The Academy (The Central Series Book 1)

The Academy has ratings and 68 reviews. Maja (The Nocturnal The Academy (The Central, #1) .. I'm not sure I'll be picking up book two in the series .
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The number of sentences per chapter that simply had a missing subject, object, or verb not in the sense that the sentence was poorly written, but in the sense that it's quite obvious a word was accidentally left out is truly stupendous. Usually it's possible to tell what the author intended, at least to some extent, but it's quite jarring.

Rawlins should hire an editors for the second book. Or at least a proof reader. That said, the world building is truly stupendous. The world that's created a mix of the horrible unknown in an almost Lovecraftian sense , urban street magic along the lines of Jim Butcher , and futuristic combat and tech along the lines of Neal Asher.

The pacing is pretty good, keeping the reader interested in trying to figure out how the world works and what's going on with it, without ever revealing too much at a time. In short spoilers , there is a world were magic is possible. Or at least, manipulations of energy and matter with the aid of advanced nanotech that is for all intents and purposes: But human society isn't any more advanced than modern society in the real world.

The nanotech was discovered in a small pocket universe that certain people with particularly powerful native talents were able to access. This pocket universe hangs in the aether, which may be the characters in the book are uncertain a superfluid that acts a buffer between parallel universes in the multivierse. People with sufficient potential which may be most of humanity are able to tap into this aether and channel it to bend physical laws and reality in this universe, allowing for teleportation, telepathy, and all variety of violent or destructive magics.

This pocket universe, called Central, contained a fully built but completely empty city when it was discovered. Humans have now colonized, though most humans don't know this. Humanity as a whole is unaware of the aether, Central, or those with magical abilities. Many humans can be "activated," gaining the ability to tap the aether, through the use of the nanotech that was discovered. A small number of humans, originating with those with strong innate talents that may not have required activation to use initially, are aware and are involved in all sorts of plotting and wheeling and dealing, taking advantage of and often violently disagreeing with each other and normal humans alike.

The Academy

They are divided up into a number of cartels. The cartels became so violent that they eventually created, through a treaty, Central and the Academy. All powerful magic users must be allowed to attend the Academy, and must be permitted free choice to join a cartel or Central afterwards. Though recruitment by cartels is a very powerful and ongoing force at the Academy.

Both Central and the Academy are located in Central, the pocket universe. Central is essentially a peace-keeping operation to enforce the treaty, and to maintain sole access to the nanotech. The cartels are allowed to go after each other, and mess with humanity, but there are limits to the risks they are allowed to take and the exposure they are permitted to risk. When they go over those limits especially by involving non-human monsters such as witches, faeries, horrors, and werewolves , Central can and does 'audit' them.

Auditors are well trained, very powerful, and heavily armed. Audits are almost always fatal. Against this complex, interesting backdrop where the reader is still uncertain how this whole cycle got started, how the monsters came about, where Central truly is, who built it, etc. Plenty of magical talents involve mind control or one sort or another, and the cartels employ massive numbers of precognitives in an attempt to figure out what they need to do to close off all future avenues except those in which the cartel succeeds in its goals.

Further, Central is a very strange place. Many of the occupants fall asleep at odds times, for odd reasons, and wake thinking that someone was just there, or that they have just forgotten something. The reader is aware of some humans who are engaging in mind control and memory manipulation in Central, but it is strongly hinted that others, perhaps even the race that built Central, is involved as well and may be trying to manipulate all of humanity though to what end is uncertain.

This, then, is the backdrop. The main character, Alex, finds himself attacked by werewolves and saved by a Central operative, who realizes he has potential and takes him back to the Academy. Once there, the cartels begin to court him, Central begins to manipulate him, faeries and vampires take an interest, and it rapidly becomes clear that his entire past is fictional, created by someone or something and then embedded in his mind. The world building sets up an amazing amount of potential.

The second book hopefully also for 99 cents comes out in January It will either be amazing, or the complex world will start to collapse under its own rhetorical weight. I'll certainly give it a try. Oct 21, Mike rated it really liked it. And the best part is it actually had original ideas. Self-published and sold for 99 cents as a Kindle e-Book this was really, really fun. You can tell that the author has read extensively, but he also manages to convey plot devices and especially characters that are completely unconventional.

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Wonderful, original, and trippy like a late night acid dream I can't wait for the next boo Loved this book! Wonderful, original, and trippy like a late night acid dream I can't wait for the next book in the series. Hopefully this wonderful world created by Rawlins is expanded to the full extent of it's possibilities. Mar 27, Nage rated it it was ok. This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.

To view it, click here. It's more of 2. Coming in, I really wanted to like this book. So I have mixed feelings after I read this. There were times that it was really difficult to just keep on reading but the story would eventually redeem itself and I could move on. I am usually not meticulous about the hows and whys so long that it still fit with the story's basic premise or logic. Also this was the author's first so I wanted to just enjoy it. The reason I only ga It's more of 2.

The reason I only gave it 2. It could be for building the suspense or intrigue but the transitions are far from smooth and it happens too many times that it almost feels exhausting. A lot of the the dialogues and situations left me mostly confused. I kept reading on with the hopes of finding an explanation but was left disappointed that there was usually none or when there was one, it left me even more confused.

The lead character I couldn't really care for but I did love the others. Alex has really entertaining thoughts at times but mostly he's just irritating. Alex seems like one of those heroes found in Japanese harem manga or novels. Usually that would have been fine I love reading Japanese manga and novels. The suspension of disbelief for manga is acceptable because generally the stories and characters are written to be over the top and you can normally expect that from manga. The Academy felt like it was urban fiction really trying hard to be a manga but failing miserably at the attempt.

To be fair and as mentioned, I loved some of the other characters and genuinely looked forward to seeing more of them through out the story. Although I did feel that the teachers' characters were better developed than that of the students except for Anastasia, she's awesome. I also loved the incorporation of technology to the whole magic system.


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It adds another layer to the each individual's development in terms of their character and their abilities. It's hard not to make a comparison with Zero Sight because of the same premise; trials and tribulations of a boy thrust into a magical school unwittingly, trying to survive the dangers it entails and, of course puberty.

leondumoulin.nl: The Academy (The Central Series Book 1) eBook: Zachary Rawlins: Kindle Store

The Academy was interesting enough that I was able to finish it despite its faults. Story wise, it is novel and interesting and I really liked the magic system. The writing is really rough and could be improved a lot more. Personal feelings aside, for an indie release it's clear that the series has potential. Dec 28, Iftekhar rated it did not like it Shelves: Jun 03, Nanne rated it it was ok Shelves: Lots of potential, very little delivery.

Let's just start off by saying that I quite liked the premise of this book even if it wasnt that terribly original. Boy finds out he has powers, gets thrown into new magical world and has to adjust to life there. All of that is pretty standard thoroughfare for these kind of books but that's not something to be held against it, the author does make very interesting characters and there's quite an exciting worldbuilding going on so as I said before there is Lots of potential, very little delivery.

All of that is pretty standard thoroughfare for these kind of books but that's not something to be held against it, the author does make very interesting characters and there's quite an exciting worldbuilding going on so as I said before there is definitely the potential for a great series here.

Sadly though the execution isnt very good. I just finished reading the book and even at the end I still had the idea the story hadn't quite started yet. The events, while loosely connected, just seem to isolated. There's no character development and there's just no momentum at all really that makes you feel like the story is going anywhere. Even in what was probably supposed to be a very suspenseful scene I never really felt like I was engaged with the story and the main character doesnt make it very easy to like him. Still it was a quick read, that somehow makes me want to read more if only to find out if anything will actually happen.

Given that this was a debutnovel perhaps future installments of this story will benefit greatly from newfound experience Jul 30, Wolfgarr rated it did not like it. It is hard to write a negative review on a book, Most of the time i don't even bother.. Click the one star button and move along. This book though had me shaking my head at more then one point. The story itself is great.. That is if you can wade through all the jumping around and complete lack of follow through. Boy does something big and dangerous, suddenly the chapter ends and poof we are headed along an entire different part of the story.

No follow through on what happened not It is hard to write a negative review on a book, Most of the time i don't even bother.. No follow through on what happened not even a hint about it until a few chapters later like.. The story line is disjointed. Just one example of what i did not like about this book. I do not know if this book was self published or not.. But if i was the author i would fire the editor. Tried reading the second book in this series and quickly found myself skimming through it chapters at a time..

Sadly in its current form i can not recommend this book. Other then as a example on how not to write a story. This story has way too many instances where it is disjointed and leaves the reader confused about what is going on. Apr 29, Eugene Gorodinsky rated it liked it Shelves: While the setting is very interesting: It feels as if the author is hopping from one character to another, from one unrelated event to another.

Oftentimes it's hard to tell wether any time passed between the two events or if they have occured simultaneously. There are multiple perspectives here, although the story is told from a 3rd person POV, and the constant switching of these pe While the setting is very interesting: There are multiple perspectives here, although the story is told from a 3rd person POV, and the constant switching of these perspectives leaves one not knowing what the hell is going on in the story until about the very end.

Not much is explained about the setting either, in fact I often had a feeling I need to look up things in wikipedia only to realize that the setting is entirely fictional and no explanation of the terms used in it can be found in an encyclopedia. Young Alexander Warner was found in front of his parent's burning house with a gasoline tank and a box of matches, with his parents in the house.

Since then he has been jumped from institution to institution all around northern California, talking to all sorts of psychiatrists and psychologists and dealing with the worst kinds of kids. From then to now at 17 years old he has developed a sociopath like manner with no friends or family after his grandmother he vaguely remembers, left him. Then he Young Alexander Warner was found in front of his parent's burning house with a gasoline tank and a box of matches, with his parents in the house. Then he is attacked by werewolves and saved by a Japanese woman with red eyes. This book is very intense and has profanity along with drugs and lots of violence.

I recommend this book to older readers not younger readers. May 27, Dustin rated it liked it. There are some rarely dark elements seemingly randomly interspersed in the plot, and the Alex, the lead, comes off as decidedly 2-dimensional. I'll be following this one to see here the story goes but It's my hope that the author can improve in a few things in his next go-round, particularly Alex's complexity as a lead character, the forced society-wide amorality prevalent throughout the story, and the "dark for the sake of dark" simplicity of some of the scenes throughout the sto A decent read.

I'll be following this one to see here the story goes but It's my hope that the author can improve in a few things in his next go-round, particularly Alex's complexity as a lead character, the forced society-wide amorality prevalent throughout the story, and the "dark for the sake of dark" simplicity of some of the scenes throughout the story. Fix those and I'd gladly recommend this to anyone. Apr 23, John Talcott rated it really liked it.

This book was a fun ride through a unique world with alternative definitions for "Vampire", "Fairie" and "magic". In this book "ether" is a substance that is real like air or water and it can be manipulated by "protocols" to all sorts of fun effects. To make use of these protocols one must have nanites yes the tiny robots injected. It is a delight to watch science and magic stirred together.

There is a good balance of actio This book was a fun ride through a unique world with alternative definitions for "Vampire", "Fairie" and "magic". There is a good balance of action, romance and human drama. I agree with what other reviews say about the main protagonist, but I believe that his weakness is due to mental manipulation. Perhaps I will find out as I cruise through the next books in Aug 16, Zin Feranco rated it liked it. It is Politics in computer language. Though I needed to reread mkre than a few lines to understand. Not because there are lots of technical terms but because maybe of how the words are played.

Includes a rewrite by the Author and a complete copy edit by a professional proofer, removing virtually all typos and grammatical errors. Read more Read less. Books In This Series 4 Books. Page 1 of 1 Start Over Page 1 of 1.

The Central Series

Kindle Cloud Reader Read instantly in your browser. Customers who viewed this item also viewed. Page 1 of 1 Start over Page 1 of 1. Sponsored products related to this item What's this? A Hundred Halls Novel. Everyone joins the Academy for reasons: Zayn joined to save family. Adventures of a Jump Space Accountant. Our hero, Jake, is back. He's got a new job as a junior spy. All he has to do is meet a man in a bar and get some info. What could possibly go wrong? Brielle knows three things for sure. Having black wings, not normal.

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A clever tale about magical assassins, a larcenous shapeshifting feline, and betraying an ancient evil to save family. Murder, Spaceships, Accounting, Jake has it all. He just wanted to be a student, now he's been framed for murder and is on the run. Who can he trust? Living-impaired neighbors, a crooked sheriff, and poisoned pies? Southern sass meets magic and murder in this laugh-out-loud cozy mystery.

Share your thoughts with other customers. Write a customer review. Read reviews that mention main character harry potter rawlins has created good read magic system really enjoyed character development definitely worth horrible editing next book well developed world building look forward really liked great read spelling and grammar well worth hard to follow zachary rawlins second time.

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later. Kindle Edition Verified Purchase. Interesting premise to start, but quickly spirals into nonsense Now, it's possible the author meant to write it exactly as he did. The main character, Alex, is confused and clueless, so how better to convey that sense of confusion and uncertainty than by making sure the reader experiences exactly the same?

Sadly, someone should have informed him this is not a tactic designed to win returning readers. Sprinkle a hint of a plot throughout a lot of nothing much at all. No conflict resolution, no climax, not even a bit of heavy breathing. Or at least a proof reader. That said, the world building is truly stupendous.

The world that's created a mix of the horrible unknown in an almost Lovecraftian sense , urban street magic along the lines of Jim Butcher , and futuristic combat and tech along the lines of Neal Asher. The pacing is pretty good, keeping the reader interested in trying to figure out how the world works and what's going on with it, without ever revealing too much at a time.

In short spoilers , there is a world were magic is possible. Or at least, manipulations of energy and matter with the aid of advanced nanotech that is for all intents and purposes: But human society isn't any more advanced than modern society in the real world. The nanotech was discovered in a small pocket universe that certain people with particularly powerful native talents were able to access. This pocket universe hangs in the aether, which may be the characters in the book are uncertain a superfluid that acts a buffer between parallel universes in the multivierse.

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People with sufficient potential which may be most of humanity are able to tap into this aether and channel it to bend physical laws and reality in this universe, allowing for teleportation, telepathy, and all variety of violent or destructive magics. This pocket universe, called Central, contained a fully built but completely empty city when it was discovered. Humans have now colonized, though most humans don't know this. Humanity as a whole is unaware of the aether, Central, or those with magical abilities.

Many humans can be "activated," gaining the ability to tap the aether, through the use of the nanotech that was discovered. A small number of humans, originating with those with strong innate talents that may not have required activation to use initially, are aware and are involved in all sorts of plotting and wheeling and dealing, taking advantage of and often violently disagreeing with each other and normal humans alike. They are divided up into a number of cartels. The cartels became so violent that they eventually created, through a treaty, Central and the Academy.

All powerful magic users must be allowed to attend the Academy, and must be permitted free choice to join a cartel or Central afterwards. Though recruitment by cartels is a very powerful and ongoing force at the Academy. Both Central and the Academy are located in Central, the pocket universe. Central is essentially a peace-keeping operation to enforce the treaty, and to maintain sole access to the nanotech. The cartels are allowed to go after each other, and mess with humanity, but there are limits to the risks they are allowed to take and the exposure they are permitted to risk.

When they go over those limits especially by involving non-human monsters such as witches, faeries, horrors, and werewolves , Central can and does 'audit' them. Auditors are well trained, very powerful, and heavily armed.