So anyone want to be a beta reader?
Not for a fanfic, but for my novel.
I’m basically looking for some well-read lovely people to read the second draft of my novel and gimme feedback. I’m not looking for minor stuff like spelling and grammar, but things like character development, consistency, continuity and most importantly is it boring you or not? I would prefer people to be +18 because my novel contains adult themes all over the place and is rather graphically violent right from the beginning.
This is a big undertaking as the second draft clocks in at 65000 words, 288 pages in word (double spaced manuscript format) and I’m not expecting people to do all this work for nothing. I’ll trade my own skills in beta reading, in-depth feedback or taking requests in the new year for this work.
Little background Wall of text on the novel after the cut.
Setting: 700 years prior to the opening of the novel, the nomadic Bathier peoples of the plains lived hard lives, snatching moments of peace between tribal skirmishes. Then the children of mythala came from the lands beyond the sea and claimed the lands of their own, a gift from their goddess. They established a holy city of stone and raised their first King to its throne.
The first King chose to wage war on the tribes and enacted a bloody crusade against them, with the eventual result of the tribes withdrawing to the barren far west of the country and the new colonists living on the richest of the lands. A wall was built around holy the city to keep out those who the goddess had not deemed worthy to dwell within it.
Now, 700 years later, the city of Sion has become two cities; the King’s City: A city of the ancient nobility and royalty, with the King’s Castle at its heart, and a sprawling shanty town that has grown beyond the walls, given the patronising name of the Lower City. Over the centuries, many of Bathier chose to give up their nomadic life and settled in the Lower City, despite the extreme prejudice of many of the city folk. Despite the racial prejudice of the majority, the city-dwelling Bathier intermarried with the children of mythala, and their children lost their tribal heritage.
The current King Amelius IV takes no interest in ruling his lands and instead delegates all his power to his manservant Dylan Herne (The King’s Shadow), a move that the nobility find abhorrent. The city is torn between its isolationist traditions (eg. blatantly racist to anyone not chalk white and blue blooded) and the financial incentives that trade with overseas foreigners and the few remaining tribal Bathier can bring.
Plot: One night a guardsman is murdered on the wall between the Lower City and the King’s City. The First Guard Caden and the Royal Physician Ned Cookie are infuriated by the lack of interest in finding the murderer and try to solve the murder (and discover the first blushes of a gay romance, which is also completely illegal in the city).
At the same time Brannen Herne, the nephew of the King’s Shadow experiences violent nightmares, which he discounts as memories from his lost past (he suffered a terrible fever in his adolescence that damaged his mind, losing his past memories and meaning he had to re-learn how to walk and talk and go potty and everything). But when he realises that his dream co-insides with the murder, he attempts to help in the investigation, while fearing that he is somehow connected to the murderer.
It is not until their is a second murder, inside the castle itself, that the true scale of the conspiracy is revealed. And now Brannen must step into his uncle’s shoes, as it was the King’s Shadow who was the victim.
Warnings: Graphic violence, sexual coercion (male on female and female on male), suicide, racial conflict, characters voicing racist opinions (they are totally in the wrong, but possible raaage anyway).
If you made it through all that and are still interested, please send me a message with your email.
I’m basically looking for some well-read lovely people to read the second draft of my novel and gimme feedback. I’m not looking for minor stuff like spelling and grammar, but things like character development, consistency, continuity and most importantly is it boring you or not? I would prefer people to be +18 because my novel contains adult themes all over the place and is rather graphically violent right from the beginning.
This is a big undertaking as the second draft clocks in at 65000 words, 288 pages in word (double spaced manuscript format) and I’m not expecting people to do all this work for nothing. I’ll trade my own skills in beta reading, in-depth feedback or taking requests in the new year for this work.
Little background Wall of text on the novel after the cut.
Setting: 700 years prior to the opening of the novel, the nomadic Bathier peoples of the plains lived hard lives, snatching moments of peace between tribal skirmishes. Then the children of mythala came from the lands beyond the sea and claimed the lands of their own, a gift from their goddess. They established a holy city of stone and raised their first King to its throne.
The first King chose to wage war on the tribes and enacted a bloody crusade against them, with the eventual result of the tribes withdrawing to the barren far west of the country and the new colonists living on the richest of the lands. A wall was built around holy the city to keep out those who the goddess had not deemed worthy to dwell within it.
Now, 700 years later, the city of Sion has become two cities; the King’s City: A city of the ancient nobility and royalty, with the King’s Castle at its heart, and a sprawling shanty town that has grown beyond the walls, given the patronising name of the Lower City. Over the centuries, many of Bathier chose to give up their nomadic life and settled in the Lower City, despite the extreme prejudice of many of the city folk. Despite the racial prejudice of the majority, the city-dwelling Bathier intermarried with the children of mythala, and their children lost their tribal heritage.
The current King Amelius IV takes no interest in ruling his lands and instead delegates all his power to his manservant Dylan Herne (The King’s Shadow), a move that the nobility find abhorrent. The city is torn between its isolationist traditions (eg. blatantly racist to anyone not chalk white and blue blooded) and the financial incentives that trade with overseas foreigners and the few remaining tribal Bathier can bring.
Plot: One night a guardsman is murdered on the wall between the Lower City and the King’s City. The First Guard Caden and the Royal Physician Ned Cookie are infuriated by the lack of interest in finding the murderer and try to solve the murder (and discover the first blushes of a gay romance, which is also completely illegal in the city).
At the same time Brannen Herne, the nephew of the King’s Shadow experiences violent nightmares, which he discounts as memories from his lost past (he suffered a terrible fever in his adolescence that damaged his mind, losing his past memories and meaning he had to re-learn how to walk and talk and go potty and everything). But when he realises that his dream co-insides with the murder, he attempts to help in the investigation, while fearing that he is somehow connected to the murderer.
It is not until their is a second murder, inside the castle itself, that the true scale of the conspiracy is revealed. And now Brannen must step into his uncle’s shoes, as it was the King’s Shadow who was the victim.
Warnings: Graphic violence, sexual coercion (male on female and female on male), suicide, racial conflict, characters voicing racist opinions (they are totally in the wrong, but possible raaage anyway).
If you made it through all that and are still interested, please send me a message with your email.