Reviewed by Shelley
TITLES:
Book 1: The Shattered Gates (#1-3);
Book 2: The Holy Road (#4-7);
Book 3: His Sacred Bones (#8-10)
AUTHOR: Ginn Hale
PUBLISHER: Blind Eye Books
LENGTH: Complete Serial – 1,294 pages
The Rifter is a ten-part serialized novel by award winning author, Ginn Hale. All parts are available in e-book format.
BLURB, BOOK ONE: When John opens a letter addressed to his missing roommate, Kyle, he expects to find a house key, but instead he is swept into a strange realm of magic, mysticism, revolutionaries and assassins. Though he struggles to escape, John is drawn steadily closer to a fate he share with Kyle—to wake the destroyer god, the Rifter, and shatter a world.
BLURB, BOOK TWO: Having escaped a brutal battle between Fai’daum revolutionaries and Guan’im cavalry, John has climbed the Thousand Steps to the heights of Rathal’pesha in search of a way home. He learns that the golden key he lost–the one that can open a Great Gate and allow him and his friends to return home–lies within his reach.
But not even the remote mountain monastery of Rathal’pesha is safe from violent turmoil in an age of rebellion and religious warfare. Soon John is drawn into the heart of a power struggle that will decide who will live and who will die on the Holy Road.
BLURB, BOOK THREE: John Toeffler never saw himself as a warrior. He has spent years keeping himself and his friends safe through silence and subterfuge. But all that changes when he and Ravishan were betrayed. Now, with a bounty on his head and the Payshmura forces determined to destroy both Ravishan and Laurie, John knows he can no longer leave the battle against the Payshmura Church in the hands of strangers.
If he and those he loves are to survive the coming war, John must master the wild, killing power that he has suppressed all of his life.
But he is right to be wary – for the price of victory will be dear and not even he knows if he can truly control the terrible force that even now awakens deep within his sacred bones.
REVIEW:
Magnificent … An imaginative masterpiece … Mind-blowing …Appalling … Intoxicating … Thought provoking … Genius! I think you get the picture, but really … those words are trite in comparison to the reality of The Rifter. This series is a trip!
The Rifter hinges on the lives of two pivotal characters: John and Kyle, each man from a separate but parallel world, bound by so much more than the power of fate and world ending prophecy. When John crosses over The Shattered Gates into Kyle’s world his presence upsets the foretelling of things and has the potential to change the destiny of a world. Well okay, there’s a LOT more going on but I’d be spoiling if I were to expand. But I will give you a little clue …
“This is the Rifter,” … “Parfir’s most holy incarnation,” … “The divine destroyer. God’s will given form.”
Enter a world of magic and mystery, where talking bones hold the souls of witches and heretics are burned alive. Navigate your way through non-linear time lines and piece together a 10000 piece puzzle that the author reveals ever so meticulously, skilfully and for me …agonizingly. Hale is a master crafter of a vivid realm made fantastical with its crooked streets, stone pathways, and tall towers. The spicy aromas of exotic strange foods (roast dog –anyone?) the scents of pollen, earth and ozone make my senses reel. I’m dizzy with appreciation. Her accounts are utterly breath-taking, making every image crystal clear in my mind.
Now I have some advice for you before you begin this most EPIC of adventures.
Be patient (ha! Says me) there will be questions, so many questions and confusion but trust in Ginn Hale to deliver your answers and give clarity. She will 🙂
Defend yourself (somehow) from a bigoted culture that will enrage and sicken your soul with their piety and unforgiving brutal acts of torture and harsh judgements.
Delight in the intrigue and plotting of assassins and rebels whose very uprising balances on a razors edge. Revel in the back-stabbing malicious manipulations and downfall of greedy power-hungry men.
Brace for the horrors of war.
Pay attention to the details, it’s all fast, crazy good and totally addictive with so much to discover between the lines.
Anticipate. Watch your blind spot, you are guaranteed to get side swiped, often. The angst is an intense nail-biting experience that will compel and induce your joy, horror and fascination in spades.
And finally, make space in your heart for our heroes. I almost said guard your heart, but it is impossible. I challenge even the most cynical of readers not to be affected by the fierce courage, power, strength and sensuality of these men. Stand by them as they fail miserably, as they love each other desperately, suffer for each other endlessly, sacrifice freely, fight for morality and freedom, and ultimately …win.
“To cling to what is lost, no matter how real it once seemed or once was, will lead only to madness.”
Cheer them on as they destroy their enemies and break world ending prophecy. It’s brutal, it’s heart-breaking, but it’s also exceptional in its touching sensuality. Together our heroes are sweet, sweet perfection!
“Your flesh is my earth. Your blood is my river. Your breath is my sky. Your body, my world. Your will, my life…”
The Rifter is a thousand pages of staggering emotion that will linger for a lifetime. For me it will be treasured and held close forever. Ginn Hale explores every aspect of human nature, confirming AND defying the old saying of ‘absolute power corrupts absolutely’. She demonstrates the strength of compassion and the futility of anger, vengeance and war; it doesn’t matter that it exists in another world we are all alike in our mortality – with or without the power to shape the world.
“Strength and courage are as much a part of human nature as weakness and cowardice. I don’t have much of a use for people who choose to be less than they can be.”
This series can be brutal and gruesome but it is balanced with so much goodness. There will be plenty to feed your soul and your heart; but take what you want from it, it’s yours if you want it – Ms Hale is very generous.
The Rifter is the most beautiful piece of fantastical escapism that I have ever read.
Thank you Ginn Hale.
Shelley’s Rating: 
BUY LINKS: Blind Eye Books :: Amazon
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To read all her reviews, click the link: SHELLEY’S REVIEWS
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Wow! That’s quite a review 🙂 Thanks – this series sounds awesome. I am going to go add to my TBR list. Thanks for introducing me to a new-to-me author.
This series was my first read by Ginn Hale and it more than lives up to it’s reputation. Like I said, my words are trite to describe the compelling genius of this writer. She is worth every cent – but may I suggest that you invest in the paperbacks as they are beautiful.
sounds like a great read!