4.0
The Failures
ByPublisher Description
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"Liar’s writing is like the world it depicts: a finely-tuned piece of clockwork…the sort of book I could read again and again." —Christopher Ruocchio, internationally award-winning author of the Sun Eater novels
From a debut voice comes a genre-breaking blend of apocalyptic sci-fi and epic fantasy about a scattered group of unlikely heroes traveling across their broken mechanical planet to stave off eternal darkness. A tightly-coiled puzzle of a thrill ride, The Failures launches The Wanderlands trilogy
Welcome to the Wanderlands.
A vast machine made for reasons unknown, the Wanderlands was broken long ago. First went the sky, splintering and cracking, and then very slowly, the whole machine—the whole world—began to go dark.
Meet the Failures.
Following the summons of a strange dream, a scattering of adventurers, degenerates, and children find themselves drawn toward the same place: the vast underground Keep. They will discover there that they have been called for a purpose—and that purpose could be the destruction of everything they love.
The end is nigh.
For below the Keep, imprisoned in the greatest cage ever built by magicians and gods, lies the buried Giant. It is the most powerful of its kind, and its purpose is the annihilation of all civilization. But any kind of power, no matter how terrible, is precious in the dimming Wanderlands, and those that crave it are making their moves.
All machines can be broken, and the final cracks are spreading. It will take only the careless actions of two cheerful monsters to tip the Wanderlands towards an endless dark...or help it find its way back to the light.
BookBub All the Science Fiction and Fantasy Books You Need To Read Right Now
"Liar’s writing is like the world it depicts: a finely-tuned piece of clockwork…the sort of book I could read again and again." —Christopher Ruocchio, internationally award-winning author of the Sun Eater novels
From a debut voice comes a genre-breaking blend of apocalyptic sci-fi and epic fantasy about a scattered group of unlikely heroes traveling across their broken mechanical planet to stave off eternal darkness. A tightly-coiled puzzle of a thrill ride, The Failures launches The Wanderlands trilogy
Welcome to the Wanderlands.
A vast machine made for reasons unknown, the Wanderlands was broken long ago. First went the sky, splintering and cracking, and then very slowly, the whole machine—the whole world—began to go dark.
Meet the Failures.
Following the summons of a strange dream, a scattering of adventurers, degenerates, and children find themselves drawn toward the same place: the vast underground Keep. They will discover there that they have been called for a purpose—and that purpose could be the destruction of everything they love.
The end is nigh.
For below the Keep, imprisoned in the greatest cage ever built by magicians and gods, lies the buried Giant. It is the most powerful of its kind, and its purpose is the annihilation of all civilization. But any kind of power, no matter how terrible, is precious in the dimming Wanderlands, and those that crave it are making their moves.
All machines can be broken, and the final cracks are spreading. It will take only the careless actions of two cheerful monsters to tip the Wanderlands towards an endless dark...or help it find its way back to the light.
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesThe Failures Reviews
4.0
“Damn I LOVED this!”
“This book is another sci-fantasy I really enjoyed. Here are some of the aspects of this book that were intriguing to me.
Multiple POV’s: It has been a while since I have read a very well done multi POV novel. It was so refreshing. The world is built off of these intricate weaving of POV’s and I found myself loving every single one.
Dark Humor and Style: Most of this book has a very edgy/sarcastic tone. I personally loved it. He does a great job at making you laugh in clever ways. Also, the characters are so different, which led to so many of them having funny lines.
World building: This one is gonna be hard to put into words. He has already created a distinct world in my head. He did this through character dialogue and so many stories within stories.
Legend and Myth: I love when characters in stories have numerous names or legends because of what they have done In life. This story has so many “heroes” in their own ways.”
“What a wild ride. The Failures is an incredibly ambitious, genre-bending puzzle that feels very unique. Benjamin Liar constructs a post-apocalyptic world that fuses sci-fi and fantasy together, creating an oppressive, dystopian atmosphere that feels genuinely lived-in.
While the setting is undeniably dark, the story is far from a slog. It’s anchored by a cast whose bizarre, goofy interactions offer a fun, necessary relief. The narrative structure is can be a challenge. It is a fast paced, non-linear, multi-POV experience that demands your full attention. While the initial chapters feel like wandering through a fog, the payoff is immense. Once the puzzle pieces begin to lock into place and you start to understand the motivations the driving characters, the confusion melts into a deeply satisfying experience. It’s weird, it’s ambitious, and it’s a masterclass in rewarding the reader for their patience.
Thanks DAW books for the copy to check out. Had a blast with this one and can't wait to see what lies ahead in The Wanderlands!”
About Benjamin Liar
Benjamin Liar is a writer, musician, filmmaker and game designer. He has been writing for most of his life, but The Failures is his first published novel. He has performed his music under many names and in many places and recently published a virtual reality game. His name is clearly a pseudonym, but you still shouldn’t trust anything he says.
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