful set of animal companions of various levels of sapience, and you can't help but come out of this book and series without registering Ahmer's passion for the natural world and concern for how we relate to it.
This is an incredibly ambitious debut that shows immense promise for what's to come!
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