Ashes of Eternity: Malum by Steven Koneci & Jeremy Spires

A Great Futuristic and Gritty Story

4.5 out of 5 stars

Malum is an Ashes of Eternity Novella (though at nearly 9 hours – I would call this a normal novel, but that’s semantics). I’ve read other books from Jeremy Spires but I’m always excited to check out a collaboration to see what other authors bring to the table. Knowing that I excitedly dove into this one.

I think one of the things that I like about this series is that it’s just absolutely no-holds-barred. Spires and Koneci do not hold any punches and just go for the jugular throughout. This is definitely one of the books (and series) that I can tell that authors use as an escape from real life and just write some of the darkest and most gritty things they can think of. Malum was a really well-thought-out novella that flowed from action scene to action scene.

The main point of the book (mentioned in the opening of the description so no spoilers) is a religious war, especially the war between the people of the world. The cover gives that away a little with the cross on the shoulder of the soldier. While normally a book about religion would be a turn-off for me – this one was well thought out. And since it was set in the future it didn’t feel like either author was trying to sway me or sell me on anything. Thankfully, this made the action scenes make more sense and honestly made the book even better. It could have gotten bogged down in the details but it didn’t.

Overall, Malum (and the entire Ashes series so far) have been gritty, war-torn blasts that I fly through in a few sittings. I thought that Maxwell Zener did a great job bringing the characters to life and really made this book even better.

If you’re looking for a futuristic book that isn’t afraid of violence but also has an interesting plot-line and great characters – definitely check this one out.

Book Description:

In 2083, the governments of Earth decided to surrender to a new religious vision of the future.

But the human race was not united; thousands fled Earth and the oppressive regime of the new Legion of the Phelb.

Those humans are long gone, escaped from the Phelb Legion’s reach, and out of harm’s way for the foreseeable future. But the Phelb have not forgotten those who escaped, and have declared a crusade against them.

The story of the Phelb has been untold until now. Follow Lancer Gerald Skydual as he uncovers the secrets of his own people, and the horrors within.

From the best-selling author of the Ashes of Eternity series, Spires Productions brings a story from within the Phelb Empire itself. Follow this prequel of the best seller Shockwave and learn why the Phelb are so reviled.

by Steven Koneci, Jeremy Spires
Narrator: Maxwell Zener
Length: 8 hrs and 59 mins
Published by Self Published on March 3rd 2022
Genres: Science Fiction
Format: Audiobook
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Also by this author: Shockwave, Nightstalkers

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Brian

I’ve loved reading since I was little when my dad would read me Dr. Suess books. Fast-forward a little and I noticed that he was always reading on his lunch breaks at work, and I wondered why.Then, I found a book that took me to another place and time, to another feeling,another sense of “being”.It was the first book that I ever fell in love with, and I’ve been chasing that feeling ever since.