Pale Lights
by ErraticErrata
- Graphic Violence
- Profanity
- Sexual Content
From the author of "A Practical Guide to Evil", comes the Pale Lights series.
Book I: Lost Things
Tristan Abrascal is a thief, one of many making their living under the perpetual twilight of the greatest city in all of Vesper. Quick wit and a contract with a capricious goddess have always kept him one step ahead, until one night he crosses a line by accident that burns all the bridges he had left. But not all is lost, as his mentor offers a way out of peril that turns out to be more than a simple escape.
It is also an opportunity to get even with the infanzones, the nobles he’s lived under all his life, and it so happens that Tristan has a full ledger’s worth of scores to settle with them.
Lady Angharad Tredegar has fled halfway across the world, leaving behind a ruin of a life: her family butchered by a ruthless enemy, their estate torched and their nobility revoked. Yet no matter how far she flees the blades of assassins follow, and she finds herself growing desperate for any protection. She has one relative left to call on, her estranged uncle, but she finds that the safety he offers comes at a cost.
Angharad has sworn revenge, however, and her honour will allow for no compromise. She will do what she must to survive so that one day bloody vengeance can be visited upon her enemies.
The paths of the two take them to the doorstep of the Watch, but for desperate souls like them enrolment is a lost cause. They will have to do it the hard way instead, by surviving the trials on the isle known as the Dominion of Lost Things.
Where every year many go, and few return.
Book II: Good Treasons
The trials of the Dominion are over.
The four survivors have become students of Scholomance, enrolling together as a cabal, yet even on those infamous grounds they soon learn none are beyond the reach of their pasts.
Angharad Tredegar is returned to a semblance of the world she left behind, but finds her honor sorely tested by bargains offered - every bit as tempting as in the stories and even deadlier.
Tristan Abrascal needs answers. Mysterious enemies keep trying to abduct him, his classroom does not exist and he’s now had several conversations with dead people. Worst of all, his carrots keep dying.
Maryam Khaimov is going mad, which would worry her less if it were happening on schedule. More frightening yet is the possibility that she is not, and there truly is someone else going around wearing her face.
Song Ren must forge the others into a functional unit, all the while fending off enemies on all sides: rival cabals, vengeful countrymen and the deluge of implacable foes her companions simply cannot seem to stop attracting.
Failure is not an option, for Song must bring back honor to her family’s name whatever the cost: it is the only way to keep their disgrace from literally eating them all alive.
And as the four chase shadows in Scholomance, in the distance looms the greater test awaiting them in the Asphodel Rectorate. Asphodel is a faded power, the rotten carcass of what it once was, but under that rot looms darker things - of which monsters might just be the least dangerous.
Besides, is treason really such an evil when you have the best of reasons for it?
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Update schedule: once a day until caught up to the wordpress version, then weekly on Fridays. My Patreon has three advance chapters.
Cover done by Gwennafran, whose work you can find here.
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Love the story, a bit miffed by the spelling
Reviewed at: Epilogue
I'll admit that the first few chapters turned me off a bit because of a couple of very obvious but fairly minor spelling mistakes. There might be about 3 or 4 every few chapters, but it does hurt the flow sometimes and abruptly takes me out of the story.
That's about the only bad thing I can say. Now let's bring up the positive.
The worldbuilding is fantastic, and delivered exceptionally well. The deutarogonists have different upbringings and knowledge about the world, that colors their interactions with a very colorful and diverse cast of characters, constantly giving the reader more and more information about just how vast, interconnected and interesting this world is.
I also love the magic system, primarily seen via contracts certain characters have with various deities, granting boons in exchange for very specific drawbacks -- from suffering from bad luck following very good luck, to scarfing down chalk after using a boon despite how unhealthy that is for the body.
The protagonists themselves are fascinating. They are excellent foils to each other, one a thieving street urchin doing what it takes to survive and bound to a fickle but occasionally helpful goddess, the other a destitute noble with strong views on honor and promises, bound to a terrifying eldritch presence.
Get past the spelling and grammar issues, and this story is a ton of fun to read. I do hope it gets reviewed and polished eventually though, especially with many commenters pointing out the spelling mistakes after each chapter!
Great story, great author
Reviewed at: Chapter 25
Ok so, its a 5 star, obviously.
But could i bribe you with a few more stars to change it to wordpress release schedule. I liked reading it in the morning, feels weird to get my fix later now.
Here are extra words for review criteria. Also read pgte. Both stories are worth their figurative weight in gold
Try it, it is worth the attention
Reviewed at: Chapter 20
I heard for some people it was hard getting past the first few chapters (too many names, descriptions, characters etc) as a binge reader it wasn't hard for me, but if you can get through them you'll experience the best characters, personnalities and interactions I have ever seen in a novel. The author made me like reading the POV of a character i don't like because of how coherent and well fleshed out she is.
Characters are perfect, world building makes me wanna use it in a DnD campain for how deep it is, I can't see anyone not being enthralled by the story if you like the style of writing (which totally belongs to a book writer and not a RR author). Only possible bad point is you might not like it if you hate multiple pov (even if that's the case, try it, it's the best one of this style out there on RR).
Easily one of the 3 best stories on RR for me
Pale Lights; Clear Reviews
Reviewed at: Chapter 5
Pale Lights is the continuation of what Erratica has learned from PTGE. Rather than a wider ensemble cast, we have two characters - opposites of a sort. One's a schemer, clever, silvertongued. The other can catch arrows with a sword but not innuendo, and she knows it. One sees the future, another lies about it.
Whereas PTGE is a realpolitik-fest, PL is a personal journey bounded by the confines of revenge, as portrayed by our two characters.
Erratica seems to borrow from extant cultures in worldbuilding, and now we've got Chinese, French, and possibly Aztec expies. It should be noted that this a rather grimdark world, one in which the dark can infest you, spirits make contracts and and pale-skinned 'savages' are threat. Also, because this is an Erratica original, There Are Nobles.
PL is a more constrained story, but I think it becomes more focused for it.
The hungry bite, the beggared snatch…
Reviewed at: Chapter 1
…the cornered fight.
EE tirelessly and consistently dropping the rawest lines of dialogue week after week makes my Fridays worth waking up to.
Excellent world-building and characters. The narrative slaps (at least as of Book 2: Chapter 53).
As of (what I think is) the halfway point of the Asphodel Arc, my hype has ripped straight past the stratosphere and I look forward to whatever comes next.
Thanks for being a gem, EE.
(Note: Ignore my “reviewed at” section. I’m so engrossed in this series that I’m caught up even on the Patreon chapters. I logged in specifically to post this review!)
IT'S PEAK
Reviewed at: Chapter 55
God this story is so good. The characters are so well-written, the story is engaging and only keeps getting better, the world building is second to none... Stories like this are what keep me coming back to RoyalRoad.
Plus, Tristan and I haven't met yet, but I'm pretty sure we're already friends. I gotta give my boy the highest score possible for holding it down for the team.
Wonderful world building.
Reviewed at: Epilogue
This is a dense one. Very unlike the usual RR fare, you will be dumped head first into one of the more exotic fantasy worlds Ive read. And I have read a lot. Lots to take in, but the characters are strong enough to carry it. I deeply suggest you give this one a try, its worth it if you can handle depth.
Amazing Series so far!
Reviewed at: Epilogue
I really hadn't read any of E.E's major books before this like PGTE and I'd only heard of this thorough my friends so my initial expectations for this book were pretty low.
Fast forwards 2 months, I'm literally thirsting for new chapters every week and am a patron over at his Patreon. This book has such an intriguing plot and amazing characters that propel the story forward brilliantly. Every single scene feels meaningful and contributing to the overall story. The characters themselves are very human and relatable. Each one of them has flaws and boundaries that make them who they are.
This story if picked up, will literally not let you put it down until you finish it!
Fantastic characters, worldbuilding, and writing.
Reviewed at: Chapter 77
What if you worked for the steampunk UN, but it had a Navy, and it killed gods?
The main characters are a dumbass badass skirt-chasing lesbian torn between honor and goodness and revenge and her god;
A living shrine town between goodness and survival;
A mage torn between goodness and revenge;
And Our Fearless Leader, For Whom Heaven was Killed, Slayer of Demons, torn between the other three brilliant fools.
There is no other piece of web fiction I more strongly recommend.
Absolutely Amazing!
Reviewed at: Chapter 66
The world-building is convincing, with complex relationships between nations and realistic political dynamics. The characters are insanely well-crafted, with distinct flaws, talents, personalities and mysteries that feel authentic. Their interactions are the highlight of this novel, and remind me of the politicking of Game of Throne's earlier seasons.
However, the novel has a slightly overwhelming introduction that made it hard to follow the shear size of the info dump of nearly 30 characters and world details, making the start hard to follow.
But making it through this was one of the most rewarding things I have done on this website.